NEWS

TBS Team Riders at the races again

Trek Bicycle Store team riders Luke Collyer and Kris Collins have been getting a lot of racing experience recently.

Firstly, Kris won a recent Penrith Panthers Cycling Club club race at Penrith Lakes:

After a chilly ride out to the race with fellow Trek bicycle rider Richard Allen we arrived at the start line just in time to get a number and down the usual Coke. With the temp still below ten I decided to race in knee and arm warmers, remembering you can always take things off but never put them on once you have started racing. The 70km race started with numerous attempts by riders to get away but getting caught. This is due to the regatta centres long flat straights. However realising there were some strong sprinters in the race in order to win I would need to get into break I tried on the last lap with 5 km to go. The gap opened up and with some help from fellow Parramatta riders in the pack I was able to stay away and get some pocket money. After the race we stopped in the servo for a pie then pedalled home.

Kris Collins has been riding for the Trek Bicycle Store for two years now will be heading overseas later this month for the 16th edition of Tour of Tahiti.  The tour starts on Friday, July 31st and runs through to Saturday, August 8th 2009. It is Tahiti’s premier cycling race and there are six different jerseys on offer, through the nine stage, prologue, team time trial and individual time trial. This is a big step for Kris with the total distance of the race being over 750km, against quality teams from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, New Caledonia and France. Kris has high expectations of doing well. He has been racing well at club level and open’s and heading overseas will give him even more experience at an even higher level. We wish Kris all the best.

Meanwhile Luke Collyer competed in the recent Canberra Junior Tour. Here is his race report:

Saturday - Road race, 53km

During this race there were attacks right from the gun.  I managed to get myself into a break with two New Zealand riders within the first five kilometres.  The aim of this was to get myself in front of the group for the first KOM hill climb, which was 15km into the race.  Unfortunately we were caught by the main group going down the descent right before the climb.  Going up the climb (Yirriyarra crossing) I stayed within the first ten of the riders I managed to stay here until we had reached the top.   Over the top of the climb we had dropped over half the group, so no one was going to give up their efforts and allow ourselves to be caught. Going up the other side of Yirriarra crossing, a break went off the front.  Unfortunately I was situated to far back in the group.  I tried to cross it solo, but they had already opened up too much of a break.  The main field then would not work to bring them back. In this race I ended up receiving 20th place.

Saturday – Criterium, 25min plus 3 laps

In this race I was pretty smashed from the road race we had in the morning.  During the crit I managed to stay out of trouble, although I had a bit of trouble holding my position.  Fortunately for me, on the last lap I managed to move my self up to the front of the bunch where I managed to take out 13th in the sprint.

Sunday – Road race, 49km

At the beginning of this race my legs felt absolutely smashed, although at around 10km into the race I started to feel good.  Going up the first climb of the day I was in the top quarter of the group.  If I was any further down I would have found my self dropping off the back, as there was a slight gap starting to open between us and the rest of the group.  Once we were around the U turn at the top of the climb we had a very fast descent.  If you weren’t on the front group here you had no hope of getting back on, as we were moving extremely fast.  As the race went on the lead group narrowed down to approximately 20 riders.  When we got to the last climb of the day only a few riders went off the back.  From here on it was pretty much just attacks to the finish.  Only 2 riders managed to get away from our group this time and they only finished very narrowly in front of us.  I ended up taking out 10th place for this event.

Sunday – Time Trial, 15.5 km

The time trial course for this open was very hilly.  I am not really good at time trials so before the race I was pretty nervous.  Although during my tt I surprised myself, catching the rider in front of me and putting a minute and 30 seconds into him.  For the whole time trial I was pretty much on my limit.  At the 12 km mark I also caught the rider who went off 2 whole minutes in front of me and then put another 30 seconds into him after I had caught him.  It ended up being a very pleasing time trial.

Over all in the tour I came 14th out of around 75.  I am very happy with my result as last year I came in the high 50’s.  I am very happy with the improvement, which I have made.

Keep an eye out for these riders at a road race near you soon!