The Coffee Ride #80, with Reece Homfray
IT’S hard to believe Rachel Neylan began this season without a team, writes Reece Homfray.
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AUSSIE CYCLING FRESHLY BREWED EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING, EXCLUSIVE TO ADVERTISER.COM.AU
NEYLAN’S GAMBLE PAYS OFF
IT’S hard to believe Rachel Neylan began this season without a team.
A world championship silver medallist three years ago, she faced a career-defining decision over summer.
Sign with a smaller continental team in November/December and know she’d at least have a ride somewhere in 2015 or go all-in for the Aussie summer and make it impossible for a bigger team to ignore her.
The 33-year-old likened it to walking into a casino and going for broke.
She was second at the national championships, fourth at Oceanias, first at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and seventh at the Tour of New Zealand and eventually it was Orica-AIS which offered her a deal.
The gamble paid off and last week Neylan continued her sparkling season by winning a stage and the overall at the Trophee d’Or Feminin in France.
“I did what I had to do at the beginning of the season because it was like I went to the casino and put it all on red because I didn’t have a contract,” Neylan told The Coffee Ride last week.
“I had to race my arse off and use nationals and Cadel’s race and Oceanias as a launch pad to get myself a European contract.
“Had I have gotten scared and signed with a small UCI team back in November or December, I wouldn’t be in this position.
“The way that I’ve bookended my season I’m pretty proud of.”
She rode the Giro with Orica-AIS in July and then linked up with the national development team for the Trophee d’Or Feminin which formed part of her preparation for this month’s world championships in the US.
Our faces say it all!! These girls had my back all week, what an incredible feeling to win big together @AusDevTeam!! pic.twitter.com/tfi7mbvxkY
— rachel neylan (@rachneylan) August 26, 2015“One of my strengths is my ability to apply myself in hard training blocks and I had a flawless two-and-a-half weeks (at altitude),” she said.
“I came down to sea level with enough time to do some specific race preparation intensity to really hit this race and target it, it’s a good confidence booster and shows what I can do when I have the time, freedom and flexibility to really target a race.”
Neylan said she models her approach to racing and preparation on superstar Simon Gerrans.
“He’s the king of that,” Neylan said.
“I’ve watched how Simon Gerrans does it and it doesn’t happen by accident, you need to have the foresight, insight and be able to manage your body throughout the season and have peaks and troughs.
“That takes planning, diligence and patience ... and learning from your mistakes and I’ve made plenty of those but I’m getting a lot smarter.”
Neylan rode the GP de Plouay with Orica-AIS on Saturday and today is expected to be named in Australia’s team for the world titles which will be held in Richmond, Virginia.
“Green and gold is obviously a huge motivation for me, it’s why I ride my bike, I’m a championship racer and carving a niche for myself in those types of races — repetitive climbing, races of attrition, big one-day races,” she said.
“I proved that at worlds last year, I had a quiet season after the car accident but I was able to come up and support Tiff (Cromwell) and have a great race.
“That’s definitely something that’s been in my sights all year.”
* Cycling Australia will today announce its men’s, women’s and under-23 teams for the UCI Road World Championships to be held in Richmond, Virginia, the US, from September 19-27.
WOMEN OVERTAKE THE MEN
AUSTRALIA’S female professional cyclists are out-performing the men on UCI rankings.
After the weekend, Australia’s men were ranked seventh in the world compared to the women who are fourth.
Nine Australian women have won international races this season including Rachel Neylan, Gracie Elvin, Katrin Garfoot, Chloe Hosking, Lauren Kitchen, Loren Rowney, Amanda Spratt, Kimberley Wells and Lizzie Williams.
Their success has helped improve Australia’s women’s ranking from ninth this time last year to fourth which will prove crucial in qualifying maximum riders for major events including the Rio Olympics.
TWO AUSSIES IN TWO YEARS PODIUM IN L’AVENIR
IT TOOK 53 years for an Australian to finish on the podium in the Tour de l’Avenir — known as the mini Tour de France.
But now we’ve had two in two years.
After Robert Power’s breakthrough result last year to finish second overall, Jack Haig followed suit last week and also finished runner-up in the week-long stage race.
Riding for Australia’s Jayco-AIS WorldTour Academy team, Haig climbed his way onto the podium with a strong finish to the race, including his second-place finish on Stage 7.
“I am super happy to finish the hard week off strongly,” Haig said.
“I really struggled yesterday on the first climb and thought my tour could be over then. So to pull through and come away with second I am over the moon.
“Everyone played a role and I am super happy to have such great teammates during the race, but also just to live with and train with.”
Power missed the Tour de l’Avenir with a knee injury.
Both he and Haig will join Orica-GreenEDGE as professionals next season.
V8 POWER FOR CYCLISTS AT CLIPSAL
CYCLISTS and V8 Supercars will collide — but in a good way — in Adelaide next year when the Clipsal 500 hosts a bike race at Victoria Park.
The Advertiser can reveal Olympic gold medallist Stuart O’Grady has put his name to a charity event to aid the Asthma Foundation which coincides with motorsport’s biggest weekend.
An invitational field of 50 cyclists, expected to include O’Grady and at least one V8 Supercar driver, will race around the track on the Friday morning of the Clipsal 500.
The Stuart O’Grady Asthma Classic will be a 40-minute criterium and aims to raise $150,000 for children and families affected by the illness.
The idea came after O’Grady, who battled asthma during his career, attended an Asthma Foundation SA golf day.
“We’ll keep it really fun, it’s not about going out and smashing each other but there will probably be a bit of a sprint at the end,” O’Grady said.
“It’s all about raising money and awareness for asthma.”
The six-time Olympian expects riders to get a favourable reception from motorsport fans on the day.
“We all agreed it would be best to do it early on the Friday morning so not to interrupt the program of the day,” O’Grady said.
“The Clipsal 500 guys have been really positive, it’s an opportunity for them to show people that it’s not just about the V8s and in fact, quite a lot of V8 Supercar drivers are quite into their bike riding as well.”
To be eligible to ride in the event, cyclists need to register online and if they’re accepted they must raise at least $3000 for the cause.
The top three fund-raisers will take to the track in a yellow, green and polkadot jersey, as worn by the leaders of the Tour de France.
After the classic, cyclists will have breakfast and enjoy corporate box seating for the day’s racing.
Clipsal 500 director Mark Warren said the event was proud to form a partnership with the Asthma Foundation SA as the event’s official charity partner.
“The Stuart O’Grady Asthma Classic is a wonderful initiative and a once in a lifetime opportunity for fans to race around the Clipsal 500 street circuit on two wheels,” Warren said.
“We’ll be encouraging all Clipsal 500 fans to donate generously to support the amazing work of the Asthma Foundation SA.”
QUOTES OF THE WEEK ...
“Fortunately, my injuries aren’t very serious but can you imagine what would have happened if he had ran over me?”
- Peter Sagan after he was knocked off by a motorbike during Stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana.
“This is by far the happiest day in my career. To beat some of the best sprinters in the world, especially guys like Sagan and Degenkolb on an uphill finish, it really means a lot to me.”
- Caleb Ewan after winning his maiden Grand Tour stage in the Vuelta a Espana last week.
“In the end it was too much to control and it just exploded. It’s almost like putting Mentos into a Coke bottle.”
- Rohan Dennis tells SBS’s cyclingcentral website about using bike riding to channel his frustration.
“When I looked at the video, it wasn’t just a sticky bottle, it seemed like they pretty much towed him up to the group.”
- Tejay van Garderen on Vincenzo Nibali’s free ride from a team car during the Vuelta.
TWEET, TWEET
Nice to see the regime pay off for @jackhaig93 at #TourdelAvenir. Time to let the hair down a little (or cut it off) #hecutsgoodshapestoo
— Campbell Flakemore (@cflakemore) August 29, 2015— Campbell Flakemore congratulates Jack Haig on his performance this week then tells him to get a haircut.
Originally published as The Coffee Ride #80, with Reece Homfray
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