. . . from an Older Belgian Woman
By John D. Eustice

I went to Belgium in the mid 1970s as part of a wave of American riders who wished to infiltrate the mysterious and distant European racing scene. The Belgians condescended to us who were fool enough to attempt to endure their cobblestones, side winds, cold rain, and high-speed racing. To them we were the “English,” lumped together with the Aussies, the Kiwis, the Yanks, the Brits, and the English Canadians. We were one and the same. (The Quebecois were smarter than we were, and went to the Parisian racing clubs.) The rest of us would arrive, put up with decrepit 19th-century factory housing (which was illegal for anyone except the Turks and the “English” racers) and most of the English would last only two to three months before going home with broken bikes, broken hearts, and broken dreams. Many even quit racing forever after their first Belgian campaign.

I, on the other hand, loved it. But then I had had the advantage of being schooled in New York City by the descendants of the Madison Square Garden Six-Day racers. I could ride a bicycle and I fit right in with the hurly burly of the Belgian “Kermesse” races. Good results were coming and I thought that I was pretty hot stuff. That is, until the old Belgian lady.

Belgium has a network of bike paths that flank most of the major roadways. They’re not clean, wide, and pretty, like the manicured paths of their Dutch neighbors to the north. But everyone, from grandmothers to Tour of Flanders stars, use them. Sometimes there’s a path on each side of the road, and sometimes there’s only one with two-way traffic on the same narrow path.

One day I left Gent, where all the “English” were based, and headed south for the hills, finding myself on a narrow, two-way “fietspad.” Off in the distance, I could see a cyclist, an older Belgian woman riding to work, coming towards me. Belgians ride hard. Racers, students, workers—they all have a crazy work ethic and press the pedals with gusto. It was raining (of course) and she was grinding up a long hill towards me. I realized that she had her line, and she was not going to budge an inch from it. The path was just wide enough so that our handlebars could pass with about 5 inches between them. We got closer and closer. No field sprint, or wet cobblestoned turn had freaked me out the way this old woman was now doing, because, as she came closer and closer, she caught my eye and sized me up (“English!”). She knew that I knew she could ride a bicycle better than I could. She was a relentless freight train on rails steaming towards me. I panicked and my nerves went all squirrelly. I held my breath, closed my eyes, and she whipped by with a couple of inches to spare. I was traumatized enough that I needed to turn around and go back to Gent to collect my nerves.

She gave me, however, the most important lesson I would ever learn in cycling or racing, and that was the importance of riding in a straight line, a really straight line. I worked on it and worked on it, and once in the pros, absolutely focused on it. Because in pro racing, even being one centimeter off line can be catastrophic. And the other pros will hate you forever for it.

From that experience, and through my entire pro racing career, I learned the basic rules of how to ride. They are not complicated rules, but they are universal, and require focus and effort. They are the same in Belgium, France, or Italy, and whether one is a pro or a bicycle commuter. Professionals go out and ride their bicycles every day, that’s their job. And the job includes making certain that one gets through the ride without incident or drama, because any of the above interrupts training and stops you from doing your job well. It’s really that simple.

The bicycle is not a spin bike clamped to the ground, nor an unruly horse about to throw you off at any moment should you dare loosen your death grip on the handle bars. Consider the bicycle as a musical instrument, a thing of beauty, grace, and balance. There is artistry in cycling. A good rider floats along, with loose hands, relaxed arms, and fluid pedal action. You search constantly for the perfect rhythm between terrain, gears, and breathing. A great cyclist “breathes” the bicycle.

Rule # 1: Relax on the machine

The more relaxed you are, the more control —thus safety—you will have, and the more endurance you’ll have. A good trick is to relax your lower jaw. The rest of the body will follow. Caress the pedals, don’t try and smash them. Your feet should rest lightly on top of the pedals, even when pedalling hard.

Rule # 2: Control from the center

Your hands don’t steer the bike, your belly button does. It all comes from the core. So practice riding in one of our parks, and try and steer by completely relaxing your arms and simply pointing your belly button into a turn. The rest of your body and the machine will follow. Feel your hip automatically drop into the movement. Try and learn to ride with no hands and in that way properly feel how the core controls the bicycle. The arms have little to do with it.

Rule #3 : Learn to ride in a straight line

Again, the parks are fantastic training tools. Put yourself directly on one of the white traffic lines and follow it. Try and stay directly on top of the line. You’ll see, it’s hard to do. Most of you will go side to side. Once you start to get better at it, place the wheels to the left side of the line for 5 minutes, then the right side, then directly on the center of it. You can work at this for years. It’s key, so make it a habit. And when in a turn, hold one steady line. Local club racers, please reread this last line and try to memorize it.

Rule #4 : Look ahead and anticipate any trouble

Look way up the road and watch traffic patterns, you’ll be amazed at what you can see and avoid.

Rule # 5: Stay cool and be a benevolent cyclist

Don’t scream “ON YOUR LEFT!!!!!!!” at the top of your lungs while passing others. It’s just the most uncool thing possible and immediately labels you a “Very Bad Bicycle Rider.” If you have to put on the brakes to let a pedestrian go, then just do it, and make a little sprint to get back up to speed if you need to. Don’t buzz pedestrians. It’s like the parent-who-was-hit-as-a-child-hitting-their-own-children-in-turn syndrome. Cabs buzz the cyclists so the cyclists buzz the pedestrians. Break the vicious cycle! A cyclist is an evolved human (we’ve figured out the beauty of the bicycle), so act like one and flow through the City, don’t crash through it.

Rule # 6: Behave on the bridges (this one is for NYC)

Go fast up the bridges and slow down them. Cowards do it the other way around. It is simply not right to blast down the bridges, endangering little kids and putting others at risk in the ways I’ve seen over the past months.

I could go on and on, but I think the general idea is there. Riding a bicycle is a marvel, and the more skill one can develop, the more pleasurable the cycling experience. Transportation Alternatives has a terrific booklet called “Biking Rules,” which has some common sense things to look at. New York cyclists are now living in a golden era, with the Bloomberg administration firmly behind the idea of cycling and creating paths and opportunities for us. But we really need to become part of the City and not a plague upon it. So chill out on the bike. Don’t fight and scream at everything in your way. Be sensible on the bridges and watch out for the little kids and older people. If you are going to roll through the red lights (and we all do it), look for the opening, then do it discretely and not with a sense of entitled arrogance—scattering terrified pedestrians while cursing and making obscene gestures at them. And, don’t ride against traffic. Please. I’ve almost been wiped out a few times by that practice.

If everyone on a bicycle tries to develop a bit of skill, learns and observes a few traffic rules, and cultivates a little respect for pedestrian rights and smooth traffic flow, cycling can really flourish in New York City. If we don’t do these things, our road could become really rough. And with the civic support we are currently getting, it would be a great opportunity lost. Enjoy your ride!

John D. Eustice is a two-time United States professional cycling champion, a cycling analyst for ESPN, Comcast SportsNet, and more. He has competed in Giro d’Italia, Paris Roubaix, and other great world races.

2030 Taskforce to Tackle Transport Future.

A transport taskforce has been announced to develop a plan for Australia’s future based on better planning, better land use management and better transport systems.

The Moving People 2030 Taskforce was announced at a dinner last night attended by Minister for Infrastructure and Transport the Hon Anthony Albanese MP and Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport the Hon Warren Truss MP.
“The Taskforce will present a report later this year which will provide a vision for an active and productive Australia in 2030 focussed on planning, land use and transport and a roadmap for governments to achieve it,” said Michael Apps, Executive Director of the Bus Industry Confederation.
“Investment in walking, cycling and public transport is critical if we are to get people moving and make real and lasting inroads into the alarmingly high rates of physical inactivity in Australia. By investing in active travel and planning for active communities we can reduce the immense burden of chronic disease, including heart attack and stroke, caused by our sedentary lifestyles,” said Dr Lyn Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of the National Heart Foundation of Australia.
“The taskforce’s goal is to see national non-partisan leadership in keeping Australia the best country in the world to live. This taskforce is looking at a whole of system approach to how we build infrastructure, how people are able to move, how we move goods, and how we better integrate our spatial planning systems with good transport systems and services,” said Michael Apps, Executive Director of the Bus Industry Confederation.
The Taskforce includes representation from the International Association of Public Transport Australia and New Zealand who will bring international best practice examples to the report from the Taskforce.
Australasian Railway Association CEO and Rail Industry Taskforce Spokesperson, Bryan Nye urged Government to explore tax incentives to encourage greater use of public transport as well as innovative funding arrangements for public transport infrastructure.
“The Rail Industry sees the establishment of this taskforce as an avenue to address the challenges we face in Australia. Exploring innovative funding arrangements and tax incentives that encourage greater public transport use will help combat some of Australia’s growing challenges such as relieving the congestion on our roads, decreasing our carbon footprint, connecting communities and creating a safer and healthier Australia,” said Nye.
The Taskforce is made up of the Australian Local Government Association, Australian Logistics Council, Australasian Railway Association, Bus Industry Confederation, Cycling Promotion Fund, National Heart Foundation, International Association of Public Transport, Planning Institute of Australia, and Tourism and Transport Forum.

What is Autism?

Autism is a brain disorder that affects approximately 1 in 150 children to varying degrees along the “spectrum”. Typical characteristics of autism include difficulties with communication and social interaction, confusion in understanding what is happening around them, obsessive and ritualistic behaviour such as lining up or spinning objects. Autistic individuals frequently have dramatically heightened senses of touch, hearing and smell. Self-abuse (hitting, scratching, head-butting etc) and destructive behaviour are common. Many people with autism have additional conditions such as intellectual delay, brain seizures, pica behaviour and epilepsy.

People on the autism spectrum are all different. They tend to be good at static processing of data. In extreme cases of “savant” behaviour they can memorise and reproduce extraordinary amounts of information. However, communicating and interacting with other people requires dynamic thinking. This is invariably difficult but not impossible for people with autism. Currently, very few adults with autism have meaningful jobs or have friendships or relationships outside of their immediate family.

There is no known “cure” for autism but early diagnosis and appropriate intervention maximize the child’s chance of achieving his or her potential and enjoying a good quality of life.

What is Giant Steps?

The Giant Steps approach involves a combination of special education and therapy applied in a coordinated, transdisciplinary way to address the entire set of needs of the child. The disciplines operating within the school include speech therapy, music therapy and occupational therapy as well as special education.

Every child has an Individual Education Plan that is agreed between the parents and the team of staff working with the student. To enable each child to follow a program that caters for his or her specific needs Giant Steps has almost as many staff as students. This makes the school relatively expensive to operate but it makes a big difference to the progress of the child.

The schoolwork involves education in traditional subjects – reading, writing and arithmetic, science, geography, sport etc – but they are provided in a way that is practical and meaningful to the students.

Participation in the community is an important element of the Giant Steps program. Many of the students are “integrated” into mainstream schools for part of their week. All of the students in the Secondary Program spend part of their week employed at work experience.

Parent training is also a key element of the Giant Steps model. It is important for parents to understand the techniques used to help their children learn and communicate so that what is done at the school carries over into the home.

Giant Steps was the first school in Australia for children with autism to use a holistic approach in which therapy services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and music therapy were incorporated in a comprehensive way into the educational program. A number of other schools have since adopted this approach.

One of the keys to Giant Steps’ success has been excellent leadership and quality people. Staff retention has been above 95% for the past three years. Giant Steps was the first special school in Australia to introduce competency based compensation. Traditionally, schools pay teachers salaries that vary only with their number of years of experience. All of our employees have been on contracts since 1999 and since 2007 salary scales based on competency not years of experience. Every employee undertakes at least 40 hours of useful training each year and elevation to a higher salary level is based on how well they teach not just on how much they know or how long they have been around.

In 2009 Giant Steps opened its Community College. This is a day program for young adults. This is the only such program in NSW that caters exclusively for post school aged people with autism. From a standing start it has been a tremendous success and is now in its fourth year.

The support of donors and corporate sponsors has made this possible. We want to continue to operate, grow and improve our services and ask you to extend your financial support to allow us to do so.

Financial Needs

Giant Steps is a charity that runs a school and other services for children with autism. It opened in 1995 with 12 students. There are now over 60 students in the school and 7 young adults in the post-school Community College. It will cost $5.7 million to operate the programs in 2012. Of this the NSW and Australian governments will provide around $2.8 million. No school fees are charged so we need to raise $2.9 million for the programs to operate. This money comes from donations from individuals and corporations and a series of fund-raising events organised by parents and friends. The events include a Ball for 1,000 people, a bike ride, golf day, sailing regatta and a walk.

Our expected sources of non-government funds are:
Donations from families 800,000
Fund-raising events 1,100,000
Expected Corporate donors 350,000
Community donations 400,000
Task 250,000
2,900,000

Your help in covering the task will make a huge difference to the lives of our children and their families.

All donations are tax deductible.

All money donated to Giant Steps is used to provide direct services for our children. Fund-raising is organised by parent volunteers with assistance from one paid employee in administration. Over 90% of costs are for salaries, training and teaching resources.

For more information on Giant Steps visit www.giantsteps.net.au

This June saw a team of very special Aussies heading overseas to
compete for their country. Looking at them in their team uniforms and
hearing them talk about their training, you might not guess that all
of them have had organ or tissue transplants.

The World Transplant Games are a fantastic event for everyone who has
had a transplant, giving them an opportunity to compete, meet others
around the world and come together to share their second chance at
life. I have had a kidney transplant, and was so excited to head to
Göteborg, Sweden with my team.

My main event in the transplant games is the 20km cycling road race.
Me and my cycling team mates had the opportunity to race around a
beautiful park, Slottsskogen, in the Swedish summer. The park hosted
both the road race and the time trial, and provided a fantastic
challenge for us all. Two big hills kept us on our toes (and off the
saddle!) I witnessed one of my best friends’ sprint finish and saw him
seize the gold; as well as watching an Aussie team mate cross the line
arm in arm with a competitor. In my race, I raced in the adult
category for the first time against competitors from Britan, France,
and many others. The race was such a blast that coming in second and
claiming a silver medal was just icing on the cake.

The spirit of the World Transplant Games is fantastic. The competition
is hard and everyone pulls out their best, but at the finish line, we
all come back together again. A hand shake of congratulations is more
than just a courtesy in these games- it’s a recognition of where we
have all come from, and what we have just achieved.

I usually cannot pick a favourite moment when I have been to the
transplant games, but this year it is quite easy. On my sixth and
final lap of the road race, my team mates met me up the final hill and
ran alongside me as I fought the slope. Their incredible support
helped me up that hill, and that memory of them running with me is
something I will hold forever! Overall in the games I won two medals,
both silver, in both the cycle road race and the cycle time trial.

The games give us the opportunity to celebrate our second chance at
life. We can put on our cycle gear, power up a hill and show the world
how far we’ve come. Transplants save lives- we’re living proof of
that! This is a joyous event, a fantastic experience that we all get
to share together.

We looked pretty flash in our Transplant Team cycle uniforms as well-
Thanks Body Torque! It was so easy to spot each other in the crowd!

Almost three quarters of Australians (72%) want to see revenue from a Carbon Tax, if it is introduced, invested in improving public transport, walking and cycling according to polling conducted by Auspoll and released today.

The poll, of 1500 Australians covering all age and income brackets, was commissioned by a coalition of transport, environment, health and Local Government groups.

The results were released at a Summit held in Canberra today to identify transport based solutions to the issues of climate change, congestion, physical inactivity and population growth in major cities.

“This poll demonstrates an overwhelming majority of Australians identify compensation under a carbon scheme as not just handouts from the Government, but also investment in measures like public transport that will make their lives better and reduce carbon emissions at the same time,”said Bus Industry Confederation Executive Director Michael Apps.

“The money raised through the carbon price should primarily be spent on solutions, not on compensating industries that are part of the problem,” said Australian Conservation Foundation CEO Don Henry.

“That means building a low carbon economy and supporting the growth of clean energy and public transport.”

82 per cent of respondents to the poll supported an increase in Federal Government funding for public transport and 87 per cent of respondents supported Federal Government investment in public transport to address the issue of traffic congestion in major cities.

“Congestion costs the Australian economy almost $15 billion annually and Australians are telling us this that traffic congestion is more than a dollar figure; it is a problem that hurts everyone who lives in our cities by lowering their quality of life and affecting them financially,” said Professor John Stanley of the Institute of Transport and Logistics at the University of Sydney.

“This poll indicates very strongly that Australians identify public transport as a solution to congestion and they want the Federal Government to invest in making it more accessible and convenient for them to use.”

“The poll results reflect the fact our cities and urban communities require transformational change in the way we live, travel and consume if we are to have a quality of life that comes even close to what we are experiencing today, tinkering at the edges will not even maintain the status quo,” said Executive Director of the International Public Transport Association, Peter Moore.

“Our major cities are choking on congestion and social isolation through lack of access to services is becoming all too evident.”

“We are devoting a proportion of disposable income to travel that is impacting too heavily on the amenity of our lives,” said Moore.

Mayor Felicity-Ann Lewis, Deputy President of the Australian Local Government Association and the representative of Local Governments at the Summit welcomed engagement with the coalition on the issue of transport provision in urban areas.

“Local Government as the provider of the most extensive urban transport infrastructure is ready to work with industry and the other levels of government to address congestion and the emerging transport issues.”

Respondents who did not use public transport for work trips identified the coverage, capacity and efficiency of public transport as the major obstacles to using it, 70 per cent of all respondents supported the Federal Government becoming more involved in the planning of public transport in cities to address congestion.

“In the major cities such as Melbourne and Brisbane, we have seen significant growth in public transport patronage on our bus and rail networks. In regional areas, we have also seen considerable growth, last year patronage for non-urban rail services grew by almost 15 per cent,” said Australasian Railway Association, CEO Bryan Nye.

“In cities with lower levels of patronage growth like Sydney, we are already operating at capacity, particularly during peaks. Unlocking capacity constraints in our systems will help place public transport as a key solution to road congestion, reducing carbon emissions, and our dependence on imported oils.”

“The Federal Government must take the lead role in capacity building and planning for public transport across Australia. It needs to increase infrastructure funding and assisting State Governments to deliver more services where they are needed,” said Nye.

“While cardiovascular disease kills an Australian every 11 minutes, physical inactivity is a major health problem in its own right, said Dr Lyn Roberts, National CEO Heart Foundation.

“More than half of Australian adults (54%) are not sufficiently physically active to gain health benefits. Physical inactivity kills 16000 Australians a year and costs our health budget $1.5billion annually.

“This poll tells us Australians want to be more active, use public transport that is frequent, reliable and accessible and they want the infrastructure in place to encourage walking and cycling. Increased investment will encourage public transport patronage in our cities and unblock two kinds of arteries – ours and traffic,” said Dr Roberts

“The poll identified that 85% of Australians want the Federal Government to spend money on better planning to make walking and cycling for transport simple and convenient options,” said Government Relations Manager for the Cycling Promotion Fund Stephen Hodge. “Better planning will provide a more efficient transport network for all users.”’

The poll was initiated by a Coalition of seven key bodies; the Australasian Railway Association, Australian Conservation Foundation, Australian Local Government Association, Bus Industry Confederation, Cycling Promotion Fund, Heart Foundation, and International Public Transport Association.
________________________________________

To organise interviews and photo opportunities with any speakers in the release, please call
Emma Woods, 0438 209 588
Isuru Neelagama, 0451 005 661
Monique Blunden, 0414 789 849
Download Joint Media Release
Joint Media Release: Australians want carbon cash spent on public transport: Poll
Background Information

The full polling report from Auspoll is available on request by calling Isuru Neelagama on 0451 005 661. A backgrounder for journalists including maps of seats where voters are most affected by increases in fuel prices is available by calling Isuru Neelagama on 0451 005 661.

At first it seemed to belong to the realm of fairy tales. When New Zealand’s first professional cycling outfit was launched last year, the men behind Pure Black Racing talked of a vision of one day competing in the Tour de France.

While there have been a number of Kiwi individuals who have performed with distinction in the legendary race, the idea of a fully fledged team from this part of the world hurtling down the Champs-Elysees seemed hard to imagine. There is still a long way to go but Pure Black Racing have had an impressive start to their life, meeting most of their key milestones, and their success has been predicated on some good ol’ fashioned New Zealand virtues.

Last week on the Tour de Beauce in Quebec, the team took their first international road stage win at a UCI event – the achievement heightened by the fact that there were three Pro-Continental teams in the field.

That followed a series of top 10 finishes and stage wins all around the United States, highlighted by a sixth place in the prestigious Philadelphia Classic in June.

Like many sports, there is a clear and defined hierarchy in professional cycling.

At the top of the tree there are the 18 UCI professional teams, including Astana, Saxo Bank-SunGard (Alberto Contador) Team RadioShack (Lance Armstrong’s former team now featuring Saw Bewley and Jesse Sergent), Garmin Cerevelo (Julian Dean), HTC Highroad (Mark Cavendish) and Rabobank. They race on the UCI Pro Tour events, almost all in Europe and centred around the classic events in France, Spain and Italy.

The next tier down is the Pro-Continental tour, which has four teams based in the US and 19 others spread across Europe, who compete in events in Europe, Asia and the US (but mainly in Europe). These operations employ at least 14 riders, plus a myriad support staff, on a full-time basis for the entire year. Pure Black Racing sits at the next stage down, competing on the UCI continental tour. It is run on a regional basis, with separate tours based across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Central and South America, and Oceania.

At this level are over 60 teams out of Europe and 10 based in the US, as well as South American teams, Asian teams (including seven from China and four from Iran) and seven from Oceania. These teams vary from professional to semi-professional to essentially amateur; some will compete in only a few events and exclusively in their region and many riders are employed on a seasonal basis.

Pure Black race against mostly American teams across the US – it’s highly competitive, well funded – and a step above the standard in Australasia. But what they achieved in Quebec, by holding their own and indeed winning a stage against Pro-Continental teams, is the equivalent of an NPC rugby team knocking over a Super rugby side, or a team from English football’s Championship taking down a Premier League outfit.

Pure Black Racing was the brainchild of former Olympic and America’s Cup sailor Carl Williams. He had spent long periods on the bike for cross-training during his yachting career, and time spent in Valencia between 2006 and 2007 saw him catch the cycling bug. “I realised just how big the sport was in Europe,” says Williams, who was a Star class yachting world champion.

“I started to wonder if we could achieve something from New Zealand.” Back in New Zealand, Williams dived full-time into meeting potential backers and selling his dream to investors and sponsors.

Wellington-based technology entrepreneur Greg Cross became a business partner and Avanti has since come on board as a principal sponsor. The team was launched in July 2010 and their first event was the tour of Southland at the end of last year.

From humble beginnings, there are now 12 riders in the professional squad, including Olympians Tim Gudsell and Glen Chadwick. This number will grow to 16 next year and underneath the top level they have a development squad of nine under-23 riders.

As the goals get bigger and the climbs get tougher, Williams will recruit some international riders – though he stresses they will have to fit in with the culture and that there will always be a Kiwi spine to Pure Black Racing.

The team has been based in Boulder, Colorado, since March and will return home for the Australasian season in September. Williams reports that the team’s uniqueness, as well as some renowned Kiwi touches, has seen them make quite an impact on their first year away from home. “We have become crowd favourites over here,” says Williams, partly due to New Zealand’s popularity as a country but also because of their aggressive style of racing.

“The guys are very popular – they don’t hold back and people like them because they punch above their weight. “I will never forget racing in Alabama – where it is probably not a great idea to be called Pure Black Racing’ – and watching the crowds line the streets and wildly cheer us on.” Showing some New Zealand initiative, the team has also avoided hotel meals and the temptations of fast food by installing a large barbecue on to their race trailer, where they have barbecue meals at the end of each race day. Cross says that while the financial barriers remain formidable, they are far from insurmountable.

He estimates they need an annual budget of $12 million-$14 million to compete at the Tour de France and other events of that level – big money in New Zealand terms but a fraction of the cost of an America’s Cup team, an endeavour they are often compared to. “We hope that companies will see us as a great marketing platform on the world stage,” says Cross. “Everybody realises how big cycling is in Europe and the States but it is also growing in Asia and will only get bigger.”

Williams, who is based in the US as team operations manager and sporting director, says the logistics behind the squad have been one of the bigger challenges. “We have 20 riders, 50 racing bikes, over 100 sets of spare wheels – and then there is all the other equipment and supplies. It is a never-ending challenge.” Williams and Cross talk about reaching Tour de France level by 2015 and having a Pro-Continental team based in Europe in 2013.

They are convinced New Zealand has the depth of talent, and the greatest challenge is getting the infrastructure together. “It is very achievable and we think we have broken it down into bite-size pieces,” says Williams. “Just like rowing, cycling seems to suit the physiology of New Zealanders. We are providing another pathway which can only encourage more youngsters to stay in the sport and lead to long-term benefits for us as well.” Eventually, the dream will be to entice established professionals like Hayden Roulston, Greg Henderson and Julian Dean into the Pure Black jersey. At the moment this is a long way off – they would be reluctant to leave their well-paid job at some of Europe’s biggest teams to race one or two tiers below – but Williams is not one to dwell on negatives.

“They may join us, they may not – but I hope that the next wave of riders of their calibre will see us as the best option for their career.”

By Michael Burgess | Email Michael

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Amy’s Gran Fondo Official Launch
20th June 2011

Australia’s first ever Gran Fondo cycling event along the Great Ocean Road today received a $50,000 funding boost from the Victorian Government’s Significant Sporting Events Program.

Making the announcement at Brunetti’s City Square, the Minister for Sport and Recreation Hugh Delahunty was joined by Amy Gillett Foundation Chief Executive Officer Tracey Gaudry to launch the countdown to the event – start time Sunday 18 September 2011.

Mr Delahunty said the foundation and the race was established in honour of Amy Gillett who was tragically killed in a training accident in Germany in 2005. The race course is based on one of her favourite places to ride; along the Great Ocean Road.

“Events like the Amy’s Gran Fondo are a great opportunity to promote Victoria’s fantastic regional areas and natural beauty as well as providing a significant boost to local sports, tourism, investment and community spirit,” Mr Delahunty said.

“The event also encourages people of all abilities to get involved, and that’s why the Victorian Government is delighted to provide $50,000 from its Significant Sporting Events Program towards the Gran Fondo.

“This European-inspired race gives cyclists of all ages and abilities the chance to don their cycling gear and test their mettle on a 120km circuit featuring iconic Great Ocean Road, the Surf Coast and Colac Otway regions. Best of all, it’s all for a great cause.

“Funds raised go towards initiatives that take the message of safe cycling and driver awareness of cyclists on our roads to schools throughout Australia. Competitors will be treated to family-friendly food and entertainment activities with cyclists and fans also able to take in a two-day cycling expo at Lorne during the event weekend.

“There is also over $20,000 in prize money up for grabs, but be quick to register because there’s only a limited 3,000 spots available in the event. I encourage cyclists of all abilities to sign up for this fantastic event which promises to be a once in a life time experience,” he said.

Highlights of the launch can be viewed courtesy of SBS;

http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/video/484446/Amy-Gillett-Foundation-ride

Since 2004 James Hodgkinson and Ross Ellice-Flint have organised an event called the 20/Twenty Challenge that raises money for the Spastic Centre. They proposed a different event to support Giant Steps. Peter Beaumont who is a keen cyclist suggested a bike ride from sea level to the highest point in Australia. Neil Schafer, David Moffatt and Tony Abbott joined the brains trust and came up with the idea to ride from Bermagui on the South Coast to Charlotte Pass in the Snowy Mountains. In 2005 there were 17 riders who did the inaugural ride and raised $145,672 to pay for two new playgrounds for the school.

In 2006 and 2007 the Surf to Summit ride started at Tathra and went through Cooma to avoid a section of gravel road between Nimmitabel and Beloka. The ride was just over 300 km and involved over 5,000 metres of climbing.
22 riders rode the course in 2006 and 27 in 2007 raising $156,340 and $242,068 respectively. This money paid for the conversion of a disused and dilapidated workshop into a wonderful Library/Resource Centre.
In 2008 we moved the ride to the Victorian Alps. Based in Bright the course went out and back each day to Falls Creek, Mt Hotham and Mt Buffalo respectively. Again the total distance was just over 300 km with nearly 5,000 metres ascending.
In 2009 39 riders rode from Bright over the same course as in 2008 and raised $275,000 in spite of the Global Financial Crisis. The money raised helped Giant Steps establish a post school program for young adults with autism. It is the first of its kind in Australia.
Last year the 3 Day Bike Ride was held in South Australia. It was based in McLaren Vale and involved rides up into the Adelaide Hills, down to Port Elliot and around the Willunga Hill circuit that features in the Tour Down Under. $295,550 was raised bringing the total since inception to over $1.4 million
This year the ride will again be based in McLaren Vale and will follow a similar route.
The rise will cover 340 km climbing over 4000 metres and will include a 7.3 km time trial up Norton Summit and Willunga Hill made famous by the Tour Down Under
Sponsoring a rider…
You can support Giant Steps by sponsoring a rider through a tax deductible donation. Go to www.giantsteps.net.au/events/threedaybikeride
Nominate a rider and Hit the Donate button providing the required information. You can use PayPal or your Credit Card. All donations are tax deductible. DGR32778
No administration fee will be charged other than a small service fee for PayPal and your credit card provider.
For large donations you can avoid the service fee by making a payment by cheque or direct debit. Contact Michelle Jocum (02) 9879 4971 for details.
Cornerstone