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The Green train!!!
In this issue, the team try their hands at mountain biking and learn the hard way to stick to road cycling!..
Metropolitan Criterium Championships…
Usually reserved for weekend club racing, Murrarie hosted the Metropolitan Criterium Championships on the 31st of May. Held over just 45 short minutes, the pace was going to be high and the rain, strong winds and cold temperature did not make the task any easier.
Team Captain, Chris, was ready for a hit-out as Murrarie is a local course and he is suited to the short, flat criterium style of racing. Unlike usual Murrarie races, Chris took off from the gun, quickly establishing a break with 4 other riders, two from Team BikeKing and two from Team Virgin. With team numbers stacked against him, Chris was not responsible for doing any work and got a relatively easy ride to the finish.
Before the end of the 45 minutes, the breakaway had managed to lap the main field, giving them plenty of time to play tactical games in the final laps. Chris did his best to force the teams to do the bulk of the work and saved all he could for the finish.
Coming down the final straight, Chris Pryor and Michael England from BikeKing put the foot down, with Michael giving Chris a solid lead out. Chris Williams tried to jump onto Michael’s wheel only to be muscled out by Pryor. Pryor crossed the line in first, with his team mate 2nd and Chris in 3rd. The Virgin riders were close behind in 4th and 5th. A great result for Team Merida.
Metropolitan Road Race Championships.
There was little rest after the criterium with the 125km Metropolitan Road Race held the following day in the not-so-metropolitan area of Laidley. The 5 x 25km lap course contained many rolling hills, climbing over the first 12km to a long descent and a further 10km of rolling hills to the finish. It was bound to be a long day in the saddle.
Reminiscent of the previous day, Chris took off after 15km to form a break with 4 other riders, two from team BikeKing and two from team Virgin. The group pushed the pace for the next 100km before the attacks started within the break. Steven George from Virgin constantly tested the break, sending attacks off the front. With around 10km to go, he managed to get away with Michael England from BikeKing, Leaving Chris to chase with Malcolm Rudolph on his wheel. With 10km to go, Cameron Hughes bridged across to the break away, taking a break behind Chris with his team mate up the road. On the last climb of the day, Hughes chased hard after the leaders with Chris still chasing hard behind. With 500m to go, he had almost caught them only to fall a few metres short at the line. However, his team mate, England, took 1st with George crossing in 2nd. Rudolph sprinted around Chris to finish in 4th leaving Chris shattered and in 5th position. The team strategies definitely did not play into Merida’s hands in this race!
Maroochy Boulevard Criterium…
Replacing the washed-out Kawana Waters Criterium, the Maroochy Blvd Crit was held late at night under lights on a fast hot-dog course in Maroochydore. The race was the day before the Tour de Sunshine Coast and offered $5000 for 1st place so the big teams of FRF Couriers, Drapac Porshe and Savings and Loans were on hand to keep the locals honest.
With such a tight and fast course, it was vital that you were well positioned. Constant braking and accelerating meant that the further back in the peleton you were, the harder the race was. Consequently, Chris went to the front and set a fast pace right from the start.
The peleton quickly dwindled to a few riders with Chris still driving the pace on the front. With two laps remaining, he pushed hard out of the corner and made a small gap with one other rider. Now they only had to hold out for two laps. The two worked together with the peleton chasing hard. On the second last corner, the bunch caught them, half a lap short of the $5000 first prize. Spent from his attempt, Chris crossed the line at the back of the pack, with Drapac Porche's, Grant Irwin, taking the win.
Tour de Sunshine Coast…
This is the premier event on the Queensland cycling calendar with many bigger teams present to increase the quality of the field. Unfortunately, the weather was not kind and many stages were plagued wet and windy conditions, making them difficult and daunting.
Stage 1…
The first stage was a short 2.5km night time prologue around Maroochy blvd. With several riders confused by the course and cars accidentally interrupting some riders, many were able to get a ‘do over’ and results were incomplete for some time. Eventually, Deon finished the highest placed of Team Merida in 7th place at 2:49, followed by Matt in 17th at 2:54, Chris in 18th at 2:54.4 and Steve at 2:58.9 in 41st. Cameron took it easy to cross at 3:23 in 75th.
Stage 2…
The Kennilworth stage was a 3-lap, 96km race on a hilly course with a steep 2km climb, 5km out from the end. To make things difficult, light showers made the descent extremely sketchy. On the first lap, riders rode tempo, with the odd attack off the front fading at the hills. On the descent from the climb, a rider almost lost control on a corner, creating a large gap to those in front. The gap widened and 16 riders established a break. With every team represented, including Deon for Team Merida, no one wanted to chase and the break had 10mins before the climb on the second lap.
With the slow pace, Chris took the opportunity to attack up the second climb, riding the 3rd lap solo to limit his loss on the breakaway. Meanwhile, on the front, Deon was aiming for a high stage place. The 16 riders sprinted into town, with the inform Michael England taking line honours and Deon lunging to finish 3rd just behind Chris Jory.
10mins later, Chris crossed the line, gaining 4½ mins on the rest of the field. Unfortunately, due to the large time gaps, the general classification was, in reality, only open to the first 16 riders in today’s stage.
Stage 3…
Stage 3 was the eagerly anticipated Montville hill climb. 7km uphill that will sort the men out from the boys.
The pace was on from the start with Cameron going straight to the front and sprinting for as long as he could. Riders jostled for position as many began to drop off the back. Steve and Matt rode tempo, saving their legs to work for Deon, and the constant surges took its toll on Chris, dropping off the back and continuing to ride at his own tempo just behind the leaders.
Deon kept up the pace, only dropping off during the final attacks at the summit. Michael Hepburn had a convincing win, finishing in 16:31, just ahead of David Kemp and Michael England. Deon was 25sec down with Chris crossing a further 35sec later. It may not have been a great time loss, but with the support of their teams, making up anytime was going to be an extremely difficult task.
Stage 4…
The North Arm stage is always extremely fast, with only 40km to cover on a relatively flat course. After 5km, the pace was high, however, the team was hit with some bad luck. Chris hit some glass, cutting through the side wall of his front tire. Steve was quickly on hand to give him his front wheel and Cameron hung back to pace him as far as he could. Unfortunately, the peleton was moving too quickly, with Chris having to time trial the remaining 35km to lose 5min to the bunch. Any hopes he had were dashed in the process. Steve and Cameron lost huge amounts of time after giving Chris assistance. Deon crossed the line with the bunch, unaware of what happened behind him.
Stage 5…
The final Eumundi stage was a bit of an anti-climax to an otherwise great event. The heavy rain made the 100km course very dangerous, with many riders choosing to abandon the race for safety reasons, knowing that the race could not be won after the massive time gaps on stage 2. A heavy crash on the descent of lap three was enough to convince Steve, Matt, Chris and Cameron to pull out after spending the first half of the race nervously riding at the rear of the field to avoid danger.
Deon continued on, with his normal lack of regard for his own safety, and finished with around only half of the entire field. He had several attempts at riding off the front but the teams of the race leaders were not going to let him get away. Eventually, the race came down to a bunch sprint, with Deon finishing in 7th place and 7th overall on the general classification.
Michael England of Bike King had a fantastic sprint to win the final stage and secure his overall tour win ahead of Chris Jory and David Kemp.
He had proved that his impressive performances at the Metro Championships were not a fluke and he was a rider to watch out for.
Noosa Enduro Mountain Bike Race…
Foolishly, Chris, Deon and Matthew tried their hands at the recent Noosa Enduro. Having previously been on one mountain biking ride, Chris and Deon admitted to underestimating the 100km day of hell.
The race started with the entire bunch taking a wrong turn and doing a lap around town before finding the course again. The first 50km was allegedly the ‘easy’ 50km, however, recent rain had made the course slippery and unrideable in some areas.
Chris and Deon were at the head of the field when at around the 20km mark, Chris took a sharp drop into a left hander a little too fast, snapping his front wheel in half and taking a nose dive into the dirt. Deon continued on and meanwhile, Matt was about 20min behind, battling with a snapped chain.
Eventually, Matt caught up to Chris and another rider who found the going too tough, gave his front wheel to Chris, allowing him to continue on.
Another 5km down the track, Matt snapped his chain again, hitting his knee heavily on the handlebars. Chris waited with him as he fought back tears from the pain.
 While waiting on the side of the track, Deon and several other riders from the leading pack rolled passed, completing an extra 17km after being directed the wrong way.
Eventually, Chris continued on, leaving Matt to battle with his chain and banged up knee. After 2 more chain breaks, Matt completed the first 50km and sensibly, called it a day. Chris and Deon continued on into the ‘intermediate’ 50km, only to be greeted by rain, mud and ridiculously steep hills. Out of the final 50km, Chris walked around 20km of it, unable to ride up the muddy climbs and sliding down the muddy descents.
After around 6hrs and 2 crashes, Deon crossed the finish line and after 7hrs and 4 crashes, Chris crossed the line. Both covered in mud and bruises.
Swearing to never compete another mountain bike race, Chris struggled to move for two days, with grazes, bruises and the lower back of an 80yr old. Respect to those who race mountain bikes regularly!
Product Review: Cannibal Cycling Gear…
Cannibal has kindly provided Team Merida with team kit for the last three seasons and has proven to be a quality, durable product.
The knicks are comfortable and the seams do not rub or cause problems like many others. The lower leg sections are a tight fit and have the feel of compression tights when you wear them. Like all knicks, they lose some elasticity over around a year but due to the extra tightness, it is not very noticeable.
Most impressive is the chamois Cannibal uses, the ‘advance pad’. It is extremely comfortable and has maintained its padding over more than an entire season. The pad itself has 4-way stretch and softer edges to prevent rubbing. Unlike some chamois, it does not dry and harden on the clothes line but remains soft and does not require a chamois crème to prevent chaffing.
The winter gear supplied by cannibal is also very practical. The arm and knee warmers have a fleece lining that adds and extra layer of warmth. Rather than relying on the lycra to block out wind, the fleece also traps your body heat in. The upper seams of the knee and arm warmers also have a small rubber lining that grips to the skin even when you sweat to prevent the material from slipping down. This means you don’t have to worry about pulling the arm warmers up or the knee warmers bunching up behind your knee.
The most liked item supplied by Cannibal is the new TS1 sports sock. They have the new ‘euro style’ length which abides by The Official Rules of the Euro Cyclist section 7-G, subsection i: ‘Look good’. And after several washes and wet weather riding, they have not lost any of their elasticity. In fact, they seem to get tighter after a blast in the dryer!
Cannibal has been making sports clothing since 1989 and sponsors many professional athletes. They have even supplied the team equipment for World Championship events, showing that they are a proven, quality product.
Their design department are able to put just about any design and colour onto a jersey and will happily accommodate your team or club logos and sponsors.
Upcoming Races…
July and August are, again, jam packed with races, including the State Time Trial and Road Races, Charles Coin Memorial, Cunningham Classic, Warrick Criterium and the new 2-day, 3 stage, Tour of the Scenic Rim. After such a full racing calendar, many riders are beginning to tire, however, the Merida boys are more motivated than ever.
Rider Profile: Chris Williams
Chris has been with the team since its beginning in 2006 and now has the role of team captain. After dabbling in triathlon, Chris made the switch to cycling.
Name: Chris Williams
Nickname: Pancakes, Crazy Chris (for constantly attacking from the gun)
Cycling since: Cycling officially since 2004
Why cycling? It relies on pure fitness and strength. It is a true test of athletic ability.
Favourite Event? Criteriums
Other interests? Movies, food, coffee, running, food, .
Training tips: Quality over quantity.
Race tips: Know your opposition so that you can follow the right wheels and get in the right break.
Motto: If you want to be out front, act as if you are behind.
Worst crash: Was hit by a car pulling out of a driveway as I came down a hill at about 50kmh.
Season goals: To place highly for Team Merida (and myself) in as many open races as I can and get as much experience as possible.
Long term goals: Make team Merida a known and respected team in SE Qld.
Til next time… stay out front,
Team Merida.
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