2014 National Capital Tour Blog: Riding on ?borrowed time?

By Craig Evers from the Phoenix Cycling Collective -?Twitter (@phoneixcycle) All our race reports seem to start like this but? What a great day! Today began with a 8 am start at Radford College in Bruce, Canberra, where we had the amazing opportunity to talk to two Grade 5 classes about the team and the ins and outs of cycling. Media Manager Michelle Balaz picked me up beforehand and we met Team DS Angus Bell, riders Nathan Booth and Simon Dwyer at the school. Before the talk got underway Nathan and I made sure to get in a quick game of handball and learnt the rules have changed in the last 6 years, incorporating a ?double touch? rule that got me caught out and joining the end of the line. After introductions were made by PE teacher Mr Mark Sullivan, and Angus had introduced concepts such as inertial force in bunch riding, the kids were very excited to get the chance to ask us some questions, here are some of the best: ?What do you eat morning, lunch and dinner?? (Craig) ? ?Porridge, muesli and then pasta and sweet potato for lunch and a well-rounded plate of greens, more sweet potato and maybe a treat once and a while.? ?What do you do outside of cycling?? (Craig) ? ?I work two jobs, one as a cycling fitness instructor at Fernwood Fitness and another at a local Caf? and currently study part time, it doesn?t sound too exciting but I?m happy with my balance and it keeps me busy and working hard.? ?How much training should I start doing now so I can be a cyclist too?? (Simon) – ?At your age, the most important thing is to learn bike handling skills and have fun on the bike. You’re not going to get any speed/fitness gains by riding more than 5 hours a week ? wait til you get a bit older before you start doing that!? ?Do other racing cyclists ride the same bike as you?? (Angus) – ?Avanti Bikes are so good that two other men’s teams in the National Road Series also ride them, including the current series leaders.? ?What do you do if you need to do a toilet stop? (Craig) ? ?Usually the peloton will call a nature break (number 1s that is) and most riders will stop and run into the woods to relieve themselves but some will go to toilet while moving, I have sadly failed at this and got myself wet before.? ?What do you eat so you can ride for ages on the bike?? (Nathan) ? ?It’s really important to eat really good, nutritious food all the time. Junk food might be tasty, but its bad fuel for riding. What happens when you but bad fuel into a fast car? (Kids) It explodes! (Nathan) If you eat bad food and ride, you’ll explode! We finished up at the school feeling we had done our bit to spread excitement about cycling as a sport and recreation to the younger generation. After we made our way to the National Museum of Australia, we caught up with Team Manager Andrew McCosker and the other riders, including guest riders Anthony Murfett, Paddy Corcoran and Sam Moorby, for a team meeting in the stunning Lakeside Cafe. After the meeting wrapped up we played the waiting?game. Riders from each team were spread far apart from each other? across the board which made for an exciting day of cycling. Avanti Racing Team took the reins early on with Joe Cooper taking the hot seat for most of the day, until being dethroned later by Patrick Bevin of Search to Retain. I was very happy to see the boys come in after their ride with red faces and out of breath, showing that they had fought hard for every kilometre of the 17.4 km Individual Time Trial (ITT). I have to make a point that today was the most I have ever felt at home in a cycling team,? the team meeting really make it feel like a family. During the ITT, each rider was asking how everyone of us had gone and it was an absolute pleasure to see a team in motion. To have the DS Angus Bell and Andrew McCosker follow each rider in their cars made it even more calming. I personally was very nervous lining up for today?s ride, being a lumpier Time Trial course then I would have liked. I managed to pace myself enough and dig a little deeper on the short pinches to try make up any lost time. I caught my 3 minute man and found myself finishing in 7^th place, 1 second behind NSW TT champion Ben Dyball of Avanti Racing. My final point brings me to the title of this article? I couldn?t have achieved anywhere near as much as I did if it wasn?t for the people around me, they are the ones who really make it all happen. I was supported with the following and thank you guys for the kind help: Disk wheel from team mate Sam Moorby Time Trial Helmet from team mate Nathan Booth Slammed stem advice from team mate Simon Dwyer Solid support from PNX DS Angus Bell Stem, deep front wheel, skin suit from PNX Manager Andrew McCosker Avanti SL from Avanti Bikes Media coaching from Vixen PR Bike set-up from Paul, Ride 365 Fast tyres from Schwalbe Huge help from the rest of the team in advice, confidence and organisation Love and support from the lovely Johanna Tarrant