'09 Felt SRAM Racing Team

New Blog

2010-03-08T16:41:00.002+11:00

Hi All,

You may have noticed this blog hasn't seen much action recently.

We've decided to start fresh with a new site.

Jump over here to have a look. We'll try to keep it a bit more upto date, we promise.

National MTB Champs 2010- XCO

2010-01-21T12:58:00.002+11:00

Green and Gold jerseys were getting thrown around on the 16/17 of January and I was lucky enough to be one of the few lucky enough to grab one. Here is how the 2010 National MTB champs at Adelaide unfolded for me…

The FELT SRAM MTB team was in full force for the national champs with a strong 5 riders lining up for the Elite men’s XCO race. Scott Liston, Jack Lamshed, James Maebus, Neil van der Ploeg and his younger but taller brother (Me) made the trip across to Adelaide. With a full Squad all were keen to have a solid ride and finish in the pointy end of the race.

At 11am the 15sec warning was called and the Gun went off shortly after…

There was a large crash in the first corner that I narrowly missed out on accompanying my fellow elite racers in. Cal Britten flew in my direction but luck was with me and I shot up the trail. All Felt team mates made it threw with little setbacks.

My plan was to settle into a groove as soon as possible somewhere in the top ten and test the legs in the following laps. Dan McConnell powered into the distance and Lachie Norris, Sid Taberley jumped onto his wheel as best they could. I sat in the chase pack knowing that if I went with Dan I would be blowing chunks and going backwards later in the race.

So in the chase group Shaun Lewis led into the first climb and single track, I sat second wheel until I shot around him to chase Andy Blair and Ben Henderson. This was a silly move but got me clear trail. Coming into the second lap we had a good group of around 5 or 6 which included Neil VDP fellow brother and team mate.

Things were looking good and I felt like I was dancing on the pedals for once.

In the proceeding laps mechanicals haunted many of our group due to the rocky rough single track and the feeling of pressure to ride fast with smooth riding escaping the desperate. AJ had shifter ‘quick release’ in lap one and needed tech support and a new bolt. Aido had a puncture with tires that have never punctured for anyone ever! Ben Hendo had his chain guide wrap around and stop the flow of his chain. Matt Flemming double punctured….things were not going to plan for many of the chasing pack.

I on the other hand tried to keep smooth but this proved to be quite hard and this followed with me pooing my pants every time I hit a rock in fear that I had punctured…My tires held air and my legs held power and this meant that I could focus on riding harder in the final few laps.

The chase group was down to Josh Carlson and I by the 5^th lap and I was feeling really strong, this meant I kept pushing myself to ride quicker on the climbs and flow as best as possible through the many single track sections. The commentators were talking a lot about lap times every time I came through and I was glad to hear that my lap times were staying consistent and that the leaders were dropping the pace back a fraction.

On the final lap I caught sight of Sid who appeared to be in some trouble, He had flown into the country two days before the race and looked to be hurting a lot. I managed to make the passing move on a section of fire road which boosted my confidence for the climb, but the legs were starting to get a little sting in them. Over the last half of the lap Josh Carlson looked to be hunting me down after the small gap had been opened. He was descending like a mad man while I was aiming to get to the line in one piece and without a mechanical.

On the last pinch up to the village I knew I had him covered and it was time to soak up the fact I had fought my way into another National U23 title and 3^rd overall in the elite field! I crossed the line and rode straight to my good friends Lach and Dan to congratulate them on an awesome ride. I could not be happier with the race and the final result. Cal Britten battled his way through the field to finish 2nd in the U23 followed by Dan Brainsteins who took 3rd after starting 49th on the grid.

Finally I need to send out a massive thanks to FELT bicycles for all of their support they have given me for the last 4 years. Without there belief in me I don’t know what I would have done. SRAM components for the XX group set which is by far the best setup I have ridden to date. Also a final thankyou has to go out to my family and friends for their support, not only at the race but outside in the real world as well.

Tour of Tassie- The final day

2009-10-11T21:15:00.001+11:00

Day 4.
Stage 6. Ulverstone Criterium.
This was likely to be my last day of racing due to a wedding of the National marathon champion, Murray Spink. So I wanted to go out with a good day of racing. The criterium was fast and flowing with a head wind on the back straight and a tail on the home straight. I was feeling quite good. I spent a lot of time really close to front, probably the best positioning in a criterium for me to date. A break went clear early so the pace in the main field was steady and comfortable. However, with about five laps to go there was a crash and about half the field took a lap out. I looked around and sure enough I was the last rider to NOT take a lap out. IDIOT! So when the riders merged back into the peleton I was very near the back with only a handful of laps to go. I tried to make a few easy positions up but in the end decided to just conserve energy for the afternoon’s stage. The last few laps were furious but apart from that it was a relatively easy criterium.

Stage 7. Ulverstone to Penguin.
Team mate Steve Robb had been talking this stage up all week as the real decider of the tour. Why? A big burg of course. At an avg. of around 9% it was certainly steep enough but it was less than 4km long. There was still some hope! I figured even if I managed to stay with the leaders to the bottom of the climb there was still no way I could get over the hill still in contact. My solution: get in a breakaway. Risky, but it was my last day and I wanted to give it a crack.
For the first part of the race I was too far from the front to get among the action. There were some riders not too far up the road and a breakaway was looking like a possibility. I gave myself a stern talking to for lingering so far back and moved up when I saw the chance. Sitting right up the front for less than a minute I looked to my left and saw ex-mtb rider and fellow Albury resident Rhys Pollock boxed in and looking ready to pounce like a van der Ploeg at the dinner table. I dropped back slightly and presented a gap for him, surely enough he attacked. I followed.
We got into the break and it established itself. What luck. We worked solidly together and I was a little concerned I was overexerting myself but tried to find the right balance between helping the break and saving my legs. The gap got out to around 3 minutes but in the approach to the climb we slowed up and the leaders turned it up. We hit the bottom of the decisive climb with only a minute’s lead. This was ominous.
I felt pretty good up the climb and got into a good rhythm. About ¾ from the top the leaders caught us. Myself and the other break away riders increased our pace to try and hang on over the top. I thought I’d done it but after a short descent only about 200m long there was a straight piece of road towering above us. It was upsettingly steep. Peter MacDonald decided this was a good time to start sprinting and a few of the big hitters followed. I tried to limit my losses and stay near some other riders for the final 20km of gradual descending.
Steve was right; this climb had completely blown the race apart. But after we got over the top, riders started forming groups. The last 20km can be described pretty well using two words, hard and fast. It was undoubtedly the fastest 20km I have ever ridden in my life that was not down a mountain. There were some very strong humans in our group. Former Australian champion Matt Wilson was the strongest. He was the last person I wanted to pull a turn after I had finished my own. I almost was dropped countless times but in between was able to pull what I thought were good strong turns.
Our group got to around 15 riders in size and we almost succeeded in bringing back the minute gap to the leaders. Didn’t do well in the sprint for the line at all but was very satisfied with how the stage panned out. It was a big effort and a great way to finish the tour. After that stage search2retain moved up into 6th position in team GC with Ben Dyball finishing in my group and Steve in the next bunch not far back.

A tough tour, a shame not to complete it but there are plenty more bike races to come, stay tuned!

Tour of Tassie- Day 3

2009-10-06T22:00:00.001+11:00

Day 3.
Stage 5. Smithton to Stanley- 116.5km
Only one stage today and a bit longer than the others. I was looking forward to this one. There was only 35 odd ks of riding to Stanley and then 10 laps of a circuit (7.9km) for the last 80km. There was a short climb in the circuit that was bloody steep, followed immediately by an exposed piece of road with strong cross winds and some more gradual climbs before descending back into Stanley. A break containing mountain biker Nathan Haas and Scody Cup series leader Richard Lang went clear before we hit the circuit and got a lead of over 4 minutes. For a few laps of the circuit the pace wasn’t too bad with Fly V on the front dictating the pace. Manager Peter was in our ears warning us that Fly V was getting commands to bring back the gap. Nervous times. We tried to ready ourselves by getting right near the front to not get caught out in any splits in the bunch after the climb in the cross winds. In particular we were trying to lead Ben up the peleton and keep him fresh. Inevitably, fly V put the hammer down up the climb and into the cross winds. The peleton was getting blown to pieces and people were grovelling in the gutter all over the place but I stayed in the lead group and it all came back together. The pace steadied for a few laps and then on the final lap it happened all over again, but more carnage. I got dropped from the lead bunch in the crosswinds and formed a bit of a group. With about 1km to go we bridged the gap to the group in front, which turned out to be the first main bunch across the line. A good result personally and also for day the team. Ben Dyball unfortunately missed getting back into the lead bunch but led the next one in so didn’t lose too much time, while Steve Robb also finished in the same bunch as I so we climbed into 8th position in team GC.

Tour of Tassie- Day 2

2009-10-05T22:33:00.001+11:00

Day Two.
Stage 3- Burnie Criterium
The course: 1.3km. About 750m climb and then a 550m steep descent, all on a very narrow road. Needless to say another hard stage was upon us. The driver of the bike trailer and half our team overshot the school that the crit circuit was in so we got our bikes half an hour before the start. Very keen to squeeze in a good warm up, when I lined up I was pretty close to the rear of the field. Immediately after the gun went off, the familiar fast pace I’ve come to expect was set by the leaders. Contrary to popular belief, cycling races generally require very little strategy or thought. I know what you’re thinking and you’re probably right, this does suit me! Basically, you need to try to avoid getting dropped. At my current fitness, this means pain from the get-go. If the rider in front of you is dropping the wheel, you overtake him. If you can, you get near the front to avoid too much stop starting around the corners. That’s pretty much it. If you succeed in that then you’re doing well.
People were getting shelled right from the start and since I was riding from very near the back this meant a lot of sprinting around people to stay on. I did my very best to gain positions but this could only really be achieved to any significant effect by climbing faster than the guys in front to pass them. If I was the strongest I could have got away with this but unfortunately I wasn’t. It eventually took its toll and following a few quick laps by the leaders I went off the back. I rolled around for a few laps until I saw two search2retain team mates come up behind, including our highest GC rider, Steve Robb. Brilliant! I’ve seen this type of thing in the tour. The domestique paces the leader for as long as he can to get him back into the lead bunch. I prepared myself for some tough laps but after getting a little too excited only managed one lap before I blew again. With heaps of laps to go I watched Steve and Alex Ray (team mate) lap around alone and realised I would’ve been much more helpful to go a little less hard and stick it out with them. Whoops. In the end they got lapped with only about 5 laps to go. It wasn’t all bad for search2retain with other GC hope Ben Dyball up in the lead bunch holding his own until the finish. A disappointing criterium personally and for the team but with Ben up there it was still an acceptable result.

Stage 4. BURNIE TO WEST MOOREVILLE 75km
This stage looked harder than stage two where I was put into a lot of pain from the start so I was prepared for a tough one. In the first few km’s I moved myself close to the front. Blowing from the front is better than blowing from the back. And then the rain started to come down. As I learned in Gippsland, this is good news for the mountain bikers! We had a bit of a descent so I used it to get to front of the pack, no energy required! I went past the fly V train on the front of the pack and attacked off the front. Shortly after I heard some one shouting my name from behind and saw Drapac Porsche rider Stuart Shaw trying to bridge the gap. I eased up and started working with him to catch the only other rider up the road, Nick Aitken. But then the road sharply pitched upwards and I soon after I realised the bunch was sure to catch me so I climbed at a comfortable tempo until I was reeled in. After that I was doing my best to stay on the lead group and got dropped slightly a few times but was able to get back on. Rolling towards the finish with a 1km to go I found myself quite close to the front. Looking back, I should have found a sprinters wheel and followed but instead I just kind of sat near the front in the middle with no easy way out for a sprint. I guess I was still in defence mode and my main objectives were still to avoid getting dropped rather than going for it in the sprint. After finishing in 18th, not too far from the winner and feeling pretty good I found myself wondering why I didn’t give it a good crack? Next time. Was I finding my legs or were the leaders just tired from completing the gruelling criterium that morning? Time will tell!

Tour of Tassie team photos

2009-10-04T21:17:00.004+11:00

All smiles before the start of the second stage, FOOL!

The team!

Tour of Tassie- Day 1

2009-10-04T21:09:00.001+11:00

Tour of Tassie
Day 1.
Stage one-Davenport criterium 31km
The stage started off inside the Spirit of Tasmania. It should look good for the cameras and on T.V but for us cyclists it was a little inconvenient. It took quite a bit of stuffing around to get onto the boat and into position and the warm up track inside the security area was really small so when all 140+ riders took to it we were packed in like sardines. The warm up suffered.

When the gun went off I worked hard from the start to get up in a good position to avoid any crashes and save energy. I think I was in the top half of the field for almost the entire time so that went ok. About 10 minutes in my lungs were burning, the intensity obviously a higher to what I’ve exposed them to recently, sorry boys. The pace felt fast and the legs and lungs were telling me that I was going hard enough riding in the bunch so basically I stayed there for the rest of the race. Boring, I know! Highlights of the race came from search2retain’s (the team I’m riding for) team radios. Team manager Peter was constantly in our ears telling us to move up, how many laps to go and near the end giving us motivational comments. It was good fun!

Stage two-Spreyton to Mole Creek 54km road race
This one didn’t look too hard judging by the course profile. We were wrong. There were no really long climbs but it was just bloody hilly for almost the whole way, with some pretty nasty gradients. There were four categorised climbs and I had to really grovel to stay in contact with the leaders on the second climb. A break of 20 riders went clear and the pace eased up. This was good. At the base of climb three, one of the strongest teams, Fly V Australia decided to reel in the break. This was bad. It’s fair to say that I was in the box and JUST hanging on over the crest of the climb but not without some serious self talk to keep myself motivated. After that climb it was still hilly and I was in trouble. I was in last wheel of our group and at times started to get that dizzy feeling going over some hills. I think the fourth climb was around 8% and about 3km long and when I saw it kicking up I knew it was time to get into my own tempo and let them go. I had cracked. Not surprisingly, I wasn’t the only one feeling the pressure so at least I had company. Going over the last 500m of the climb, Ben Mather went past. This was just what I needed to get me pumped again. We have had some good close races in the recent past so I couldn’t let him get this psychological victory. We descended pretty quickly and swapped off briefly at the bottom before Ben suggested it was time to start saving energy. I didn’t argue, but only a minute or two later, when two others caught us the pace was on again. They were apparently keen to finish as close as possible to the leaders. My legs were really, really suffering and I almost got dropped several times in the final 10km to the finish. I couldn’t have been happier to see the finish line. A hard day. Unfortunately my recent good form was absent but hopefully it’s just a day late. Fingers crossed! Otherwise this tour will be very tough. On the positive side two of our search2retain teammates finished in lead bunch so there are some good signs for the team and maybe I will be called on for domestique duties, we will have to see!

Tour de Timor Video

2009-09-23T17:22:00.001+10:00

Tour de Timor

2009-09-23T16:51:00.002+10:00

Final stage!

Stage 5 was a fast 97km stage from Maubisse back to Dili with a grand finish in front of the Timor Presidential palace. A stage mostly of descending, but in true Timor style sending us to the heavens on what climbs were in the course.

As you know from the previous post, Team Mad Dogs still had some work to do to regain the lead, and as far as the time splits went the race was anyone's.

From the gun the race was on, our teams first plan was to hit the group from the start line! The pure fury and power unleashed on the start caught a lot of people off guard, including myself.

Attack after attack on the first initial climbs set the tone of the final stage. Neil and Pete would get away and just after the KOM it was clear the Yellow jersey was struggling. Soon after Neil had the break that could ultimately put him back in the yellow jersey, fortunately he was in good company with Mark Frendo of team SHORTIS. It was all up to those boys now, would they work well together, or were we asking too much of Neil?

Although the final stage was mostly down hill, make no mistake in thinking it was an easy stage, Neil was chewing stem to keep away, and put in as much time as possible to the chases.

The last 8 km's to the finish line were the most memorable moments of the whole trip. Thousands of Timor Leste people lined the street, dictating the path you took to the finish line, a human barrier, screaming, jumping and covering you in flower petals. This was amazing, and in a way numbed the pain as you dug into the reserves of 5 days of hard racing, the noise was so loud you couldn't here yourself think.

And to cap it all off NEIL BLOODY WON!!! The stage was won by Mark Frendo, but together they put in enough time for Neil to regain the Yellow Jersey! He rode the stage of his life and pulled out something extra special for us.

Total elation followed, we had just won the first ever Tour de Timor, the race was over, the atmosphere was ecstatic... We couldn't of had a better tour!

Team Mad Dogs: Neil Van der Ploeg, Peter Hatton & Scott Liston,

Tour de Timor

2009-09-14T10:52:00.003+10:00

Stage 4

Stage 3 had been a real test for myself, and our team. But we soon realised that loosing the Yellow jersey befor stage four, 'the mountain stage', was well timed. It meant that we wouldnt be the ones having to cover breaks and push the pace, it was now team Praties that had to watch their backs.

Climbing to a height of 2000m with some of the toughest pinches I've seen was going to be the toughest test of the event, out of all stages. Unfortunately after my efforts the previous days, added to the fact I was now at my sickest, I knew this stage wasn't going to be a stage full of success for the King of the Mountain, I would be very lucky to hold onto the polka-dotted jersey after this stage (I would be very lucky to hold onto my food, without visiting the side of the road too!).

No more then 10kms into the stage dissaster struck our team, Neil had a pretty devistating flat, and without hesitation I gave him my wheel and he was off again, being towed back to the bunch by Pete. My race basically got worse from there, infact after fixing Neils puncture, I had a further 2 more flats and had to walk to the nearest feed zone.

I was more then happy to be the sacrifice, especially when I heard how well Neil and Pete rode. A fantastic stage for the both of them. Hitting Praties with a cluster of attacks, and with Pete driving the pace into the red zone, dishing out all the hurt, Neil finally administered the knock Out blow breaking the race wide open.

Running on little more then fumes Neil rode the stage to the win and despite a rathere big crash, after taking a corner a little too aggressively, Neil put some much needed time into Praties. Praties were still in the yellow, but it was clear the race would go into the last stage as anybodies!

What a pressure cooker situation!

ScottyL

Tour de Timor

2009-09-10T10:11:00.001+10:00

Stage 3

The stay in Loihuno for me was a nightmare. I must have eaten some bad meat or something, because I got no sleep, and was feeling really sick, and ontop of this I must have been sleeping with my head slightly down hill and was suffering from slight reflux and general discomfort. I arrose the next morning feeling like death, I think I had a stomach bug, and I literally couldn't stomach any food. I was far from eager to race 100km in 40 degree heat pushing the pace on tremendously rough, momentum sapping terrain, but I wasn’t the eager to give up either.

Being a reasonably flat stage with some short hills at the start, we predicted that a break may happen real early. It did and Pete once again was the one that managed to cover it. With only Three riders in our team, and one of those riders being in yellow and not to do any work, Pete and myself were getting spread thinly and it was definitely fatiguing. With a group up the rode, it took a while for the chase to get organised. obviously it was mainly our team that had the need to chase down this break and with me being the only one left to push the pace, it was going to be a nearly impossible task to chase down a couple of fresher riders up the rode, ontop of the fact I was quite sick.

Pete was on the ball and realised this, so he dropped off the break and came back to help me. And that was the story of the day really, Pete and myself swapping turns digging into our reserves to chase down this break.

The two riders out front were Brendan Brooks and Ben Grieve-Johnson. The chase took a while to start up, and that seemed to be our undoing, no matter how hard we pushed we were pulling in very little, and by the time we got to the finish line the break had made 11 minutes on us!! It felt like an unlikely scenario, but we had just lost the Yellow Jersey to Ben Grieve-Johnson of team Praties. Luckily for us Ben had been a little bit behind in the other stages and Neil was now in second, only a few minutes behind.

A time gap we thought was very achievable to bring back.

And tomorrow was the MOUNTAINS STAGE! a stage that could make or break GC.

ScottyL

Tour de Timor

2009-09-09T13:36:00.003+10:00

Stage 2

After a solid day in the saddle shredding the gnar for 130kms I was deffinately feeling a little worse for wear, but with Neil in Yellow and myself in the Dots performance wasn't a question of maybe, it was a must.

The stage from Baucau to Loihuno was a shorter stage of 65kms with steady winding climbs over the moutain range with a 20km decent (with a few undulating pinches) to the finish in the village of Loihuno. The climbs were mostly on bitchuman but the decent was on some of the harshes off road conditions I've seen.

The plan was to keep Neil in Yellow, so Pete and I became domestiques, with the aim to control the pace and cover as many break attempts as possible. So with the first 40kms up hill the pace needed to be high. With myself on the front driving the pace, Pete was kept on his toes by covering all the breaks. Pete did a fantastic job covering the only break that got away, and thanks to his efforts the day was definately a success for us. Beeing such a difficult stage to defend the yellow we only lost a tiny bit of time over our closest rival at the time in Ben Mather and we lived to ride in Yellow for another day.

With Pete and myself in the Box from the gun it was no surprise that our overall GC was going to blow out as we would ride ourselves into the wall in order to get Neil as close to the line as possible as protected as possible. Having said that Neil was definately the stronger rider and this was no holiday for him either, when the breaks would get more frequent towards the top of the mountain it was neil that was having to cover while I was busy running on fumes, hitting the red zone. Yep the King of the Mountain wasnt going to be able to defend his jersey in these sircumstances, and Pete and myself were more then happy do sacrifice our results for Neils chance at taking the event out.

ScottyL

Tour de Timor

2009-09-07T16:31:00.000+10:00

Stage 1

Today’s stage was the longest of the tour. From the Opening ceremony in Dili, the riders eagerly lined up in front of the presidential palace anticipating a fast start and a memorial first 9kms through the heart of Dili to the top of the first K.O.M. The crowd was phenomenal, in some areas the east Timorese were 10 deep and screaming at the top of their lungs for all riders but especially their countrymen. For Timor Leste this was as big as Sydney hosting the Olympics in 2000, this was the federated countries first international sporting event.

The stage was long, and true to Timor form the weather was brutally hot. A reasonably flat stage with 2 climbs for King of the Mountain points and one long steady climb at the end before flattening out and descending into the Bacua finish line, 129kms all up.

Our team, didn’t really have any tactics planned for this stage, all we knew was that the strongest finisher of the stage would be supported as our GC rider for the rest of the tour... hopefully.

On the first K.O.M the cream started to rise to the top, and upon closing in on the KOM flag, I miss interpreted a tap on the leg from Pete and made my move for the first KOM, chased by Praties, I managed to get their and secure the first 10 points.
As I flew down the other side of the hill, I lapsed concentration and managed to nearly destroy my rear Fulcrum rim on a pothole at warp speed. By the time I really started to worry about my wheel we were at the bottom of the hill, on the flats, maybe 14kms into the stage, I thought I had a flat, slow leak that bulged my tyre. I was worried I'd be left behind by the peleton if I stopped in my tracks to fix it, so I sprinted ahead and endeavoured to get enough of a gap to fix it without loosing too much time to the main group. While I was out in front Brendon Brooks bridged the gap and was keen for a break away, he assured me that my wheel was only buckled and at that we broke from the bunch almost permanently.

We knew it was going to be a suffer fest to stay away, on MTBs for 120kms in the Timor heat, but I really wanted the next K.O.M points and I set myself a goal to get max KOM points before being caught. I was defiantly the driving force for the stage, putting in long turns, time trialing it to the next KOM, fortunately enough I was able to get across the KOM line in 1st again with another 10 points and successfully securing the polka-doted jersey for the next stage.

My effort towards the end of the stage died dramatically, we had missed all feed stations and by the time the final hill came up, I was pretty smashed. We were only caught on the final hill having been away for 110kms.

With me up the road Neil and Pete were able to sit in the chase group and not do any work, this turned out to be the master stroke and gave the two of them enough play to make a successful attack on the final climb and Neil was able to take out the stage and be the first to wear the Yellow.

Team Mad dogs had taken both the Yellow and the Polka dotted jersey on the First stage by both smart, lucky and strong riding.

It was going to be a good tour!

ScottyL

Tour de Timor

2009-09-06T16:15:00.000+10:00

Race Day Eve

The rest of the team has finally arrived, Neil and Pete are both here and by the time I’m up its time for us all to go for a ride. After being out the previous day with Ash for Four hours I was pretty comfortable in where we could go for a decent ride. We tackled some climbs and got about 2 hours of riding in before the heat of the day struck its worse. We stretched our legs out and opened up the lungs on the reverse of the first KOM for stage one, just outside Dili, we all felt good! This was a good sign, and we all started to get real excited about the tour to come.

Team Mad Dogs out for a roll.

Needed some water, 2 litres of bottled water: 50c

That night all the riders were invited to have dinner with the President and Noble Peace Prize winner, Jose Antonia Ramos Horta. This guy is a Legend, an absolute inspiration and we were honored to be in his presence, we also got to see the premier of Balibo, a movie about Timor Leste in its time of unrest and the relationship it had with Australia. A very powerful movie, something I suggest seeing.

After the festivities, it was time to focus on the task at hand, time to race was oh so close.

ScottyL

Tour de Timor

2009-09-05T15:39:00.000+10:00

Dili, Timor Leste.

The bike is together, the accommodation has been settled, and it is still morning, time to go exploring/get some food. I have met up with Ash H to rock Dili with and get a bearing on the surroundings. Dili is extremely different compared to any place I have ever been, exploring the streets, the shops, and the outer areas was a fantastic experience. The people are nice, the scenery is beautiful, and everything is relatively cheap.

We stepped outside the walls of Timor Lodge and before we knew where we wanted to go, a van pulled up in front of us. We weren’t all that sure what was going on, but we took it is if we were being offered a lift, we were squashed in this modified rust bucket of a van with a few Timorese people, it took us half a kilometre up the road, and that was it, bizarre. We soon found out that they are kind of like buses back home, they usually have a set route (generally up and down a single road) and it’s 25cents to catch a lift.

No soon had we gotten off when one of the many Taxis pulled up in front of us. We needed to find some accommodation in Dili where Ash had some friends staying that were also doing the tour. Like most other people we had met so far the driver knew little English, but after a bit of shirade action the driver knew where we wanted to be and $1 later we were there. The best thing about the Taxi’s here in Timor is that catching one basically anywhere is no more then a few dollars. Timorese people LOVE their cars, every-night everyone sets out washing their cars and making them look their best for the next day. Timorese Taxi's love ti trick out their rides too, with stickers coloured hubs, spoilers, body kits and all, it's quite funny actually.

We spent the rest of the day up until 1pm walking around town checking the place out, soaking up the culture that is Timor.
By early afternoon we were back at the lodge and ready to get involved in a tour that the tour de Timor organisers were putting on for the new visitors.

We piled on to the U.N bus and took the tour around some of the sites of Timor i.e., memorials, markets and generally all the different areas. We saw the big Jesus, some very slum dog areas, a big market and a war memorial dedicated to the Aussie troops and Timorese people. By this stage I was really starting to bonk, I had been up for 30 hours and the bus was putting me to sleep.

By about 9pm it was time to go to bed for me, I had been up for 36 hours and definitely in need of some shut eye.
ScottyL

News from Stromlo

2009-09-04T17:42:00.004+10:00

Paul has finished 16th in the U23 World Championships! A pretty fine effort for a big lankey guy with a recently broken thumb.

Waiting patiently in line before the start.

I'm sure there will be more details to come in the next day or two after Paul comes back down so check back here, or here, for more stories. In brief, He started from the 4th row of the grid, worked his way to 26th after one lap, 13th after two laps and finished up in 16th.

Paul with atleast one wheel on the ground for a change.

2 other Aussies in the top 20 were Lachie Norris in 11th and Cal Britten in 18th. Well done boys.

Tour de Timor

2009-09-04T15:09:00.000+10:00

The Journey 2

The flight to Darwin has taken 4 hours and now that I’m here 6 hours of time wasting awaits me, for my connecting flight with Air North to Dili, Timor Leste. For those that don’t know, Darwin airport is pretty small, not much goes on that’s for sure. Some people going to Timor for the tour seem to have arrived before me and have chosen to get some shut eye... definitely seems like the thing to do as it is now 1am. Looks like a hostel in here, well better find some vacant land and join in.

7 hours later...

I’m in Dili, Yay! Sitting in the Timor lodge in 30-degree heat planning the next move. It has officially been more then 24hrs since I have had sleep, yes I shut my eyes at the Darwin airport and on the planes, but NO I didn’t get any sleep. My bike and my luggage seem to be fine also.

ScottyL

Tour de Timor

2009-09-04T15:03:00.001+10:00

The Journey

What a mad rush. The days leading up to my departure were consumed by strategic packing and last minute purchases for the trip. The amount of bike related stuff, that you need to take to a 5 day stage race is pretty overwhelming, especially when you have package weight and size limits. I had planed to get some of the teams luggage freighted up to Darwin early to give me some breathing space for my domestic flight limits, but as I so often do, due to lack of experience, I stuffed up this plan, and boy oh boy I was paying for my lack of organisation big time. Not only did I have to take “ALL” my own stuff, I now needed to find room for some of the other guys’ stuff also.

So I was situated in a balancing act with the size and weight of all my luggage and I knew that it would only take one flight attendant on a bad day to ruin it all for me and send me home.

With my stomach in my mouth I presented myself to the baggage check in ladies in the most “desperate, cut me some slack, PLEASE” manner I could manage. And It seemed to be doing the trick, I got through the series of standard check in points receiving the iffy looks by all the Jetstar staff, until it became time to board, and the lady at the counter proceeded to say my carry on was too large, and that it would be left in Melbourne! My heart pretty much sank. I new if this bag didn’t make it to Timor... my race would be over! This bag held all my race clothes, helmet, cycling shoes, etc, etc. I had to get this package on the plain, so I stooped low and pretty much begged for understanding until they changed their mind. They didn’t actually end up changing their minds in the end, I was extremely lucky that one of the hostesses came out of the plain after everyone was seated and informed the head check in lady that there was some space left over! Yes this was a victory for me, but it came at a cost, the respect level during the flight definitely sank to a rock bottom zero.

I’m writing this post flying over Mildura at 10pm, tired, bored but amped for what is to come.

ScottyL

The All Important Stickers

2009-09-04T06:31:00.003+10:00

Some new green and gold stickers for Pauls bike just in time for his race in the under 23 world championships today. Pauls race is on at 2:00 today. Check back later on and we should have some results.

Tour de Timor

2009-09-03T14:59:00.002+10:00

First post

Welcome to the first update of my adventures at the Tour de Timor. If you haven’t heard, the Tour de Timor is a grueling 5 stage, 5 day MTB race, and attracts competitors from all over the world. This is no Holiday, we will be getting by in some of the most basic living arrangements while spending many hours a day on the saddle traversing Timors undulating terrain.
Team Mad Dogs is our team name, short one rider due to World championship commitments the team will include Myself, Neil Van der Ploeg, and Peter Hatton. I hope the facilities are available to keep you updated by this blog, but other wise I will update you all when I get back to Melbourne.

ScottyL

The race has been and gone, but here are some day by day updates that I wasn't able to post during the race.
A new post a day will be revealed.

Tour de Timor- A brief report for an epic adventure

2009-09-01T10:43:00.001+10:00

It’s now a few days after the completion of the first ever tour de Timor and congratulations are coming from left right and centre from cycling friends to housemates grandmothers! It’s clear that this race was by far the most publicised race I’ve ever competed in, let alone won.

Why? Timor-Leste (formerly known as East Timor) was has had a rough past. They are celebrating 10 years of independence and are looking forward to a peaceful future. This race is part of the celebrations and is the first ever international sporting event they have ever held. They want the world to see that they are now at peace and that people can safely come to visit. And so the media came!

It was a 5 day stage race that was predominately on bitumen, but with a lot of potholes. There were regular rough sections of dirt in places where the road had been washed away. The Felt six carbon hardtail was the obvious choice of bike but tyre selection was always a tough. To get a fast rolling tyre that had enough meat on it to handle the dirt and guard against punctures was a constant balancing act, we’ve never thought about tyres this much. The racing was tactical and had many similarities to a road race. Having Peter Hatton in our team was invaluable as he is an experienced mountain biker and roadie. He trained up for this event and was one of the strongest out there. Scott was sacrificed for my GC position at every opportunity and on top of that got sick after day 3 and only just came good by the finish. His efforts were greatly appreciated. If I had any problems with my wheels during the race like a flat, I’d quickly swap a wheel with Scott and let him deal with it. If sleeping arrangements were a little tight, Scott would get the boot! He hardly experienced a slipstream for the entire race, he was either on the front or out the back. He did this all despite having a good chance of winning the hill climbers jersey. He got the rough end of the stick so I could get the smooth end. Thanks a heap Scott, I’m glad your hard work all paid off in the end!

Scott has a comprehensive report on the go that will be up in a few days so I won’t give too much away but I will tell you that the racing was top tight and the lead changed several times. Less than 24 hours before the finish we thought winning was out of the question but then, we had a plan… Stay tuned!

HISTORY MADE BY VANDY BROTHERS

2009-08-30T19:19:00.003+10:00

Well, It's official - Neil Van Der Ploeg has taken out the First ever Tour de Timor.

From all accounts, was a great event, and I'm sure once Neil has recovered from the over night travel, he will have a report up here for all y'all to read about.

In other news, Paul is up at the AIS in Canberra in Worlds prep mode and busted out a VO2 test today, the text message went a little something like this "Just did a VO2 TEST! I managed to go longer than recorded AIS history! Completing 550 watts! On the test for 46 minutes..." Definately some positive signs for little Vandy there.

Also with Neils victory, Paul is pretty amped and in a great headspace going into the final week before worlds, should be a ripper.

Paul will race on Friday in the under 23 XC, so keep an eye both here and on cyclingnews for the results.

Tour de Timor Stage 4

2009-08-27T17:39:00.003+10:00

Neil has won his second stage of the Tour de Timor and still holds on to the overall lead of the race.

The stage profile for stage 4 looks doens't look all that enticing, it was pretty much all up from the beach into the mountain ranges, climbing to over 1800m!

The fifth and final stage is mostly down hill so is sure to be fast. Hopefully Neil can hold onto his lead and make it to the finish line in one piece.

TIMOR NEWS

2009-08-25T08:28:00.006+10:00

As Scotty "Tuesday" Liston alluded to in the last post, he and Neil have headed over to Timor to ride in the inaugural Tour de Timor.

The first stage has been run and won, a stage that did not look too friendly for those that didn't take their climbing legs with them.

In true Neil style, packing was left to the morning, with a rear wheel being sourced the night before he flew out to Timor, lets leave everything to chance hey Neil? This doesnt seem to have affected his ride, as he managed to stand on the top step of the box and take out the first stage of the race, going into day two with a 1:38 lead over Mark Frendo.

Here's hoping Neil can ride smart, have it all go his way and hold, or extend, that lead on day two. There is no doubt he has the legs and the bike for it.

In the words of Lleyton - COME OOOOOOOOONN!!!!!!!

FELT RACING: Chase the Sun Series Champs.

2009-08-19T12:34:00.002+10:00

The weekend saw the final round of Chase the Sun MTB Enduro series be run and won.

The day was far from desirable for all 360 competitors the volunteers and those that were there for support, with STRONG winds, lots of rain and mud finding all crevasses, enthusiasm and motivation were at an all time low for everyone. You could find some worth in being there knowing that it was the last in a very tiring series, understandably that was the tone of the day really.

It is unfortunate that what should be a really competitive series is time and time again let down by the weather, but I guess that's the game.

It wouldn't be a FELT RACING event without having the standard mishaps and debacles, so true to form a few days out from race time Paul had a bit of an off on the Yarra Trails fracturing his thumb and throwing the A team brother duo Neil and Paul "FELT RACING tear some legs off" in disarray. So I got the call up to the A team, while and Peter Hatton filled in with James Maebus to pull the load in the B team "FELT RACING late comers"

With the series on the Line and only a few points separating the top teams the pressure was there to ride a furious, but cautious and tactical race, and that's exactly what we did, we were able to stay with the danger teams until the end and cement our place on the top of the tree for the series.

In saying this, the end of the race came rather prematurely for the Pro Male Pairs. With the weather at its disgusting worse, and half the event entry list pulling out, the PRO teams decided on a truce, and finishing the race there and then 3 hours into the race. That was all she wrote. The odd team down the bottom end of the field chose to ride on for the chance at a long awaited podium, but nothing disrupted the series standings too much.

With the top teams nurturing riders to race at the World Champs and in the Tour de Timor making the decision to secure good health and and fully functioning bike was the right move to make.

Im not exactly sure what the results were at the end of the day for round 4 of the series, but I do know that Peter Hatton and James Maebus rode on to 2nd place! Congratulation guys.

But the Big news for the day was that FELT RACING were crowned champions of the series.

We now turn our attention to East Timor where Neil Myself and Peter will compete in what seems to be shaping up as an epic adventure and event.

ScottyL

He's on the list!

2009-08-11T14:16:00.002+10:00

Well, after a whirlwind tour to Canada to race some world cup rounds, one Mr Paul Van Der Ploeg has made the list.

What list you may ask?

The Team list for the MTB WORLDS in Canberra happening next month!

If you aren't across this, then I suggest you crawl out from under your rock and get amongst it.

Full team details are here.

Of course, massive congratulations to Paul on his selection.

Felt are also under the bums of a number of the other riders selected, leaving no room for doubt that the bikes are faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast!

Gippsland tour day 5 "Finale stage".

2009-08-09T16:42:00.003+10:00

Stage 9. Paynesville criterium.
Paynesville was a great location to finish at. It was sunny, not too windy and on the edges of a picturesque lake. Unfortunately for me, a cold had been slowly taking hold and had moved into my chest. I warmed up and tried to decide what was best. I decided racing wasn’t in my health’s best interests and a good result wasn’t likely. With the main focus of this year (the tour of Timor) starting in three weeks I thought it was wise to sit it out. A hard decision but I think the right one.

It was good to watch; close, fast paced and exciting racing with everyone trying to take out the final stage. There were several crashes that claimed many riders but Scott and Luke stayed out of trouble, with Scott riding very close to the front for almost the entire race. He attacked a few times but not surprisingly didn’t get much of a break before being reeled in. The fast pace ensured no one was getting away for a sneaky victory. In the end Leigh Howard took it out (again!) and it was all over!

It was disappointing not to finish but a good experience nevertheless, full of highs and lows with plenty of memorable moments. Scott had a nightmare start to the tour but got better towards the end, particularly in the crits. With luck, this race should get us into racing form for the Tour de Timor starting on the 24th of August and also the final round of chase the sun, next weekend.

Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoyed it! If these 4000 words leave you begging for more, or perhaps were just too much to get through, SBS will have an hour long segment on the Gippsland tour on Sunday, 16th of August at 12:00. Maybe you will catch a glimpse of Scotty and I in action!

Gippsland tour day 4

2009-08-09T16:26:00.003+10:00

Stage 7. Bairnsdale Criterium.
Second last day! Since tomorrow is only a crit, the finish line is finally in sight and boy, are the legs thankful! This time Scott and I got up and drove from Sale to Bairnsdale with plenty of time up our sleeves and paid careful attention to the whereabouts of our car keys… We got to the start line early and as a result started mid-field, better than most days. For the first few laps I got the feel for the four left hand corners in the course and soon discovered that the back straight was characteristically windy for Gippsland. Every lap rider not in the top 30 singled out and grovelled in the gutter. I didn’t like this one bit and set out to move up. A few laps later and I was in the good zone, cornering faster and staying relatively out of the wind. Most of the race was spent trying to maintain this approximate position with reasonable success. I noticed that both Scott and I spent way more time near the front than the other crits. Were we becoming better crit riders, or just developing some basic organisational skills? It’s hard to say, but we were definitely happy with the way things were going. With two laps to go I found myself still in the top 20 or 30 riders and on the back straight I heard a familiar voice of James Mowatt behind me yell at me to get them to the front. Without hesitation I put in a big sprint on the back straight and after the corner was right near the front, in the top 10 I would say. Why did I do this? I don’t know, but I was happy to help. Predictably, I blew hard and found myself dropping the wheel. I decided it was time to pull over and signal the next rider through. I didn’t mind this as the signal is quite fun, you just flap your elbows like a chicken and that is what I did. Without doubt, this was my best ridden crit of the tour so I was happy. Scott also thought it went a little better for him.

Stage 8. Bairnsdale to Lakes Entrance. 76km.
Final road stage of the tour and the rumour on the street was that the course was pretty easy. There were plenty of hills, but nothing too long or steep. Loy Yang Power teammate Luke Fetch managed to get himself into a four man break! Sweet, we’ve seen this kind of thing in the tour de France, Scott and I can sit back and let someone else do the chasing work for once… So we tucked ourselves into the main bunch and as usual, worked hard to stay as close to the front as possible. I think I executed this plan fairly well. I spent quite a bit of time on particular wheels that were high up in GC so left it in their capable hands to position both of us in a good spot. On a few hills it got very hard and the field was blown apart into drips and drabs but since no hills were too long it all came back together.

Scott came up to me at one point and asked desperately “Neil, do you have any food or anything?”, “Nah, I don’t have anything either!” Although our official team name was “Loy Yang Power” there is no doubt Scott and I were secretly riding for team “handbag”.

The finish came and it was on top of a particularly steep pinch, probably about 700 meters long. Scott and I were not close to the front and after putting in an effort a bit of an effort for the first half I heard over the loudspeaker that Luke Fetch had got third. Not finding myself any closer to the front I decided at this point to cruise it in. Only one more crit and we’re done! Goooooooood news!

Gippsland tour day 3: It's not about the bike...

2009-08-05T22:41:00.007+10:00

Stage 5. Sale Criterium.
Firstly some quick background info. Scott and I had gone into this event with minimal organisation. We had a car with our bikes and equipment and had lined up Luke Fetch’s parents to drive our car to the end of the stage (thanks a heap guys!). That is where our planning ended. To make things worse, apparently all team managers had been given the race “bible” that had maps, start and finish locations etc all in one folder of convenience. As I’m sure you can gather by now, Loy Yang power had no manager and so we somehow missed out the race info. We relied 100% on other people, following other team cars to the start of the races and back to our accommodation. For the most part this worked well!

Logistically, this morning should have been the most simple so far. The morning crit was in Sale, about a 10 minute ride from our accommodation. Sweet! We should have plenty of time to get ready and sort ourselves out. Things were going all too well when I went to the car to get my drink bottles… I unlocked the door, got my drink bottles out, threw the keys on the passenger seat (so Scott could unlock his bike when he was ready without having to chase me down for the keys) and then shut the door. BIG mistake! It turns out that occasionally, when you turn the key to unlock Paul’s car, the doors unlock for a split second and then lock again. On this morning when I got my drink bottles, IT HAPPENED! So when I shut the door with the keys on the passenger seat, they were securely locked in. Unfortunately for us, the bikes were also locked to the roof and the keys to that were also in the car. When I first realised our situation we were kitted up and ready to roll down to the start, 30 minutes to go. Of course, we were the last ones to leave the caravan park so things were not looking good. I frantically got the RACV’s number and Scott calmly negotiated over the phone until his batteries ran out! Scott informed me they had all the info they needed but would only be able to come to aid sometime in the next hour and a half. It didn’t sound good.

We waited for 15 minutes and decided it was better to be on the start line with no bike than not being on the start line at all. So we called John Groves, Apollo manager and friend and he came to our aid. He lent me a helmet (I now had everything except a bike), drove us close to the line and we quickly ran ourselves to the line and signed in. The 5 minute whistle blew and we were still with no bikes, but we were signed on and at the line! Progress. Out of the blew, a guy came up to us and urgently said “Hey, do you guys need bikes?” We shouted back “Yes, Yes we do!” And the man quickly handed us a bike each! I was lucky enough to have compatible cleats and pedals but with a small frame. With the help of Tim Chad from specialised we got as much seatpost out as we could and tightened her up, I was ready, lined up and laughing in disbelief! Scott was standing next to me on what looked to be the biggest Felt F4 in the world, with incompatible pedals, he was not so lucky. Within about a minute the gun went and we started racing. Scott resigned himself to the fact that he was not going to be competitive on his new rig and so spun a few easy laps before getting lapped out. But he can start in the next stage!, a great outcome considering our situation 15 minutes earlier.

For me, it was even better, I was tacked onto the back of the pack with a big grin on my face. For the first few laps every time I lapped under the start finish banner I gave the bike lender a smile, thumbs up or whatever. I was very happy to be riding! The course had hundreds of chanting school kids lining the sides and enjoying the special occasion. I started trying to make my way up the field, dreaming of a miracle stage win!

Criterium action

On the last corner of the lap there was some wet dirt on the inside of the corner, I suppose you could call it mud! It looked slippery and one rider a wheels in front of me decided to put it to the test! He hit the deck hard and caused quite a few people to come to a standstill or quickly evade him. I knew that if you were caught up in a crash in these crits you could take a lap out and join in on the next one. Unfortunately I wasn’t doing a lot of thinking at the time and rode on, in an attempt to get back onto the bunch. I came about 15 meters short and then they started to slip away. Race over. I spun the legs out until I got lapped out and then returned my bike to the owner. It turns out the bike club had a bit of a display of bikes at the race and it was those bikes that were handed to us. I thanked him, had a few photos taken with him and the bike and then one of the primary school kids asked me for my autograph… They flocked around me like I was a superstar and I signed foreheads, wrists and photos for about 15-20 minutes solid! Meanwhile the race continued behind them. They kept on coming until the teacher said “Ok guys, that’s enough, let him go!”. And so that was stage 5, not how we were it to turn out but easily more memorable and exciting!
By the time I got back to the car, Scott had already recovered the keys to the car with the help of RACV.

Enough kids, enough!

Stage 6. Sale to Licola. 88km
A very good salad sandwhich gave us time to refuel our bodies, regain our focus and prepare for stage 6. Two big climbs near the end, (a cat 2 and then a cat 1) should mean the race will be blown wide open.

Dead flat, open roads with roaring crosswinds ensured the first 30km were hell. The bunches were splitting all over the place and Scott, Luke and myself found ourselves pulling plenty of turns into the wind to get back on. It was tough, but we got there. Apparently, Scott got caught out in yet another split in the bunch that I was lucky enough to avoid.
When we hit the first of the big hills I had made a sub-conscious decision that I was going to go over it with the leaders. Bad decision. I held the wheel until I blew, got picked up by another group, dug deep and then blew again. This painful cycle repeated a few times before I finally hung onto a group that pulled me over the top. By the bottom of the hill our little group had descended back into the lead group. Scott climbed the hill with a bit more respect for lactic acid and also ended up in bunch with us. Before we hit the cat1 climb my legs were spent and I knew it was all over. I found my own tempo and watched the riders and convoy of cars pass me by. Scott climbed much better but still was dropped before the top and this time couldn’t get back on. We both spun across the line in own small groups consisting of other riders shelled from the lead bunch. A long and hard day both physically and mentally.

Gippsland tour day 2.

2009-08-04T22:13:00.001+10:00

Stage 3. Criterium at Trafalgar.
The first of four criteriums and from here on, every day starts with one. As usual, there was no game plan for Loy Yang Power other than hanging in there and staying out of trouble. It was fast paced from the start and with 140 riders competing, when you were out the back you really were OUT THE BACK! I’m guessing around 100metres or so from front to back. Sometimes you complete a corner and the leaders have already disappeared around the next corner! I started off around the back end and then fought my way up, drifted back, then fought my up and so it went on. It was a constant struggle to stay up in the bunch. I don’t think I did too well at staying near the front but I’m pretty sure Scott did worse, because I hardly saw him. More importantly though, we kept it “rubber side down” as some people say and got through it unscathed but a little rattled. Near the end of the criterium (I was never sure how many laps we had to go to be honest) I wanted to get near the front to hold more speed around the corners and therefore conserve energy. I overshot my goal position and found myself on first wheel in front of the AIS teams train. A few of them swore at me and asked what the hell I was doing, I replied honestly and said “I don’t know” and promptly dropped back into the depths of the peleton! Scott, Luke and I all got safely across the line in touch with the bunch. Mission accomplished!

Stage 4. Trafalgar to Walhalla 75km.
This stage went pretty well from the start. We all stayed out of trouble and sat in the bunch, a long way back (as usual) and occasionally working hard in the crosswinds but no major dramas. With plenty of hills near the end of the stage that was were the action was going to happen. I found my legs weren’t feeling too good early on in the hills but managed to stay in contact until right near the end. There was a reasonably long descent and then the gradient pitched up and I saw a sign that said 3km. With no speedo I thought maybe this was distance to the top of the hill, KOM points or something? Well I was wrong. As soon as we hit the final climb all the contenders at the front end let loose, causing riders to drop off left all over the place. I was unfortunately very close to the rear end of the field and was following wheels that were getting gapped from the leaders. I put in a big effort to try and get back in what was left of the bunch and was probably about 20m off the back of the bunch when the gradient kicked up yet again. Already being “in the red”, this was bad news. I picked up Scott and a few others and we formed a small group that was working well together, in sight of the next group in front. I put in a big sprint to try and get to the line ASAP and just got pipped for a place somewhere in 30’s or 40’s. Damn! It’s never good to lose a sprint regardless of how insignificant the result is. In the end we fought hard and lost around 40 seconds to the leaders and finished in the third bunch. Not a bad result but we paid the price for riding near the rear end. Not as good as day 1, but respectable.
STAY TUNED!

Gippsland tour day 1.

2009-08-03T11:36:00.005+10:00

Lakes Oil Gipplsand Tour

The Lakes Oil Tour of Gippsland was the first race of the Scody cup, which I think is kind of like the national series of the road season. It was five days long with two stages each day except for final day which just had a criterium.

Re-live the race through the eyes of Scott and I day by day starting from TODAY!

Fellow Felt enduro rider Scott Liston, myself and Luke Fetch from Torq formed an official alliance under the team name “Loy Yang Power”. This was a teams race so it is mandatory that every rider is in a team and so along with another roadie from Melbourne the four of us made up our team. That’s how it looked on paper but in reality we neither looked or acted like one.

Stage one: Traralgon to Boolara 51km Road race.
With the first 20kms of racing neutralised it was a short and flat stage of racing. Within the first kilometre of the actual race (once the neutral car pulled off) Scott was caught up in a crash and was off the back. He fought hard to get back on, but just as he did got shelled out the back to ride the rest of the stage with another unfortunate rider. A sub-optimal start for young Scott.
Having not seen Scott once since lining up at the start of the stage, I was feeling alone and scared for his safety and mine. There were at least three crashes in stage one. The windy conditions ensured it was tough for everyone in the bunch and even split it in two for a few minutes but luckily some riders up the front brought us back on (If I mention a split in the bunch from here on, assume that both Scott and I were in the back half). Before I knew it there was a sharp right hander and the stage was over! Finished safely and in the bunch, mission accomplished. As groups of riders trickled in I was getting more and more certain that Scott had crashed out, but eventually, about half an hour later he rolled in safely with another guy. Phew!

Stage Two: Traralgon South to Yarram 57kms.
A short stage, but with a big climb over mount Tassie smack bang in the middle at least 10km’s long. We soon hit the hill and the pace was on. I found a good rhythm and worked hard to fight my way toward the front of the bunch. I joined Scott and Luke nearer the front and discovered a group of about 10 riders had gone up the road. A few riders attacked and I quickly jumped onto their wheels. When we were reeled in I instinctively counter attacked with images of Contador fresh in my head, hoping to bridge the gap to the leaders. Unfortunately for me, my climbing skills and roadie “instinct” are primitive at best and got me 100m clear of the bunch were I dangled helplessly for a few km’s, burning up precious energy. I was inevitably caught, and climbed the remainder of the ascent near the front of the main bunch, feeling a little more like Cadel Evans than Contador but still happily living dream in my imagination.

I forgot to mention earlier, it was wet. So we hit the descent and two corners in it became obvious that descending in the bunch would be as safe as a game of chess, and equally as slow paced. My legs were cramping already and so I put in a big effort and managed to catch mountain biker/roadie Ben Mather and worked the together on the descent. Near the bottom we had reeled in the break of 9 riders who were about 1:15 clear at the top of the climb! They were also keen chess players! Getting a little too excited, I went straight past the break and into the lead, feeling more like Sam Hill at this point. With about a 30 second lead on the break I hit the first wooden brigde… We were warned at the start of the day that the bridges had gaps but not big enough to fit a wheel through. How bad could they be? So I slowed right down and found out that the bridge was riddled with gaps plenty wide enough for a 23c road tyre. I hit the bridge and frantically tried to dodge the gaps but managed to slot my front wheel into one firmly and went straight over the handle bars.

I quickly got myself up and tried to ride on but learned my front wheel was stuffed and buckled beyond repaired. I now felt really stupid, like Michael Rasmussen or someone who crashes a lot. As I waited for the neutral spare car the break rode past and swore abuse at me! They certainly don’t mind abusing people at road races, quite a rude contrast to the mountain bike scene. But anyway, by the time the wheel was changed the break was long gone and I was expecting the main group to pick me up again, but they didn’t. Instead a group of three rode past and we drove the final 15kms home together.

I felt guilty sitting on for most of it because my legs were cramping badly but I did what I could. The SBS camera crew was filming on the motorbike by our side so I wanted to look good. I’m pretty sure I failed dismally and looked like I was suffering like a dog but hopefully it makes the highlights package. As we sprinted for the finish we were almost swallowed by the bunch holding on by a mere second. A LOT of energy used for a second, a complete rip off.
Sitting 16th in GC with full support of half of our team "Loy Yang Power", maybe a top 10 in GC is possibility!

Check tommorrow for the next day of racing in the exciting lives of Neil and Scott!

Chase the Sun #3

2009-07-27T20:51:00.006+10:00

The team: John Groves (fill in), James Maebus, Neil Van der Ploeg, Scott Liston.

Teams:
FELT Racing (tear some legs off) Scott Liston, James Maebus.
FELT Racing Neil Van der Ploeg, John Groves

Chase the sun for round 3 headed back to the Com Games event area, and I can safely say I much prefer the event centre at the other location, on the other side of the lake. Maybe its the fact that there is better parking, or maybe its because you dont have to walk so much, or maybe its the shelter you get from the wind... I dont know, its just better.

Round 3 was 6 hours on a very well set up course, utilising most of the Commonwealth Games track along with the usual plethora of Lysterfield tracks making it just a touch over half an hour a lap for the fast guys.

With the teams mixed up it was clear that "FELT tear some legs off" would be the ones with the most expectation, holding the top position on the series ladder Mr Bus and Myself had to do our very best to grab as many points as possible.

Neil and myself started both teams off, but it wasn't long after the starters lap when disaster struck my bike and I was sent way back. Swamped by the packed field I struggled to get going, and when I did there was sooo many people out there. Thankfully Neil, always aware took it upon himself and made the decision to sacrifice his teams position in the lead group to wait for me and then tow me back up the field into a position where we could at least see the leaders.

It wasn't long before "FELT tear some legs off" were into 3rd position, but by that time the two teams ahead of us had capitalised on their fortune and left us behind.

The race stayed steady to the end, and "FELT tear some legs off" finished on the final step of the podium.

It was great to see so many people out on the track. The big buzz around the pro pairs was how great it was to see so many young whippets giving Mountain biking a go, especially the young girls. Mountain biking is a small sport in Australia, and internationally we have along way to go before we are a top nation on the XC circuit, the youngsters are who we are relying on to keep the sport growing and get Australia up there. So its wicked for passionate Aussie Mountain bikers to see this.

The set up coutesy of James and Myself, Saturday afternoon.

This photo was taken at presentation, gives you an idea of how popular the even has become, keeping in mind most people had left before presentation started.

Medals yay!

Packing up for the day.

The sun had been Chased

Cheers ScottyL

LIVE from Chase The Sun 3

2009-07-26T10:56:00.002+10:00

Well, we're down here at Lysterfield for the Third round of Chase the Sun, and so far so good with the weather!

The race, well, we currently have Torq leading the race, with Luke Fetch and Brenton Jones pairing up there, with Giant riders Murray Spink and James Williamson in second. Felt Racing are in third and fourth, so looking okay!

Felt Racing have two teams racing today, Scott and Jimmy "the bus" Maebus pairing up, with Neil Van Der Ploeg and John Groves.

The wind is picking up, but hopefully the rain holds off!

Will be back soon with another update!

Upper Beaconsfield 6 hr photos.

2009-06-25T20:40:00.006+10:00

The Felt site is always an attraction, Gerald never lets us down with the set up, guest are always welcome to drop in and say hello.The start was furious up the usual fire road climb.Neil started FELT 2's campaign with a eventful lap, but managed to make up by clocking the fastest lap of the day.Race face... maybe.
Paul making mince of all obstacles in his way, with precision and agility.Jason back on the race bike having to deal with one of the most brutal race courses in the circuit.
The FLASH, I mean Jimmy Maebus rockin the silver skin-suit for his first lap, way to turn some heads Jim.Felt cleans up, even Nic won a prize for his efforts of... just being there (rockstar).

Rockhop 09

2009-06-23T18:51:00.002+10:00

The date: 23^rd June

The venue: Upper Beaconsfield

The length: 6 hours

The Felt Sram contingent: Team one: Paul vdP and Jason J

Team two: Scott L and Neil vdP

Team three (slightly more casual): Nic Eagle and James M

Support team: Gerald and Rich

Most popular bike of choice: Virtue team

And so the scene is set for another day of mountain bike action. Going into the race we suspected that the orange fellas of the torque team could be real contenders in the male pairs’ category, but we were wrong. They had the leg power, but decided to use it against each other entering three teams in the mixed pairs’ category. After lap one in the male pairs’ it was felt in first and second positions with total rush in third. Perfect! However at some point near around midway through the race both felt teams pulled out a double lap, meanwhile total rush capitalized on the opportunity and ran singles. While we were starting to slow down total rush seemed to be speeding up, chopping down the time gaps to both felt teams. While Jason, who has come out of retirement for this race, headed out for his double the gap to total rush was getting a little anorexic. Somewhere out on the course Jason was overcome by one of the pink jerseys and from then it was a matter of holding third place, sub-optimal but only just.

And so the race was on for first! Scott and I had about a 4 minute lead with aroun an hour and a half to go but the gap was consistently coming down. We needed to rally ourselves and with the help of a few cans of coke we succeeded, in the end even adding to our lead. Good job Scotty!

And so there you have it! A strong field of women and particularly men riders which is clearly evident in the fastest lap time sheets. Tight racing on a tight course with plenty of hills to test the fitness out. Challenging but worthwhile, singletrack almost all the way around. A big thanks to Gerald and Rich for the team support, Jason Jackson for coming out of retirement to help out and finally team sponsors Felt, Sram, Panaracer, Echowell bike computers, Fulcrum wheels and Night Lightning.

*NOTE* Photos of event are to follow. the uploading is not working from this computer.

Some sad news, some great news...

2009-06-08T14:54:00.004+10:00

As seen on Felt Epix:

Felt GmbH ended its sponsorship, effective immediately, of the Felt International Mountain Bike Team, which is owned and operated by AB ProCycling and managed by Dr. Antonio Brozzu. Felt cited "recent financial problems between AB ProCycling and the team" which "left riders only partially paid and the program in operational distress."

"We regret this early cancellation, but under the circumstances it was unavoidable. Once it was clear that AB ProCycling had stopped contributing to the team, every attempt was made between Felt and other industry sponsors to salvage the program and make up the difference," said Michael Muellmann, CEO of Felt. "However, despite our best efforts we simply could not make it happen. We wish all of the team members the very best for the future."

The Felt team most recently included the following riders: Joel Graf, Blaza Klemencic, Kashi Leuchs, Emil Lindgren, Connor McConvey, Daniele Mensi and Juri Ragnoli.

While the Felt International Team has disbanded for '09, Felt Racing powered by SRAM are going from strength to strength with another win over the weekend at the Geelong MTB Club Crazy 6 hour.

After an interesting first lap with thanks to the course vandals - A couple of angry laps from one Paul Van Der Ploeg saw the lead wrestled from Total Rush Pink and held all day.

Further details will be posted later!

One Down, One To Go

2009-06-03T16:54:00.004+10:00

A quick update for anyone, or knows anyone, looking for a bike at the moment

The RXC Team is gone, it's on its way to Perth as we speak.

The Virtue Team is still available, see the add below. Reasonable offers will be considered. The bike can be at the Geelong 6 hour this weekend if you want to have a look and let me know before hand so I know to take it with me.

Chase the Sun No. 2 -Total Team Domination (Pauls Perspective)

2009-06-02T08:51:00.005+10:00

I forgot to check the blog before I started this post and I'm not willing to admit I have wasted the last 30min typing this post...so I will add it in as a alternate perspective of the day)

Going into the second chase the sun of the year the felt racing camp were a little worried about the potential strong opposition. With teams like Dan McConnell and Cal Brittan from torq bopping out to play, it was potentially going to be a big ask to take the top spot on the box.

The night before Neil rocked up to Edward manor (my Melb home) and his plan was to ride the 5hr solo. When Dan Braunsteins jumped on facebook at 9:30pm and asked for a training ride Neil grabbed the keyboard and convinced him that they should pair up for the race. So the two Felt SRAM racing teams for the event were Neil and Dan with Scotty and I (Paul) paired up to go into battle.

Neil and I rolled into the event site after a few incorrect turns (thanks for nothing google maps) and lined up for parking. The tent site was already set up to suit the terrain thanks to Gerald (mechanic) and Rich (team manager). Gerald had his mobile work station running hot with the spanners turning and ready to fix any minor or major issues that may arise. I set up my new Fulcrum red metal zero wheels with the amazing new Panaracer 'rampage' tires. I put the new wheels in my super sleek race machine that is the Felt Six team hardtail race bike. Scott and Neil were on board the dual suspension virtue but I need to get used to the hardtail in preparation for heading OS in just a little over a month. Both bikes worked well out on course but the virtue had a clear advantage in the single track sections.

THE RACE:
After all of the preparation and pre race talk I need to get into the race description:

Neil and I were the first riders for the two teams and our responsibility was to stay with the lead to give the boys a clear track. The start loop crossed the length of the dam wall along the top and with Neil and I leading the pack through the thick fog and into the single lane bridge it was a pretty special moment (you would understand if you experienced it from my perspective).

The first lap was fast. Neil and I pushed the pace the whole way around in an attempt to gap the field. I had not ridden the track before that first lap and I had an awesome time in the fast and flowing single track. I pushed harder on the main fireraod climb near the then blew up at the top and decided to wait for Neil. I had forgotten how well the new carbon six hardtail climbs.

So Neil and I rolled in the first lap at the same time and tagged onto our teammates Scott and Dan B. The boys pushed out a super fast lap and Dan had gaped Scott by around 20 sec. I pushed it hard on the first section and caught Neil who didn't appear to be waiting like he said he was going to. This lap was the first of a double to give each other a larger break. by the end of our double the two Felt SRAM teams had a 10min lead on Giant bikes and BMC. The decision was then made to split the coin and ride together till the end of the 5hrs. You may think that we would just take it easier and roll around cracking jokes, but this did not happen.

Scott and Dan were pinning the track all day and didn't slow down to enjoy the Forrest. I was always left wanting to have more break between the hurt session that Neil was dishing on our laps. Scott and Dan rolled in after their 4th lap and sent us out for a 5th and final lap for the day with only 10min until the 5hrs was elapsed. Neil and I backed if off a fraction and I was required to roll through first because of the series point on the line for Felt Racing- Tear some legs off.

The bikes were perfect (both Vertue team and six carbon), the new Panaracer Rampage tires hooked up unbelievably, the SRAM components bounced, changed and modulated smoothly and the Fulcrum Red metal zero wheels worked magically to keep the rigs rolling all day.

The support crew made the whole operation run smoothly and seamlessly throughout the day. Our new team manager Rich looked after all of the logistical aspects of the day and the general organisation of the team, good job also at getting Neil and I to transition on time every time, even with our relaxed attitude and time management. Gerald can never be thanked enough for what he does during an enduro race, he gives up his time and years of knowledge to support the team and keeps the bikes turning circles. A well oiled machine was out in full force for Sunday and look out for the same setup at the Geelong 6hr next weekend.

Thanks for reading my epic post. I should be studying but I'm finding it very easy to get distracted with important but non uni related tasks. As we find more photos they will be added up to the blog. Until next time.......

Chase the Sun (2)

2009-06-01T19:43:00.003+10:00

With the Fog as thick as soup driving to Lysterfield, and the slight presence of rain in the air, appropriately we really were chasing the sun this time around, for the second round of FGP's marvelously run series, 'Chase the Sun'.

This race marked the first event with all our sponsors on board and all (able) riders kitted out appropriately. And on reflection the satisfaction with all the product was overwhelming, even with certain products we weren't expecting too much from, we finished the day really impressed.

My new ride got its first workout, and I am loving the slightly more compact frame and the slight reduction in travel. But the general feeling amongst the riders, when it came down to what impressed us most, was the PANARACER RAMPAGE tubeless tyres. Proving their worth in abundance.

5 hours was all that was being asked of us for this round, and I think the slightly shorter race attracted every Jill and Joe Maybe from the Southern Suberbs who otherwise wouldnt be confident with the longer races. The shear quantity of people out on the track at once sugested it would be vital to get a good start. The Van der Ploeg boys, Neil and Paul left no room for error and worked both Felt teams into the ideal position of 1st and 2nd by the end of the first lap.

Two and a half hours in, the race was half done, and it already looked like we'd caught the sun. Both Felt teams were out in front and daylight in 3rd, we rode out the day together keeping an eye out for the teams clawing at the gap.

At this stage in the race, and with the influence of Roadi tactics we decided to truse and split the winnings evenly among the two teams. Putting the A team over the line first to keep our series points pool healthy.

Me and DB in transition, Daniel sure hasn't lost much of his skill on the fat tyres, and loving those fire road climbs, dishing out the hurt by the truck load.

Stay tuned to hear about all the new product we've been racing with. And next week we will be heading out to the You Yangs for yet another 6 hour.

Photos taken by the ever creative/inventive/ultimate wrench man Gerald V of GVRaceTech

Top two steps...

2009-06-01T12:39:00.003+10:00

Well, Chase the Sun round 2 has been run and won - won in convincing form by Felt Racing - tear some legs off, comprised of Paul and Scott, with Felt Racing Late Comers taking the second step of the podium.

Felt Racing Late comers were Neil - who went a little soft and decided to pair up with one of Austrailia's young roadies - former MTBer Daniel Braunstein.

A great day out, Scott on his new Virtue, even Jack made a guest appearance!

More details to follow soon!

2009-05-28T09:11:00.004+10:00

Well, it seems that the season is go well and truly with a fair bit of racing over the next few weeks.

The boys are ready and raring to go this weekend, with Scott taking delivery of his 09 race bike through the week, a super sweet Virtue team riddled with SRAM goodness. The bike was prepped by the one and only Gerald from GVRacetech, so there is no doubt that this bike, just like all the others, will be dialled!

The delivery is just in time for this weekends Chase the Sun Round two out at Lysterfield. Round two is taking place using Trailmix as a base for the race, a nice change from the Commonwealth games start / finish area.

This race sees Paul and Scott team up in the pro pairs category, while Neil is heading to the big smoke for a solid hit out in the Solo category - The entry was made with about a minute to spare before the plug was pulled due to a capacity field! Testament to the great work the Full Gas team deliver event in, event out. This will be Neils first Solo attempt, a nice 5 hour to warm the legs, and yet another 5 hours of riding that Jack isn't doing!

All the boys will be on the Virtues, so watch for them as the blur past you on the climbs and check the smiles as they descend oh so sweetly.

The weather report says that Sunday should be sunny with a top of 17, a perfect day for racing, the little bit of rain we have had this week will settle the dust nicely, so should be a super slick course.

Speaking of the course, it is a little shorter than round one, however there is only 30m difference in climbing from reports, so should be a fun day out.

Well, until then, keep it rubber side down.

Beechworth SHITS photos

2009-05-21T17:46:00.004+10:00

Paul testing out the new Virtue in flight mode.

Paul preparing to turn to the right.

Completing a right hander.

Neil negotiating one of Beechworths' many
tight sections. Look at all those skinny trees!

Plenty of rocks to make the suspension feel
part of the action.

SHITS - From the hot seat

2009-05-18T21:17:00.002+10:00

The weather forecast wasn’t too good and driving through showers on the way didn’t bode well either. Luckily, that was the last we saw of the rain all day. Paul and I were in the male pairs’ category and had unprecedented support. We had a manager, a mechanic, two photographers, ex-team mates, family and friends giving us far more attention than we deserved! It was good, no, it was VERY GOOD!! Much appreciated thankyou.

All that was left for Paul and I to do was ride! Stepping aboard the new SRAMmed out Virtue team was a bucket load of fun. These Virtues seem to give you so much confidence that it’s almost dangerous! Suitably for the new bike, the course was rocky and almost all singletrack.

Paul kicked the race off with the opening lap giving us a handy lead that seemed to get bigger and bigger as the day went on. The focus shifted after a few hours to the quest for the fastest lap. Luckily for me, Paul hadn’t poured his heart and soul into any single lap and had already done 3 laps. My turn! The first lap of my double was about getting into good rhythm, getting a good feel for the single track and saving the legs. On the second lap I opened it up and gave it what I could. It was a good lap but not much faster than Pauls previous laps, was it enough?

Paul then headed out on a double and was clearly employing the same tactic as I did on my double; an easier lap to warm into it followed by a lap of pain. As he started his lap of pain he looked focussed, and seemed to be flying around the first half of the track. Shit - Not good signs for me.

Waiting in the changeover zone I watched the time tick by and surprisingly Paul didn’t come into sight until around 29 minutes. It was very close, I thought he got it but Paul informed shortly after during my lap that I had just got him! By only two seconds. Cramps had apparently struck Paul during the final few km’s to give me a sneaky victory in the fastest lap contest.

From then on, I think we both slowed down a little, but still took out the win comfortably. Another great day in the saddle.

Thanks again to the large support crew, sponsors Felt, SRAM, Avid, Rock shox, Truvativ and Panaracer for your support. Until next time!

News from the sidelines

2009-05-17T22:04:00.003+10:00

Well, rumours have been whispered for the last couple of weeks, I guess it's time some form of announcement is made.

No, Jack's not pregnant, the word on the street is that a new bike has arrived for him, conveniently coinciding with his knee getting better.

The news is that the Felt SRAM race team have appointed a team manager for the 2009 season. A familiar face and often voice around the enduro scene : Rich Grant is filling the team managers role.

Also pleasing on the news front is the continued support of gvracetech for the '09 season, making sure the bikes are built right from the box, and running smooth before, during and after the events.

A few other things are in the pipeline, so expect news about them soon.

The team had a great result up at the Six Hours In The Saddle race yesterday up in Beechworth, taking out the over all win, as well as lapping the entire field bar one solo rider - AJ - you animal!

Neil will be along shortly with the race report for the weekend, but for now, a big congrats to the brothers Van Der Ploeg on a fantastic result.

until next time, keep it rubber side down.

Ex-Team Bikes for Sale

2009-05-17T15:17:00.003+10:00

I've got a couple of bikes to sell at the moment. I've been off the bike for a couple of months so these have seen no riding since the start of the year. They're in good condition and have been looked after all year. These need to go to make room for this years bikes.

If you have any questions you can contact me through the blog or call me, the number is in the ads.

Hamblin Hire Nail Can Hill MTB Ride

2009-05-04T22:44:00.002+10:00

Albury's Nail can Hill weekend hosts two events; a mountain bike point to point on saturday and a point to point run on a similar course the following day. At only about 15kms long the race is short enough to really smash it out and makes it really good fun. The mountain bike race starts on fireroad and after about one and a half kilometers the gradient abruptly increases for the next few ks to sort out the feild, the first rider to the top of the hill is literally handed a $50 note for their efforts... My brother Mark and another young local attacked before the climb and built around a 30m gap to the chase group at the base. I worked hard and very gradually pulled Mark in and pulled away only about 150m before the top. After pocketing the cash at the top of the climb there was a lot of fun to be had! From here on the course is mostly singletrack, using albury's diverse terrain; lots of fast flowing singletrack but plenty of tight weaving between trees and rocks to keep you on your toes. It would be fair to say that rocks are a pretty constant feature making tubeless tyres a must and duallies a smart option. After building a small lead over the climb the familiar single track suited me down to the ground allowing me to take the win by around 2 minutes. Definitely one of my favourite races in the year! At only $10 to enter I highly recommend it for anyone.

Cheers Neil

More from CTS

2009-04-27T11:33:00.004+10:00

Here are a couple of photos that I found here

Paul is way too clean here.

Neil bringing it home

The look, the face, the hurt!

Chase the Sun 1

2009-04-26T17:34:00.010+10:00

This race seemed to be the talk of the town, not because it's such a great series, but because of the conditions forecasted for it. 100km/h winds, rain and hail in sub 10 degree temperatures! And unfortunately the forecaster's got it right, we were in for a day of... unpleasantness?

But showing true strength and nads that go 'clank', brother duo Paul and Neil Van der Ploeg rose to the challenge and grinned through it all.

It certainly helps when Gerald lends a hand, creating a base no less greater then the Targ Mahal. With sites being battered relentlessly by the wind and broken left right and centre, the FELT set-up became refuge for many.

When the race got under way, it was no surprise to see Paul taking the reins and steering the pack.

After the starters loop, the cream slowly rose to the top.

The course was well recieved, long and fast, with some good single track. Riding in bunches soon became a key tactic slogging it along the long fire roads against the strong winds.

Not for Neil though, some people are too strong for tactics, just open up, smash on those pedals I say.

Railing the single track early in the race

After a minor set back mid way through the race Paul decided to pull the fastest lap of the day, 37:58mins, WOW, this put us back in the mix and left those on the sidelines, scratching their heads asking; how did he do that? But more importantly; Why has it taken till now for it to happen?

Paul on his FAST lap.

About now in the race, the weather got worse, yes, worse than shite! forcing the organisers to shorten the race to 5 hours. at this time Paul was out on his lap unknowingly on the second last lap of the day, pushing for a double. After his super fast lap we were keen for him to finish the race and put us from 3rd into an optimistic 1st.

only to confirm everything was all right and that he was still on for the double I walked out to catch him mid course. Unfortunately Paul had binned it pretty hard on his knee, and he couldn't double up. So at the last minute I radioed back to base for Neil to kit up and transition for Paul, was all happening!

LAST LAP. There was under 2 minutes between all three teams, with ourselves sitting on the cut off point. Poor old Neil went out with the hopes of the team on his shoulders (a situation no one enjoys) but to Neil's credit he stepped up to the plate and started pulling the leaders in.

It wasn't till the last 200 meters where Neil made the decisive move that would propel his team into 2nd.

The winning move, you take the low side i take the high.

Presentation:

Well done boys, lets take the series!

Getting Organised

2009-04-23T14:33:00.001+10:00

A little while back, the team held a mini gathering in Ivanhoe, the purpose being to get all our ducks in a row for the rest of the season. As we ate our less then satisfactory Chicken burgers and chips we got to work planning the up comming season.

With one race down (MONT24) we were a little behind the eight ball, but by nights end we seemed to be on the same page and we'd managed to scribble in a few race dates.

These were what we came up with. Doesn't look all that full, maybe compared to previous years, but the idea was to do more prestigious, longer races, and at places outside FELTS comfort zone, Victoria.

26/04/2009 Chase the Sun 1
02/05/09 Adelaide 24hr
31/05/09 Chase the Sun 2
07/06/09 Geelong 6hr
21/06/09 Rock hop 6hr
05/07/09 Forest 6hr
26/07/09 Chase the Sun 3
08/08/09 Chase the Sun 4
23/08/09 Castlemaine 6hr
09/09/09 Melbourne 12 hr
10/10/09 Scott 24hr
24/10/09 Titus 24hr
28/11/09 Kona 24hr

These dates are Preliminary dates, so are subject to change, but at least now we can organise the other parts of our lives accordingly.

Each of us individually have additional races we will be doing outside of this calendar also.

On top of this we have been playing with the idea of personalised team Jersey's.

Here are some of the drawings we've been looking at:

This one is probably my favorite at the moment, notice the name on the back of the jersey, not sure if Lambchop will appear on the back of Jacks jersey, but the idea is to have our nic names on our own jerseys, NBA style.

I have also been mocking up some logo's you might see being flashed around:

In other news, Chase the Sun starts this weekend, Team VDP in Paul and Neil will be representing for us, I will be down there in support doing what I can to help our boys win.

ScottyL

2009 MONT 24 (long post)

2009-04-06T14:27:00.010+10:00

I probably should be breaking this report into a series of posts, so it makes it a little easier for you to read, but I figure either way, the same amount of info will be being presented, so grab a snack sit back and look at what we did on the weekend. :)

The Enduro season has begun, and what better way to break out of the XC Olympic format racing then by propelling us into The MONT 24 hour. Held in Canberra atop of Sparrow Hill, the MONT is a prestigious MTB race and one of the forefathers of 24 hour racing in Australia (I think) It's not uncommon to see Australia's best MTB riders at the MONT and among all 2600 competitors there was a great mix of both amateur and pro.

With Jack Lamshed injured and sick, we were lucky to find a replacement in the form of Canberra local, Ben Henderson with some last minute recon work by Paul. Other then that the team stayed the same, with myself, Neil and Paul Van der Ploeg.

Long car trips are a massive part of this sport and the 7-8 hour trip up to Canberra is no exception. So it helps to have the right company to hit the tar with. It was Paul and me for the first 3.5 hours to Albury where we were picking up Neil. Then it was the 3 of us crammed into the front of the FELT van like sardines for the remaining 4 hours. For me that's not too bad as I had the advantage of small legs and I was the sick one. But for the altitude advantaged Van der Ploegs sitting next to a walking disease with their legs submerged into the van consoles, this was a little testing. Fun times none the less.

Some new very awsome lights Southcott are distributing, Sperm lights we were calling them, but don't quote me on that one, Im sure you'll be hearing about them very soon.

The whole trip up we were Chasing storms, at one stage it got so bad the traffic on the HUME had stopped. The video below doesn't do justice to the size storm we were driving through, and it wasn't even the real bad one with hail...

We got to Sparrow Hill Friday night, where we were greeted with MORE rain and a drive way that sent the Van sliding in all directions, the mud was in abundance but surprisingly enough all that rain made the course MINT. We set up our sight and hit the sack knowing all too well that this would be our last chance for quality sleep in a long time.

2,600 Competitors

12:00pm Saturday the race started, and Neil got us started. cutting a very competetive lap considering he had to run what seemed to be little under 1km in the lemans start and then binning it mid lap, destroying a brake lever in the process. Yeah Neil, SOLID!

Then Ben was keen to get some times posted, getting us at one stage 2nd early in the race. Shown below railing the final corner before passing the batton to Paul.

With Paul out I new it wasn't long till I had to get out there. Still not feeling real good I wasn't all that amped for some punishment, but before i new it I was digging deep grinding down the teeth on the big chain ring chasing out ultimate goal of a podium

Before long the sun started to decline and I we were riding with our superb NIGHT LIGHTING lights.

Apart from a few falls and flat tyres during the day up untill night we were running seamlessly, without a problem. But once the night came we started to develop cracks that grew into big problems.

On my last night lap before a short sleep Had forgotten to change my battery pack therefor spending half a lap with no light, slowing down to ride off other peoples light.

At this time we had decided to change the game plan to double lap stints of the 18km course giving those at base camp some more time to recover and get some shut eye. Sounded good and we really were needing some sleep. Unfortunately Paul slept through his alarm and wasnt in transition when Neil came through after his second lap, after leaving transition to wake up Paul Neil was forced to do a third, on an empty tank crawling home to all but die in his sleeping bag.

And as if that wasn't enough, I did exactly the same thing to Paul after his double. Yes the cracks were showing.

suffering the night out

team managers are a necessary, a very valuable asset to an Enduro team

But when the sun comes up, everyone goes from looking like zombies to only half dead, lively enough to enjoy the enduro atmosphere. Here was Paul (on Nic's bike) participating (poorly) in bike sumo.

Notice the commentator just letting Paul have it, giving the old index finger a good workout.

In the end, that podium place we were aiming to claim didn't come without a fight, with 10 minutes left I was sent out on the final lap to defend our 3rd place, I rode my fastest lap for the whole 24 hours and it was only enough to stay clear by only 37 seconds, from a very fast Shaun Lewis, hunting me down like a leopard.

The drive home was a little like the pic above. Constant driver changes got us there.

Cheers ScottyL
(longest blog post EVA!)

FELT to MONT 24hr

2009-04-01T18:55:00.002+11:00

The Felt Enduro team will compete together as a a team for the first
time in 09 this weekend at the 2009 MONT 24 hour in Canberra at
Sparrow Hill.

Unfortunately Mr Lamshed fell short in his preparation for this race
and was unable to fill our 4 man team, so after much sourcing (thanks Paul) we have managed to scalp Ben Henderson.

Stay tuned for some updates, photos and story's from the coming weekend.

Ebay bargains

2009-03-24T21:17:00.001+11:00

Just a quick note to anyone interested in some EAston EC90 SLX forks on ebay at the moment...!

Or an F1c??

Enduro Team Podium at Oceania MTB champs

2009-03-22T21:22:00.002+11:00

Seems like you can't go to a race these days without seeing a FELT on the Podium.

The 2009 Oceania MTB championships was no exception to this theory with 2 of our Enduro team riders Paul VDP and Scotty L gaining real estate on the beloved box.

Paul showed he's gaining some good legs by riding home to 2nd, while Scotty managed to sneak his way onto the final step of the 4 man podium in the hotly contested U23's field.

And lets not forget Lachy Norris riding his sweet FELT 6 team home to 1st place U23's and 2nd overall.

Get ready, the Enduro Season creeps ever so closer.

Oh no, it's another Vid by SCOTT!

2009-03-16T19:48:00.002+11:00

Yep, thats right.

ScottyL

Victorian MTB Champs.

2009-03-15T17:07:00.003+11:00

Yesterday was the Victorian MTB Championships held at the top of Mt Buller.

Long story short, it was wet, muddy, freezing cold and poorly organised by the Mt Buller crew. But I can't say I was disappointed with my result, that's for sure.

The course included a fair amount of Fire track, a small section of single track that was super sick! and enough hills to make you wanna cough a lung. So basically it was a small loop, probably the smallest loop for a XC race (bar criteriums) that I have ever raced.

I think my 1st lap took around 12 minutes, so that meant the Elite field were up for 9 laps... We didn't know where we were by the hour mark into the race. Was that lap 4 or 5 or 6...?

In the end we were racing for bang on 2 hours plus some, so at least we got a good hit out in.

In the end I secured the 2nd step on the podium, earning some cash for my efforts and double points for the Vic series standings.

Next weekend is the Oceania MTB Championships and FELT will have a strong presence rockin' U23's so stay tuned for some reports.

ScottyL

New South Wales Victorian state round...

2009-03-10T18:37:00.001+11:00

Yes that's right, the fifth round of the Victorian state series was held in Albury, NSW! I must say though, it didn't really feel any different. The state series was held in conjunction with the MAC 09 event which encompasses heaps of events over the weekend. Fellow felt rider and Brother Paul and I decided to race in the road criterium on Saturday evening to warm the legs up for the mtb race on Sunday morning.

ROAD report.

The criterium went well. A good quality field on an excellent course made for exciting racing. There were plenty of attacks and attempted break aways in the first half of the race but the race was still together by around the half way mark. Sometime shortly after, Paul got off the front with Drapac/Porsche rider Joe Lewis and developed a handy lead over the main field. I didn't want to chase my brother down so instead I remained in the main field covering the moves. In the end Paul held off the main field with Lewis and got outsprinted. How legs that big can be outgunned by legs that small seems completely illogical to me but that's what happened! I rolled in fifth, third in the bunch sprint with a set of loose handlebars. Over tightening carbon scares me...

MTB report

On Sunday I was keen to have a good race. Firstly, I was on a brand new carbon hardtail, the six team. Since I got to borrow Pauls six team for the Tasmania national round I knew that it would be awesome on the climbs AND the descents, super stiff and responsive but smooth at the same time, oooh yeah! Secondly, I knew the track like the back of my hand, and knew that it suited me. Plenty of tight singletrack, heaps of rocks and a long decent. When the gun went off I was literally backpedalling to get my pedals in the best position for acceleration, that wasn't good. Small fields so it didn't matter too much. At the top of the course there were about 5 or 6 of us still together before the long decent and I was at the back so I put in a huge effort to pass as many people as possible. Luckily I just edged out Cal Britten to get onto second wheel behind Paul because we opened up a good gap by the bottom of the decent. At the end of the second laps big climb Paul gapped me by about 10-15 seconds. Lurking always a few corners in front we duelled until the fifth lap where I closed in on him. I think I went into the last lap (lap 6) just in front but those of you who know Paul know that he doesn't drop a wheel without a fight. Not surprisingly, he kept close to my wheel until the last part of the climb where I managed to open up a small gap. By the bottom of the decent I had a reasonable gap but in the end it was only just enough, holding Paul off by a mere 6 seconds! A great dual and luckily I won because I really did know the track well!

Thanks NEIL

Albury Wadonga State Rnd.

2009-03-09T10:18:00.002+11:00

Congradulations to the Van der Ploeg boys for taking out the 5th round of the Victorian State series. I am yet to here a report from either of the two, but just by looking at the results its clear that it was a Team FELT affair right to the end, with Neil edging out Paul by the smallest of margins; 6 seconds.

Photos yet to filter through.

National XC & XCC series... DONE!

2009-03-03T15:06:00.003+11:00

Last weekend was the last stand for the Australian National MTB series for 2008/09.

A turbulent series for the FELT crew but a relatively successful one. Tarnished with some bad luck, and some bad timed form, the FELT team showed resilience at the toughest of times. And as we look back on what was Summer 08/09 we can smile in some satisfaction clutching our awards believing that we left it all out on the track, in TRUE Felt team style!

It's obvious that most riders look forward to going back to Tasmania. It's just a great place to ride your bike, so it seemed suitable that ROUND 5, the final should be held here, to give the riders that extra motivation to cap the season off.

Neil and Myself were representing the company down south and with much accomplished.

I had a solid race for the main event on Saturday, 7 laps of the GLENORCHY course rolling home in 2:12 hours securing 4th for the race in U23's and thus 3rd Place overall for the 2008/09 National MTB series in U23's.

It wasn't till the following day when Neil's legs had warmed up and after fighting his way up the field in the technical short Course event, Neil went on to secure the no. 1 plate lined in Green and Gold crowning himself 2008/09 Australian MTB short Course series Champion in Elite Men.

With the Nationals... DONE! Neil and myself look forward to a defining race in a few weeks time at the Oceania Championships, held in Thredbo.

Resuming Transmission for 09

2009-02-23T20:00:00.004+11:00

Apologies for the incredible slump in posting on the FELT Enduro blog. But as the Summer season draws closer to a close (still a little way off) and Enduros start popping up all over the place, rest assure this thing will start gaining momentum again, and be a site to rival the biggest.

In saying this the first post by me for 09 has nothing to do with Enduros, or Mountain bikes for that matter. It does how ever have to do with something very exciting for FELT in 09.

A new bike has spawned from the minds of the FELT Engineers, you may of seen it debut in last years Tour de France, but now produced to the public for the first time.

Yes its a Road bike and they call it the: "AR"

Here's a humorous attempt at a video made by myselfish...

Felt AR2 basic vid from Scott Liston on Vimeo.

In all seriousness the bike is SICK! a weapon, I honestly cant find a reason for concidering to purchase another bike, if you take you racing seriously, why dissadvantage yourself.

Cheers ScottyL

Bushfire Relief

2009-02-12T06:46:00.001+11:00

For obvious bush fire related reasons the HDATO (8hr enduro) @ Eildon has been cancelled.
However, a number of Victorian MTB Clubs have joined forces to run a 6hr enduro (10am to 4pm) this Sunday (15th) @ the You Yangs (Stockyards - Drysdale Rd).

All proceeds from the event will be going to the Fire Relief Fund.
Entries close this Friday the 13th @ http://entryzone.bighillevents.com.au/.

Any previous HDATO entries will automatically we 'swapped' over for the Bush Fire Relief You Yangs 6hr. If this change in venue doesn't suit and you would like a refund, please email

info@bighillevents.com.au.

The format of race day:
0800 Registration opens
0930 Registration closes
0935 Kids 6 minute Enduro
0950 Race Brief
1000 Race Start
1600 Race completion

Check your Club, GMBC, FTF and MTBV websites for further details.

Thanks for your support
Cheers
Joel

National Champs photos at Felt Epix

2009-01-30T06:38:00.003+11:00

Its been pretty quiet over here, so I thought I'd mention that there are photos from the Nationals, with the new Felt Carbon hardtails, over at the Felt Epix blog.

Swing by and have a look, won't you.

Also, it looks like the AR series of road bikes have nearly landed, so be sure to check back for some sneaky pics of them!

Kona 24

2008-12-05T19:31:00.001+11:00

Hello all, yes we're still here, things have just been a bit quiet recently at Felt Racing HQ over the last few weeks as the enduro season rolls to an end for another year.

The last enduro race for the year for us was once again the Kona 24 held in Forest in Victoria. The team list for this years race was quite a bit different to our usual line up. Scott and new recruit Neil were away in QLD for round 2 of the National XC series which left a bit of a hole in our team. Luckily though team manager Jarrod was able to secure a couple of "ring ins" for us.

The team for the weekend was to be a team of "six" which would put less pressure on some tired legs and allow for a more relaxed race for all of us. Regular team riders Paul, Mark and Jack were joined by former multiple XC and DH national champion Rob Eva, James "The Dark Knight" Maebus and Garmin Chipotle/Tour de France rider Trent Lowe. Not a bad list of names to have in the team for the weekend!

Racing under the name of Felt/SRAM racing, we were able to set up the Felt tent city along side the SRAM super tent for the weekend in a prime location.

The start of the race featured a prologue with $100 on the line for the winner before the beginning of the first lap.

Trent was sent off to start the race. The prologue was won by a rider from an opposing 6 man team, while was in a good position as he exited the Forrest footy ground to start the first lap. We were to find out later that just after the flag was dropped his handle bars had come loose and he had to stop just after the prologue to tighten them up before continuing on with the rest of the lap. This short delay so early in the race meant that there was a huge amount of traffic to try and get past and the large amount of single track in each course didn't make it easy to get through the field. So with the first lap down we had some work to do to get back in touch with the leaders.

At this stage of the race we only had five riders. Due to work commitments James was unable to make it to the race in time for the start and wasn't expected to arrive for some time. So the five of us set about reeling in the front runners over the next few hours. By about 8 o'clock we had got the lead back but this was to see saw for a couple of hours.

Our team strategy for the race was quite a bit different to other races that we have done in the past. The usual set up is to work out an order for the riders to ride in an just repeat that until the end. This time was a bit different though. Rob and Trent liked the idea of getting some sleep over night and James wasn't around in the early stages of the race so we had some roster juggling to do. Rob and Trent were did a couple of extra laps early until we reached there bed time, by this time the Dark Knight, AKA James, was ready to go (about 11:30) so he was sent out. Because of his late start he was told to do every second lap until morning while the rest of us tried to get some sleep.

Speaking of sleep, each rider had a different take on the idea. Mark had the most conventional set up of the six of us, with a tent and nice comfy mattress next to our pop up tents. Rob had a very nice looking campervan/"The Base Station" on the edge of the footy ground. Trent had some nice off site accommodation to escape too. I decided on sleeping in my car in the car park to escape the noise. Paul set up shop next to his usual "nest" of junk that seems to evolve during the race, it should be noted that it was quite cold during the night and Paul was basically sleeping out in the open! But James takes the cake, we had a small patio heater set up in an enclosed 3m x 3m tent to keep the heat in, it must have been good because he managed to sleep through one of his wake up calls and force Paul out to do a graveyard double lap.

As is usual for 24 hour racing, the race id decided in during teh early morning, and this weekend was no exception. With James feeling fresh from his late start he was able to punch out some fast night laps and gave us a firm hold on the lead. With the rising of the sun came another change to the course used and also to our team composition. Rob and Trent reappeared to ride us through to the finish, while James was pretty much spent after a pretty solid effort through the night and retired to the side line (or to rummage through the food we suspect).

With our morning lead exceeding 25 minutes we were able to relax slightly as our calculations showed that we should be able to get one more lap in than 2nd place which always looks good on the results sheet. This we achieved and cruised over the line to take out the category win and the overall race win.

Sorry about the lack of photos from the weekend, but I'm sure that if you want to see some there will be some up in the usual places.

It might be a bit quite around here for a few more weeks over the Christmas break, but don't worry, we'll be back soon.

The 2009 FELT International MTB Team Unveiled!

2008-11-13T11:39:00.001+11:00

Felt Bicycles is very proud to announce the sponsorship of the newly expanded FELT International MTB Team in 2009. Just one year after the team`s first season as a Felt-supported program, the Tuscan-based professional cross-country squad has set their sights on becoming an international factor at the highest level of the sport, including participation in the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

The FELT International MTB Team is well positioned and is prepared to compete at the highest level having built around an already strong team with some impressive new riders. Joining returning 2008 pro elite members Paolo Alberati (ITA), Pierluigi Bettelli (ITA), Mario Alberto Rojas (COL), Julian Alfonso Becerra (COL) and Alessia Ghezzo (ITA) are new 2009 members Kashi Leuchs (NZL), Emil Lindgren (SWE), Andreas Kugler (SUI), Jurg Graf (SUI), Joel Graf (SUI), Blaza Klemencic (SLO) and former World Champion, Miguel Martinez (FRA). The 2009 FELT-International Team will also include high-level elite U23 and Master’s programs.

The pro team will concentrate on the 2009 UCI World Cup Series, Racer Power Cup (formerly the Swiss Cup Series), Bundesliga Series (GER) and selected Italian events, while the developmental team will focus primarily on racing in Italy. Leading the U23 team are the Italian U23 champions, Juri Ragnoli and Daniele Mensi.

“The relationship that we have established with FELT is extraordinary. We are very happy to work with the truly passionate people of Felt Bicycles and to see our efforts appreciated after just one year together.” says team manager, Antonio Brozzu. “It is our objective to continue to build on this partnership and we are excited to know our team will compete exclusively on FELT for next the four years.”

Michael Muellmann, president of Felt GmbH, says, “We are very happy to support this team association and highly value both their performance capability and positive image. It is a program which fits perfectly with our company and we look forward to continued success together.”

Editors comment: I wonder how this connection can be managed to assist Aussie XC riders Scott Liston and Neil van der Ploeg??? Interesting times.....

2009 Felt MTBA Australian Marathon Championships

2008-11-11T15:29:00.004+11:00

Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) and Big Hill Events are pleased to announce that entries to the 2009 Felt MTBA Australian Marathon Championships and Felt Marathon Challenge are now open.
The 2009 Felt MTBA Australian Marathon Championships will be run in conjunction with the 2009 Felt Marathon Challenge (previously known as The Gut Full) on Sunday 29 March in Wandong and Mt Disappointment State Forest, Victoria.
Riders will chose from 100km, 69km and 38km course distance options ensuring that the event is challenging yet achievable for riders of all levels. Those who enter the 100km course will be riding amongst Australia’s top mountain bike riders in the 2009 Felt MTBA Australian Marathon Championships.
Only one hour from Melbourne, this event offers everything you want plus a little more… European-style feed stations, on-course bike servicing, a huge prize pool, supportive and friendly event staff, affordable race entry, a compressive event website… and more to come!

With a mix of 4WD tracks, fire roads and great single track the 2009 Felt MTBA Australian Marathon Championships and 2009 Felt Marathon Challenge is set to reward, thrill and excite!
Riders are encouraged to enter early as the event will be limited to a field of 750 riders. Enter online at www.bighillevents.com.au
Jack in his customary position at the front after 200m.... where did you finish again Jack?

FELT AUSTRALIA WEBSITE!!!!
We have a new website for Felt. It shows the entire Australian range and will feature some of our more famous athletes, Pauly perhaps? Just click on this link and move the cursor over to the 'International' drop down menu and select 'Australia'. Wow. See the picture below if you're really struggling to follow my amazing instructions.

National Round 1

2008-11-05T21:49:00.014+11:00

Felt Racing has made a brilliant start to the 2008-2009 National Series in Adelaide, with Scott Liston and Neil van der Ploeg finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively in U/23 XCO while Felt veteran Josh Flemming stormed through the field to finish 5th in Elite mens XCO. The course, situated in the hills overlooking Adelaide, consisted mainly of narrow undulating single track and short pinches which rewarded the early aggressors and penalised the passive.
Scott refuelling

From the outset Chris Jongerwaard showed he was in mid season form by opening a 55 second lap at the completion of the 1st lap. He carved up the switchback climbs with a mixture of aggression and balance as he made the off cambered gravel turns his own. The pursuing bunch, consisting of Ben Henderson, Aiden Lefmann, Nathan Haas and Andrew Blair made a concerted effort to keep Jongerwaard within site to no avail, as he was consistently faster and showed his world class ability.
Neil showing Scott a clean pair of heels

For Scott, Neil and Josh things couldn't have been more different. Scott and Josh had starting positions in the 2nd row and were content to ride their own race, safe in the knowledge that the longer the race went the better their respective chances of moving up the order became. Scott was solid from the get go, punching out good early laps. Josh on the other hand started typically slow and moved backward for a short time, losing valuable track position that would hurt him later. Neil started on the 5th row and made an incredible start to move into the top 10 by the end of the 1st lap. From there he and Scott duelled with Torq rider Steele von Hoff for position in the U/23 field until Scott decided to put the hammer down and stretch Steele and Neil. By this stage Josh had warmed up and decided it was time to move through the field, passing his 2 younger teammates on the 2nd last lap of the day and looking like a man on a mission. Unfortunately for Josh, he left his run a little too late and paid the price for falling back early on a track where passing only presented itself on rare occasions.
Josh firing on all cylinders

Things started to turn for Neil after breaking Steele on the switchback descent, he proceeded to sniff an opportunity to move up into 2nd U/23 as Scott started to cramp up and come back to the fold. Luckily for Scott the legs held out in a "sprint finish" between the young Felt duo to take 2nd in U/23 by 1 second. Both riders crossed the line exhausted but satisfied with the early season podium that will hold both in good stead for the season ahead. Nathan Haas showed tremendous early season form to take out the U/23 category while Jongerwaard finished a massive 3minutes and 20 seconds ahead of his nearest rival Henderson who broke Lefmann on the final lap after an epic dual that thrilled the spectators.
The U/23 podium, Haas should have to forfeit his prize due to the shorts

STXC:
The Short Track XC race on the Sunday was a tactical race that saw Nathan Haas take out overall honours with Neil van der Ploeg finishing an awesome 3rd. With a slightly slower pace than what may have been expected with Jongerwaard absent, mind games were the order of the day with the lead changing in a blink of an eye and all attempts at breakaways curtailed.
Neil on the attack

Scott Liston, backing up after a sensational Saturday was a little under the weather and was dropped mid race by a lead bunch of 6 riders featuring Neil who looked extremely strong. Scott tried in vain to get back onto the lead bunch but ultimately had to relax and concentrate on holding position. Neil on the other hand was involved in a fascinating race that had the crowd buzzing as passing attempts were made in desperation and brakes were used to the absolute minimum. In the end a bunch sprint involving the front 6 was all that separated them with Haas showing the effects of a strong road season in Canberra taking home the bacon.

MORE PICS:

Adelaide National Series Round 1

2008-11-02T18:18:00.003+11:00

Felt has had a great weekend at the 1st National Round of the 2008-2009 season with 3 places on the podium over two events. Scott Liston and Neil van der Ploeg raced strongly on saturday in the XCO race to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively in U/23 while Josh Flemming started slowly but finished incredibly powerfully to mow down several less experienced opponents to roll over the line in 5th position in Elite.

The STXC race on Sunday, Neil van der Ploeg had another excellent result coming in 3rd in a race full of tactics and counter attacks. Scott, feeling less than fresh after a week of illness and an XCO race the previous day dropped off the front bunch late and never recovered, yet was still able to come through with a good top 10 result. Excellent work!

Full race report coming with lots of photos!

Cameron Myer signs with Felt

2008-10-29T10:53:00.004+11:00

In non MTB news, promising West Australian 'roady' Cameron Myer has signed his first pro contract with Garmin-Chipotle. He will join Trent Lowe and Chris Sutton on the argyle squad for the 2009 season. Good luck Cameron! Click HERE to read more.
Cameron Myer riding a non Felt bike... but not for long!

National Series Rd 1 @ RADelaide

2008-10-28T14:18:00.005+11:00

It has been deathly quiet on the Felt Racing Blog. Felt HQ has had the world economic crisis beating it around the ears a little which has meant focus has turned to serious work. Still, Scott or even Pauly could have picked up the slack, just a little bit. Anyway, I digress.
After a shocking weekend on the bikes in Canberra the team has slightly adjusted its collective sight and moved on to redemption at the National Round this weekend in RADelaide. New team member and all round 'top bloke' Neil van der Ploeg will be suiting up in U/23 alongside Scotty Liston. Neil won the Mitta to Mt Beauty last weekend on a Felt Q920 custom built bike in good time and has recovered well from his accident in Canberra. Scotty has done the hard kilometres and looks ready for a very strong series. Pauly on the other hand, has a case of the sniffles and won't be competing, poor Pauly. Mr Flemming will also be busting out some typically dazzling laps old school style and making the hurt look 'hurtier' for the rest of the field.
We want to see more of this....
and less of this...

On the Sunday the Short Track XC race should be a treat to watch, should be even funnier/interesting when Jack makes his National Series debut sometime this season... ooops did I just let the cat out of the bag? After the STXC we can then move our attention to the downhill to see if Sam Hills new bike is worth all the fuss. Should be great weekend of racing.

The Gravity 12hr will be the next time to see the Felt boys terrorizing the single track. The course is a personal favourite and is just a brilliant track for riders of all levels. The fast guys can go stupidly fast and the beginners can get maximum enjoyment out of a layout that is only used once a year. Make sure you sign up, grab some Millawa cheese on the way up and setup camp on the Friday and wake Saturday for 12hrs of fun.... and maybe a little pain. You would be amazed how comfy a tent and sleeping bag can be after a 12hr.

The "Other Bike Brand" 24 hr

2008-10-16T18:32:00.007+11:00

As most will know, the Scott 24 was on this past weekend in Canberra. The trip up the Hume is never a very exciting drive, and this weekend was no exception.

Scott and Jarrod had the pleasure of each others company in the Felt van while I followed along behind with my CD collection to keep me company. We arrived in Canberra on Thursday night at the Canberra motor village I think it was called. After a long day in the car Scott and I decided to head out for a quick spin before heading out to get some dinner. I would have been happy with a roll around the roads in the area but the park backed on to some bush so fire roads were a more attractive option. With the sun rapidly setting we strapped on some lights and jumped the fence to go for a spin. Much to our amazement the patch of bush that we had picked was filled with some really fun single track, we ended up spending almost all of the half hour ride riding single track which seemed to branch off all over the place. Unfortunately we didn't have time to explore too much and didn't end up making it back, but it looked to be worth a second look next time.

Friday we headed out to Mt Stromlo to secure a spot and do some practice laps. Troy Bailey, who was racing in the pairs category, had managed to secure a spot for us in a prime location. Some how he managed to get us into the pairs section so we were nice and close to the action

Friday morning

Saturday morning, the new tents were looking good.

Friday afternoon we were sent on a wild goose chase by our navigator for the weekend, Tom. Tom was a nicely spoken "man", but most of the time didn't have anything remotely useful to say and the target of quite a bit of abuse for his efforts. But he cam through with the goods in the end and found us some great pasta to sink our teeth into, so good in fact that both Scott and I surprised the chef when we went back for more!

Saturday finally rolled around and it was race day. For this years race the organisers had decided to change the fastest lap competition for a prologue race the morning of the race. An invitation only field of 20 riders were to test them selves in an individual time trial format to see who would take home the cash. Scott and myself were selected from out team to join the field which included a couple of solo 24 hr world champs, a few XC Australian champs and a few other hot shots. Lets just say it was a tough field!

I was sent off 7th which Scott getting a better start of 10th. The prologue lap was to be the "red" lap which climbed to the top of Mt Stromlo and then came straight back down, times were expected to be around the 30 to 35 min mark so it was a pretty long prologue. Scott had a good ride to finish in 7th place, I was a bit further back in 13th. With that bit of punishment out of the way it was time to start thinking about the main event.

With Paul taking it easy for a few weeks after his jet setting adventures in Europe we were lucky to secure the services of his older brother, Neil, for the weekend, expect to see more of those curly locks in the future. Neil was sent off to do the first lap followed by Mark, leaving Scott and I to bring up the rear and give us some extra recovery time after the prologue.

Neil finished the first lap in a good position and to the outside observer appeared to have a good lap, however we were to later learn that he had had a bit of a tumble early in the lap. A coming together with another rider trying to pass where there wasn't room caused the two to get tangled and crash, Neil was unlucky enough to be hit in the back of the calf with his chain ring which left a nasty gash in his leg. After a visit to the St John (not St Johns) he was advised that it would be needing more than just first aid, so off he went to the hospital to get himself stitched up.

This left us with only 3 riders and was a huge hit to the moral of the team. Three riders racing for 23.5 hours in the pro male 4's category just wasn't going to cut it. We dropped the pace back a notch to conserve some energy. I had a flat tire about 6 hours in to the race which was the straw that broke our races back. In hindsight we made the wrong decision as riding it out as a team of 3 would have been more satisfying, but at the time we just didn't have it in us. We decided to ride out the rest of the race for fun and get some sleep over night. We each did some night laps and then got some sleep ready to start fresh in the morning.

The results from the weekend show us in 4th place, but quite a few laps behind. I would like to think that with four riders we would have given a podium place a red hot go but it just wasn't out weekend. There's always next time, and next time we will be back to giving it everything.

The next race on the list, up the same exciting stretch of road, is the Gravity 12 hour near Beechworth. The guys up there always put on a good show so we're all looking forward to that one in a few weeks time.

Thanks for reading.

North Bound

2008-10-09T11:01:00.001+11:00

The cars are packed, the bikes are preped. Now all that's left is the exciting drive up the Hume Hwy to Canberra for the Scott 24 hour.

If you're heading up too, drive safe, if you're not, check back soon to see how the weekend panned out.

Learning new things every day

2008-10-02T20:37:00.002+10:00

Last night I headed off to the regular FTF Wednesday night ride along the Yarra river. It's not normally the place to go to get your academic fix, but last night I heard two interesting "facts" from two "wise" little men.

The first one was, if you run in to something you have to be travelling at more than 50km/h to break bones. Unfortunately no one was willing to test this theory at 45km/h and then again at 50km/h so I guess we'll have to believe him.

The second was, it's possible to lean so far into a corner that you can be riding on the side walls of your tire. Impressive stuff! The rider, who's mouth this little pearl of wisdom fell out of, tried this stunt earlier in the ride right in front of me, but the demonstration was unsuccessful as the end of his handle bars were digging into the ground. He did however ride it into the ground like he was going to ride out of it, so bonus marks for that.

On a slightly more serious note, Scott and I raced the Bendigo 6 hour on the weekend just gone. It was my first trip to this track and I was quite surprised with it, I had heard lots of reports that it was tight and rocky and not that enjoyable. I found that it was in fact very rocky, but the single track was lots of fun and made for a good fun lap.

Our race had a slight hiccup early on when I suffered a pinch flat on one of the many rocks which put us out of the lead and into 2nd place chasing the Yeti team. Despite our efforts we were unable to make up lost time, although we did get close, and we ended up at the end of the day in 2nd place (we think, the computer gremlins still aren't giving up the results).

Next weekend the whole team is off to Canberra for the Scott 24 at Mt Stromlo, hopefully we'll have some pictures of that race since they've been a little bit hard to come by recently.

PPP-(Paul's product punishment) Part One...

2008-09-29T17:22:00.006+10:00

On my purpose designed ride today I decided the new tyres I put on were going to be the first product, I will put through the vigorous testing. I have a wide variety of single track that Mt. Beauty at my disposal and it contains all types of tracks.

On today's ride I thought up the segment PPP (Paul product punishment) for a purpose built testing part to the felt racing blog. Testing is something I have not done "officially" before but for those who know my riding style, they would know that every time I step onto the bike there is a certain degree of testing undertaken.

Today's ride was focusing on specifically the new Panaracer Razer xc tyres that Southcott cycles (Felt) have started importing this year. I have had these bad boys rolled up in there cool blue packaging since mid winter and due to many factors I have not broken the seals until today....

I seem to have started the review and I have not intended to before the vital stats, ride details and product details have been revealed. These things happen. I hope this is the first installment of many for PPP. Below is the format I will try to replicate (with slight variations) for products in the future.

Vital stats:

Rider-Paul van der Ploeg

Age-18 years

Current weight-around 85kg

Height-193cm roughly 6 foot 3

Riding style-Aggressive.

Years riding-3yrs serious and since I could walk casually.

Ride, Product and Test info:

Bike used: Felt virtue Team 21.5 inch (XL) with 130mm travel front and rear.

Test duration/type: First ride and first impressions

Location: Big Hill MTB Park Mt. Beauty.

Conditions- Dry and a little dusty.

Terrain covered in 1hr 5min ride- Mostly Easy with some intermediate trails.

Part on punishment- Panaracer Razer xc 2.1 tyres (weight 450grms) non tubeless.

Tread Pattern: Knob size-low to mid

Designed for- dry hard packed conditions

Rolling resistance-Low to very low

Time it took to blow off tyre-37min 40sec

Obstacle in charge of crime- A rock drop from the 2006 nationals course (height- 0ne of my size 48 Luis Garneau carbon shoes)

Summary of test:

So as you can see in the info above there is a bit of a story to tell and I was not expecting to have such an exciting one for the first impressions on my first ride with this product. Now lets start with the basics.

Instillation:

I have to start by saying that I sealed the tyres up tubeless to my wheels and they are not a tubeless tyre. Although this was an easy process it is not recommended. Lots of xc racers do this to save weight and can get away with it, but at my weight and on the virtue it was a risky move and it didn't pay off in this test. I sealed the tyres up and rode them pretty much straight away which is also a big no no. The bead needs to settle into the rim and get a proper seal. With the non tubeless tyres I have found that it takes a few rides or at least one solid ride to completely settle the tyre into the rim.

To seal the tyres you will need a compressor, a dash of tyre sealant, Paul's magic solution (commonly know as dish washing liquid and water) and POP the tyre should go up with little skill required.

Very first impressions:

As I rolled out of the shop the small stones flicked up into my down tube and it put a smile on my dial knowing that I had new rubber underneath my trusty steed.

This noise is common with new tyres and I found myself wondering what caused this small stone flicking. I put it down to the rubber bits that stick out of the tread. After this thought process was complete I found myself entering the single track network and the real testing was now starting.

Handling:

In the first few hard packed corners of wombats track the tyres were hooking up super well and I was ultra impressed. I was getting controlled drift and then was able to pull it back without having to put a foot out or face plant. I thought I would call this 'drift and kick' because the tyre kicked me back to a level of control after long drifts. This was a very cool sensation and I had not felt this with the tyres I had taken off the bike. I have had tyres in the past which when they started to go they never could be pulled back.

So in the hard packed dry conditions the Razer xc was eating it up. But on the gully track I hit a patch of sand and the front tyre slipped out from underneath me and luckily I soon found more hard pack. So a small crack in the solid preforming tyre was showing.

The next set of trails I started to fall in love with the tyre as I pushed it further then I have dared to go. It 'drift and kicked' me all the way down the fast flowing trail 'secret track' and the dart 4WD with no trouble at all. Then I climbed up to the 2006 national trails for a rougher and tougher test.

Getting Over confident:

The 2006 nationals decent has got a few sizable ruts in it and steeper shoots. I dropped in and popped over the first log, I have burped many a tyre on this obstacle in the past, but the paneracer easily held its own. On the next small shoot I laid into the corner and the loose surface and over confidence in traction, caused the tyre to glide out of control and into a fallen log while I found myself 'turtle sliding' on my chest thinking, "I don't think these tyres like the loose dirt/sand". I picked up my bike and straightened my bars which were at a 75 Degree angle. I then checked the TP (tyre pressure) and surprisingly no air was lost. I then continued to bomb down the run with astonishment.

The drop is not big but has a rutted out landing that has claimed a few riders and I knew that burping on this section was a possibility. As I rolled over I lent back, then upon landing the tyre didn't burp but blew straight off the rim. BANG! As I rolled to a stop I was not to happy about the last 10 seconds of riding. I fixed the flat and finished off the trail.

With the tube in the front the weight was noticeably heavier, but it gave the tyre a more solid feel and there was no risk of blowing the tyre off the rim. The rest of the ride was fairly un-eventful.

Conclusion:

On my first ride I think the panaracer razer xc (non tubeless) is a fantastic race tyre for dry condition cross country racing and it held up respectively to the punishment I dished out to it. The only real drama is that, if you plan on sealing them up as tubeless you need to ride with a little bit of caution on your first few rides because the bead is not designed to be sealed without a tube and takes a little bit to settle into place. So don't drop off rock faces or do road gaps with these tyres to start with because that's not what they are designed for.

The tyre blowing off the rim didn't change my thoughts on how good this tyre is. I haven't been able to keep a tyre that weighed under 500 grams on the rim in my cycling career, so i almost expected this to happen (maybe not so soon, but I was taking the tyre out on a 130mm travel trail bike and hitting the track as hard as I could go). I do love the handling and control that the tyre delivers in the dry and HP (hard packed) dirt. I want some rain to see if it holds its own with a bit of moisture, but I cant see this happening any time soon.

After some random period of time I will do a full report on these tyres, so check back for a more accurate and informed report then, on the panaracer razer xc tyres. Coming soon to a store near you.

SportRecovery Spring Makeover

2008-09-27T22:10:00.002+10:00

Just a quick note to let you all know that SportRecovery, friend and supporter of Felt Racing, have had a major re-jig of their website and have added some new Endura products to their range. So if you're in the market for some sports nutrition products head over and have a look.

Tomorrow, Scott and myself are racing at the 6 Hour race just outside of Bendigo in Central Victoria, check back soon for a run down of how it all goes.

Felt @ Interbike

2008-09-25T09:21:00.003+10:00

Cycling News has decided to pull their finger out and review the Felt range from Interbike. The new Six Team is a race weapon and the Virtue's for next year get some changes that should see them even faster on the trails.
Check out the link and salivate. Thanks Mr Huang, the cheque's in the mail.

Mountainless 3 Hour

2008-09-24T21:17:00.002+10:00

Sunday just gone I was in Mildura in north western Victoria for a 3 hour race held by the Coomealla-Mildura Mountainless Bike Club on the banks of the Murray River. The course used for the day was similar to other races I've done up there in the past, but with some additions to extend the laps a little bit.

The weather was perfect with lots of sun shine, a bit of a breeze so it was set to be a great day. I would post some pictures but I don't have access to them at the moment, they're on there way.

The race had a good turn out with about 40 or so riders on the start line in a number of different categories which was good to see. Off the start line I was happy to follow the lead rider for a while to get a look at the course. Unfortunately he had a very spectacular, but harmless, crash about half way through the lap on a jump. From then on I was pretty much on my own for the rest of the race and tried to ride a solid and consistent race. All was going to plan until I got a flat tire from a rogue stick that put a rather large hole in my rear tire on what was to be my 2nd last lap. While fixing this the rider in 2nd place managed to pass me, this however didn't last very long as the angry pills that come with flat tires ensured I was soon back in front of him and was able to finish the race in the lead.

Some out there might be thinking that a 3 hour race on a flat track would be a walk in the park, but the race was actually harder than I thought. I really missed the small rests you get on descents and the large amount of sand made for a tough time out there. I chose to ride the hardtail RXC Team for the day, but the bumpy course had me wishing for the comfort of the Virtue Team by the end of the race.

Well done to the local club on putting on a well run race, hopefully it will be going on to bigger and better things in the future.

Spring Has Sprung!

2008-09-13T14:32:00.004+10:00

It's time to go and clean the mud off your bike and get out and ride it.

The Yarra trails were looking pretty good today, and fast.

Next weekend I'll be heading up to Mildura for a 3 hour race held by the local club, online entries close this Wednesday, so get in quick if you're still making up your mind. Entries will be taken on the day though.

2009 Felt Bikes

2008-09-08T23:34:00.005+10:00

2009 Felt Bikes..... The title says it all. Here they are.......
Keeping in mind that this is a link to the USA website and the Australian market won't see all of these bikes, but there is still a nice range to choose from.
My favourites are the:
The AR Team.... Im definitely getting one of these...
The Curbside.
The artwork on the 2009 range is pretty crazy and the variety is stunning......

Kurth Kiln

2008-09-08T19:59:00.003+10:00

Kurth what? Kurth Kiln is an abandoned WWII era charcoal kiln near Gembrook up in the hills east of Melbourne, it was also the location for the final round of the FTF winter XC series on Sunday morning.

The race for this round was planned as a mini marathon with one big climb on each predominantly fire road lap. A grade was sent off to do 2 laps of the roughly 30km long lap with lower grades taking in a combination of the long lap and a shorter loop. From the start it was straight into the climb, which seemed to go on and on and on. Early on the lead bunch was whittled down to only half a dozen riders, soon after an attack when off the front which saw 2 riders get clear and splintered the remaining riders for a few kms while we sorted our selves out. At the top of the climb on the first lap I was in the chase group with Specialized riders Rohin Ginger Adams and Fireman Sam Bach. Working well together we made sure no one was going to catch us but were unable to put much ground into the leaders, that was until there was an earth shattering explosion as one of the leaders, Luke Fetch, came back to us briefly. Rohin and I were able to drop Sam on the second half of the climb.

With the top almost in sight I decided to see what I had left and attacked Rohin, luckily for me it was more than he had as he was dealing with cramps just at that moment so the timing was perfect. From then on it was mostly down hill. The decent was still fire road, but less open and at speed was still a challenge to hold speed and the tight muddy corners kept us on our toes. I was able to stay clear of the Ginger and rolled though for a 2nd place behind Murray Spink.

Even with a dusty drive in to the race, there was still enough mud on parts of the course to get a little bit dirty.

Australian MTB Marathon Championships

2008-08-30T12:02:00.002+10:00

This news has been around for a little while now but it's worth mentioning it here as well.

The Big Hill Events MTB Marathon at Wangong early next year has been selected as the site for the 08/09 Marathon Championships. Felt has sponsored this event for the past two years and next year is stepping up it's commitment as naming rights sponsor to the Felt MTBA Australian MTB Marathon Championships.

Here's some choice words from the MTBA news article:

Wandong, just a one hour drive from the Melbourne CBD, is a superb location for the event which will see the hugely popular European style of mountain bike marathon racing come to Australia. Less than eight months away, the Championships will be held on Sunday 29 March.

The race course stretches over 100kms and has 2500m of vertical gain with a mix of fire road, 4WD tracks, double tracks and, of course, some great single track sections. The course is challenging yet achievable with the average rider time expected to complete the course in between five and six hours. At the elite end, competition is set to be fierce and the estimated winning time for Elite Male just over the mandated 4hours.

All competitors will enjoy the European marathon racing experience, with feed zones at this event like no other in Australia. Over the 100km course there are four fully catered feed zones where riders are given water bottles, sports drinks, food by Degani Bakery, Gels and Energy bars by Endura as well as fruit and snacks.

Cash and prizes totaling over $20,000 will be on offer with a huge range of spot prizes up for grabs.

The event will be limited to a field of 750 riders and entries will open early October.

The Castlemaine Story

2008-08-28T18:21:00.003+10:00

It's hard to believe, but it's finally here.

The weekend started with a trip up the recently upgraded A79 on Saturday afternoon to Castlemaine, in time for the shenanigans of Saturday night. Saturday night was to host the most important race of the weekend, the 16" 4 cross (with only 2 in each race, but who cares, it's stacks of fun).

On arrival at Jubba land I found 2 familiar faces, ex-Felt Racing riders and current Felt Epix riders, Ash and Jason. I did a practice lap with them, partly to check out the new sections of the course and also to enjoy the course because it's one of the best ones going round.

Back to the racing... The 16" race course from last year got some work done on it including a new jump and an extra berm which moved the start further up the hill to add to the fun.

Nothing precise here

With the course set for the night it was time to get in some much needed practice, those little bikes are deceptively hard to ride!

Not quite my size

Some people just don't know how to take it easy! Thanks Ash for the photos.

With $100 on the line for the winner and being the runner up from last year the pressure was on, unluckily for me I came up against little J. Jackson in the second round and I swear he pushed me off. I crashed a second time before I got to the bottom of the run and that was me out of the competition. He went on to also crash out, but in the quarter finals.

With the big race of the weekend out of the way it was on to Sunday for the 6 hour Enduro. I was to be racing with directionally challenged Scott who got a little lost on the drive up in the morning, luckily he made it before the start, with seconds to spare. With sub half hour laps on the cards we decided to try double laps to allow for longer rest periods.

The first lap for me was great, with a clear track out in front I was able to really enjoy the course. I backed it off a little on the second lap to try to save something for latter...

Scott put in a solid effort on the next double but it was starting to unravel when I went out again. Double laps may not have been the best option for the two of us on the day, I was trying to get over a cold and Scott had had knee issues the day before. At about the 4 hour mark it all came undone for me, no speed or power and a head ache on a rough rocky course was the end of the day for me unfortunately. Scott went out for one more slow lap and then called it a day too, choosing to save himself for another day.

On a positive note, we got a load of comments on the new kit saying how good it looked (or was it how good we look?). So keep an eye out for some not so red looking Felt riders in the future.

And to finish off, some equipment news. The new Panaracer tires have arrived, I was able to give the Razer XC tires a go and am happy to report that they felt really good. They handled the rocky conditions extremely well, had plenty of grip up the many pinch climbs and behaved quite well while cornering. Stay tuned for some more reviews when we get a chance to spend some more time on them.

Castlemaine Pics

2008-08-26T13:55:00.007+10:00

No exciting stories to tell from the Castlemaine Enduro as I wasn't there, but, Kat from Xtreme shots has proof that Felt was participating. Jack will post a report as soon as he can. He promises it's on the way, but so is Christmas, the Apocalypse and synthetic livers so don't hold your breath.

Jack edit: Yes, a more detailed story is brewing, including a review of some new Panaracer tires, it should be here before Jarrod turns up to a race on time.
Scott showing the new threads....

Jack in action, for a little while anyway....

Scott again...
Thanks to Xtreme Shots for the pics.

Chase The Sun Finale

2008-08-19T16:26:00.003+10:00

This past weekend marked the end of the 2008 FGP Chase The Sun Enduro series at Lysterfield. The final race was the longest of the series and ran for 8 hours. The Felt Racing teams for the day consisted of regulars Scott and Myself (Jack) in team number 1 and in team number 2 was Felt Racing ring in Josh Flemming and Team Manager Jarrod Acfield. Jarrod was there for most of the day anyway.

With this being the last race of the series series points were closely examined before the race. Felt Racing 1 was sitting in 3rd place and with a good result in this race were in with a good chance of stealing 1st place from Giant and Torq.

The rain leading up the race was sure to make it another mud bath but with some thoughtful course designing from the organisers most of the mud was avoided. The first couple of laps were very greasy in places but after a few laps and plenty of riders over the course the track became nice and fast except for a few small sections.

In a change from the usual arrangement, Scott stepped up and volunteered for the start. He was able to get us into 2nd place just off John Claxton from Giant, Josh was taking it a little bit easy a few places back since his team mate for the day hadn't turned up yet! I was off for the next lap trying to chase down Murray Spink. The race for first was close for a few laps while the lead swapped between us and Giant a few times, in the mean time we both extended the gap to Torq in 3rd. Still no word from Jarrod???

Scott sitting in a nice position after the prologue.

With Giant slowly pulling away we did what we could to ensure we held onto our 2nd place.

Jarrod arrives!!! I'm sure Josh was happy to see him finally as he had just completed a 4 hour stint with 6 solid lap times.

At the end of the day Felt Racing 1 held on to 2nd place over all. One place behind Giant and one in front of Torq. Unfortunately, to climb to the top of the series standings we needed to beat Giant and be 2 places in front of Torq. One place off the top isn't bad in the end, just goes to show how closely fought the series was.

Next weekend is the 6 hour race in Castlemaine which is sure to be another great race on a good fun track, plus there is 16" racing on the Saturday night, look out! Rumour has it that the competition is going to be hot, so it should be a good tough race.

New Felt Parts......

2008-08-13T15:52:00.006+10:00

A few goodies have recently passed across the desk at Felt HQ, some Felt parts and accessories.
The first little beauty are these carbon road bars. Felt 1.1 Carbon Bars 31.8mm clamp, ergonomic design, coming in at 180gm for the weight weenies out there. Available in 400mm,420mm and 440mm.
Felt 1.1 Carbon Bars
Next are the Felt carbon road forks. Now I know the picture says 1.2 on the fork arm but I don't have a picture of the 1.1 forks and beggars can't be choosers. I can say that they look identical except for the number......
Compression device not included.
Up next,a single speed riders dream tool. The BeerNut. Allows you to adjust your bike and opens the well earned beverages after..... Early nomination for Tool of the Year...(the good kind)

Other bits and pieces now in stock:
Felt MTB Lock On Grips.
Felt Bar Tape, available in black, white and grey.
Felt 1.1 Tri-Specific saddle.
Felt 1.1 Alloy Stems. 90-120mm

Panaracer too!
Wow! What a country. We have Panaracer tyres and tubes in stock as well. Below is a little sampling of the Panaracer range.

We also have road tyres and tubes but I didn't want to bore you with the details. Expect to see Scott, Jack and Co. smashing out laps on these babies at a race near you.

Riverside Racing

2008-08-12T21:08:00.006+10:00

Regular readers, and some not so regular, may know that I've made a few trips north to race in sunny Mildura (remember what sun is?). I'll be off that way soon to race at a 3 hour event the local club is running on the 21st of September, about 5 weeks away. I encourage anyone looking for some racing on a track which is a little different to what we are used to around Melbourne to make the trip up for the weekend and give it a go, plus the weather is sure to be much nicer than we've been having down here.

More details can be found here, and entries can be completed on line here. The race is run right on the Murray River, on the NSW side. And the Coomealla Club (club sponsor) is putting up $2500 in prize money, so it could very well be worth the trip up there!

Map Too Small?

Harkaway Winter Slippery Dip

2008-08-10T21:42:00.002+10:00

10 August 2008, where's the memory erase button? Today's race isn't one to remember.

Today's race was part of the Fat Tire Flyers winter series which was held at a new venue at the Harkaway Scout Camp, just past Lysterfield and next door to Upper Beaconsfield, so it's smack bang in the middle of MTB territory.

The race today was to be a short crit style race instead of a normal XC race. Being a new venue the track was freshly cut single track, but mixed with a week of rain leading up to the race today conditions were always going to be tough. Just how tough was the big question. The answer was extremely tough. Racing for the day was split into 4 grades, A to D, with C and D racing first followed by A and B. This allowed everyone a chance to watch the racing which was a nice change. 5 laps were on the cards for A grade of an approximately 2km course.

A cold and rainy morning turned most people off doing a practice lap so the first look at the course was the first lap for most. By the time my race started the course was, soup like. The mud in some places was almost ankle deep, and accurately measured as almost every incline on the course was unrideable and had to be run up because traction in such conditions was only something you could dream of. Descending was also a challenge and was almost a case of close your eyes and hope to get to the bottom rubber side down. To put it briefly, it was up there with the worst conditions I've ever raced in!

My race started ok, a good start put me into the lead into the single track. After a short grassy section we all got to see the condition of the new single track. It was soon obvious that the first climb was not going to be ridden so we were all of the bikes and running, not something I'm particularly good at. The condition of the course meant that big sections of each lap had to be run. The running soon took it's toll on my legs and I dropped back to 4th on the 3rd lap. I stayed here for the rest of the race, trying to stay upright and on the track.

I don't have any photos from the day, just think of lots of mud and you should get the picture.

See you all at Lysterfield next week for the final round of the Chase the Sun series.

R.I.P.

2008-08-07T18:01:00.002+10:00

This news may upset some people, although most will see this as good news.

The alien green helmet that I have become quite well known for wearing over the last few years has been retired.

We've had some good times together over the years, including last years Werribee 12 hour in Shrek costume.

It's time for a helmet that actually matches the rest of the Felt out fit, something a little less green. Introducing the new red, white and black "Felt" 2D helmet.

Probably not coming to a store near you.

Felt 2009

2008-08-02T10:45:00.003+10:00

2009 is fast approaching, at least in the cycling industry anyway. With that in mind here is another peak at the Felt range. This time it's a road bike and it's got sex appeal in abundance. Introducing the NEW Felt AR4. This is the exact frame design used by Team Garmin at the Tour de France last month. Extensive windtunnel testing has shown that using an AR will increase your efficiency on the road giving the rider a further edge. The AR range will also have a higher spec AR2 and an AR-Team (Garmin colours)..... These bikes are just sick.

Also here is the full photo of the Six-Team.

"The" Mono

2008-07-29T17:57:00.002+10:00

Someone has come forward with some footage of my much talked about mono from the weekend...

It was maybe a little bit less spectacular on the day. Just ignore what's in the background, it's the low quality video that's tricking you in to thinking it's not at Lysterfield.

Anaconda Race 3

2008-07-28T14:49:00.002+10:00

Was I a prophet or what? Mud tyres. They proved a handy addition yesterday at the Anaconda Series Race 3. That is of course, only if you own mud tyres. For the unfortunate others who don't or didn't bring them, they were consigned to a day of slipping and sliding at varying angles every pedal stroke. Drivetrains became unpredictable, clothing turned a lovely gloss brown and drinks became gritty in conditions that can best be described as, deplorable.
For the Felt guys it was a day of grinding it out and keeping the bikes going straight. Felt Racing 1 lead by Jack and Scott (click here for Scotts race report)started the day strongly and provided the Torq team lead by Lachlan Norris with sturdy resistance until late in the day when a couple of hot laps saw the Torq team break away for a comfortable win.
Felt Racing 2 had an interesting day which began with Paul getting up close and personal with the ground and in the process destroying his Noir cranks, leaving him with only small ring for half a lap. Thankfully Josh Flemming is one competitive man and stomped around the course to bring the gap to the leaders down significantly. A quick change of strategy and tyres for Paul allowed Felt Racing 2 to finish a strong 3rd after a difficult beginning.
The Felt Chicks (Jaci Lo and Jo Wall) had a rather smooth day by comparison and were extremely solid all day holding down 3rd position. Some of Jo's skills were a delight to watch as she jumped the numerous log rollovers with ease and then matched it with the boys in the all important banter stakes at Felt Race HQ.
Former team member dropped by to take some happy snaps, have a laugh and revel in the fact that he was spectating rather than competing. Check out the Epix site for his pics.
The highlight of the day had to have been the most average mono in history performed by our very own Jack Lamshed. Jack kept the front wheel up for at least nano second before veering off the trail and hiding behind a marquee to escape the laughing masses. Top stuff Jack. Don't let him tell you about the track stand competition, everyone knows the mono competition is the main event. Please, if anyone has video footage please email us here at the blog so we can share.........

2009 Felt F3 SL review

2008-07-24T13:03:00.002+10:00

Our lucky brothers in America have been nice enough to write a review of the new F3 SL. Featuring Sram Red components and Mavic Ksyerium Equipe wheels the bike should be a smoking addition to your stable of steeds.
Click here to read the review.

Anaconda Enduro Series Race 3:
Race 3 is this weekend. Mud tyres anyone? Hopefully the good folk at Full Gas will provide the racers out there a chance to keep their bikes a little bit clean. If not, slip on the mud clearing tyres and tear up the place. Either way it should be a good day with the weather looking OK (touch wood). Jack and Scott will be looking to put some bad luck behind them and smash out some hot laps. They will need to be on their game with Pauly back and teaming with former National Champion, Olympic representative and all round nice guy, Josh Flemming.

Jo Wall and Jaci Lo will also be pushing for a podium in the Pro Pairs. Both riders are in good form and should be right at the pointy end of the field. Other Felt riders in the field include Murray and his teammate Scott from My Mountain as they race against a girls pair for bragging rights for winning "the bet". The rather feminine pink Felts will be there as well as Naomi Williams as she teams with Giant Jo.

As you can see a fair representation from the fleet in red. See you on Sunday.

A real exclusive... (sorry Pauly)

2008-07-15T15:18:00.005+10:00

A sneak peak at Felts latest member of the XC family in the form of a Felt Six Team. A full carbon hardtail for the hardest amongst us.
Red end caps to match the badging.....

Ultra-high modulus carbon fiber. Modular Monocoque Construction. (Translation: Very cool)

SRAM X-0 rear derailleur and Avid Juicy Ultimates....

More pictures and specs to come over the next few weeks. Keep checking in......

Scott takes 2nd @ Officer

2008-07-14T14:34:00.003+10:00

Scott Liston has ridden a very strong race out at Officer on the weekend to take out 2nd place in the FTF Winter series to recently named Olympian, Dan McConnell. Scott's lap times were very consistent and held down 2nd position (which is probably actually 1st as no one expects to see D-Mac racing) for the duration of the race. Top work champ! Scott you're a good bloke as well.
For Scotts exciting account of things click HERE.
Official Race Results HERE.

Anaconda Enduro Update:
Less than 2 weeks until a return to racing for the Felt Enduro Team at Race 3 of the Anaconda Enduro Series. See the return to action of the big man on campus, the big cheese, Paul van der Ploeg.

Prue Oswin & Jeff Toohey

2008-07-11T12:28:00.004+10:00

If you look over to the "More Bike Blogs" on the right of screen you will notice 2 more links. Prue Oswin and Jeff Toohey are well known Felt riders/athletes up in the sunny pineapple state. Prue is an Iron Man competitor who dabbles in Adventure and Endurance mountain bike events. Her up coming calendar takes her overseas to the US of A and Canada to train and compete in Iron Man events.
Jeff is a crazy XC "soloist" competing some of Australia's most gruelling events. At present he is blogging from overseas while doing some serious training. Click on the respective links and have a read.

Rohin Adams @ the Marathon World Champs

2008-07-07T15:25:00.002+10:00

In non Felt related news, friend and fierce rival, (on the bike) Rohin Adams has competed and finished 87th in the Marathon World Championships. To read his rather angry account of the race click HERE. Personally, if I could finish 87th in the world at anything I would be rapt/amazed/cheating. So, well done Rohin and good luck in your up coming races.
For the other Aussies, Josh Keep finished the best in 61st, Lachie Norris was 72nd, Andrew Blair 78th and Ryan Hawson was a DNF. Congratulations to them all. Crazy guys......

Felt Enduro Blog EXCLUSIVE!!!!

2008-07-07T11:58:00.004+10:00

The Felt Enduro Team blog had an opportunity to sit down at a computer and fire some questions at Paul van der Ploeg and patiently wait.... and wait and wait for the big guy to respond. Here is what transpired.....

Felt Blog: Paul, you're training rides seem massive and cover multiple countries. Whats the coolest thing you have seen on your rides?
Pauly: Well there was this one random ride that Lachie and I did that took over five hours and we rode from the Ais base in Castronno (near Varese) and ventured into over the Swiss border and into an area we named ‘the wonderland’. For the first time on a training ride out of the base we found a quiet network of road’s through some amazing mountains covered in full bright green trees. On that ride Lachie was also hit by a car, a bird flew into his front wheel (completely separate events) and I rode the last 60k with a torq gel wrapper covering a massive hole that was created from a small stone.

Felt Blog: Hmmm, interesting. How do you get up in the morning knowing that you have 200km and 4000m of vertical climbing ahead of you? Don't you just want to stay in bed?
Pauly: You open your eyes and lift your leg out of the warm blankets knowing that this ride will make you a stronger rider in years to come. It was just something you did and tried not to think of the pain ahead. It made it a lot easier that there were two other idiots with me that are just as crazy. Now one of them is going to the Olympics so I guess it paid off.

Felt Blog: Yes, yes. I agree totally. What tunes do you have pumping through the Pod at the moment?
Pauly: Overseas we were mixing up the beats a little and Lachie enforced album of the week during a period to try and expand the range we got into. We got onto David grey, the new Kings of Leon album, Block Party, Motion city soundtrack and Dan mixed up the album of the week during altitude with a mix of pop songs by artists like timberland and JT. So I have been playing those beats lately.

Felt Blog: Have you had any luck on the lady front? Seeing you guys riding around in Lycra must send the local girls into a fever?
Pauly: Well unfortunately there is no good news on that battle front and I’m very disappointed in that area. Life was crazy over there and we didn’t have much time to relax and hang out at any other place, other then the base because there was no other form of transport, besides feet and bikes to go places.
The local ladies were keen until they saw the brand of bike Paul was on...
Felt Blog: Yeah I find that helps me pick up the chicks too. Moving on. Your racing so far this season. How would you grade it so far?
Pauly: I had some highs and some lows while overseas. Each race was full of learning because of the different tracks and lengths of races etc. I have to say that it was harder to keep consistent over there because of all of the other guys racing at the same time, unlike at Aus where you are able to race your own race without to many variables.

Felt Blog: What, besides your awesome Enduro Team Manager do you miss the most about Australia?
Pauly: The obvious one is Family. Then there are the Mt. Beauty trails and people who speak English. It’s a bit harder living in a place that no one really speaks the same language as you.

Felt Blog: Do you have any arch enemies yet who always seem to hold you up or cut you off?
Pauly: There was one guy who kept catching in the world cups and I always seemed to chop his wheel or cut him off. This happened on a few weekends in a row and it was pretty funny. He would be the closest thing I have to an arch rival. He was pretty mad at me at a few passing situations.
Pauly (in red) smashing the Euro "Arch Nemesis"....

Felt Blog: The bastard! I would spike his drinks or something. You on the other hand are much fairer and more capable of defeating him on your merits. Have you found that most Euro's struggle to pin the 'D's', unlike your good self who smashes them?
Pauly: Haha… the Euros are probably a bit more cautious on the D’s and they see them as an obstacle, where I try to see them as a opportunity to make back some time (that I may lose on the climbs). That said the front guys are amazing on the downs with silky smooth skills. I really enjoy trying to push myself to the limits on the D’s, it gives the race that bit extra of adrenalin rush, not knowing if the speed your going will keep you rubber side down at the bottom of the section. Good fun.

Felt Blog: Totally buddy. Weak Euro's. OK word association, 1 word responses required here. 1st thing that pops into your head.... 1st word is, Lamshed.
Pauly: Green

Felt Blog: Ouch. He is a bit annoying. Next word, Felt.
Pauly: Sick

Felt Blog: Mars Bars
Pauly: Gold

Felt Blog: Coke
Pauly: liquid gold (I know two words, but its all I could think of)

Felt Blog: Windmills
Pauly: Random

Felt Blog: McConnell
Pauly: Legend

Felt Blog: Absolon
Pauly: Freak

Felt Blog: Finally, last word: World Championships
Pauly: nightmare

Winter Motivation

2008-07-03T13:22:00.003+10:00

Yawn..... While things are going pretty slowly at Felt headquarters, life goes on for the team riders. Training, training and more training. That of course, is unless your initials are PvdP. Pauly is back home resting after a massive European race season. Read all about it here. The other guys are all putting in the hard yards on the road bikes and on the trails preparing for our return to competition on the 27th July at Lysterfield.
It is without doubt the hardest time of the year to drag the steed out the door to ride in the cold and wet. But, it is also when the men get separated from the boys as the riders who brave the cold gain invaluable KM's for the upcoming summer. Thankfully, in Victoria we have some wonderful MTB clubs who have seen fit to organise some races for the less organised but slightly motivated amongst us.
The Fat Tyre Flyers have their "FTF Winter XC Series #2" on July 13th at Officer. The Fatties always put on a great event that is well attended by all categories. For those interested in heading out to Officer click HERE.
The Dirt Riders also run a great Winter series out at 'Upper Beacy'. Round 2 of the Dirt Riders Winter Series is on the 20th July. For more details on the event click HERE.
Finally, if you're sitting there reading this blog entry and thinking, "I would love to race on one of these weekends but its just to damn far.." then maybe the Geelong Mountain Bike Club has the answer. Round 2 of the You Yangs Winter XC Series is on the 20th July. The last round was a 3 stage race which from all reports was a heap of fun, albeit slightly chili. For more information click HERE.
So there you go. All you riders out there have no excuse, get out and have a crack. Keep the legs strong over Winter so you can smash your friends in Summer.
If anybody else knows of some races coming up over Winter drop an email or leave a comment.

I Felt back in Love....

2008-07-03T11:50:00.005+10:00

...with my Virtue Team.

When I got back from Italy I had no bikes with me so I was very keen to build back up the Virtue Team and hit the world class MTB Park, that Mount Beauty has in its backyard. So first thing I did was go into our shop and put the beautiful machine back together. The next thing I did was build up the 2008 RXC Team with the full group set off my old frame, which I put to bed back in Europe after the massive stack I had at the swiss power(resulting in two broken levers and a huge dint in the top tube). That said I still raced it in the first two world cups and bombed some of the roughest D's that frame had seen and it came through in flying colours. That meant I had two bikes ready to rock in the trails.

Anyway when I got into the tracks I had, 1:forgotten just how much fun mountain bike riding is in Mount Beauty and 2: Couldn't believe what the Virtue was capable of doing to my riding. I have been riding a full xc race bike for the last three months and stepping over the five inch travel bike was a new level. I spent a lot more time off the ground trying to hit new lines then I did on the beaten trail. Lets just say I had a lot of fun and the bike never even looked at holding me back while I tried crazy lines.

I had forgotten how awesome going out and doing a basic MTB trail ride with a group of mates. I know that sounds strange but all of my riding of late has been training based and not just getting on the bike and riding. Also I have been having withdrawals from not riding in the mountain bike park because it is just that good. A huge grin forms on my face after the first downhill and it's never lost from that point on. All of the tracks flow so smoothly together and apply different challenges to your technical ability every time you ride them. So the next day I went out again for some more and it didn't disappoint as usual but I have paid the price for my eagerness.

The next day I woke with a bad cold that had reached my chest and for the last five days I have been coughing up some horrible chunks of green mucus which has been rather fun. So the fast tracked life style has finally caught up with me, going from worlds, then traveling home to Aus, mixed with the cold weather and trail rides. I have now been forced to back it off a notch and get back into the slow lane for a few days.

Get to your local trails and hit them up, your probably not going to have as much fun as I did on my first ride back, but it will still be good,

Paul VDP

Some days are better spent in bed

2008-06-22T17:17:00.003+10:00

Today Matt (Specialized) and I chickened out on a road ride in the Dandenongs with a bunch of other MTB riders for a farewell ride for Rohin "Angry Ginger" Adams, who is off to Europe tomorrow to race in the Marathon world champs. Matt and I decided that the rain that was falling in Ivanhoe was a good enough reason to abandon the ride. Instead deciding to head out a little later, hoping that the rain would clear. It didn't. So off we went into the rain, that was only falling lightly, on our way to King Lake. Our initial prediction that the rain would clear up soon were far from close and we were soon very wet. The rain continued all the way to King Lake and for most of the way back home. The ride back down from King Lake was "interesting". The speed and the fact that I didn't have any glasses on meant that the light rain felt like pins in my face and eyes and I could hardly keep them open. By the end my feet and hands were starting to hurt because of the cold and my legs took some work to warm them up and get them working again. The sun did finally make an appearance but we were well and truly soaked through. Apart from the rain it was a good three hour something ride, but we could have done with out the rain.

Ironically, the boys in the Dandenongs only got about 20 minutes of rain, serves us right for sleeping in!

This is not far from King Lake, not a pretty sight.

I was not in a happy place at the top of the climb, by the bottom I just wanted to get home.

It's no cyclingnews.com, but...

2008-06-19T19:33:00.003+10:00

This article was in today's local paper in Mildura, the Sunraysia Daily. Click on the picture for a larger, readable view.

Team Slipstream is now Team Garmin

2008-06-19T09:41:00.002+10:00

It seems that Garmin has signed on the dotted line and has become the full sponsor of the Felt Slipstream Team. For more info clickity click click here.

Chum Creek Race Report:
Jason of Epix fame has written a nice little report from the weekend with some nice shots. Check out the nice pictures of some of the excellent single track here.

'09 Felt SRAM Racing Team

New Blog

National MTB Champs 2010- XCO

Tour of Tassie- The final day

Tour of Tassie- Day 3

Tour of Tassie- Day 2

Tour of Tassie team photos

Tour of Tassie- Day 1

Tour de Timor Video

Tour de Timor

Tour de Timor

Tour de Timor

Tour de Timor

Tour de Timor

Tour de Timor

Tour de Timor

News from Stromlo

Tour de Timor

Tour de Timor

The All Important Stickers

Tour de Timor

Tour de Timor- A brief report for an epic adventure

HISTORY MADE BY VANDY BROTHERS

Tour de Timor Stage 4

TIMOR NEWS

FELT RACING: Chase the Sun Series Champs.

He's on the list!

Gippsland tour day 5 "Finale stage".

Gippsland tour day 4

Gippsland tour day 3: It's not about the bike...

Gippsland tour day 2.

Gippsland tour day 1.

Chase the Sun #3

***LIVE*** from Chase The Sun 3

Upper Beaconsfield 6 hr photos.

Rockhop 09

Some sad news, some great news...

One Down, One To Go

Chase the Sun No. 2 -Total Team Domination (Pauls Perspective)

Chase the Sun (2)

Top two steps...

Beechworth SHITS photos

SHITS - From the hot seat

News from the sidelines

Ex-Team Bikes for Sale

Hamblin Hire Nail Can Hill MTB Ride

More from CTS

Chase the Sun 1

Getting Organised

2009 MONT 24 (long post)

FELT to MONT 24hr

Ebay bargains

Enduro Team Podium at Oceania MTB champs

Oh no, it's another Vid by SCOTT!

Victorian MTB Champs.

New South Wales Victorian state round...

Albury Wadonga State Rnd.

National XC & XCC series... DONE!

Resuming Transmission for 09

Bushfire Relief

National Champs photos at Felt Epix

Kona 24

The 2009 FELT International MTB Team Unveiled!

2009 Felt MTBA Australian Marathon Championships

National Round 1

Adelaide National Series Round 1

Cameron Myer signs with Felt

National Series Rd 1 @ RADelaide

The "Other Bike Brand" 24 hr

North Bound

Learning new things every day

PPP-(Paul's product punishment) Part One...

SportRecovery Spring Makeover

Felt @ Interbike

Mountainless 3 Hour

Spring Has Sprung!

2009 Felt Bikes

Kurth Kiln

Australian MTB Marathon Championships

The Castlemaine Story

LIVE from Chase The Sun 3