http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/mars-cycling-australia-road-national-championships-2012/elite-womens-road-race/results
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/mars-cycling-australia-road-national-championships-2012/elite-mens-road-race/live-report
ONE OF THESE YEARS I will get to see these efforts live . In past years I have driven through these areas but never cycled them so that will be an interesting experience to enjoy .
Really pleased to see that Simon Gerrans has taken this year’s title since I have seen him win some really important races in Europe and he has always flown the Aussie Flag high regardless of the results from his efforts ! Totally professional racer that I have always enjoyed chatting with over the years .
Mattie Lloyd coming in second for GreenEdge has started his season on a good note and will help him to forget the rubbishy treatment he had to get over during 2011 . Looking forward to seeing him collect a few podiums during this season , hopefully some of them they will come in the Grand Tours which I hope to see live and thus enjoy greeting him after he crosses the finish line .
Richie Porte rounding out the Podium is no surprise as so many people will be looking forward to the day when he wins a Grand Tour , remember well his valiant defence of the Maglia Rosa some seasons back already ! Here’s hoping that 2012 will be another spectacular year for him !
During the year “ Vince ” , the guy that did a post about me , rode parts of the Tour de France for the second time . Latest email regales some of the Championship events and since he reads these posts I will be happy to have him “ ADD ” his experiences as a live observer here in the near future ! Up to you Vince !
Women’s Championships were perhaps more important from my point of view since so many NEW names came to my notice ! The depth of talent available is no surprise and I am looking forward to seeing their victories during the period leading up to London 2012 ! Amanda , Tiffany and Rachel are all new names to me , but I hope that the Tour de Romandie will have a Women’s Time Trial once more this year and thus I will enjoy seeing them in action . World Championship and Olympic Medals are the result of years of hard work and good team work but regrettably it is the luck on the day that decides who gets into the record books ! Team tactics can be very important and Oenone Woods sacrificed her chances of a medal in the Athens 2004 Olympics to ensure Sara Carrigan won the Gold . Coming in fourth she was unlucky to miss the podium but had the satisfaction of knowing that Oz had the gold as a result of distracting the other racers , who were certain that she was the person to mark .
