The Coffee Ride #156, with Reece Homfray
MICHAEL Freiberg walked away from cycling as a world and Commonwealth champion in 2012 but five years later he’s back, not only racing but having developed training tool that has been picked up by a WorldTour team.
Cycling
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cycling. Followed categories will be added to My News.
AUSSIE CYCLING FRESHLY BREWED EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING, EXCLUSIVE TO ADVERTISER.COM.AU
FREIBERG RELAUNCHED
MICHAEL Freiberg walked away from cycling in 2012 as a world and Commonwealth champion with no idea when he would be back.
After missing out on selection for the London Olympics, his body needed a break from racing but his mind stayed very much in the game.
Instead of focusing on training and competition, Freiberg put his energy into a business idea to develop a resistance training tool called ‘AIRhub’.
It took three years to design and build and now five years on he has just signed a contract to supply it to WorldTour team Lotto Soudal.
And he is also back racing, and winning, after collecting two stages of the Tour of the King Valley with his new team IsoWhey Sports Swiss Wellness on the weekend.
“I had a solid three years away from the sport — there was about 18 months where I didn’t touch the bike and I got a bit overweight and struggled — but you get back on the bike and get your life in order,” Freiberg said.
“Now it’s all about running the business and just racing where I can.
“I wanted something for training that I could adjust and it would automatically keep my heart rate and power where I wanted it to be.
“I’m pretty mechanically minded and did a bit of stuff like that at school, then I’ve just been lucky to know a few good mechanical engineers.
“We call it on-road resistance training, or mountain training on the flat, it’s automated, integrated resistance.
“So if you pick a heart rate, put it into your phone, the hub will automatically control the resistance so you hold that, you don’t even have to think.
“It will increase the resistance like a headwind or a hill, using magnets inside the hub, without changing gears, if your training partner slows down your resistance increases and heart rate stays the same.
“We’re selling worldwide, we’ve just signed a deal with Lotto Soudal to get the team on them and there are quite a few well-known cyclists who I can’t name who also use the product.”
The 26-year-old is coming off a big weekend at the Tour of the King Valley where he won the criterium and Stage 4 road race with IsoWhey Sports Swiss Wellness.
“I was happy firstly because the team did so well and for myself, I was put in there as the sprinter and was a bit worried because I haven’t won many sprints on the NRS scene before.
“But ACJ (team boss Andrew Christie-Johnson) had faith in me and I managed to pull it off which was pretty cool.”
Freiberg only signed with the team in May after focusing his summer on track nationals where he was part of the WA team that rode a blistering 3:55.9 in the team pursuit.
“The team pursuit was pretty incredible, I reckon at Comm Games next year the boys are going to have an absolute cracker of a time — that track is so fast and brand new as well,” he said.
The 2011 omnium world champion had hoped to fight his way into the national track endurance program for the lead up to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games but it didn’t happen.
“Me and Stephen Hall, even though our team rode a 56 which would have got us third at the Olympics there was no interest to put us on a team camp, but it is what it is, I’ve been knocked around a fair bit so you just get on with it and aim for what you can do.
“So I went to Belgium and won a pro kermesse, which is kind of what every bike rider dreams of.
“Luke Durbridge is basically family now (brother-in-law) so we train over the summer together and talk about the Belgian racing and I said it was something I wanted to go and have a crack at.
“Not to be the slowest classics rider in the family would be a good little goal.”
PORTE ALL BUT OUT OF ROAD WORLDS
RICHIE Porte has returned to training six weeks after his high-speed crash at the Tour de France but is unlikely to be fit for the UCI road world championships next month.
It’s not known whether Porte will be named in Australia’s long squad for the world titles in Norway but it’s understood he has all but ruled himself out of contention for the final cut.
The 32-year-old Tasmanian was left with a broken collarbone and pelvis/hip from his Tour de France crash on July 9 and returned to training a fortnight ago with 2-3 hour recovery rides.
Australia’s team for the road worlds is expected to be led by Porte’s close friend Michael Matthews and as much as Porte would have liked to be there to support him, the September 17-24 event is too soon after his crash.
“Obviously, the collarbone takes a little longer to recover and my elbow flared up a bit but hopefully that’s nothing too serious,” Porte said after returning to training with BMC.
“I’m over the worst of it. Every now and then I still feel some pain in the collarbone and elbow, when I hit a bump in the road for example, but in general my recovery is on track.
“I started back on the trainers two weeks ago and last Monday I went back on the road for the first time.
“I’ve been riding every day and managing a light 2-3 hours, of course I’ve lost a lot of fitness and I’m getting passed on the road but it’s nice to get the encouragement as they go by.
“At this stage I’m still focusing on making a full recovery and we’ll decide down the track whether I race again this year or if a solid block of training is what I need to recover best.”
GOLF DAY FOR WOOLDRIDGE FUND
FRIENDS of the late Stephen Wooldridge have organised a golf day in Sydney as a fundraiser to support a future fund for his two young children.
The track cycling world champion was farewelled at a packed funeral service in Sydney last Friday and a fund has subsequently been set up to support his children in their education.
The golf day will be held at Beverley Park Golf Club, behind the St George Leagues Club in Sydney, on Friday, October 6.
Anyone wanting to get involved should email Phill Bates at pbates@cycleclassic.com.au
LIGGETT & SHERWEN STILL IN THE CHAIR
THEY might have lost their gigs commentating at the Tour de France but legendary cycling voices Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen are set to keep their jobs at the Tour Down Under.
It’s understood the pair will continue their long-standing role of fronting the television coverage for the season-opening WorldTour event in Adelaide which runs from January 14-22.
In further news it’s also believed Liggett has agreed to headline TV coverage of the road and track cycling programs at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
EMOTIONAL FAREWELL TO ‘GARY’, ‘WESTY’, ‘G-DUB’
TRACK cycling coach Gary West was farewelled at a moving funeral service in Adelaide on Monday.
His wife Debbie and Olympic champion Anna Meares both spoke of West’s love for his family and dedication to his sport.
In case you missed it, HERE’S a report from the day which includes Meares’ tearful tribute.
SID THE FIRST QUADRIPLEGIC TO DO HAWAII IRONMAN
TECHNICALLY this isn’t cycling but it’s such an inspirational story it’s impossible not to share.
Victor Harbor man Sid James became a quadriplegic in 1993 while training for his first ironman.
He is now without the use of his arms and legs but in October will live his dream of not only completing an ironman triathlon but doing it at the holy grail of the sport — Hawaii.
It’s thanks to the amazing efforts of Adelaide triathlete Kevin Fergusson, who qualified his own spot to race Hawaii for the fifth time, and then offered to tow, push and carry Sid around the course.
After 12 months of lobbying organisers and training for the event, they finally got clearance last week to be on the start line on October 14. You can read about their journey HERE.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK ...
When considering teams, the development pathway was really important for me because I’m still only riding my second year as an U23.
— Michael Storer after signing with WorldTour team Sunweb.
For 2018 my main goals would be to try grow as a cyclist whilst learning as much as I can, and to try to adapt to the professional style of racing.
— Jai Hindley after becoming the second Aussie to sign with Sunweb in as many days.
The sweltering heat, that suits me, and it’s a great atmosphere out on the roads.
— Vuelta a Espana race leader Chris Froome on the first rest day.
Originally published as The Coffee Ride #156, with Reece Homfray
Aussie’s epic solo escape to claim maiden Grand Tour stage win
Aussie cyclist Luke Plapp held a bottle of bubbly as he revealed the emotional roller coaster of his season so far after taking out his maiden Grand Tour stage win.
Key moments in Rohan Dennis calamity
From an interview with the police on the night his wife Melissa Hoskins died to his first appearance in court, here are the key moments in the Rohan Dennis story.