tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56959277855810199502012-02-03T03:54:14.136-08:00andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.comBlogger921100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-63336456718754388312012-01-26T15:16:00.000-08:002012-01-26T15:16:09.446-08:00

There are two kinds of mountain bikers; those that have done Wildside and those who haven’t.  If you are one of the former you will probably be able to relate to post, and if you are one of the latter I hope for you that you are on your way to Cradle Mountain!   Held every two years, no race creates more excitement and anticipation than this classic of stage races, and with only 2 days before

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-12624705947227833552012-01-24T03:26:00.000-08:002012-02-03T03:54:14.154-08:00

After such a long break since the 1st national round at Perth’s Goat Farm, I wasn’t sure what to expect from my form at Mt Buller for round #2 of the All Mountain Cup. I was unsure whether my win in WA was a fluke….perhaps with a bigger field including Macca and Pauly I would get my legs torn off this time? Friday morning practice and the XCO track was just like I remembered it,

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-2690945881800903842011-11-22T01:48:00.001-08:002011-11-22T03:43:30.869-08:00

With every rider on the team making the podium in their respective category it has been a huge weekend for the Swell-Redshift team and for me it was a dream come true to win my first National Round as well the inaugural MTBA All mountain Cup. The racing started with the XCO event which was also a UCI C2.   The start straight was quite narrow and the first climb came very

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-65631405237748078022011-11-15T00:06:00.001-08:002011-11-16T18:08:37.756-08:00

Before (R-L Jenny Fay, Ronan, Me) During A close finish After Photos courtesy of Cyclenation Swell Redshift at "the dash" - Nick was absent because he had to "take care of business" ;) <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-71470357165825369252011-11-10T17:53:00.001-08:002011-11-13T01:13:39.131-08:00

The real insurance marathon series has created a bit of a race within a race, but the elite men's field at the 7th Briars Highland Fling is one of the strongest ever. I am personally quite excited about the race and stoked to be lining up with the stellar field that will assemble this weekend in Bundanoon. I thought it might be interesting to do a bit of a preview into the race and a brief

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-31682092276465468082011-10-31T02:34:00.000-07:002011-10-31T02:47:05.305-07:00

Nick's little friend at Margaret River The Felt Nine with Sram XX - the perfect bike for the Cape to Cape A photo from a little while back at Rocky Trail GP4 at Stromlo A moment with Mike "the man" Tomolaris The Cape to Cape MTB stage race takes competitors on a journey from Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste in the Margaret River region of WA. The race has been growing in

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-29059328879182828132011-10-16T03:21:00.000-07:002011-10-16T03:21:49.714-07:00

What a weekend it was for the Scott 24hr; a few small showers over the weekend made the track super tacky and the mild temperatures overnight made it less intolerable getting out of bed for that 4am lap. Swell Design had the usual army out on course with a total of 24 riders in 4 teams. The Swell-Redshift mixed six consisted of Cameron Ivory (fresh back from XC worlds), Nathan Spencer

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-88509654264834595472011-09-27T04:03:00.000-07:002011-09-27T04:05:31.511-07:00

 I got the hole-shot from Gracie at Dwellingup!  The start line at Tathra, R-L: Cameron Prosser (who lead the first lap), Paul Brody (old school pinner), Me, Ryan Gormly (snowboarder and backyard bike mechanic) I've been flat out since the last post; I quit my job, had a little break, did some skiing, surfing, training and racing...and then started my new job, which is conveniently

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-64217581369477025722011-08-30T04:04:00.000-07:002011-08-31T03:55:07.770-07:00

With the unseasonably warm August weather melting all the snow, it was a perfect weekend to go down to the coast for a mountain bike race. The NSW State Champs was a fairly laid back affair just South of Nowra and the track that they put on was great fun. Heaps of cool single track and some fairly fast fireroad climbing made the race quite exciting. Ben Hendo and Mitch Codner broke away

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-63589497112917123162011-08-22T03:31:00.000-07:002011-08-22T04:41:00.630-07:00

Good times in Alice Me and AJ on a dirty weekend in Melbourne for my first cross race The Sentinel and Watsons Crags The Sentinel My birthday party Cross Strezleki Creek, Sentinal and Carruthers Cross Watsons Creek from Tenison Wood Knoll Having been racing a riding pretty solidly for the past 3 years, I felt that in 2011 I deserved a rest from structured training and racing bikes. It

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-62086413177832411622011-04-19T15:47:00.000-07:002011-04-19T15:59:17.508-07:00

The 2011 Australian Marathon Championship was a bit of a magical mystery tour. There was a lot of concerned discussion between riders before the race; details of the track were pretty sketchy, no one had ridden the course, and we didn’t know what tyres to use(or bikes - 26” or 29er, HT or dually). We couldn’t even get access to the area the day before the race to have a look at the track. On the

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-79879689369800123062011-04-06T04:28:00.000-07:002011-04-06T04:32:22.764-07:00

Recently I was luucky enough to test a GoPro for Enduro magazine. You will have to buy the next edition if you would like to read the review, but in the meantime you can have a look at the edit I put together from one afternoon session on my local trail.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS3wEdXIvfM

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-38185612872863689342011-03-19T02:14:00.000-07:002011-03-19T04:22:59.287-07:00

The start fo the Elite Mens Oceania ChampionshipsMe riding the waterfall (and getting in Josh's way)Passing AJ down the waterfallCam at the Waterfall<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-5193557777892286692011-03-10T00:22:00.000-08:002011-03-10T02:24:54.316-08:00

Final climb in the team relayTeam relay podiumCam on Sunset Boulevard again - nice line budCam on Sunset Boulevard Nick on sunset BoulevardMe on Sunset BoulevardElite XCO Podium (L-R: Me, Norri, Blood, Aido, Lewi)XCCThe dust has well and truly settled at Eagle Mountain Bike park in Adelaide after the National Championships, but it is only now that I have got a chance to sit down and write my

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-16218077298413630892011-02-15T13:19:00.000-08:002011-02-15T13:26:12.561-08:00

I have a friend from the UK coming out to rider the Terra Australis stage race and he is looking for a team mate. He is pretty quick, so ideally looking for someone who can move fairly fast. You would have to pay your own entry.The race starts on the 20th March, detaiuls are at www.terraaustralismtbepic.com.Contact Scott Cornish by email at scrontcondo@yahoo.co.uk if you are interested.

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-43386064784891126942011-02-08T01:30:00.000-08:002011-02-08T02:48:34.117-08:00

Photos by Tim Bardsley-SmithAfter 40 degree temperatures and melting tarmac the last time we raced a national round at Mt Buller, the mountain turned on contrasting conditions this time, with riders battling hypothermia rather than heat stroke. It rained constantly from lunch time on Friday, and right through race day on Saturday, making the track very hard work but heaps of fun. My team mate

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-85813805107923119262011-02-01T23:46:00.000-08:002011-02-01T23:56:07.634-08:00

Sweet Bermi single trackFRM Urano XC Team WheelsAfter what seems like has been a long block of racing and training on the road bike, I made the trip down to the NSW Sapphire Coast on the weekend for a hit-out on the mountain bike in the Bermagui Dirtsurfers twilight 3 hour race. I was very keen to test the legs and get an idea of my form coming off the Christmas break as I prepare for the

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-49250011364896635872011-01-13T17:06:00.000-08:002011-01-13T17:58:07.731-08:00

I headed down to Ballarat last weekend to have a crack at the National Road champs. I usually don't manage to fit in a massive amount of road racing, but the calendar was a bit more favourable this year and with so many top professionals riding there each year I was very excited about racing against some of the worlds best on the road. The 160km course at Buninyong involving 16 laps of a 10km

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-8528250459878129852010-12-19T23:39:00.000-08:002010-12-19T23:42:09.724-08:00

If you haven't heard about this event, check it out, it should be good.The inaugural James Williamson Enduro Challenge is to be held in memory of James Williamson, the 2008 World and 2006 Australian MTB 24 Hour champion. James passed away on 23 March 2010 while he was participating in the Cape Epic Mountain Bike Race in South Africa. The James Williamson Enduro Challenge is a joint

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-56720427121757541792010-12-14T02:47:00.000-08:002010-12-14T03:40:34.553-08:00

Saturday's XC raceShort course sufferingAfter the Tour of Bright last weekend and a few solid days training though the week, I was pretty tired when I woke up on Saturday morning for round 2 of the Jayco MTBA National Mountain Bike Series. I've done a far bit of travelling and racing during the past month and it took me a while to work out where I was; it was definitely a pleasant realisation to

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-87584590387281045722010-11-23T17:33:00.000-08:002010-11-23T18:03:59.554-08:00

The weekend's opening National Series round was the first time I have ever raced at the You Yangs and I have to say it is definitely one of the best XC tracks in Oz. It had me a little worried after my first practice lap, and I was thinking: "how am I going to ride that fast without flatting or crashing!?" A couple more practice laps and my biggest problem was trying to tear myself away to go

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-13093740652010544122010-11-17T18:04:00.000-08:002010-11-17T18:07:01.837-08:00

Despite the ominous forecasts and showers over the weekend, the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Southern Highlands provided hot and dry conditions for the 110km Highland Fling MTB marathon. Going in to the race with only 5 weeks of training under my belt I didn’t have any thoughts of a big result, rather just a regular part of the build up for the

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-28276953682406710482010-10-19T03:25:00.000-07:002010-10-19T03:36:38.391-07:00

Well the Scott was once again a fun event and perfectly timed as a sturdy reminder of two things:Mountain biking is really fun (even though the solos got most of the good trails, and hammerhead continues to gather cobwebs)You can lose a lot of fitness in the off seasonThis year our Swell Redshift team of six was a little less serious than in the past and we were happy to not have too much

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-49640257126812941682010-09-27T14:39:00.000-07:002010-09-27T14:56:27.791-07:00

Puff-balls muchrooms (the size a a football) and parasols with my buddy Julie in EnglandBamboo scaffolding in Hong KongI couldn't find the scaftag on this oneRSPCA approved fish storage?Mong Kok in KowlonHong Kong island from the star ferryAussie spring skiingWell after a disappointing season and a very ordinary performance at the World Championships in Canada I am currently on a 5 week break.

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-15409634596853640912010-08-17T15:59:00.000-07:002010-08-17T16:29:01.470-07:00

Pump track My (brief) stint in the leadAfter a straight forward flight across the Atlantic from London to Montreal I met up with the Aussie Junior team (Trenton Day, Cameron Ivory, Kyle Ward and Mitch Codner) and we loaded up the hire car to capacity for the road trip out to the ski resort of Bromont. Bromont has held numerous World Cups over the years and even a world championship and is known

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-22415870133068412312010-07-21T00:19:00.001-07:002010-07-21T00:19:57.333-07:00

Australian XC mountain bikers are historically fairly hard-up when it comes to racing World Cups in the Northern hemisphere. Our country is so far away that the level of cost, commitment and sacrifice required to get over to Europe is somewhat greater than the countries that typically dominate the sport. This geographical disadvantage hits us two-fold because it is also hard to find domestic

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-75904407403595358392010-03-22T21:12:00.000-07:002010-03-22T22:08:57.539-07:00

Well, it has been a hectic past few weeks of racing, travelling and training, as well as getting all my affairs in order before the 6 trip to Europe. I hope i got everything done...too bad if i didn't because there is little i can do now from the Qantas Club in Melbourne apart from continue to smash through their entire supply of smoked salmon.The Oceania Champs in Dunedin last weekend was a

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-84156961066168294742010-03-14T16:35:00.000-07:002010-03-14T18:17:49.007-07:00

On the "berm track" Cal above Hammerhead Me rolling in towards Hammerhead U23 National series podium: (L-R) Aaron Benson, Paul VDP, Cal Britten Paul VDP ran straight to Rosie to share some of his champagne (what a gentleman) National series final Elite men podium: (L-R) Hendo, Macca, MeElite mens national series podium: (L-R) Hendo, Norri, MeWow, what a great weekend at Mt Stromlo for the

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-69818012654699994052010-03-07T01:08:00.001-08:002010-03-07T01:25:01.807-08:00

Nick & I at the top of ThredboMe heading of on the stage #1 ITTIt was an cold morning on tuesday that started with a ride on the ski tube to PerisherNick & I chasing in the final stageThe final beach sectionHappy to arrive in Narooma<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-1606859356684466632010-02-25T16:52:00.001-08:002010-02-26T02:23:06.938-08:00

I hate to get a new bike!It is all happening for Redshift Racing at the moment. New sponsors have come on board and we have been able to recruit a terrific team of riders for 2010. In the Elite ranks, Rosie and I will be joined by Cal Britten and Nick Both. Cal and Nick bring a lot of domestic and international experience to the team; Cal is a huge talent with a big motor and was 19th at the

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-24723209446606213362010-02-14T20:43:00.000-08:002010-02-14T21:05:50.251-08:00

The start of the race (with Nick Both #13 about to have his race ending crash - bad luck mate) Me back near the start/finish Me and Paul Aubrey after the race Davo (my dad) took some time out from his fly fishing to watch the raceRound #3 of the Jayco Australian National Series was held at Thredbo over the weekend. The ski resort was hit with constant rain from Thursday night and by the time

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-873641092277014132010-02-04T13:11:00.000-08:002010-02-04T13:41:27.162-08:00

It has been pretty hectic of late with plenty of racing going on. No sooner had i unpacked my bike from Adelaide Nationals, i was packing it up again for the trip to Shepparton for the 2nd round of the Jayco National Mtb Series.The course was a little different, very rocky and exposed. It was quite fun though, and being rocky i felt at home. The race went well, i got the hole shot and opened up a

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-5687515965347539192010-01-18T18:23:00.000-08:002010-01-19T14:36:07.742-08:00

The happy CORC relay team: Baker, Rosie, Lewi and I (photo: Russ baker) The Club Team Relay Podium: Adelaide, CORC, Dirtriders (photo: Russ baker)There was a big pile-up invovling Cooper and Cal in the first corner of the mens XCO race. (photo: Russ baker) Me starting to suffer (photo: Russ baker) Some photos by Evan Jeffery on CyclingnewsAfter a great training camp in Mt Beauty and a

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-61373603529669394122009-12-21T18:32:00.001-08:002009-12-21T18:51:23.530-08:00

Last weekend was the opening round of the Jayco MTBA Australian Mountain Bike Series in Hobart, Tasmania. As usual for Hobart the track was pretty fun, nothing very tricky or steep, but a solid hit out none the less. The later start to the series this year meant a much greater presence of international riders like Dan Mac, Lach Norris, and Cooper who have typically sat out the first couple of

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-72515077859670445002009-12-14T19:18:00.000-08:002009-12-14T19:21:12.728-08:00

Own a piece of Australian mountain biking history and support Trekky’s cancer treatment. Up for auction on ebay (item 150397647262) is an official Australian national team jersey signed by members of the Australian mountain bike team that raced the world championships at Mt Stromlo in September 2009. The shirt is a brand new medium sized Santini jersey with MTBA logo as worn by our national team.

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-55625978458345686432009-12-06T17:54:00.000-08:002009-12-06T18:48:11.633-08:00

Me nearing the summit of the Mt Hotham ascentThe first weekend in December each year sees the running of the Tour of Bright stage race. It is a great tour taking in some terrific riding in the Victorian high country and is always good training for the upcoming mountain bike season. The first stage was the "gaps loop", a 150km road stage over Rosewhite Gap, up to Bogong village and then over

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-91788286734288079802009-11-15T15:49:00.001-08:002009-11-15T18:39:47.870-08:00

It is safe to say there is no perfect tyre that is ideally suited to all the conditions that you will ever ride, but I stumbled across a gem this year that I thought I should share. It is called the Maxxis Rendez and normally thought of as a tyre for dry conditions and perfect for the skatey decomposed granite surface of places like Mt Stromlo, but with a few modifications it becomes a very

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-45629833935550314552009-11-15T15:24:00.000-08:002009-11-15T15:41:14.936-08:00

Early season training is going well. Coach has got me doing some nice long k's and plently of gym sessions. I am loving the mountain bike at the moment, it is always at this time of year (without any big races or pressure) that I remember why I love riding. Trying to keep up with Warren Burgess around Manly dam (him on a Rize and me on a HT) has been a highlilght, along with going out to

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-64485704187101735822009-10-20T14:19:00.000-07:002009-10-20T15:00:07.287-07:00

My 7 month stint of racing and travelling is over and I am back at work in Cooma. As tough as it is to get out of bed with an alarm every morning I am enjoying having a job once again. Another good point about being back in Cooma is the trails! I went out yesterday afternoon and it was great. The trails were pretty much as i left them - just as rocky and loose as ever. It was very hard and even

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-39468661334342881312009-10-12T02:41:00.000-07:002009-10-12T04:41:54.457-07:00

The Scott 24hr was held at Mt Stromlo over the weekend. After 2 weeks of not so much as touching a bike after Europe, i wasn't sure how my body would hold up the 24hours of abuse, but after getting 2nd last year, we were keen to go for the win this time. Our team (wonderfully supported by Swell Design - http://www.swelldesign.com.au/) that consisted of Adrian Jackson, Shaun Lewis, James

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-28760269439050594742009-09-27T14:45:00.000-07:002009-09-28T05:58:10.419-07:00

My final race of the season is over, my bike is clean and packed in the bag to head home. It wasn't exactly a fairly tail end to a big year, but it feels nice to be on a break for a couple of weeks before the training starts again.The course at Plymouth was really fast after plenty of nice weather. It had some really quick single track descending that was heaps of fun but nothing that was very

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-7085992992635394402009-09-22T23:32:00.000-07:002009-09-23T01:32:08.508-07:00

After some wet practice days during the week (and some concerns about the steep off camber grass descents in the rain) the weekend was hot & dry. The start was not too bad, there was a crash very early that split the bunch up a bit so it all strung out fairly early on. I tried really hard to hold my position and i think did quite a good job to come through in 72nd after the first lap. I hit the

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-71878671350051661442009-09-14T05:35:00.000-07:002009-09-14T05:53:50.112-07:00

Hot tube after the raceLach doing some yogaLachy smashing the Via FerrataKat on the Via FerrataThe field climbing the steep hill on lap 2 (i'm at the back of the bunch)The Champery World Cup didn’t quite go as planned. The start lap went up a long bitumen climb and was a bit scary with the usual hussle and pile-ups. I was pretty lucky and happened to be on the left when there was a crash on the

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-53194679270687048232009-09-12T02:57:00.000-07:002009-09-12T03:14:13.637-07:00

It has been a pretty interesting few weeks since my last update, but some technical IT issues and a bit of race focus has prevented me from writing a blog. Now back in Europe, sitting back in Swiss chalet at Champery I have finally got around to picking up the laptop. A couple of days after getting the call up for the Aussie team I was into camp at the AIS. Most of the XC squad was there for a

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-26648110423555859332009-08-10T23:27:00.000-07:002009-08-10T23:46:21.617-07:00

The Australian team for the World Champs was announced today and my name was on top of the list! Ok, so it was in alphabetical order, but i am very happy to be on there. It has been a big year and i have made a lot of progress, I am super happy to have been given this opportunity finish my season off with the biggest race of the year, in my home town no less.It will also be good to welcome to

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-6914113576982977892009-08-04T10:54:00.000-07:002009-08-08T03:00:58.378-07:00

I never thought i would be happy with finishing a race a lap down, but at the World Cup in Bromont on the weekend i was pulled after 5 of 6 laps with a big smile on my face. Paul VDP and Haas finished right near me and the three of us were exchanging high fives.With Bromont being my 6th and final World Cup before heading home to Australia, I felt like i was ready to have good race. I was

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-729540241817898742009-07-26T17:22:00.000-07:002009-08-04T13:17:36.243-07:00

Riding the treacherous "squirrel" - photo thanks to Tim Bardsley-Smith Another one on the squirrel - photo thanks to Tim Bardsley-SmithThis is how i spent my morning - extreme cycling fan style. Simultaneously watching the grand finale of the Tour de France on the tele, and staring out the window of the apparment at a womens mtb world cup, and recieving live updates of the 24hr of adrenaline on

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-5509981503629235872009-07-18T19:26:00.000-07:002009-07-19T11:23:01.914-07:00

Riding the last bit on the rimMe at the finishNick and I at the finishThe Velo Mag Raid podium (nick and i on the right)This is all that is left of my brake pads!Yesterday was the 76km Velo Mag Raid from Quebec City to Mont-Sainte-Anne. It pissed down all night before the race and continued to rain most of the morning. Nick and I rolled down to the start at Chateau Frontagnac in the centre of

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-79732832412158179062009-07-07T18:28:00.000-07:002009-08-04T10:54:50.256-07:00

My second attempt at the Lachine criterium saw drastically improved weather from the week before. I tried to position myself well because my road bike sponsor, Kevin, told me that he and his Plant Energy team mates were keen to blow the race apart in the second half. With 7 laps remaining of the 31, there was increased activity and i was super attentive because i wasn't feeling too bad and i

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-67284168603716092009-07-05T19:24:00.000-07:002009-07-05T19:38:20.805-07:00

The start of the race (i am on the right), and you can make out Jo Wall on the Womens start line in the background up the first hillI thought i had raced in mud before, i was mistaken. I also thought that my skills in the mud weren't too bad, once again i wasn't exactly spot on. Since i last practised the Bromont course on Friday the track turned into peanut butter and it was so hard to get

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-59236434568704295352009-07-01T14:48:00.000-07:002009-07-01T15:05:18.471-07:00

Perfect night for a ride? I am getting more settled in Montreal and have been able to get some excellent training in lately. I have met a few local cyclists and more and more i am discovering good places to ride. Last night i raced Les Mardis cyclistes de Lachine, a local weekly crit that is a bit of an institution here in Montreal. A local pro roady, Kevin Lacoombe (top bloke), lent me his

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-59208721749577540082009-06-20T11:05:00.000-07:002009-06-20T11:21:37.936-07:00

I just went for another ride and found some cool trails. Prehaps not entirely legal, but heaps of slick mud and roots. Lots of fun......so Montreal is looking up.

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-34267754424293731082009-06-19T05:45:00.000-07:002009-06-19T15:38:12.675-07:00

Here is a little col-lage of some of the big rides i did in Luchon.Isn't this a beautiful site? That's Ian Potter back in his hayday.Lunch stop for the group that i helped guide in LuchonAnother luch stop in the PyreneesAnd yet anotherRosie got me a flight in a gilder for my birthday, it was awesome.View of Luchon from the gliderOur stay in the Pyrenees was terrific, but sadly all good this must

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-36355876705767079992009-05-27T14:14:00.001-07:002009-05-27T14:42:47.754-07:00

Just a super quick one today to put up a few pictures. One from the race at Madrid and a few from a little day trip today to Carcassonne. Wow, that is one nice medieval city...chockas with culture. (Reeny and Davo, we went passed the Canal du Midi too, and thought of you). I am really starting to miss Benjamin too. I had really grown accustomed to him greeting me each morning in Madrid with

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-65534382439132826882009-05-25T23:42:00.000-07:002009-05-26T01:07:16.919-07:00

After preparing for the typical hot and dust conditions at Madrid it was pretty surprising that a huge storm came though on the Friday night and saturated the track. There were more showers through until race day which was overcast and not super hot (good for me). The rain had eased and after the women had dried out the track for us we had "hero traction" for the mens race.I decided that in

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-18305042236270140322009-05-17T13:24:00.000-07:002009-05-18T23:37:49.890-07:00

hey there, unfortunatelty Sunday was another tough day for me at the hors category Bunbesliga XC race at Heubach. The course was bloody tough with one blutal climb followed by a long slippery descent creating a piramid of a course profile. We were to do 8 laps (which would have been an epic race) so i tried not to blow for the first 4 laps. i was starting to think about ramping it up for the

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-2646943241907371002009-05-14T12:40:00.000-07:002009-05-14T23:31:35.321-07:00

Well, not too much news from Germany. I have just been training. Oh we did visit the factory/office of Canyon Bikes, that was awesome. They have a great set-up about 20km from here with 170 staff; all the design, protypes and assembly are done there. They have a roady that weighs 3.8kg, it is a one off but that is crazy. We also visit the Marksburg Castle. That was nice. We are off the

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-33169716886829279902009-05-07T13:03:00.000-07:002009-05-07T13:38:37.062-07:00

hey they, just a quick one. We are quite enjoying it here in Weiler, it is a cool vilage right near the Rhein...heaps of castles. From any spot on the river you are doing something wrong if you can't see at least two at any time. There seems to be some good training here with quite a few hills around and nice flat riding along the river. We found some mtb tracks today, hopefully we will find

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-72547648716110297002009-05-05T11:37:00.000-07:002009-05-08T12:51:28.930-07:00

Houffalize The start of the womens world cup raceMaccaMe going a little close to the padding Hendo through the finish straight Bikes in Maastricht, Nederlands Some more sight seeing in Maastrict (photos courtesy of Warren Burgess) The Houffalize World Cup with its challenging course, huge field and even huger crowd was a real eye opener, no wonder it has established itself as a "classic"

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-59791546434497363612009-04-29T09:28:00.000-07:002009-04-29T10:44:54.656-07:00

all the aussies at offenburg hendo and I at offenburg me in the raceme riding the "wolfsdrop" at Offenburg macca looking super fast some of the vineyards around offenburg Offenburg town centreour little house in the black forrest ("swartzwald") the view The super fast Renault Kangoo Coach and i at the lake in luganoRuss Baker has heaps of photos up on:http://picasaweb.google.com.au/lematelot56/

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-57559073396043138742009-04-21T12:20:00.000-07:002009-04-21T12:44:09.997-07:00

Well, my 2nd Racerbikes Cup (formally Swisspower Cup) experience was not quite the same disaster from last year at Savognin, but it wasn't too far off.  We got to Lugano on Thursday afternoon and it was pissing down with rain......so cold.  We had a look at the track on Friday and it was awesome.  A really fun track with heaps of roots, very euro.  I was feeling pretty good going into the race on

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-82895291410462549382009-04-15T12:38:00.000-07:002009-04-15T13:47:31.753-07:00

Benny driving it up Le Semnoz Metrying to keep up!America's next top modelsBack on Yohanns balcony (Le Semnoz in the back ground) We arived in Geneva yesterday after a pretty long trip from africa, made a few hours longer by a delayed flight in Madrid. The first stop, which is becoming quite a habit for me, was a visit to the baggage tracking office in the Geneva airport. I don't think i my bike

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-63171662500933949662009-04-11T13:22:00.001-07:002009-04-13T10:22:07.793-07:00

the start of the mens race Gracie on her way to the U23 podium This was the finish of the downhill, it was crazy when local boy, Minaar came down to take the lead. We smashed a lot of these berry smoothies at Coffeeberry Cafe, usually we got our own but Macca and i thought it would be romantic to share one on this occasionOne world cup down, 5 to go. I am really happy with how it all went for me

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-32661075728926869202009-04-09T23:27:00.000-07:002009-04-09T23:52:35.809-07:00

For the start of the week I was busy recovering from the weekend’s race so I had a bit of time for some sight seeing. Rosie and I went to the Umgeni Nature reserve to see some wildlife and some waterfalls. It was a kind of self-drive safari, which really tested out the brand new ford fiesta hire car. It was really nice but unfortunately we didn’t see any giraffes, we did see plenty of zebras

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-79342740295144537752009-04-04T12:44:00.000-07:002009-04-04T12:47:59.438-07:00

Yoorr! Howzit?!?As you can see I have been picking up a bit of the local lingo, they talk so funny over here. I have also worked out a few nice training rides so now I can avoid going through the slightly not so pleasant areas of town. Oh and I had my first “Braai” (pronounced like the women’s undergarment) the other day. It is just a BBQ, pretty much the same as we have back home, except the

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-39096628172394425282009-03-29T08:26:00.000-07:002009-03-29T08:53:37.195-07:00

This entry was started on 27th March:The past week or so, including the oceania champs seems like a blur. I was flat out finishing off at work and getting everything ready for the big trip. It probably wasn’t the greatest preparation for Oceanias, but the race turned out ok. Thanks to Wazza from KOM cyclery, it was my first race on the new bike, a GT Zaskar carbon hardtail. He stayed up super

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-64167098208395993422009-03-08T20:24:00.000-07:002009-03-08T22:17:24.879-07:00

I'm tired! I have just finished the BMC Mountains to Beach stage race which took us from the top of Australia to the beach over 5 days and 6 stages of racing, a total of 380km. My preparation wasn't ideal as i raced the National Series Finals in Tasmania the day prior, but since "the BMC" passed through my town of Cooma i was determined the compete in both, despite the 12hr trip back from

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-50123385140036911242009-02-02T21:16:00.000-08:002009-02-02T21:24:47.444-08:00

Buller was another big weekend, and a repeat of the suffering from a week earlier. Unfortunately it looks like i have slightly overdone it towards the end of this big block and my form has been down a little bit. Having said that, the main focus is still on the world cups later in the year, so it is not surprising.I ended up 11th in Saturday's XC race, which was held in extremely hot conditions

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-33001064911321786512009-01-27T15:55:00.000-08:002009-02-02T21:16:09.362-08:00

photo by Adam MacLeod:photos by Russ Baker: XCC Riding the hammerhead A-line The podium of the Club Team RelayWell, it was a big weekend at Mt Stromlo. It started off really well with a convincing win for the CORC team (Michael Baker, Rosie Barnes, Nathan Haas, and I) in the club team relay. We lead from start to finish from Perth MTB club and Tablelands Cycle Club and even managed to clock the 3

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-31952105423968576232009-01-05T19:19:00.000-08:002009-01-05T19:50:29.953-08:00

There has been not a lot to write about regarding racing over the Christmas period, just a lot of big solo k's battling the holiday traffic. However, the big news is the welcoming of Jet Black as a wheel sponsor. The wheels are Jet Black branded and are a really good all-round wheel. They are stiff enough for everyday use and light enough to race XC, and at less than $700rrp, they are really good

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-79099009654262762812008-12-02T13:27:00.000-08:002008-12-02T13:36:58.504-08:00

photo by Russ Bakeralso, here is a link to a picture on cyclingnews:http://www.cyclingnews.com.au/mtbphotos.php?id=/photos/2008/nov08/illinbah08/illinbah081/EMJ_7599As expected, we were greeted at the Gold Coast by hot and humid weather. Fortunately our 1990’s model Toyota Tarago rent-a-wreck had air conditioning, although like the gearbox in the old spaceship, it didn’t work very well.

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-9084344224650962322008-11-21T21:05:00.000-08:002008-11-21T21:49:45.198-08:00

I've been laying low after getting the flu and having a very ordinary race at the Highland Fling. The training is starting to build up again though , and i'm starting to feel good again. It's just as well because it is getting close to the 2nd national round and the Tour of Bright, so the 5 hours planned each day this weekend it should do me good. The timing for a big weekend could have been

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-10794884168599330952008-11-02T16:36:00.000-08:002008-11-13T20:55:52.052-08:00

photo: Adam MacLeodI travelled down to Adelaide for the National series opener on the weekend and before the race I was uncertain as to how my form would be. The Scott 24hr was pretty much the only intensity that I had done since having a break and it had left me tired for 2 weeks. The plus side of this is that I didn’t feel any pressure so I went to the line very relaxed and with a race plan

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-29950976523215979392008-10-20T15:44:00.000-07:002008-10-20T16:16:39.414-07:00

It have been over a week since the Scott 24hr and i am still feeling a little tired. 24hr races are always tough, but for us chasing the entire time, it was particularly strenuous. It became clear quite early on that it was between us and the Gu team, but unfortunately we let them go on Saturday evening when Willo double flatted on one lap and came in 9 minutes later than he was expected. I

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-1230405208370989482008-10-06T15:29:00.000-07:002008-10-06T15:34:28.925-07:00

I have had a bit of a break from the blog and the bike since the Angry Doctor 100km at Mogo. That race was a bit disappointing for me, I had some really good form and was exactly where I wanted to be after 65km (at the front with Lewi and Hamish), but I completely feel apart and ended up suffering to hang on the 6th place. Not sure what to put that one down to, everything seemed to be going

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-55932388083646895012008-09-03T16:51:00.000-07:002008-09-03T20:12:58.679-07:00

After all the European preparation, i had 2 weeks back home to focus on the Stromlo World Cup. I didn't do to much hard training during that time, the focus was on recovering from the flight and tapering for the big race. My only real-hit out was the Working Week 8hr race the sunday before, which was also at Mt Stromlo. Shaun Lewis and I won the race outright and i posted the fastest lap by 2mins

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-26324790271760708112008-08-12T13:02:00.000-07:002008-11-06T13:25:24.001-08:00

These are actually photos of stage 4:Im not sure who took this one.The team before the start.Dan and AJ loking good at the start.Today was the final stage of the Hex, a 48km XC stage comprising of 2 start laps then 5 full laps. There were a few technical bits and it was fairly muddy but it was still a pretty quick track. The pace on the start laps was really quick and i was well positioned for

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-33355259028597947242008-08-11T12:05:00.000-07:002008-11-06T13:25:43.146-08:00

Today was a super fast & quite flat 60km stage at La Ferte Gaucher, East of Paris. It was non technical except for a 5min wood section on each of the 3 laps. This looked like being a traditional Hex stage; a very fast start to blow the field appart, then bunches would form and the pace would ease slightly until the attacks start coming on the last lap. Neil (the team coach) told me to try and

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-35117635225645201732008-08-10T11:59:00.000-07:002008-11-06T13:26:05.158-08:00

Sacre Coeur churchJakey (our masseur) going to town on me before the time trialDan Mac waiting in the rain for the start of his time trialMe about to hit the course.The last climb, believe me that is definatily a grimace, not a smileToday was the 3rd stage of the tour, a 5km individual time trial around Montmartre in Paris. If you have ever been to Paris you probably know what it is like. A big

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-83770546027773942772008-08-08T12:10:00.000-07:002008-11-06T13:26:23.158-08:00

through the feedzoneToday was the 50km second stage of the Hexagonal. We went for a lap to familiarise ourselves with the 12.5km course and it was a complete mud fest. the rain from the previous night had soaked the ground making it the very worst kind of claggy type mud. The kind that sticks to your bike and clogs up everthing. The track was pretty fun though, i was pleaseed that there

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-46927041142058048072008-08-07T13:25:00.000-07:002008-11-06T13:26:57.752-08:00

"Don't poo in the shower please." L'equipe nationale d'Australie Warm up for the prologueAfter much anticipation, the Hexagonal is underway. We arrived yesterday here in Vittel for the presentation des equipes, and we were surprised to discover that the organisers had decided to run and ad-hoc exhibition event as a curtain raiser to the grand depart, which was sheduled for the

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-78439771000030950732008-08-04T00:06:00.000-07:002008-08-04T00:16:06.584-07:00

Our five day training camp in Alpe d'Huez is over and i'm feeling pretty good about my form. AJ and i did some good efforts the other day and i felt strong, even at 1900m, so that is a good sign. Yesterday we drove to Les Arcs to spend a night with my friends Nico and Vanes that i meet when i came here for the ski season in 2003/4. I was really good to see them and their new baby, and Vanes is

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-57491233975976768162008-08-01T07:41:00.000-07:002008-08-01T08:08:21.373-07:00

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Sorry it has been ages since I updated the blog. I left you last time 2 days into the Transalp. The remainder of the race was really good. Matty and I continued to achieve consistent performances to place in the 50’s on most days. The tough days in the middle of the race were made bearable by

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-88815751745866289082008-07-20T12:35:00.000-07:002008-07-20T13:11:04.550-07:00

After leaving Livigno, we headed our to Immenstadt in Germany to meet up with Matty Z and stay a night with our German friend, Spunti. On Friday we drove to Fussen and had our first experience of the Transalp, and let me tell you, everything about this race is huge. There are over 1000 riders, big expo areas, heaps of euro trade teams and every little town seems to get right into it.Stage one

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-22718971093333994432008-07-16T11:59:00.000-07:002008-07-20T12:46:35.439-07:00

The sun finally came out at Livigno and the past 2 days has been beautiful, the fresh snow on the mountains adds a nice touch, but probably not worth the 3 days of crap weather. I did a cool ride yesterday to check out some of the course for the transalp, it was really good. I even stopped at a mountain refuge (also a dairy) for an awesome lunch of beef stew and polenta, nice.Today i went out on

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-84617356154646822792008-07-14T05:19:00.000-07:002008-07-14T13:19:52.312-07:00

The Swisscup was a bit disaster for me. It had been pissing down all day so the track was really muddy, I started from the back and struggled a little with the pace early on. I tried to get into a tempo and i started to overtake people on the downhill and off camber sections, which was quite fun in the muddy conditions, but on the 2nd lap i had a nasty crash. That shook me up a bit but i tried

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-7152994378378616022008-07-09T12:17:00.000-07:002008-07-09T12:24:18.874-07:00

Well i've been in Savognin since Monday and i am starting to feel pretty settled. I have been training in the morning and watching the tour de france on TV in the afternoons, not a bad life. It's definately easier than staying up until 2 in the morning like back home.I have done a few laps of the Savognin XC track. It is interesting to say the least. It pretty much finds the steepest hill and

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-33364797090714077002008-07-07T07:11:00.000-07:002008-07-09T12:16:55.732-07:00

Josh, Lachy and I befre the start. The result of my crash before the race, the damage to the aussie shorts brings a tear to the eye. Not having a Navman, I kitted out the Spats with the next best thing.

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-43361375395963821682008-07-06T11:30:00.000-07:002008-07-06T13:07:46.661-07:00

After picking up our hire car in Annecy (a Peugeot Partener minivan - cool), we took on the 9hr drive to Villabassa. It was an interesting drive that took us through the Mont Blanc tunnel, and plenty of Italian autostrade's. On friday i met up with the rest of the Aussie team and did a reconaisance of the last 10km track. I guess i got a little excited by the whole thing and managed to have a

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-30753383862949231982008-06-30T11:52:00.000-07:002008-06-30T12:03:46.352-07:00

Hi, Rosie and i have arrived safely in France and it feels good to be back. I am in Annecy where we will be staying with my friend Yohann for the first few days. The weather is really hot so it was down to the lake for a swim this afternoon. Just kicking back on the balcony now cooking a bbq with views of the mountains.In the not so good news, the airline managed to loose our bags and bikes.

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-78922671066510812482008-06-25T21:35:00.000-07:002008-06-25T23:05:51.288-07:00

Well i've just had my last big training session before i go, 4 x 20min mountain bike time trials. Its a bit of a relief to get to the end of this training block because it has been huge. Hopefully an easy week will allow me to freshen up a bit so i'll be flying at Marathon Worlds. The Spats titanium bike is going awesome. The new SIDs are so good, i even fiddled with the lockout the other night

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5695927785581019950.post-13700950431274115022008-06-23T14:39:00.000-07:002008-06-24T19:08:32.971-07:00

Hi all, welcome to my blog. Normally i would have hung up the bike by now and would be pumped up to ski at every opportunity, but this year i have decided to go over the Europe to have a crack at a few mtb races and have some form for the Mt Stromlo World Cup in August. Its too cold to train in a Cooma winter anyway! My itinerary is basically as follows:-World Marathon championships - Villabassa,

andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716014781534242620noreply@blogger.com5