Your index on what's happening

1.     The Women's Social Bunch on Sundays

Looking for a leisurely social catch up ride, burn a few calories and learn from each other what's happening for females in cycling?  ..... the Women's Bunch leaves the Grovedale Hotel every Sunday morning at 8 am. The group heads down to Torquay via Horseshoebend Road and return - approx 40k and the pace is non competitive and between 25 -30kph and of course we finish with a coffee!

Please join Jill D.  ...... our new 'Caretaker' of this group. Contact is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jill will be there this Sunday morning! and as often as she possibly can ....and she is very happy to help anyone out with riding this route.

(This is not a Geelong Cycling Club sanctioned ride)

2. Club Gran Fondo Ride

As I set off from home in semi darkness and a few drops from the sky on my windscreen, I dare not look at the radar to see the possibilites for the rest of the day. We planned to ride the 120k Gran Fondo loop from Lorne into mountain territory and rain forest country. Oh dear ...what to wear....what to carry....how much food......how do the legs feel.....have I forgotten anything.....we were all saved the 'drama' of sometimes crucial decisions by Norm Douglas coming along driving his van as our sag wagon for the day. On board was extra water, tool kit, track pump, our backpacks, lollies and Jess's home made muffins. We're set for sure. Let's go!!!!!!

With 14 people in our group, 50/50 males and females, we made a smooth exit from Lorne along the Great Ocean Road towards Apollo Bay. Again a few drips from the sky, but not cold at all, overcast and slight winds...perfect really. The pace was good for everyone including a few cycling strangers that we picked up on the back of the bunch, each wondering where we were going and deciding they were not keen to follow us past the bottom of Skenes Creek. Mmmm........ Almost at Skenes we hear pop and ppsssttt...Deano had his first puncture. Many thanks Norm for the quick change.

After a beautiful bite size muffin and loo stop, we had our last words before the first climb ......10k up Skenes ...'this is not a race'. Do this at your pace and enjoy....regroup at the top and of course everyone split up with the immediate rise in the gradient. Jess Douglas was powering away and apparently chatting all the way up as well, with the video cam aboard her helmet. I think she sprung a few hurting faces going up. But the views around there are truly magnificent....getting even better the further you rise. So green with lush forest and fat cows blending in with ferns and natives. But still it's a tough climb! At one point I mentioned we should do this every year....and a rider new to this climb said we should do this every 4 weeks....oh yeah I'm thinkin ....good onya...I dont love 10k mountains that much. After a short stop at the top, it's 12k mostly down hill into Forrest for more refreshments and we're over 60k in. Forrest is where Norm and Jess Douglas live and work. Wow a great life style!

Onward to the flat open territory section for about 25k to Deans Marsh, keeping a smooth bunch pace for everyone on this beaut scenic country road, and we could be anywhere in the world....very little trafffic and only our own chatter to hear. It's at the Deans Marsh stop that we go for Coke and a bite before the last 12k climb up the Benwerrin. (The Club used to do a Time Trial race up here...lol!!!!) Checking in on folk, most legs were screaming at this point....but happy......we love this! ....really thinking only about 20k to go and we're in for a swim at Lorne. The last climb is even tougher with tired legs. Lucky for me, we had a couple of riders who like hill repeats, and came back to check and ride up again with the weary stranglers at the back. Norm is at the top of the climb to make sure we all get there. All down hill from here and using the last of our concentration for the final descent,we're home. Deano had his second puncture descending and arrives safely in the van with Norm. Lorne is hot now and crowded....some trials going on for an adventure race?? Most legs went in for a dip in the waves, and most folk went up the street for coffee and lunch as well. Lots of milkshakes, food and chatter. Everyone agreed it was a great success and we should do it again next year.....but start a bit earlier than 8am ....no worries folks !!!

A great day on the bike! thanks go to Jess and Norm Douglas for all their support. Greer Sansom for the photos! and everyones support to each other on the ride. Comin next year???

3. Your story?

......we would love to hear your favorite riding story...anyone wanna share?  please .......with photos of course

4. The Club Come N Try

We had our first Come N Try for the Summer season down at the Belmont Crit. There were 10 riders all learning new skills as we mentored them around the track. Why not come down and join us and have a go? learn about rolling turns and cornering etc etc

Come N Try is on every race day at 9 am on the Summer Calendar and is free for all participants! see VIP dates below for race days!

5. The Group Ride - a lovely read!

The group settles into formation meters after leaving the café. Like the table manners learned as children the formation is innate to us. Two abreast, tight against the curb we form two lines. Cars pass us with ease as we pedal out of town and into the countryside. The pair on the front increases the tempo as soon as we are out of traffic and onto the rural roads.  From experience they quickly find the rhythm of the group. On the rural roads, we’re in synch. Knowing how to ride properly in a group is taught and learned.

I was introduced to cycling as a boy. On my first group rides, I was taught how to ride with others appropriately.  As we pedalled along with our club mates, my father explained ride etiquette to me.  On open roads, the group stays close to the shoulder. To allow cars to pass and to benefit from the riders’ slipstream, the group stays compact. It is often easier for cars to pass a group of cyclists who are riding two abreast near the road’s shoulder than a group, which is single file and much longer. We must be aware we are sharing the road with other traffic.

Each pair pulls off the front sharing the workload with the others. Within the group riders should always be paired up. Two abreast is acceptable, three is not.  In an odd numbered group, the single rider sits at the back. Each rider has his or her turn being alone at the tail-end. In a group, everything is shared.

A group is concerned with others’ well being. We point out obstacles in the road, we signal directions and we take care of each other. A rider who is struggling is sheltered from the wind and given food and drink. We wait for those who have punctured and help them repair the flat. Every cyclist has a bad day. A group will get you through the bad moments.

Like bragging at a dinner party about wealth, nobody appreciates a rider who constantly forces the pace to prove his strength.  Half-wheeling, the term used to describe a rider who is constantly pushing the pace half a wheel in front of the others, is an insult not a compliment. Group rides are not races. Good riders are in tune with each others’ abilities and the groups’ objective. At the right moment, when everybody is ready, the tempo will increase, the group will splinter, the strongest will surge ahead, and then only to regroup again at a designated spot.

A group ride should be challenging but also pleasant. Experiencing an achievement is often richer when shared.  On the bike, each pair of riders converses as if they’re across from each other at a dinner table but in the fresh air the conversation is often more animated. On the roads, societal hierarchies are muted. A CEO is just another wheel to follow. A professional cyclist is just another face glistening sweat.

Together, a group of eight eats through the hours. In nearly six hours, we’ve seamlessly devoured mountains, cut through valleys and popped through towns. Even our stop at a café failed to break our rhythm. On the terrace, everything continued to flow.

6. Kimbos Bunch rides

Here is an invitation for you all!

Monday and Friday mornings - join Kim Howard (Cycling Coach) and gang for a bunch ride and learn invaluable skills and fitness tips while on the bike

Leaving 8 30 am from Kim's home at 124 Ghazeepore Road, Waurn Ponds. Rides are usually  70-80 klms and returning approximately 11 30 am. The ride does not go ahead if it is raining. Contact Kim on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or texted her on M: 0417 553 687 for any queries.

(These are not Club sanctioned rides)

7. Cycling Memberships 2012 are now open! see Cycling Victoria online! and of course choose Geelong Cycling Club for the Women's support locally.

Why not get an extra 2 months on your new Annual Cycling Australia membership and join in November!

8.     Women's Racing News

Women’s Grand Prix – do you want to be on a team ? Individual entries will form a composite team.  The Cykel Crit Series !

Entries are now open for this four-round series of teams races to be held throughout Victoria.
Series and Round 1 entries close Wednesday December 14, 2011.

The Format

·         Each round starts with a prologue. Put simply, it’s an individual time trial and your time determines whether you are in Division one or Division two. Followed by a graded criterium

·         It doesn’t matter if half of your team are in Division one and half of you are in Division two. You’re working towards getting points for your team regardless of which division you are in

.        It costs $30 for an individual round, or you can register for all four for $108 (10% discount). If you register for all four and find you can’t get to one you can sell your spot to someone else. The financial side of it you work out between you, and you can go online and do an online substitute

.   Over $5000 in cash and prizes

.    Points will be awarded for the finishing position of each rider, and intermediate sprints. Double points for division 1

·         Points are tallied for each team to determine the champion team on the day, and for the entire series.

For more on the series and for registration, visit http://www.cykelevents.com.au

9.     Important Dates for your Diary

ps The social bunch is on every Sunday morning regardless....Grovedale Hotel ......start time is 8am. Contact is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

December  3rd           Recreational Training Ride - Bellarine 100 7am start

December 3rd            Graded Crits at the Belmont Crit Circuit 8am Juniors 9am onwards Seniors

December 10th           Graded Crits at Ocean Grove from 5 30 pm

December 18th (Sunday) Graded Crits at Eastern Gardens 8am Juniors 9am onwards Seniors

2012

January 1-4th             Jayco Bay Cycling Classic in Geelong

January 2nd               Amy's Ride from Geelong as a Club

January 7th                Road Race - Handicap Paraparap 10 30 am

January 6-11th           Elite National Titles in Ballarat

January 14th              Graded Crits at Ocean Grove from 5 30 pm

January 21st              Graded Crits at Belmont Crit incl Deaf Games

January 29th              Audax Alpine Classic

February 5th (Sunday)  Graded Crits at Eastern Gardens 8 am Juniors 9am onwards Seniors

February  11th           Recreational Training Ride - Barrabool Hills

February 18th            Graded Crits at the Belmont Crit circuit

February 25th            Graded Crits at Ocean Grove from 5 30pm

February 26th            Pure Tasmania Cycle Challenge

March 3rd                 Graded Crit Championships at the Belmont Crit Circuit

March 17  - 18th        High Country Challenge - Mansfield - Mt Buller weekend

April 4-8th                 UCI World Track Championships - Hisense Arena