Monday, March 28, 2011

Rest Weekend...

... is good for the soul.

The hardest bit is hearing that blokes you usually beat get up for a win! Grrrr...

Tom's back! Flanders this weekend is going to be EPIC!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Tuesday Track

BCC Track Night - 22/03/11

D'alfonso (B) - 1st Scratch/1st Motorpace/3rd Handicap (disputed!)
Duggan (C) - 1st Scratch/1st Points/2nd Motorpace


Quiet night at DISC. Good racing with good crew.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Coburg Crit... B-grade...

Again, soooo busy with work/racing/training that it's been hard to get time to write this stuff...

Coburg Criterium - 19/03/11


D'alfonso (B) - 4th
Duggan (B) - 7th-ish


A perfect day for racing greeted TDR riders D'alfonso, Duggan and D'alfonso (Justin) on Saturday morning. The 15 km ride out to the National Boulevard circuit flew by and after a quick warm-up, it was down to business.

Slight apprehension quickly became a significant feeling of doom as two A-graders down on form, smashed the peloton from the roll off and 1st lap. My stomach was in my boots as we ascended the small 'climb' at 49 km/h. It was going to be a long day...

Whilst the pace remained quite high (averaged 43 km/h for 55mins +3 laps), both TDR riders fortunately had good legs and were heavily involved in proceedings. D'alfonso mixed it up in a break early, only to be rounded up soon after. Several uneventful breaks later, cohort Peter Wilkie of Team Canard got off the front with another strong rider and looked like they could stay there with some help. Duggan led the peloton around a corner, and with D'alfonso on his weel, dragged TDR across to the break. Unfortunately for the group of 4, TDR got there too late, with the first two guys cooked. Despite staying off the front of peloton for a few more laps, the break was chased down.

In a series of counter attacks after the TDR break had been rounded up, another break finally went including another Canard rider. Fortunately for this break, the peloton was stopped by a race official for a truck entering the course. I would estimate that the stop was for at least a minute, not including the 'neutralised' race as we followed the slow truck up the back straight!

The group initially worked well together, united in an effort to chase down the break; driven by the disappointment of being unfairly interrupted. However it was to no avail and the group quickly started racing for 4th. D'alfonso rode a particularly intelligent final lap and sprint, grabbing the wheel of the Canard lead-out train and pinching 4th and $15 (BigM money).

Hope to see Justin in the D-grade bunch soon instead of on the sidelines!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Another win for TDR.

Wednesday Hawthorn Crit series.

16/03/2011

As autumn draws closer and the end of the Crit season gets closer its nice to know that TDR is starting to shine. A cloudy and somewhat gloomy day greeted riders for the weekly Hawthorn crit race. After the heroics on Tuesday night Palfensa decided to sit out the crit citing 'mental burnout' unlike Duggan, where the previous nights racing just increased his desire to lay down some rubber on the crit circuit. Under Palfensa's considered gaze Duggan hid mid pack for the first half of the race, occasionally popping up to let the other riders know he was skulking about ready to attack. As the race drew to a close Duggan, after getting boxed in on the back straight, unleashed a massive attack on the up hill finish, taking 8 wheels, and powering over the line for a well deserved victory. In the process threatening to get promoted to B grade, and heralding the arrival of TDR onto the local-club small team stage.

Duggan (C) - 1st !

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Coburg Crit and Track Tuesday...

We're racing so much at the moment it's been hard to find time to update the blog!

Time for a download...

Coburg Criterium - 12/03/11

D'alfonso (C) - Mid pack
Duggan (C) - 1st!

After Palfensa's rampaging win from a breakaway last week, our tactics changed such that roles were reversed to see if TDR could score another win by getting Duggan up for the bunch sprint. A sunny day with a howling headwind up back straight prevented breaks and provided for a very fast approach to the downhill finish.

Initially having trouble sitting in after doing some early work, Duggan relied on D'alfonso as domestique to reign in any would be attacks. Several went off the front to no avail as the conditions made it tough for small breaks to go. D'alfonso moved to the front late in the race and upped the tempo for the last 5 laps pulling in a weak escape attempt and ensuring only the stronger riders were at the fore before the last corner and the bunch sprint.

In a tactically inane move which risked all the energy D'alfonso had expended, Duggan went early and off the front. Luckily no one was able to come around despite having the advantage of his wheel at 67 km/h over the line. B-grade next week.

BCC Tuesday Track - 15/03/11

D'alfonso (B) - 1st Scratch/1st Handicap/1st Motorpace!
Duggan (C) - 1st Scratch/1st Points/1st Motorpace!


Another quiet night in all grades except C saw modified racing with A and B combined. D'alfonso shone being the only B-grader to hold onto the A graders in the scratch and the 60 lap motorpace! Massive props came left right and center from the small A grade bunch. Great ride mate.

Duggan was able to get up for the win in all C-grade races fairly comfortably and is at risk of having Alf boot him up to B-grade to once again get a taste for bar tape...

Monday, March 7, 2011

Sunday - St Kilda crits


SKCC criterium - Port Melbourne

The annual single speed carnival in conjunction with the rumored appearance of a TDR rider conspired to draw a big crowd to the Sunday St Kilda crits. Palfensa feeling a bit under the weather, and a little bit sore from the previous days racing sat this one out with representation duties falling on the shoulders of team captain Duggan. Spectacular day for racing, sunny and warm with a moderate headwind into the final corner.


The advice from Palfensa to Duggan was to sit back in the bunch, let the breaks go, and open up for a killer sprint. This is in stark contrast to Duggans usual tactics of work, suffer, then work some more. As the race unfolded it was heartening to see that, at least initially, Duggan took the advice and sat in the bunch, letting one or two breaks go until being dragged back to the bunch. However, inevitably, Duggan took over marshaling duties of the peloton, and with 10 mins to go, a two lurkers (who possibly heard Palfensa's advice) burst from the pack. Putting a good 300 m into the peloton down the front straight. So strong was the breakaway, that eventually one of the riders popped out of the race. This left Duggan to work, suffer, and work again.

Under Duggans guidance the peloton managed to bridge the gap and made the breakaway rider earn his victory, but Duggan, having spent all his cookies bridging the gap, finished mid field. Leaving us wondering what might have been........

Next time Stevo, next time.





Saturday - Coburg Crits

CCC Criterium - Cambellfield

D'alfonso (C) - 1st!
Duggan (C) - 1st! no wait... 6th... 

Beautiful day for racing at our first mission up to Campbellfield for the Coburg criterium. Large field 40+ riders in C-grade. Various attacks went early. TDR had set a nominal goal of getting in a breakaway together and working hard without being overly-concious about placing. Just good hard yakka.

Small break formed. Disappeared into the B grade bunch. Duggan dragged D'alfonso around B to latch on the back of the attackers only to find that they were 200 m up the road. TDR swapped turns until in a moment of clarity, it was realised that the break up the road was actually the B-grade break! The gas was turned down and we slowed to see where the other C-grade riders were. Finally 4 joined us, including 3 juniors, who exclaimed "Keep going! We're in a break!". Really? That was news to us...

6 riders in the break. Serious turns being done by 3 or 4. With 10 minutes to go one rider continued to attack out of the break, be caught, rest at the back of the paceline, then repeat. 5 minutes to go Duggan lost contact after covering one too many attacks and doing a little too much work. Rode solo to the finish about 200m behind the front 5.

Last lap - D'alfonso rode on the front with little work being offered by the remaining 4. 300 m to go down the hill the first junior attacked. D'alfonso easily countered and won the sprint by some distance.

Classic moment during result presentation where they had recorded Duggan 1st for C-grade. D'alfonso was not a happy camper.

Well done mate. Happy all around.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Tuesday Track and the Wednesday Walloping...

BCC Track Tuesday:

Duggan (C) - 1st Scratch/3rd Keirin/1st Motorpace


Felt ok on the night; certainly not great. Starting to feel like I'm spinning out on 90 gear inches. Time to gear up.

HCC Criterium: 

D'alfonso (B) - Crash affected mid-peloton finish


Kudos to Palfensa for a strong ride in his first B-grade appearance at the Blvd. Did a lot of work at the front and rode confidently. Crash on last corner narrowed his chances of a higher placing, but strong turns on the front meant he's earnt some respect from the peloton.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Sporadicity...

So we've been riding heaps. Alas, working even more. This has led to the too few posts in the last week. Here's a quick recap of what's been going on:

Wednesday HCC crit - D'alfonso (C)
D'alfonso smashed it up on Wednesday showing some excellent form. Winning both intermediate sprints and taking out the overall win. Rightly(!) promoted to B-grade. Link me! A good laugh to be had at the bloke eating his handlebar sprinting and not looking where he was going, almost taking D'alfonso out in the last metre. Epic lol.

Saturday training ride. Just a quick spin from North Melbourne out and over Mt. Macedon and back. 165km. Felt fine until about 10 km to go and the start/stop of the traffic lights. Great ride!




Sunday track training. 3 hours of whistle sprints/flying 200s/eliminations with the BCC coaches. Great way to start the day.