Apollo Race Team

Gippsland 3day Tour

2010-06-16T21:33:00.005+10:00

The Queen's Birthday Weekend means one thing in the cycling world, club 3day tour time. Apollo has fairly deep roots in Gippsland with four riders and our team manager hailing from the area. Three of these riders were joined by a couple of the city slickers to form a five man squad at the Gippsland 3day Tour for some quality racing k's.

Stage 1 was a 6km, predominantly uphill, time trial. For those with GC (general classification) hopes these were a very painful 6kms. For those not hunting GC honours these can be a bit of fun. John fell into the 'bit of fun' category sporting a ridiculously 'aero' body suit. He could barely breath through it but at least he felt fast. Kane and Sam were Apollo's GC men for the weekend and didn't do these hopes any harm.

John getting 'aero' in the warm up

Stage 2 was four laps of a 25km circuit that basically went up for 17km then down for 8km. After a few attempts Chris was joined by two others to form the days breakaway. He won all the intermediate sprints before losing contact with the other two riders the last time up the climb. He was eventually swallowed up by the peleton, scoring third in the bunch kick to take fifth on the stage and some more sprint points. Kane and Sam finished safely in the peleton doing their GC positions no harm.

Chris winning one of the intermediate sprints

Stage 3 was five laps of a 17km circuit. Only a handful of seconds separated the top riders and they took turns attacking each other. The surges of pace by these guys had the bunch scampering to hold the wheel in front and swallowed up any breakaway attempts on the undulating circuit. With one lap to go Sam attacked and only two riders could go with him to form a break of three. Fittingly these three would go on to form the final GC top three. Unfortunately Sam suffered a puncture, lost contact, and had to be content with third on the stage.

Sam finishes third after puncturing out of the winning breakaway

Stage 4 was slightly confusing for all. Rolling through the first few kilometres no one was sure how many laps of what distance we were doing. The closest we came to a verdict was that it was to total somewhere between 72-77km's. One thing was certain, it wasn't going to be a formality. First Trent, then Chris, then John took turns attacking while Sam marked his GC rivals determined to protect or improve his GC ranking of third. Finally John got away in a group of two and was joined by Trent not long after.

John and Trent on the attack

Another two riders bridged and the group of five worked well to stay away through multiple KOMs before being caught at the 50km mark. It was deja vu as Chris and John took turns attacking again in search of the stage win. John got away again, this time solo, and spent another 15km's off the front scoring some more KOM points. The flat 10km stretch to the finish proved too much by himself though and he was caught with 5km to go. Chris was quick to counter though and opened a small gap with another rider in tow. This held to the finish and Chris was able to out kick his breakaway buddy for the final stage glory.

Chris wins Stage 4 (and with it secures the sprint jersey)

A solid weekend of racing in the legs...along with a stage win, the sprint jersey and 3rd, 6th and 10th on GC. Sidenote: Kane realised he had a university exam on the Monday and didn't start Stage 4 (he may have had the flu as well). Hope you passed Kane!

Chase The Sun Round 1

2010-06-16T19:08:00.002+10:00

Full Gas Promotions ran Round 1 of their 'Chase The Sun' enduro series on May 30. Both wanting to get some saddle time on the mountain bikes Pete and John both decided on soloing the 5 hours. They also had some great support with Murray and Scott from head office coaxing Chris off his road bike to form a three man team.

Pete sights his exit

John had had a cold all week and hadn't touched a bike. Five hours of fun trails wasn't to be missed though so he rugged up with every intention of taking it easy. However, white line fever got the better of him and he found himself riding around in third. Cramps ensued though along with some knee pain so he pulled the plug four hours in. You can read more about that on his personal blog (he doesn't actually recommend the diet tips).

Too many clothes for John

Pete on the other hand had a much better day. Starting fast and barely slowing down on the drying track his ArctecM didn't miss a beat and clocked over 110kms for the five hours. Only one man did it faster and so Pete got the second spot on the box at the end of the day.

Pete pinned it!

In the three man category the guys that run the show at Apollo showed they knew how to ride bikes, not just produce them. Scott took first lap honours and had them in a very strong position. The secret training Murray was suspected of was confirmed with a couple of flying laps laid down. Then Chris flashed back to his offroad roots to record the fastest laps of all of them.

Scott launches one of the log rollovers

Their combined effort was good enough to match Pete's and they scored second in their category as well. Funnily winning some Knog products, which they'd provided as event sponsors. My suspicion is that their could be some Knog product up for grabs at the next round on July 18. See you there...six hours this time.

Chris lit it up for the hottest Apollo lap of the day

Dirtriders Twilight 6 Hour

2010-03-25T21:32:00.008+11:00

With monster balls of ice bombarding Melbourne the 2010 Labour Day weekend was quite memorable for most cyclists. Tales of desperate dives for cover to avoid being battered and bruised by these giants were heard from all areas...well except Upper Beaconsfield. No hail and barely a drop of rain was seen at the Dirtriders MTB Twilight 6hour Enduro. The club decided to put the Monday Public Holiday to good use and start this 6 hour at 3pm, allowing a bit of night riding to shake up the racing.

Pete and I fronted up with mud tyres already mounted expecting the worst. One look at the track surface and it was obvious there was no need. The Michelin XCR DryII treads were quickly wrapped back around our wheels and we were ready to harness the crazy speed and deceptive grip they provide.

Unfortunately the nasty weather in surrounding suburbs had left many wrapped up on their couches as home and after lap one it was obvious the race was between two teams and a solo rider for overall honours. A few hours later we were all still within a couple of minutes of each other, the sun was setting and the most solid shower of the day came through. That was too much for our solo friend and he decided to call it a day. As the sun dimmed further the other team reallised their light setup wasn't quite up to scratch and racing at night wasn't an option. That left us unchallenged to ride out the remaining time in the lead. Eventually finishing more than two laps clear of the rest of the field on 14 laps. Not the most satisfying way to win a race, but a win's a win... preparation is crucial people.

Pete even got to do a double lap as I missed transition thinking it more important to pimp my ride glow stick style.

Special mention to ex-Apollo roadie James Mowatt. The Rollin Cycles junior team were down a rider after one of the Matt's put his teeth through his jaw by crashing in practice and was rushed to hospital. James didn't take much convincing to fill the spot on short notice and was an instrumental part in the junior team beating home the more experience senior team led by shop owner Dale on his new Apollo ArctecM. Moral of the story? Even on a rocket ship like the ArctecM the legs are what decides the winner and the juniors had that department covered. Get that training done!

Finally if you want to see what the trails were like I wore the helmet cam on my dusk lap. The lap was slightly shortened as it was just after the heaviest downpour so it also happens to be the fastest lap recorded at the event. Only the first half in this video though.

Great Ocean Sports Festival

2010-03-01T20:29:00.002+11:00

A week after the Otway Odyssey Apollo Bay was once again swamped by outdoor adventure freaks for the Great Ocean Sports Festival. While the festival was in its fourth year, the MTB marathon was making its debut. Pete and I ventured down the Great Ocean Road to lap up the atmosphere and get some quality off-road saddle time in.

The course was simply the MTB leg of the adventure race with an added out and back loop comprised of fire road and bush track. After running, swimming and kayaking adventure racers obviously aren't too keen on the single track and so this course was faaast!

Come 8am Pete and I were lined up on the second row planning on following the early moves and seeing if we could match it with an unknown bunch of skinny racer boys...and girls which included ex-Road World Champion Judith Arndt fresh off her Odyssey win. The gun went and as per usual there were those guys that took off like a scalded cat. We were both quickly on the wheel sitting nicely in the top 10. After about 5km we found ourselves near the front on a steep, 500 metre, mossy climb. Pete turned the screws and half way up had a 30 metre gap. Looking around all I saw on faces around me was pain, I accelerated and no one followed. As Pete crested the climb I rolled up next to him, a quick nod and off we went.

At the turn around after 10km we took note of our time and as we headed 'back', the nearest chaser was heading 'out' and the gap was at 1'20". The course was rolling, although it seemed to be rolling a bit more up than down and we were both praying for that to change. My computer was telling me altitude gained was triple the altitude lost, my legs definitely concurred. The good news in that was that it was all downhill to the finish, 15km down to be precise and we pinned it! Not even the dragonfly could match our pace and I caught one...

...ok, so maybe it just flew into me but I'll claim it.

Anyway, the last few km's were sealed and I was spinning out with a slight tailwind behind us. The finish came into sight and it became apparent that Pete had a bigger chainring than me which meant he rolled me by half a wheel. End result, Apollo first and second. Third place about seven minutes back. If you haven't ridden the trails around the Otways call in sick tomorrow and get down there...they're SWEET!

2010 National Road Championships

2010-01-18T17:46:00.005+11:00

Sat 9th Jan U23 Road Race (James Henry)

With the temperature already hitting the 30’s at 830am an hour before the under 23 RR was due to start, Pete, Sam, Trent and myself (Jimmy) were preparing for what was to be a scorching race.

At 915, a quarter of an hour before the start the temperature on my heart rate monitor had already reached 36 degrees, with a hot northerly wind blowing in. Pete was already suffering in the heat which was made worse by a mystery illness that had hampered his preparation, but felt obliged to race, despite vomiting before the start, as he had pinched Trent’s climbing wheels for the race.

The first few laps were as expected with the bunch tapping a moderate tempo up the climb while small break were going off the front only to be pulled back with little effort from the main field.

Due to the heat the commissaries at the start line had decided to allow riders to feed from the 3rd lap right up until the last lap, but unfortunately this message was not passed on to the commissaries patrolling the feed zone who instructed Marcus (Apollo Product Manager), Muz (Apollo Sales Rep) and Simon (Apollo Owner) that they weren’t allowed to feed until the 4th time up the climb.

Trent had already emptied his two bottles on the first two laps and was unable to continue in the heat after not being allowed to take on drinks on the 3rd lap, and after working my way to the front on the 3rd lap was denied a bidden (see Pic classic Glare)

"Where is my drink bottle?"

Apart from this the Apollo staff did an awesome job of looking after us with 2 Apollo tents, and the team car set up so that they could hand out Leppin gels and electrolyte on the following laps

As the field settled into the race Sam was able to mark a few small breakaways which were going clear until one of the race favourites would try to bridge resulting in a chase from the field and the break being caught until on the 5th lap when a group of about 15 found themselves with a reasonable lead. With Apollo not being represented, I tried to bridge with another rider only to be joined by Tim Roe (Trek livestrong) who caused a quick response form the field. With the small group off the front the pace in the main field was lifted up the climb as riders who had missed the move tried to bridge across. This caused Pete and Sam some difficult, but they were able to stay in touch with the field, whilst I was tailed off but able to chase back on when the pace dropped after the climb. But on the 7th lap there was no lul in pace after the KOM resulting in Pete and myself chasing in vain off the back in small groups until the feed zone on the 8th lap where we both retired from the race, leaving only Sam to fly the flag, but on the 8th lap he succumb to the pace up the climb falling off the back of the bunch. Determined to finish Sam continued solo off the back until the final lap where commissaries forced him to retire from the race.

Elite womens and U23 RR

As well us the under 23's, Peta Mullens, the defending u23 womens champion flew the Apollo flag in the Womens race finishing an impressive 4th in the u23's and 18th overall.

"Peta in Action"

Sunday 10th Jan

Elite Mens RR

With the National MTB champs a week away Grover (John Groves) was having a hit out to test the legs, and see how his form was progressing. He managed to go with the winning break of 10 which went off the front the first time up Mt Buninyong, but lost contact after a few laps with the break, and later retired from the race.

"Grover following some Big Hitters"

Scody National MTB Series Round #1

2009-12-14T23:02:00.007+11:00

This past weekend saw the Scody 2009-10 National Mountain Bike Series kick off. The opening round was held at Glenorchy MTB Park near Hobart. Pete and I made the trip over early Friday morning, entrusting our shiny new steeds to airline baggage handlers. Thankfully they made it through unscathed and we soon had them reassembled and ready for their National Series debut.

Short up, short down, long up, long down, no flat in sight describes the course pretty accurately, in a word 'tough'. At only five kilometres it was short, but 4.5 of it was singletrack and all of it was rough, rutted and rocky...not to mention the 200m of vertical climbing each lap.

Photo courtesy Tim Rowe

Saturday dawned and seven laps were on the cards for the ~35 rider Elite Mens field. Race time was going to be on the longer side and in the sunny, dry conditions staying hydrated would be critical. Pete and I both started from the fourth row of the grid and managed to hold position through the hectic mess that is an XCO race start. We rode wheel to wheel through the first lap in a bunch of about six. Pete then decided to show his strength to the bunch as we climbed out of the feed zone to start the second lap. He rode away and blew our bunch into single riders scattered along the track.

For the next four laps I rode my own race. Forcing myself to find time on the tight track to drink a bottle a lap and have a gel every two. At the start of the sixth lap this started to pay off as I picked up and went past riders until I caught Pete again at the start of the last lap. We climbed together, catching more riders until one had a mechanical failure just as we caught him forcing me to dismount. I gave Pete a push which allowed him to stay on the bike and get a bit of a gap on the tough rocky climb. Not wanting to puncture he rode conservatively on the final descent which allowed our little bunch to catch him. The tight nature of the course was never going to allow any overtaking though and we finished as the leading two riders in our bunch, wheel to wheel as we started, in 15th and 16th positions.

Photo courtesy Tim Rowe

What followed would have made for quite a comical little skit as riders took turns suffering excruciating cramps as we warmed down together and shared stories of magnetic trees that we'd only just managed to avoid...or not in some cases. Thanks of course to Apollo including support from Michelin, Easton and Prologo for the fancy new bikes. Mine certainly didn't miss a beat, to quote one impressed test rider...'boy, they're light!'

Surfcoast 6hour

2009-10-25T22:40:00.004+11:00

While the roadies have been pinning a number on for a couple of months now this weekend gone saw the MTB team make our debut. PeterK and I ventured down to Anglesea for Southern Exposure's Surfcoast 6hour. This event is unique for being the only six hour event that runs into the night. The format is obviously proving quite popular with record numbers entered.

4pm came and the instructions from the race director was for solo riders to start first with a delayed start for team riders. With the relaxed vibe that goes with racing next to the beach I stood off to the side to watch the solo start. That was great, until there didn't seem to be many riders left and it became apparent that the start orders were being ignored. Everyone going on the first start! What followed was an exercise in patience as I looked for gaps to get past the 300+ riders that were in front of me.

We'd identified Felt Racing as our primary competition for the day. While we both had started at the back of the bunch Felt's rider had obviously been a little more aggressive in his passing maneuvers and I handed over to Pete almost three minutes down already. Over the next three hours lap times stayed consistent, transitions were smooth and we kept the pressure on. Felt's lead was just over four minutes as darkness fell.

This is where the tide started to turn, our conservative riding in the lap traffic appeared to be paying off. Our lap times stayed steady under lights while other teams started to slow. It was with an hour to go while I was riding our 11th lap that I spied a familiar flashing tail light up ahead. Not long later the catch came and it was race on, five hours down and we were riding wheel to wheel.

For the next 15 minutes we rode together, not wanting to put all our cards on the table, trying to gain an insight into how the other was feeling. As we cornered onto the main fire road climb I upped the tempo a little bit, got a gap and decided to go for it. I handed over to Pete around a minute clear and he ripped the track apart recording the fastest night lap of any rider for the whole race.

He came in with 10 minutes left on the clock, assuming Felt would also come through before the end of the race I headed out for lap 13. In the end it wasn't needed as Felt didn't chase, calling it a night on 12 laps. A wise move as well as it was during that lap that the rain came. Oh how I was wishing to be back under the marque clean, dry and warm. I crossed the line at 10.25pm to take the honours in the Male Pairs and the Overall. Quite satisfied to finish a lap up on the rest of the field.

Thanks to Southern Exposure for running a slick event once again, very enjoyable. Even racing at threshold is relaxing with cliff top views of the ocean as you ride. Thanks to Michelin for the excellent XC DryII tyres and latex tubes. We knew by looking at them that they'd be fast, what Pete and I were both surprised by was the amazing amount of grip they had in the loose, sandy conditions. Of course thanks also go to Apollo Bikes for allowing us the opportunity to do this mtbing thing that we both enjoy so much. See you on the trails!

Herald sun support criterium, Lygon street

2009-10-19T18:33:00.001+11:00

As always the end of the herald sun tour bought with it the ever popular Lygon street support criterium. Apollo had entered a strong team consisting of Sam, Trent, Center-fold (Jim), Peter (me) and an ill Grover. The discussion before the race was centered on the 130 rider field and avoiding the evitable pile ups a field of this size would cause. As the gun went Jim, Grover and I quickly found our way to the front with Jim making his trade mark early attack. However it was unsuccessful and the peleton found a rhythm that continually shed riders. Luckily for me in the first 15 minutes Grover sacrificed himself to keep me out of the wind and in good position, not bad for someone claiming to be sick.

The mid race was dominated by a break away which included myself, however the group struggled to work well together never gaining an advantage of over 30 seconds. It was eventually reeled in with about 10 minutes remaining. Counter attacks followed, I jumped across to a couple but none were promising enough to cause any panic in the peleton. Coming into the final lap it looked as though there a bunch sprint would decide the victory. However with about 1km to go James Langedyk stole a small advantage and was able to hold it to the line. I came into the final corner in second wheel with about 400m to go, generally a good position. However the lead rider sat up and in fear of getting swapped I hit out with about 300m to the line about 100m too early. I was passed Brendan Schultz for second and then good friend and former Apollo rider James Mowatt rolled me for third with about 3m remaining, claiming a place on the podium and bragging rights for the next couple of weeks. I ended up fourth.

Overall the team had a mixed day, Grover won the sprint in the second group signaling that he will be a force on both road and dirt this season however Sam and Trent were early victims of a poor starting position on the grid. With such a large field they were unable to move up quickly enough and both found themselves on the wrong side of the early splits. Sam and Jim now look forward to racing the Melbourne the Warnambool this week-end. Good Luck guys.

Tour of Tasmainia (Peter)

2009-10-09T22:39:00.003+11:00

Image courtesy of Cyclingnews

Jim, Trent and I (Peter) recently went over a rode in the tour of Tasmania. For those select few who read the blog I thought I’d give an insight into the trip. Before I begin I should mention that we’d all received our new Elite C road bike a week prior to the events start. Briefly, because a full review is in progress, the bikes main strength is its stiffness, all the power makes it to the road. However the bike still rides comfortably and smoothly. The other feature that jumps out is the bikes handling, the tires stay firmly glued to the road making it easy to lean over into any corner.

Anyway for me the first four days flew by in a flash of pain and varying results. The obvious lowlight being Trent becoming diseased again this time with gastro following on from his earlier cold and swine flu. However by day 5 moral was again high and I decided to try and find the break in the morning stage. This appeared harder than I first thought with attacks constantly flying off the front I followed a few but quickly resigned myself to some gutter action. After about 40km a break-away had still failed to form and I started to try and go up the road once again this time on the uphill stretch, my preferred terrain. After about 4 unsuccessful attempts I found myself in a strong group of five that was finally able to create a significant gap over the peleton. Early on my legs were burning but I eventually found my rhythm and worked into a solid tempo. With about 5km to go we were joined by a group of three including fellow junior mtb member Luke Fetch. At this point we had about 35s and looked destined to stay away. However attacks started and this slowed our progress. Prime Estate and Drapac had the numbers advantage so I knew I could conserve and only mark the moves with both those teams represented. I lined up about 4^th wheel in the sprint as the lead out came for Joe Lewis, we negotiated the final two corners which spread the group and the sprint was on. I sprinted well rolling Luke and Charles Howlett in the final 50m but was unable to catch Joe Lewis who was already long gone. There it was 2^nd in a stage of the tour of Tasmania with a slim 6s margin over the peleton needless to say I was pretty happy.

Getting up on the podium was a buzz but the interview was daunting. Here’s a warning, when your not used to hearing you voice projected in surround sound it becomes a major distraction and you have no idea what to say. As assumed the afternoons 90km stage was a bit of a nightmare but I made it through and it was all worth it.

Before I finished I should say thanks to teammates Trent and Jim “centerfold” Henry with special mention to the bowling champs Marcus and Dan of Apollo for all their help during the trip.

Midlands tour

2009-09-12T22:37:00.001+10:00

With Herdy still recovering from his crash the remaining Apollo boys, Trent, Jim, Sam and Myself (Peter) lined up for Footscray Cycling Club’s midlands tour on a hot and windy day. The course featured 6 laps of a 20km circuit, which included two steep climbs of a couple of kilometers each, before heading out 10km on an undulating route to the finish, this featured a very steep 1.5km climb at 7km to go.

The early part of the race was dominated by a three man breakaway which was granted a large gap by an unmotivated peleton. The style of racing was strange; move up, get to the bottom of a climb, watch an attack, get punished pegging it back, crest the climb, sit up and soft pedal until the next climb. Repeat. Although being predictable and continuously shedding riders this was not an effective way of retrieving the breakaway which had grown a handy lead. The Apollo boys were strong holding on for a considerable amount of time but by the end of the circuits Jim, Trent and Sam were on the sidelines along with most of the other starters, the peleton was down to seven including me and the break still had 2 minutes. But with the hardest climb still to go I had convinced myself that the race was still there to be won. As we hit the bottom the riders surged and I struggled to hold their wheel but remained in contact, to avoid this happening again I decided to set a strong tempo and ride at my own pace on the front. Surprising this pace was too fast to the others apart from Eric Sheppard who was able to follow about 10m behind. As I crested the summit I waited for Eric and we tried to chase down the day’s break which was now in sight. With about 600m to go Eric and I made it across to only 2 of the three break away companions and now set ourselves for the sprint for second. In the sprint I showed I was the freshest of the group taking out second, a strong result for the team and our first podium. Although disappointed at the lost opportunity for a victory the day was a big success a good sign the effort I’ve been putting in to training is paying off.

Cheers, Peter

Heal Quick Herdy

2009-08-30T14:16:00.003+10:00

Any cyclist has had to think twice before stepping out the door for a ride this week. With strong winds battering Melbourne it doesn't take much to push you off your line and into the traffic. Unfortunately even if you do manage to hold your line crazy weather seems to makes motorists a bit crazy as well. Herdy found out the hard way this week having a 4WD turn in front of him at close to 50km/h. The result, some forced time off with regular scans to ensure his TWO cervical spine fractures heal well and don't cause any nerve damage.

While Herdy was healing at home Brauny, Jimmy, Trent and I battled the wind on a lap of the hell ride loop, without the hell ride stupidity.

A perfect day, until you turned and headed back towards St. Kilda when you reallised threshold only brought you about 25km/h. Plenty were caught out with the four of us towing countless riders home and getting multiple 'thank-you's for our efforts. Yep, it was a tough day. 140km on the clock for me and the recovery day that followed was much appreciated.

Hopefully it prepared Jimmy and Trent to battling the wind as they venture north for Tour of the Murray this week. Fingers crossed they find some net access and can give us some daily race reports.

Stage 3 Anakie 145KM Road Race

2009-08-22T19:36:00.004+10:00

The main field on the final lap
The breakaway some 3 minute clear with 20km to go

Day 2, Thursday 13th August

Stage 3, Anakie RR (By Jimmy)

Stage 3 was to be completed on a very hilly 47km course which would be completed 3 times by the riders. The course consisted of a 4km long gradual climb straight from the gun which saw many riders suffering, as they had to line up early to ensure good positioning for the start of the race and as a result were not properly warmed up at that point in the race. Despite this all the Apollo riders, except Trent who had retired due to the same illness which swept through the tam after Gippy, made it over the first clime with the main field. The course then went through the township of Meredith but not before encountering a hairy decent followed by the short sharp KOM number 2. Then heading along the start of the Midlands tour course the riders hit the 3rd KOM and the 4th KOM but the pace was not significantly on and all riders survived until the 5th and final climb of lap one where both Jimmy and Sam slipped off the back of the bunch, with only Jimmy being able to chase back on.

Having seen the course on lap one a small group of 7 slipped of the front passing under the start finish banner, opening a small lead over the main field which looked as though it was not interested in chasing. Jimmy took this opportunity to try and bridge to the leading group up the 1st KOM of lap 2 but was caught by the main field led by the Fly V Australia train. Several attacks followed with both Jimmy and Herdy taking it in turns to mark the moves, but it wasn’t until after the 1st intermediate sprint on lap 2 when the day’s break would go, with a representative from each of main teams but unfortunately not Team Apollo.

The bunch then settled into an easy tempo allowing the break to open out a substantial lead. The pace was still fairly hot up the climbs with Jimmy slipping off on the 2nd and 3rd KOM’s of lap two but managing to use the convoy to rejoin the field until the final KOM of lap two where he cracked under the pressure and slipped well of the rear of the field whilst Herdy was shelled closer to the top of the climb. But as the two chased back on there was a fall at the back of the field just in front of Herdy as he rejoined the field on a decent sending him off road, puncturing his front wheel and dinting the rim. Jimmy arrived shortly after negotiating the bend to find the team cars blocking the road and car doors opening in front of him. Jimmy managed to avoid the car doors but not without locking up his rear wheel tearing a hole in his rear tubular. Being spent and having no spare rear wheel available to replace it and seeing Herdy with a flat front wheel, jimmy gave Herdy his front wheel so that Herdy could continue the race before waiting for the neutral spars to lend him some wheels to roll back to the start finish line to retire from the race.
Herdy was able to chase the field down and rejoin it on the first climb of lap three, but by this time the breaks advantage had grown and the break was now out of the main fields reach. Despite his setback at the end of lap 2 Herdy was able to stay with the main field all the was around lap three until the final climb with 4km remaining, where the bunch put the pace on to split the field into several small groups which rolled into the finish some 2 minutes behind the stage winners.

2009 Tour of Geelong, Drive Down (by Trent)

2009-08-16T16:48:00.003+10:00

Before the Apollo Race team headed off to the Tour of Geelong, the boys bravely subjected themselves to my cooking skills. Since I have been put in charge of writing this post I will report that it was an amazing meal that left everyone in awe of my cooking brilliance. (Don’t let the facts or the burnt Turkish bread get in the way of a good story :p) With us all loaded up on carbs and the cars all loaded up with cycling equipment needed for a five day event, we hit the road. Anyone who has ever been on a road trip to an event or a road trip of any sort will understand the excitement and anticipation of the week to come. The gutter action and the suffering could wait until tomorrow but for now we could just enjoy the opportunity to get away from Uni and work and have fun! The best story of the adventure occurred when we arrived at our accommodation. Whilst Jimmy and Herdy were checking out the cabin, Sam and I decided to do some sightseeing of our own. Upon returning, we pulled up behind a couple of female kiwi backpackers who were travelling in a less than attractive van and had just arrived. Contrary to the condition of their van, the two travelers were in quite good shape so to speak. Unfortunately, we were blissfully unaware that despite the cars headlights being on, so was the interior light which allowed them to see the two of us blatantly admiring the view. BUSTED!! Sam immediately switched off the interior light above us and we burst into laughter. If it is anything to go by we are going to have a very enjoyable week. Now for the race!

Tour of Geelong 2009, Day 1

2009-08-16T16:33:00.005+10:00

Day 1, Wednesday 12th Aug

Day 1 of the Tour of Geelong began with our first pre race team meeting, Murray Fenwick our Director Sportif gave us an inspirational pep talk outlining the goals for the team both with the TOGeelong and the teams future.

Stage 1, North Shore Critirium, (by James Henry aka Jimmy)

Fuelled by team spirit the team, minus Peter who was still suffering the illness which swept through the team during and after the Tour of Gippsland, lined up for the stage 1 critium at North Shore. The 1.6Km rectangular course featured a bumpy first corner, traffic islands both on the entry and exit of corner 2, and a tight 3rd corner. This saw the riders lining up 15 minutes early to ensure they were up the front out of trouble. Jimmy (me) had poll position right at the front of the field whilst Herdy was on the second row with Sam and Trent further down the field.
The pace was on from the start with the field being strung out at 48km/h before several small short lived moves began to go off the front of the bunch. Jimmy and Herdy were both holding position in the first 15-20 riders and only having one or two rides back on the bike after Gippy/Illness were itching to test the legs to gauge their form. Due to their high position in the field they managed avoid the carnage caused by riders pedalling through the tight 3rd corner, whilst Trent and Sam were hindered by falls and had to take a lap out. Herdy also required a lap out after accelerating out of a corner and snapping a spoke in the final 20 mins. Trent still suffering from illness retired early in the race whilst Jimmy retired with 15 minutes remaining to conserve for later stages. Both Sam and Herdy managed to avoid the late spills to finish with the main field with Jono Cantwell (Fly V Australia) taking the stage over a fast finishing Joel Pearson (Savings and Loans).

Stage 2, Lara to You Yangs National Park, (by James Herd aka Herdy)

The afternoon road race from Lara to the You Yangs was 79.6 kilometres in length. Even though it seemed to be a fairly calm day the wind played a major role in the selection of the final group, there were splits in the main bunch early on due to the wind. With about 30 kilometres to go it started to rain and caused 2 crashes in the main bunch. Jimmy attempted an attack in the last 5 kilometres and got a good gap but was pulled back before the final climb. The course was quite flat the whole way through except for the final 1.5 kilometres which was approximately an average gradient of 5%.

TOG Photo Dump

2009-08-06T20:18:00.006+10:00

Day 1 breakfast - fridge froze the milk. No that's not sugar.

James Henry's bike after an off course adventure during Stage 1

My view from the team car as the circus rolls out.

The Tour of Gippsland brings small country towns to a stand still.

Sam negotiates one of the 'pick-a-plank' bridges on Stage 2. He kept it

rubber side down, sadly there were a few that were less fortunate.

Sam putting in the hard yards climbing back to the bunch.

Herdy showing the effects of some nasty weather.

Jimmy nestled near the front of the starting grid for one of the crits in

order to launch one of his trademark early break attempts.

Jimmy in the early move with enough speed to distort the photo.

Jimmy off the front again.

Sam sitting safely in the bunch during the final crit.

Pete staying out of trouble during the crash riddled Paynesville crit.

Trent, Pete and Jimmy on the final day of the Tour

Tour of Gippsland Stage 8

2009-08-06T20:15:00.002+10:00

Stage 8 of the Tour of Gippsland would be the final road stage of the 5 day event. The 75km trek from Bairnsdale to Lakes Entrance again saw the riders greeted with good weather, as the fresh westerly wind would for once assist the riders throughout the majority of the stage. The beginning of the race featured some minor spills, luckily none of the team members were involved. With a KOM prime being held early in the race the pace started to increase stretching out the peleton and leaving riders to negotiate their way to the head of the field. With tiring legs amongst most of the riders a 2nd KOM held over a 3km climb halfway through the stage loomed as a difficult task for the field, but also an opportunity for GC contenders to stamp their final mark on the race. A breakaway of 6 riders managed to escape the reins of the bunch. Pete and James were well positioned and crested the climb within the front bunch but unfortunately missed the winning move. The 7 stages beforehand took a toll on Sam, as he found himself losing contact with the front group, but not for too long as he was able to work his way through the convoy and back into the head of the race. Nearing the end of the stage the break was well and truly away and all remaining team members in the front group. The finale saw Scott Davis outsprint Andrew Roe and Luke Fetch. The main field was left to fight it out for 5th place on a tough uphill finish with all three Apollo Team members present in the final front group, just outside of the places. A good strong performance from all team members finishing a tough day of racing. With hopefully enough left to back it up again on the final stage in Paynesville tomorrow.

Samuel Beveridge

Tour of Gippsland stage 9

2009-08-03T18:07:00.002+10:00

With only the last criterium remaining, everyone was looking forward to seeing the checked flag. Appropriately the final 44 kilometre criterium was set in Paynesville. During the criterium all the top placing riders were keen to secure their position by winning intermediate sprints, as such, the pace was high and there were a number of crashes caused by the technical course, James Henry attempted an attack as a last hurrah but was pulled back. All the Apollo lads finished safely in the main bunch and Leigh Howard (Team AIS) finishing a near perfect tour of Gippsland with another stage win and the overall lead.

Tour of Gippsland Stage 7

2009-08-01T17:15:00.001+10:00

This mornings Stage 7 was another criterium set on a rectangular 1.1km circuit in Bairnsdale. The riders had 30 laps to complete and we were somewhat surprised that the organisers had scheduled only 40 minutes. They obviously knew something we didn't as the pace was on from the gun. Approaching the business end of the tour all the big teams were coming out to play.

Unfortunately Herdy (James Herd) had caught whatever Trent had been suffering from earlier in the week and wasn't able to start while the pace was a little too hot for half the field including Jimmy (James Henry) and Sam. That left us with only Pete in the front group as multiple attacks spent a lap off the front before Jack Bobridge decided to go solo. His AIS buddies set a false tempo on the front and a gap was established. Suddenly David Pell had joined Jack from a chase group of four and the pair never looked like getting caught.

Pelly picked up all the sprint points working his way into striking distance for the overall while Fly V strung out the field shelling more and more riders. In the finale Jack was too strong for Pelly and claimed the glory. Back in the main field an unfortunate last lap crash took out another sprint classification contender in Brett Tivers. Pete avoided the carnage and finished safely on the lead lap which should move him further up the overall classification. If only he hadn't lost 10 minutes in his Stage 1 crash!

Tour of Gippsland Stage 6

2009-07-31T21:37:00.005+10:00

With all the Apollo race team tired from the previous five stages and winds outside gaining momentum we were not looking forward to stage 6 which promised to be the hardest of the tour. Jim, team cycling guru, talked us through the pressure points of the stage and emphised where the peleton could potentially split. This came in handy as all of us survived the early cross winds which claimed many other riders. Approaching the second categorized climb Sam, Jim and I held positions at the front of the peleton where as Herdy suffering from illness had lost contact and turned his attention to surviving the stage. The pressure then went on and the race splintered. I found myself in the second group conserving energy gambling on joining the first group of 15 on the decent. This paid off as the first and second groups merged and began the final climb together with 15km remaining. Savings & Loans surged paving the way for an attack by their team leader Tim Roe. This provoked a strong chase which slimmed the chase group down to an elite group of 10 riders including myself just hanging on the back. I recovered half way up the climb and held onto the group comfortably over the top of the climb. Unfortunately Tim Roe who still had a 20 second advantage broke his wheel on the descent and after much discussion within the group we waited for him to return, a good act of sportsmanship but by the time he returned the bunched had swelled to 35 riders. I waited patiently for an opportunity to attack in the final part of the stage. After seeing an opportunity to draft the camera motorbike with 1km to go I attacked but my legs didn't have enough strength, I survived until 200m to go and managed to hold on to about 10th over the line. Sam and Jim rolled in shortly afterward to complete a positive stage for the team. Special mention must go to Herdy who still finished the stage after after suffering an illness that sent his heart rate through the roof for the majority of the stage.

Tour of Gippsland Stage 5

2009-07-31T21:37:00.001+10:00

This morning the Apollo Race Team were thankful to greet the morning rays of sun after the overnight rain. With the first two hard days of racing under the belt, each of the riders were anticipating more of the same on the Tour of Gippsland's longest day. The school children came out in force to cheer (and also hunt autographs) the riders during the thirty laps of the morning criterium and the pace was on from the gun. Many riders launched attacks, including our own James Henry, in an attempt to unsettle the AIS control but with the average speed nudging 46 km/h all break were brought back. Joel Pearson managed to get over the dominant Leigh Howard for the win with our riders finishing safely and conserving for the demanding afternoon stage.
Trent Williams

Tour of Gippsland Stage 3

2009-07-30T21:36:00.002+10:00

The first criterium of the Tour of Gippsland was raced at a incredibly high pace and was full of action. The third stage was held around a 950m school circuit in Sale with the riders lapping between 1:14 and 1:20 for the thirty laps and contesting intermediate sprints roughly every second lap. James Henry showed his intention early by attempting to escape the control of the strong AIS team but for no reward apart for a short amount of love from the commentator. The pace remained high for the entire race to discourage attacks and the Apollo boys chose to conserve their energy in readiness for the testing afternoon stage. All finished in the front group and received the winners time.

Trent Williams

Tour of Gippsland Stage 4 Trafalgar to Walhalla

2009-07-30T19:36:00.000+10:00

Stage four of the 2009 tour of Gippsland was raced from Trafalgar to Walhalla. After the mornings criterium we expected to be put in the gutter due to unsheltered roads and strong westerly winds. Despite the winds, the bunch took the open start relatively easy as a small group was allowed to escape the front of the pelaton, but as soon as the long gradual climb to Rawson (which contained 3 categorized KOM’s) began, the gap to the breakaway reduced dramatically due to the work of several teams chasing at the front to protect their GC positions. The first of the three KOM’s saw the field reduce to about half with James Henry, Peter Braunsteins, and Samuel Beveridge making the selection. There was little time after the first climb for the riders to recover before starting the second major climb up to the town of Rawson, this further reduced the size of the leading bunch with Peter comfortably remaining with the front runners while James Henry and Sam unable to match the pace of the leaders. However, James was able to rejoin on the twisty run into the Walhalla finish. The final KOM at the 4km to go mark saw James lose contact with the leaders while Peter managed to survive and contest the tough finish, securing a top twenty. James Henry was approximately 20 seconds down on the leaders and Sam and James Herd finished with the second bunch.

Tour of Gippsland stage 2

2009-07-29T22:14:00.001+10:00

With Trent out coughing blood Apollo Race Team was down to four before the start of stage 2 which included an 800m vertical ascent. However the talk within the team was centred around the sketchy decent and the four ‘pick a plank’ bridges the stage featured. With open laps finished the group began the climb, with many riders being dropped early the team rode strongly and were all comfortably in the group after part 1 of the 12k climb. However the fun was quickly over as the group accelerated Herdy, James and Sam decided to ride tempo in the 2nd group, where I, held on to the peloton which had slimmed down to about 30 riders. Towards the top I wasn’t able to bridge up to a break away of ten riders that would eventually win the stage but I rather decided to concentrate on holding a good position in the bunch to avoid a second fall in two stages once the decent began. Luckily all of us held front positions in our respective bunches and completed the narrow and twisty descent unscathed. The peleton moved quickly over the final 15k in an unsuccessful attempt to catch the break which eventually won by a minute. The rest of the team rolled in shortly behind and we were happy to get stage 2 under the belt and are now finding a solid rhythm as a team with our sights set higher for stages 3&4.

Tour of Gippsland Stage 1

2009-07-29T20:58:00.003+10:00

Profile here.

With a long introductory neutral zone of twenty kilometres all the riders were very fidgety and ready to get going. There were many crashes due to nerves and silly mistakes. I managed to stay up the front and out of trouble. Team AIS in particular were able to pull the race apart during a few of the cross wind sections. With three kilometres to go there weren't any teams that had control of the front of the field, this confusion caused a flurry of attacks until Team Budget Forklifts lead out their sprinter ready for the line, I finished possibly top 10 (but probably 11th) and James Henry also finished in the lead bunch. Trent Williams pulled out due to sickness, Peter Braunsteins was caught in a nasty crash early in the race but made it through to finish and Samuel Beveridge took it easy on stage one and finished a few minutes behind the lead bunch.

James Herd.

Special note: While not a team member a good training buddy went down hard today and was choppered to Melbourne for scans. Hugh, our thoughts are with you. See you back on the road soon.

Welcome

2009-07-21T21:41:00.003+10:00

In conjunction with the 2010 product line Apollo Bikes would like to present the Apollo Race Team. Comprised of seven riders, 5 will focus on the road and 2 on the mtb. With a focus on developing under 23 road talent we look forward to watching these guys develop. Over to the right there you'll find info on the riders and the bikes they ride. Check back regularly for race reports, product reviews and other cycling related shenanigans the guys get up to.

The Road Bike

2009-07-21T21:38:00.005+10:00

2010 Apollo Elite C

The Mountain Bike

2009-07-21T21:33:00.006+10:00

2010 Apollo Team C

Samual Beveridge

2009-07-21T21:30:00.009+10:00

Name: Samuel Alan Beveridge

Home Town: Traralgon

Date of Birth: 26/7/1990

Nickname: Bevo

Height: 177cm

Weight: 66kg

Coach: Alan Beveridge

Started Riding In: 2005

First Bike: Dynatech

Favorite Race Course:

Mt Williams’s road classic

Favorite training ride: Anywhere around Tyers

Favorite race food:

ANZAC Biscuits

Worst experience in a race:

Don’t know about a race, but when I was in Scotland I was out training in the wilderness and it started snowing and I snapped my chain 60kms from home. With no chain breaker, phone reception or any idea where I was I had to hitch hike my way home and was lucky enough to be picked up by two fishermen. They took me to a nearby town with no bike shop where I waited for about 2hrs for my mum to come pick me up. The following week I broke my rear derailleur and had 5 flat tyres.

Proudest moment:

When I was 16 I finished 4th overall in my first open race at the Tour of Bright after crashing down Tawonga gap and having no TT bike.

Hobbies: Footy, Guitar, Harmonica, Furniture Making

Occupation: Apprentice Electrician

If your house was on fire and you could only grab three thing what would they be?

Fire Extinguisher, fire hose, fire blanket and put the thing out!

If you only had one day to live what three things would you do?

Ride my motorbike, chase girls, bake a cake

Do you have any hidden talents?

Keeping a perfect tan line

Name two things you consider yourself to be very bad at?

Staying off Face book and Riding bikes

When you were a kid what did you want to grow up to be?

A girl

James Herd

2009-07-21T21:30:00.007+10:00

Name: James Herd

Home Town: Melbourne, Victoria

Date of Birth: 15th of March, 1990

Nickname: Herdy

Height: 188 cm (6 ft 2 in)

Weight: 71.5 kg

Coach: Kim Howard

Started Riding In: 2005

First Bike: cannondale r800 (from the 90s)

Club: Brunswick CC

Favorite Race Course: Mt. Baw Baw Classic

Favorite training ride: The Wall, Mt. Dandenong.

Favorite race food: muesli bars

Worst experience in a race: about 3 years ago when my seat post spontaneously snapped in half, I had to ride back to the start in a precarious sprinting position as there was a rather sharp piece of metal now sticking out where the seat used to be.

Proudest moment: when I broke away and won the first race I was in.

Hobbies: drawing, mountain biking and pretty much any other sport.

Occupation: Student, forklift driver, bike shop assistant and cyclist.

If your house was on fire and you could only grab three thing what would they be? definitely my bike, some warm clothes and probably a lump of blue tack, knowing my inability to make good decisions quickly.

If you only had one day to live what three things would you do? hike up a mountain, hit a golf ball off the edge and then base jump off the top. but as its my last day a parachute may not be necessary...

Do you have any hidden talents? I can one hand clap really loud.

Name two things you consider yourself to be very bad at? avoiding stitches while running, or walking for that matter and sensing sarcasm.

When you were a kid what did you want to grow up to be? an architect.

Trent Williams

2009-07-21T20:10:00.016+10:00

Coming!

Peter Kutschera

2009-07-21T20:10:00.015+10:00

Name: Peter Kutschera

Home Town: Wheelers Hill, VIC

Date of Birth: 23/11/1980

Nickname: Pistol Pete

Height: 187cm

Weight: 77kg

Coach: none

Started Riding In: I started riding MTB in 1993 but didn't race til 1995.

First Bike: Holstar

Club: Full Gas Peddlers

Favourite Race Course: Beaconsfeild, VIC

Favourite training ride: Lysterfeild, VIC

Favourite race food: Bananas

Worst experience in a race: In 1997 I flatted while leading the U19 National Round in Avoca VIC; when I went to change my tube I had a Schrader valve not a Presta Valve Tube so my CO2 pump didn't fit, and it was the first time I couldn't finish a MTB race.

Proudest moment: Coming 2nd in the U19 1998 National Mountain Bike Series.

Hobbies: Skiing/Snowboarding, Bush walking

Occupation: Radiographer

If your house was on fire and you could only grab three thing what would they be?

1. MTB

2. Photos

3. Computer Hard Drive

If you only had one day to live what three things would you do?

1. Go Helli-skiing

2. Ride a steep downhill MTB coarse

3. Spend time with my family

Do you have any hidden talents? No

Name two things you consider yourself to be very bad at?

1. Remembering important things

2. ball sports; tennis, basketball, football etc.

When you were a kid what did you want to grow up to be? Rally Driver

James Henry

2009-07-21T20:10:00.014+10:00

Name: James Christopher Henry

Home Town: Drouin

Date of Birth: 23/11/1989

Nickname: Jim, Jimmy

Height: 175cm or 5”9’

Weight: 65kg

Coach: Dave McKenzie (Echelon 1 cycle coaching)

Started Riding In: I got my first cycling trophy in 1994 so I guess I was about 4 or 5 when I started racing with my local club

First Bike: My first road bike was a 43cm Trek 370 junior series Cromoly frame and fork (red) with Shimano RSX 9 speed STI levers, but although I was one of the first juniors to have STI levers the only gear I ever used was the biggest one.

Club: Warragul CC

Favourite Race Course: Id have to say the Sale to Bairnsdale classic, its a Gippsland Club combine held on ANZAC day each year, just after all the European spring classics. The course covers only about 70km with the first half small rolling hills through forested areas followed by open narrow section with several small steep hills where the breaks go.

Favourite training ride: The local (Warragul) Sunday morning bunch ride

Favourite race food: Chocolate flavoured energy gels

Worst experience in a race: Being involved in the pile up on the first lap of my first U23 National Road Championship at Buninyong and snapping my brand new Campagnolo Chorus lever off

Proudest moment: Riding from my house 85Km to the gatehouse of Mt Baw Baw at the age of 8 on a mountain bike, and then home again the following day.

Hobbies: Cycling, Music/Guitar

Occupation: Engineering Student (Monash Uni), Casual Stock Replenisher (Aldi Warragul)

If your house was on fire and you could only grab three things what would they be? 1. The family dog Tess (border collie) 2. My Bike 3. My Gretsch and Maton Guitars

If you only had one day to live what three things would you do? I'd go on the local bunch ride and win every sprint/KOM, take my dog Tess for an epic walk and then spend all my money, most likely on chocolate and pizza

Do you have any hidden talents? Yes I do, but unfortunately they still remain hidden even to me

Name two things you consider yourself to be very bad at? I’m a chronic PROcrastinator when it comes to studying and in regards to cycling I would say that my area of weakness would be hill climbs.

When you were a kid what did you want to grow up to be? A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, they were the coolest guys going around and were always eating pizza and skating. Probably Michelangelo/Mikey because he was the light-hearted one who was always joking around.

John Groves

2009-07-21T20:09:00.008+10:00

Name: John Groves

Home Town: Blackburn South, Victoria

Date of Birth: 29/04/86

Nickname: Grover

Height: 182cm

Weight: 71kg

Coach:

Started Riding In: 1998

First Bike: Raleigh 4500

Club: Fat Tyre Flyers

Favorite Race Course: Yarramundi (Blue Mountains)

Favorite training ride: Sass Creek, Dandenongs

Favorite race food: Rice Cream

Worst experience in a race: Stopped to help a youngin' fix a flat in a race while holding a healthy lead. Karmas dark side snapped my chain later in the lap so I could watch second place ride past.

Proudest moment: Being lucky enough to join Rob Eva, Dallys Starr (nee Franke) and James Dickey to win the 2003 Club Team Relay National Championship.

Hobbies: Anything beach related, the weekly mixed netball hitout.

Occupation: Physiotherapist/Bike Mechanic.

If your house was on fire and you could only grab three thing what would they be? Pants, Bike, Ipod.

If you only had one day to live what three things would you do? Ride Sass Creek with mates, go skydiving, fly North to sun/sand/surf.

Do you have any hidden talents? I can make farty noises with my eye socket.

Name two things you consider yourself to be very bad at? Sleeping in if mtbing is the alternative, waking up when work is the alternative.

When you were a kid what did you want to grow up to be? Commercial Pilot.

Peter Braunsteins

2009-07-21T19:59:00.003+10:00

Coming!