2011/12 Australian Summer of Cycling: Launceston Crits → Australian Nationals

[roadkill]

kings of the Hell Ride.

....Though it is a national title that's run every weekend.

 

[hatcher]

Durbridge looks a proper talent. And Durbridge always looks like it's spelled wrong.

Happy to see Cam Meyer within 7 seconds of him, and good to see Rogers carrying over his strong form from the end of 2011 too. Apparently got caught up behind traffic at one point, but nevermind.

 

[swuzzlebubble]

kings of the Hell Ride.

....Though it is a national title that's run every weekend.

Hell Ride is UCI Cat 1.HC

 

[Tuarts]

No problem with guys who drop once they realise the break isn't coming back - which is why only 21 finished, do have a problem with guys who get popped the first time up the hill on a 16 lap race (which happened on Sunday) and pull out because they shouldn't have been there in the first place. The bike mechanic and the mountain bike guy would have both qualified through the NRS as mentioned in the original post.

Anyone else worthy could easily qualify through the state champs. Clubbies from melbourne who cant take a fast start for more than 10 minutes and are just looking to say they raced the pro's on the w'end should stick to being the kings of the Hell Ride.

I disagree with that but w/e...

 

[Gloin22]

Afterwards Rogers, the three-time world time trial champion, was happy to have made the podium considering what proved a testing finale, telling http://www.cyclingnews.com: "It was a tough course out there, the wind was just... I was struggling to stay on the road really. Unfortunately I was held up with some traffic; unfortunately the roads weren't closed so I don't know how much I lost there – maybe 10, 15 seconds so that's the way it is. But you know at the end of the day I'm really happy with the result and it's good to edge my way back onto the podium again."

Wow, that's a blunder by organizators. Lucky there weren't any crashes in that part.

 

[42x16ss]

Wow, that's a blunder by organizators. Lucky there weren't any crashes in that part.

It's just as likely to have been motorists thinking "F@#K this, I'm not waiting for some cyclist!"

 

[Tuarts]

Doesn't really do their reputation any favours but then it'd be very hard to "block" those roads off for a day. Mostly farm roads.

 

[delbified]

the fact that bobridge got knocked off when shaved by a truck makes a mockery of how the nationals were organised. there were also numerous reports of police supervising traffic behaving poorly towards riders and spectators, including by mick rogers but also by spectators.

 

[auscyclefan94]

The tt nats are in the middle of nowhere. I am surprised they had such problems.

 

[Trev_S]

the fact that bobridge got knocked off when shaved by a truck makes a mockery of how the nationals were organised. there were also numerous reports of police supervising traffic behaving poorly towards riders and spectators, including by mick rogers but also by spectators.

Bobridge did not get clipped by a truck.

The start gate is on a side service road and goes for approx 800metres.
You then have a quick dog leg section that goes back out onto the main road. The main road (through Learmonth, Sunraysia Hwy) had police and marshalls stopping any traffic in both directions when ever a rider was coming through onto the main road.
You then travelled on the main rd for another 400-500m (this is where Bobridge fell) before turning off into some back country lane.

It's a little bumby in sections along that part as well(which wouldn't have helped either), it was just a case of rotten luck to have had a truck going in the opposite direction at the same time. With the amount of wind that was blowing plus the extra cross wind gust the truck creates was enough to take Bobridges front wheel away.



A news article quote Jacks father Kahl,

Bobridge was riding with a disc wheel and had just sat up from his TT bars when he saw the oncoming truck - but it made no difference.

It happened inside the first kilometre of the race against the clock.

"The wind just grabbed him and threw him on the ground," Kahl said.

"He was very lucky he didn't hit his face.

"He would have been up around 60km/h, the adrenaline was going and he was focused.