What a great week it was for Australian Riders as the Spring Classics come to an end.  More of that later, but first up.

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The Giro.

Its just over a week away. OMG, hasn’t that come around quickly.

If you think you need reminding, you can add reminders into your calendar through the following sbs link.  SBS Giro 

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Velorama

On the 16th May, the opening night of Velo-Fringe (which is part of the Velo-city global cycling conference) Velorama are organising another event.

You may remember Velorama from a few months back with their “Mama, The Italians are coming” film night on Peel Street, well the guys are at it again with a Velo-Fringe Bike Parade

Velorama are running a bike parade starting in Vic Square through the city that finishes at the State Library where there will be film, fork in the road food vans, licenced bar, prizes, demonstrations, memorabilia and all good things cycling.

Velorama are trying to encourage cycling groups to ride the parade in their club colours as part of the fully spectrum of cyclists including kids. The police will be supervising with rolling road closures and the route is a bit of a mystery but promises to take you places you probably haven’t been on a bike.

Please forward this onto your mates, cycling clubs, workmates and the like. Print and post in your work lunch room, lets support this local event and if you can, get a group together to support this great initiative.

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Mavic Celebrates 125 years

MAVIC are celebrating their 125^th anniversary this year. To celebrate the anniversary, MAVIC organized an event in Lyon, France, the original home of Mavic and the nickel-plating business that was its precursor.

The event was hosted by Stephen Roche, winner of the Giro, Le Tour and the rainbow jersey all in a single year – 1987. His compatriot, Sean Kelly, one of the greatest classics riders of all time was also in attendance. Other Tour greats were there – Bernard Thevenet, Tony Rominger, Charly Mottet. Even riders from MAVIC’s illustrious and dominant track history made an appearance, the huge German sprinters , Michael Hubner and Jens Fiedler, and the French champion Florian Rousseau.

Current riders racing and winning on Mavic made their way to Lyon as well–Paris-Roubaix winner Johan Van Summeren and Tour stage winner Christophe Riblon. Kept away by business, Bernard Hinault recorded a video message as did Greg LeMond, although Greg’s was never played.

Mavic wanted to do more to honor its history than throw a heck of a party, MAVIC made some new products. To help celebrate, there is a new helmet, the Cosmic at only 210 grams in weight, and a new commemorative kit, HC 125, featuring some interesting chamois, and of course there were wheels. 125^th Anniversary Ksyriums.

The new 125^th Anniversary Ksyriums bring everything the Ksyrium name in synonymous with – lightweight, reactivity and durability – and add to it a truly new expansion of a core MAVIC technology. The Ksyrium 125 features its patented FORE drilling, Zicral spokes with rear non-drive side Tracomp carbon spokes, Maxtal alloy, carbon front hub body, SUP electro-welded joints, ISO Pulse, Exalith anodizing, etc, etc, etc…These wheels are manufactured using a new Inter Spoke Milling (ISM) process. Dubbed ISM 4, the entire rim is now milled at once, shaving away rim material not just between spokes or on the sidewall but on the entire rim, save the brake track. It results in only minute weight savings over ISM 3, but gives the rim a more rounded aero profile. The wheels comes in at 1370 grams, some of the lightest clinchere wheels available.

Oh yeah, I want that LOOK.

Giro del Trentino

Cadel Evans is starting to get some good hard yards into his tilt at the Giro, and whilst the Trentino was missing quite a few of the big names, it did allow Cadel to work with his key support team that will be riding with him at the Giro, so his win is a timely return to form.

Alas, no cycling Cap

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La Fleche Wallone

Ah, There is the one Cap on Michal Kwiatowski’s head (by the way, he’s having a terrific year, keep an eye on him in years to come. In fact as this post was being developed, news came in that he also won the prologue at the Tour de Romandie in Ascona, Switzerland).

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100th edition of Liege-Bastogne-Liege

Well done Gerro, a fabulously timed, albeit a little fortunate following Tony Martins fall on the last corner just as he appeared to be repeating last years surge to  take the 2013 LBL.

Still, you make your ‘own luck, and Simon is making a habit of it with his superb results over the last 4 years (2012 Milan San Remo, 2014 Australian Road Championship, stage wins in the Giro, Vuelta and Tour de France).

He is without a doubt fulfilling “Living the Dream”.

Still can’t believe I won Liege-Bastogne-Liege! A dream come true. Again the @ORICA_GreenEDGE guys were awesome. #winnersaregrinners

Dan Martin should have gone with his backup bike

And look, 2 out of 3 wearing the cycling Cap (yeh, thats Michal again on the podium, same spot).

A great week for Gerro and OGE with the podium finish in the Amstel Gold the previous week.

Have a look at Gerros reflection on his website.

Gerro Reflects

My teammates were fantastic, and collectively our race unfolded perfectly. The plan that the directors developed and the way each of my teammates and I stuck to it allowed us to achieve what is certainly one of the most significant wins for ORICA-GreenEDGE to date…….

 

I can’t reiterate enough the way their work set me up for the win. They put me in the perfect position at all the key points throughout the race.

Initially, Christian Meier and Daryl Impey were charged with protecting me and delivering me to the final section of the race as fresh as possible.

Have a look at the excitement in the OGE team at the end of the race in the OGE Backstage Pass.

OGE Backstage Pass

Here are some low res youtube snips that that show the raw emotion leading up to that realisation that your rider is getting into a great position, and of course that roof thumping exaltation after the win.  A word of warning if you watch the clip, turn the sound down low because the squeals from the second car are deafening – the wife thought I was watching some of my special films.

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Picture of the week

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner.

The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother’s womb. Little Samuel’s mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner’s remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb. During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby.

As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon’s finger. Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile. The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, “Hand of Hope. Little Samuel’s mother said they “wept for days” when they saw the picture. She said, “The photo reminds us pregnancy isn’t about disability or an illness, it’s about a little person” Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful.

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Professional Curator of the Week – The Fetch

The Fetch is a curated global guide for professional events. Unfortunately not located in Adelaide, but it is located in Melbourne, Sydney and some other major cities around the world

You can sign up for weekly updates through this link The Fetch

till next week

tight spokes

iPib