TEAM BICI VIDA

A Tour Reflection by DOC Williams

2009-11-21T21:24:00.000-08:00

Southland's landscape was the amphitheatre, in which each competitor and team would find out who was best among them.

A rugged , severe, unyielding test, that since 1956 had shown that to win, requires something special.

But for this years race there was added , the cyclist's great nemesis, wind.
Just to make it even harder.

It came in large cold chunks from the Southern Ocean, bouncing off Slope Point, South Island's most southern tip near Invercargill, and then out across the roads and towns.

Some drafts were born in other quarters, like Puysegur Point.
Picking up speed it rattled the roofing iron on the Bushman's Museum Hut at Tuatapere and then spread out like a fan across the lush rolling Southland farmland.

No one could hide from it, whether you going through Winton or Wyndham, Riversdale or Riverton, Mataura or Mossburn.

It hit like a muggers punch and as the tour criss crossed the province over 7 days and 9 stages it added to the pain, discomfort and toil of every rider.

Each stage there was a victor, the yellow jersey worn with pride and expectation and at each beginning the ruck of riders would come together again with team tactics ,designed to protect
their strongest, in the pursuit of finding who was the best.

The tour was full of stories, some of the best may never be known, for they happen deep in the racing pack as riders in a team worked together sacrificing their performance and a slice of the days glory, for their main man.
It is these acts, to help someone else in the heat of a tough competition, where individual glory is still the most cherished and sort after, that makes cycling unique in all of sports.
For a rider will give up something and help someone, that on that day may be more worthy or important, than their own ambitions.

The big stories became obvious quickly and dramatically. Forty riders down in a first day pile up. The tour's favourite rider Hayden Roulston out of the tour , left sitting in the back of a Mini Van bloodied and bewildered. A seemingly pointless smash in a sport that has to accept some of these event changing moments, simply because the riders are ever on the edge.
This one seemed avoidable. Another past winner, Gordon McCauly went crashing down as well, but fortunately only his bike was broken. Such is cycling.

By the second day the race was in rhythm. Heath Blackgrove wore the yellow. Then it was won by Jack Bauer. A promising group of young riders were making their presence felt with Patrick Bevin winning the demanding stage into Te Anau.

In the teams, Bici Vida rookies from Auckland , put together by World Star Class Yachting Champion and Olympian, Carl Williams, began a remarkable move up through the field that was to give them second place. The heart of their team was three teenagers, Taylor Gunman, Alex Ray and Tom Findlay. Backed up by Williams and experienced rider Scott Wilder.
In simple sporting terms they got their act together, Findlay became their form horse and the team helped him to top Under 23 rider. A great performance. On the last stage Gunman sacrificed his own position by giving up his bike to Findlay, when he had a threatening wheel problem, so young Tom could ride on to his special moment.

The tour had a romantic end as well, Heath Blackgrove riding his 10th tour won back the yellow and went on to victory, then dashed off to marry Sharyon Johns. Quite a day!

Since the tour I have taken an interest in the Southland weather. I see it's still blowing down there, but to be fair to that great province it blows everywhere in New Zealand. We are like two giant Aircraft Carriers anchored in the Southern Ocean. Let know one tell you that it does not blow up north, either. Just ask Carl Williams what it is like to crash away into a 30 knot south westerly out on the Hauraki Gulf, in an America's Cup yacht.

In seeking to be the best and to prove you are the best you also have to understand and conquer the environment and landscape in which the contest is set.
That is all part of the wining.

Day 6 – Stages 8 & 9

2009-11-07T16:17:00.000-08:00

Stage 8

It was to be the last day of this year’s Tour of Southland. As we woke to a beautiful morning looking out over the lake in Te Anau. More importantly there was a strong breeze blowing down off the mountains which equalled one thing… a tail wind.
For Stage 8 it was a direct run into Lumsden over 80km. GC was up for grabs with Heath only defending 11 seconds to his nearest threat. For Bici Vida it was the usual simple plan of defending the Pink Jersey. Help Zookeepers control the race until the decisive hill half way through where Tom needed to be at the front of the race with 1 teammate minimum. As we hurdled down the road sitting constantly over 60km/h the race was somewhat under control but only due to the huge effort being pit in to keep it that way, Unfortunately for myself that meant my energy would be spent in the last approach to the short hard climb. As the race rolled up the hill it split and Tom and Taylor were there to be in the right part of it. Meanwhile behind the chase groups formed and rolling down the other side of the hill didn’t see the Speedo drop below 85km/h for a while! I don’t think ive ever spent so long in the 53x11?!
A small break made it to the finish. The end result was Tom defending the Pink Jersey by extending his lead to 5 minutes and also taking over 3rd place on GC due to some key members missing the move. The average speed for the stage was 52km/h! The only disappointment was slipping to 3rd on the Team GC. However we were motivated to make that up in the afternoon.
All in the car for the quick transfer from Lumsden to Winton for the next start.

Stage 9

The last stage which finished with 4 laps of Queenspark in the center of Invercargill where our week had begun with the Team Time Trial.
To nobody’s surprise it was blowing hard! Except this time it was crosswinds the whole way to the finish! That meant one thing. Gutter session for 69km.
For the overall placing it was a simple case of defend defend defend as it was only your race to loose. Huge priority was put on making sure one of us was with Tom for support for as long as possible.
It didn’t take long for the race to detonate, riders blowing everywhere! Tom and Taylor made the front group while Alex, Myself and Scott chased hard. We spent the whole 69km just off the back, at times only 100m behind! But in those winds that might as well be a mile. It was cause for concern as Tom was at the right end of the race with support, even Rick and the team car had been allowed through to follow closely in support.
The story to follow sums up our week here at the tour of Southland. All Athletes know being part of a gelling team is an awesome experience. This week was one of those.
I heard a ruffle over the team radio in my ear, which meant it had to be a rider as transmitting for inside the car always came through crystal clear. And with 20km left in the Tour it was definitely not a rider looking for a drink bottle or jacket for the rain. 4 thoughts instantly. Puncture, mechanical, Taylor or Tom? The answers as l saw the guys on the side of the road just ahead of us was Puncture and Tom. Except this is the great part to the slightly stressful moment. Tom and pulled up alongside Taylor and explained he had a front tyre puncture that wasn’t going to hold for long. The two guys acted far beyond their U23 age classification and set a plan. They waited for a headwind section, pulled over to the side of the road together where Taylor sacrificed his front wheel to replace Toms flat one, wearing his carbon road shoes, cleats and all he pushed Tom off up the road so he could chase back on. Tom made it, Taylor had a new wheel from the car after a speedy reaction from Rick and Colin and he then Joined Alex and l in the second group. This whole time l could see it all unfolding in front of me and was absolutely spending myself to get there.
We rolled around Queens Park with the Bici Vida Team car 1 of only 3 allowed on the circuit following the race and finished about 2 mins down. Myself in 24th and Taylor in 25th, the first two from the second bunch.
And there it was, Tour over. A Pink Jersey, a Podium 3rd place on GC and 2nd in the Teams GC. It was beyond our wildest dreams but testament to the determination of the team all week in what we were there to do.

I’m writing from the Koru lounge in Queenstown about to board my flight to Auckland. Once my feet touch the ground (not literally) l will post a overall Tour report summing up the highs and lows of our week in Southland.

Thank you to the Team, Bici Vida you guys rocked! Rick, Paul, Colin, Martin without your 24/ 7 attention we would have only been numbers on the start line. Tom, Alex, Taylor and Scotty you guys rode out of your skin and deserve everything you achieved!

Allpress Espresso. Thank you Mike, Ali and the Team. Your support has gone a long way and were really excited about representing you in future events around the corner.

Bici Vida

Finished

2009-11-07T03:17:00.000-08:00

Its not often l get to say it but......... im wrecked.

Bici Vida has just capped off a massive week here at the Power Net Tour of Southland.
2nd Team overall, Tom won the U23 Classification and finished 3rd in the General Classification. He rode out of his skin this week and was backed up to match by every single member of the team. An impressive effort and one l will remember for a long time. Ill report more on the days racing soon, first is sleep then a drive to Queenstown in the morning early.

Allpress Espresso. Your support of the Team has helped us achieve these results. Oakley, Red Bull, Cyco your backing has made all the difference to these last two weeks. The team is grateful.

Look forward to updating you much further soon.

Adios

BV

Photos

2009-11-06T01:36:00.000-08:00

The camera shutters have been going crazy down here. To be honest the scenery has been just as spectacular as the race. Anyhow we promise plenty of photos in the days to come.
In short l just to damn wrecked to deal with uploading files etc etc.
It late, im tired and off to sleep.
and as they say a "a picture is worth a 1000 words" which should save me some typing!

Day 5 – Stage 7

2009-11-06T01:35:00.000-08:00

Winton – Te Anau
Another huge day for the team! It was always going to be a very eventful stage. The say history never repeats but im sure that on more than one previous occasion this has been a very decisive stage for the General Classification. Again as we sat over the weather map and course map the night before we planned out what we wanted to do, keeping a close eye on the current result sheet. The plan was clear and we stuck to it.
We drove over to Winton for the 10am start. Straight out of the blocks the race went ape shit. With an instant 7km crosswind section the race was in the gutter, pressure was always going to be on the big hitting teams and we just had to be there and be part of it when it went down. That turned out to be not very far into the race. By 20km a very strong break had formed which importantly included Tom and Alex. The team’s priority was to defend the pink jersey and Tom was there with Alex marking our biggest threat. The main bunch seemed to think this break could be controlled as they set about holding the gap at around 1 minute. It did seem like it was going to come back but then all of a sudden the lead team cars were being called past the bunch to follow the break. A sure sign that the gap was growing. Before Rick, Colin and Paul disappeared up the road to support Alex and Tom l grab some bottles for Taylor and l. The team wagon’s V8 burned off up the side of the peloton hopefully not to be seen again until the finish.
As we approached the Blackmount climb of the day the bunch held together however that all changed at the bottom as we headed up the climb. The main bunch broke to pieces and after some torture loop style descending l made it up to the yellow jersey group which also contained Taylor who had climbed well.
From here we had no idea what was happening up the road in the break so settled into holding our position in the very difficult windy conditions.
The break was successful, very successful. Alex finished 3rd in the sprint for the line and Tom suffered no loss in his lead on the jersey. Taylor and l rolled in 5 minutes later placed around 25th.
For the teams efforts we had a podium finish for the stage, a GC Jersey and we also moved up to 2nd overall in the team classification.
The guys have ridden out of their skin, with real drive and determination. There has been a great sense of pride for the team internally, which is awesome to be part of.
Tomorrow is the last day, another big one with two stages and plenty going on within the leader board. Were there to ride it out as hard as possible and enjoy ourselves.

Luego

Day 4 – Stage 6

2009-11-06T01:34:00.000-08:00

Lumsden to Crown Range 135km
Was always going to be an exciting stage and it’s also labelled the “Queen Stage” due to the epic scenery that we race through.
For the Team it was about defending the U23 Pink Jersey resting on the Shoulders of Tom Findlay. The night before we ran through the potential scenarios and made plans accordingly. As the stage developed there was a threat to the Jersey up the road in the break away which saw Scott and Myself contributing to the pace on the front of the bunch as we rolled past Jacks Point and into Queenstown as we popped out right past the airport. From that part of the race was going to light up due the “hilly” nature of the last 40km . Unfortunately for Scott and l there was little energy left to spend on those decisive hills however more importantly Tom, Taylor and Alex were at the right end of the field with the time coming down to the break. It was a spectacular day as we rode into Arrowtown (l was lucky enough to enjoy the scenery). The race lit up again at the bottom of the 2.5km Crown Range climb. The guys rode it amazing, Tom not only retained the jersey but put time into his nearest rivals, Alex collected a top 10 finish and Taylors finish was good enough to put him higher on GC.
After that it was straight down the hill to Arrowtown for lunch at Café Mondo where we were joined by Paul the Allpress Dunedin Manager who is right behind the race and its two teams Bici Vida and Zoo Keepers.
A long drive back to Invercargill saw all the boys pretty wrecked and it was early nights all round as we prepared for the next onslaught!!

Day 3 Stages 4 & 5 = Tom's Pretty in Pink

2009-11-03T22:26:00.000-08:00

Well were half way through the Power Net Tour of Southland and its safe to say that's its all on after the most decisive day in the race so far. The end result is Team Bici Vida hold the U23 Leaders Pink Jersey after a huge effort from Tom Findlay in today's afternoon stage to Winton.

This morning was another start from the awesome Invercargill Velodrome with a neutral zone out of town and then brutal straight or winds to Tuatapre. A 88.1km stage that was the only the start of what was to be a eventful day for anyone looking for good results. 20km into the stage and the race was already blown to smithereens! Riders everywhere in groups of 5, 10, 15, 20 doing everything they could to catch back onto the main bunch which was inflicting the pain. There was even some crashing thrown in here and there. l rode with Glen Chadwick after he had picked himself off the ground and asked how he had feared. He commented that he had "only fallen on his head which at least was empty" and then as we rolled into a town at 60 km h he said as he rode off to the front to continue pulling for his team leader "you see what l have to deal with all year!" . The life of a pro racer.
After a few moments of sanity the bunch did reform somewhat as we headed into Tuatapre. A fast run in saw Alex, Taylor, Tom and Myself finish in the bunch sprint with Scott just rolling in behind.

It was straight into our room at the local backpackers for showers and a recovery rub courtesy of the legendary Paul Jesson. While we sat there struggling to feel any sense of recovery we were not sure what to expect other than the "shit" was about to hit the fan for the next stage. 101km in a gale force wind. It was going to be there or be square. Riding at the front was going to be the only way to avoid being spat off the back amongst many of the splits in the horrible cross wind as we rolled down the spectacular coastal road.

Stage 5: 101.8 km from Tuatapre to Winton. Weather: Gale force Cross and Tail winds

Straight out of the blocks the race lit up like Valencian fire cracker at Fallas. There were huge efforts to hold some sort of position. Slowly the main bunch whittled down as a mear gap of 1 meter from the guy in front might as well have been a mile.
After 20km l found myself alone already chasing as hard as l could to get onto some sort, any sort of group. As l rode through a large dip Sam Bewley was clean blown off the road an into the grass. His misfortune was my opportunity as he very kindly helped me slog our way back to what was left of the main group. Were l was pleased to notice that Tom was not part of it. Knowing he wasn't behind me that only meant he could be up the road. Taylor and l rode together in the bunch trying to hold on in the crosswinds and conserve as much as possible in the tail winds. There were times that we were rolling along as a bunch of twenty riders clipping 85km / h on the flat! In the meantime the lead group containing Tom grew their lead to 2 min 45 secs. And with 30km to go the chase bunch containing mostly teams who had members up the road in the break decided to ease the pressure off and roll into town together. Ahead of us Gordy had just out sprinted Tom by a tire width for the Stage victory, although the time gap was enough for Tom to take the Pink Jersey from Michael Vink's shoulders.
Even though after 102km we had averaged 45 km /h ! Even more impressive was Taylor's bike computer which had been running all day recorded 198km at an average speed of 40 km/h. That included riding to the starts, warming up and riding to the car after each finish. A massive day.

The boys are in good spirits. We rode tomorrow's stage 6 last week while based in Queenstown and are all looking forward to getting over and then "up" there. Only to be followed by lunch and an Allpress Espresso at Cafe Mondo in Arrowtown.

Were all off to bed, Alex, Tom and Taylor have just finished interviews with Ben and Sarah from Roadcycling.co.nz so keep an eye out on those being posted.

Time for some sueños

Day 2 Stage 3

2009-11-02T21:20:00.001-08:00

It was a nervous awakening this morning first of all to see what the weather had on offer and secondly how the bunch would react from yesterdays carnage. And to be honest both points were to provide an awesome days racing.
It was a 165km Stage from Invercargill to Gore. The sun was out and there was a light wind but it never became a factor. Enough to help us hold a seriously high average out of Invercargill. The bunch spent most of the day rolling along at 50km/h to have an average speed by race end of 43km/h.
A break went away after 35km containing 4 riders, they gained an advantage of as much as 4 min 40 sec before Zoo Keepers organized them self on the front to control the distance to the escapees. Not before a pleasant "piss stop" where the bunch is self neutralized until the head riders have taken care of natures call.
It was rolling before we hit Gore and then there were a few little kickers just to force everyone out of the much utilized big chain ring. The gap to the break was coming down consitantly and eventually the exploded on their own and eventually were swallowed up. Bici Vida was present at the front of the race to contribute and turn the legs. As we neared Gore a break of 4 escaped off the front and with Zoo Keepers happy to let it slide the teams vying for a sprint victory left the chase a little late and the break stayed away for a Colour Plus/ Logan Hutchings win. As we rolled in Alex and Tom jostled for position but due to the messy chase not much eventuated. The top place Bici Vida rider today was Alex who finished in 13th with the rest of all in the bunch.
A pretty enjoyable day to be racing a bike, maybe the "Bike Gods" decided to shine on us just for a day after what was endured yesterday. However l have a feeling that token might have only been good for one admission as tomorrow is shaping up to be a rather tough looking day! We'll have to wait and see.
Results can be found at www.tourofsouthland.com and there is a link to our twitter and facebook from www.bicivida.com and photos can be found at http://www.pbase.com/bruggersphotography/2009_tour_of_southland or at the teams flickr account http://www.flickr.com/photos/43931777@N06/sets/72157622598485979/

Until manana

BV

Day 1 Stages 1 & 2

2009-11-01T22:32:00.000-08:00

Ok here it is. Day 1 report:

Lets start with the results for the team.
We rolled out as the 4th team to start the Team Time Trial this morning at 0916. 30 mins warm up around Queens Park and we were at the start line dressed in our skinsuits ready to go. It was windy making it a very difficult effort for the team to keep it together. l started us off out of the gate followed by Taylor, Alex, Scott and Tom. The first straight was a pretty nasty crosswind but the fun was only beginning as we turned left into a wall of a head wind. We stuck together down to the next left where we lost Scotty off the back, it was a slight moment trying to regroup were finally the 4 of us put our heads down to punch out the the last lap. We stuck together and really sent it hitting 60km/h at points. A solid debut for the team who held the top of the leader board after 10 teams had started. We ended the stage 11th Overall 45 Seconds down on Hayden Roulstons Colour Plus team. A result we could be proud of.
Following that it was straight back to the Motel for some food and a rest as the start of stage 2 loomed only a couple of hours away. At 1230 we were back up to Queens Park for the start of stage 2. 81 km out to the infamous Bluff hill which hits gradients of 23% over the last 2km to the top. Fun for all! Before that we were going to have to deal with gale force winds that were going to hit us from all angles.

Stage 2: Started with a neutral zone through Invercargill passing all the screaming school kids and local. Awesome support for the race. Once the flag dropped the theme for the day started after km 2! A crash. Taylor was caught up in the incident and was forced to spend the next 40km chasing his ass off! The race was strung out as we first dealt with a tail wind seeing the speedo roll over 60km more than a few times. After the tail wind was a pretty decent crosswind section that saw the bunch splinter only to come back together in a very strong head wind. Unfortunately the next incident was only literally just around the corner. We turned off the headwind into a tail wind that had the bunch rolling the full width of the road at 60km/h. As we crossed the bridge one rider lost control and the end result was 40 riders+ on the asphalt. Bikes snapped, wheels totaled, blood, groaning, grazes and cuts! It was all on. Taylor, Alex and Scott got caught behind it while Tom was on the front of the bunch and l was just in line with the first guys to crash, a little fish tale and l was out of there! All on my own the only rider to escape the crash and I was dealing with a brutal head wind trying to bridge across to the front of the race only to come across all the race leaders lying on the road involved in another crash. At this point the race was stopped and the clean up began. Once the bunch was back together the race was restarted and Bici Vida still had all 5 riders on the road. The run into Invercargill was insane, super quick and then we heat the crosswinds heading out to Bluff. The race blew apart and l literally witnessed a rider blown off the road to end up on his head in the long grass. All i could see was his two wheels upside down!
Tom, Taylor and Alex were all at the right end of the race while Scotty and l slogged it out to get across. l was riding with a group of 5 including Floyd Landis, as he came past me from a turn he said "holy shit this place is for animals" followed by a bit of a chuckle.
Bring on Bluff. That was insane, it was every man for himself. We all fought our way to the top for some solid placings. An epic day that will go down in history as crazy as it was hard. Gordy rode super strong even to finish the stage on someone else's bike!
Out of 125 Riders....
Tom Findlay finished 12th on the stage, is 15th GC and 5th U23 Classification GC
Alex Ray finished 30th on the stage, is 32 on GC and 10th U23 Classification GC
Taylor finished 43rd on the stage, is 42nd on GC and 13th U23 Classification GC
Carl Williams finished 53rd on the stage and is 54th on GC.
Scott Wilder finished 62nd on the stage and is 69th on GC

And Bici Vida has moved up to 10th overall in the Team Classification.

An epic day, the team is in good spirits after surviving today and ready for the next chapter of events tomorrow.

Tomorrow is 165km to Gore. Hopefully the bunches nerves have chilled a little. Im sure there will be some sore bodies rolling out tomorrow.

Photos from Wench colin are being uploaded to flickr and we will post the link here, twitter and facebook.

Adios!

Team Bici Vida - Saturday 31st – Queenstown, New Zealand

2009-10-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

The team woke to a stunning day here in Queenstown. The Allpress was brewing and ready to serve by all the guys made it down for breke. The Wench Colin was already in the garage setting up the guy’s bikes for the day. The Plan: Head out and visit our friend the Crown Range, the end of Thursday’s stage 6 from Lumsden.
There was a quick Kodak moment with the stunning backdrop here, all the guys dressed up in the brand new Bici Vida Team Kit. After that we all rolled out including Colin, Paul and Rick in the Team Wagon. Riding out of Queenstown towards the turn off from Frankton that we will be hitting a full speed im sure!!
Was really cool to ride the final 15km into the final climb of the day and witness all the little surprises along the way. Past arrow town and straight into the switch backs of the Crown Range up to the look out. By now the day was a full stunner a few more pics of the view and we rolled down the hill and back into Arrowtown for another Allpress Espresso at Café Mondo. The boys even ended out behind the counter giving the girls a hand as proud Allpress representatives of course!
After lunch in the sun we rolled out and headed back towards Queenstown, some TTT drills lead by the Captain and we were back at the base. Paul has the table set up with the guys getting a rub downs, management have just dropped of the BBQ for tonight and Colin has just popped down the hill to the local bike shop.
The team camaraderie has begun, Tom Findlay earnt the nickname Nacho and Captain is quickly becoming the Little General.
Tomorrow we roll out of Queenstown and make the drive over to Invercargill.
Shortly l will post a link to all the photos from today.
Adios.
BV

Arrival

2009-10-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

Last night we were all together for the first time as a team. Dinner at Lonestar here in Queenstown. All rocking out in our Team Hoodies and Shirts, its fair to say we were turning some heads.
Prior to dinner we spent the afternoon sorting through the mountains of gear that had arrived from all 4 corners. Cycling Kit, Casual Kit, Merch kit, bikes, spares etc etc. Rick had driven from Auckland to Queenstown in 2 days which included a Grade 5 ferry crossing of the Cook Straight!
The guys had their first leg rub from the legendary Paul Jesson. Paul's an amazing guy with an insane professional cycling past. Stories of 19 day long Vuelta Espana's with no rest days is only the beginning of the pool of peleton experiences.
Today we roll out for a team ride (dressed in black) at 10am, car following, radios running. Captain Scotty is dragging the boys up the Crown Range for a view, more importantly the lead in to the climb. Another Allpress Espresso at Cafe Mondo in Arrowtown before some TTT practice at a very low intensity as we ride back towards the Shotover and Coronet Peak.
This afternoon there could be some very important reporting to be done as we head out to an Inter-BV Championship in Queenstown this afternoon. The boys wanted Clay bird shooting but not sure how the anilalated AC joint will handle the kick of a 12 gauge shot gun???!!! So it might need to be something a little more sedate!
The weather down here has been kick ass, for sure we are enjoying it while it lasts as there is a little concern with some of our more experienced Southland members as it doesnt stay like this for long normally!! Hahaha.. if you didnt laugh you'd cry!

A very excited bunch of guys down here, who are all getting on well. One thing for sure this will be a TEAM!

Wench Colin (yes Wench not Wrench) will be uploading all the photos today for you all to catch a peak at the new kit.

Hasta Luego

Bici Vida

the Site!!!

2009-10-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Click on the image and check out the start of something big!!

Where to start????

2009-10-28T00:22:00.000-07:00

Well lm finally posting again. Thanks to two reasons. 1. I have gained some use back in my right arm (long enough to type) and 2. Coach Gordy told me he's sick of checking for postings to still only find the 5 P's at the top. He thinks you can only read the golden rule of the 5 P's so many times!!

I’m writing from Queenstown where fellow team mate Tom Findlay and l have been here since Wednesday morning. A ride yesterday in the sensational weather (snow and wind) followed by a legendary meal at Lone Star! We woke today to find the snow had fallen down to about 300m but a super clear day was on its way. We headed out under the Remarkables to Jacks Point for a decent little 2 hour ride. Today fellow team mates Scott Wilder and Taylor Gunman have arrived. They are in the middle of setting up their bikes and heading out on the ride Tom and l did on Wednesday. Then Alex Ray, Colin Cornberg (wrench), Paul Jesson (manger) and Rick Ellis (manager) all arrive tomorrow as we get down to business and prep for the trip over to Invercargill on Sunday. Only after a couple of team rides, mini golf championship and Team dinner at a secret location.
Sunday is ride with the Stars and the Power Net Tour of Southland Team presentation before the first day of racing Monday.

It’s exciting to be at this point as the months of work start to fall into place. Everything from team logistics, race plans, car sign writing, new logos and a brand new Cycling kit, sponsor contracts, team merchandise, accommodation and event logistics. Its all been happening and there is a real sense of pride and excitement within the team.
We all can’t wait to put it on the road.

Daily updates, stories, tears and laughs will be posted here with a few extra bits and pieces that we will be releasing.

The teams on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr so follow to all these links from
www.bicivida.com If you have just come from there then WELCOME to Team Bici Vida!!

Until tomorrow……….

Its back to the 5 P's again

2009-10-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

l wrote a lot on the Olympic blog about the 5 P's and now leading into the Power Net Tour of Southland Bici Vida Cycling Team is into it.

Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance

There are so many levels that that this quote is relevant to. Day in day out the guys are committing to their training schedules that have been mapped out for months. Logistical prep towards the race it self, entry's, PR, scheduling. Its all been spread out over the desk for the last few weeks and its pretty exciting to see everything taking form. Even the event organizers themselves have released Team and Riders rosters.
If you havnt done the work then its too late now, and a great tick for the team so far leading into the Tour. Our riders have all been training and competing at great levels, there's excitement around the team getting together for the first time and all the organization that has gone into it. Always pretty good feeling when you can say the 5 P's are currently all in a row and as we get closer to the TTT on the 2nd of November they are left to the side with a tick next to them and the next point of "execution" comes to the front. Something that l feel the team has great capacity to deal with and along the way be part of a great event and be noticed as part of this years Tour.

Updates of the teams lead up will be posted more frequently and you can also follow us all on twitter. Start off with Bicivida and find the guys from there.

Also into the fray is the teams web page which l will keep you updated on.

Enough blah blah and back to road!

Ink Press

2009-10-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Generating media coverage for the Team and Cycling as a professional sport is a large part of our Goals here at Bici Vida.
To start everything off we had some great coverage thanks to Greg Ford at the Sunday Star Times. Click below to a link of the story.
ARTICLE "Back to the Grind"

Auckland Center Champs - Team Bici Vida Gold and Bronze!

2009-10-11T00:40:00.000-07:00

Well the sunny skies rolled out for today's race ensuring a fast paced race on the rolling course. Bici Vida was represented by Alex Ray and Carl Williams. U23 and Seniors were up for 6 laps of the Counties Manukau Circuit totaling 145km and finishing with a nice little (large) dig up the Bombay Hills to the finish.
With Gordy down in Christchurch for the Subway Team Training camp the guys to watch were going to be Mike Northey, Karl Murray and Aaron Strong.
Has been an interesting lead up to the race for myself, with plenty of training and all previous race marked down as learning experiences due to inexperience and learning the art of road racing. So it was about time that all the Km's of training needed to be converted into something markable. For Alex he has just come off the Tour of Tasmania and you could have been forgiven for thinking he had just got off the plane as he made the start line about 30 seconds before we rolled out. Matt Gilbert earnt $100 for betting the Karl would attack out of the blocks and so the first 3 laps were spent with guys up the road searching to light the race up.
However it wasn't until half way through the third lap when the fuel was added to the fire and a series of attacks fired off, some showing good promise due to the rolling course that favoured the bold.
Nick Lovegrove and l initiated a move on the decent leading into the worst climb of the circuit, bridging across to two already up the road. A chase ensued behind and 13km later the majority of the bunch picked us up (minus a few). Now the pace was on as there was a chase group trying to make its way back to the front of the race. This included Alex who made it up and punched straight through. Attacks, crosswinds, and short sharp climbs dominated the race and with 7 riders and 20km to go i decided to play my cards (not before giving Alex the heads up) and launched off on my own before the decent (my weight might as well be good for something!!!!) gaining a good gap after hammering the climb bottom to top. More time on my own until Karl and Alex arrived with under 5km to go shortly followed by Aaron. Now the games began where at times our 4 man race resembled track standing at traffic lights over fast paced road racing, another stab from myself as there was no way l was burning an ounce of momentum for anything!! Cat and mouse continued until Alex made a strong move at the bottom of the final climb forcing Karl to chase, l could only manage to deal with the screaming pain on my legs as l chased, Aaron made it up to them before Alex attacked again, the decisive move that held off to the end. Alex 1st (U23), Karl Murray 2nd/ 1st Senior, Aaron Strong 2nd and Carl 3rd. A tough race and a well deserved step up to form for Alex making all that racing in Aussie pay. For myself this race is dedicated to the GMC Torture Loop, as l rode today as l have been every Wednesday trying to smash the Cr#p out of Gordy the whole way!! Not that he lets me!
Awesome support from my Family, Sjaan, Crue, Ryder, Maria and my Manager/ Feeder Rick.
Team BiciVida with Allpress Espresso has a exciting future shaping up!
Carl

3....2.....1..... Lift off

2009-10-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

BiciVida is ready for Launch! An exciting future lays ahead for the team racing on the domestic roads of New Zealand. Its first objective is of course no other than the Power Net Tour of Southland followed closely by Wattyl Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge.

BiciVida is here to make and impact and right along side us is Allpress Espresso as the teams co-sponsor.

The team for the trip to the South is
Scott Wilder (Road Captain, Chch), Alex Ray (Akl), Taylor Gunman (Akl), Tom Findlay (Plmnth) and Carl Williams (Akl)
Keep an eye out here as rider profiles will be posted.

www.bicivida.com is under construction, in the mean time you can follow the team's preparation and news here and via bicivida @ Twitter

Next on the front... Bici Vida.

The Weekend

2009-09-27T02:25:00.000-07:00

Bici Vida was secretly represented over the weekend at both the Taupo - Napier Road race and the Elite Criterium Nationals in Hastings. A great weekend of top quality racing.
A report from the weekend will be posted here shortly.

2009-09-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

www.tourofsouthland.com

Here we come! Bici Vida next on the front @ the 2009 Tour of Southland!!!

Stand by to find out who will be representing and wearing Bici Vidas NEW race strip in Invercargill this November.