In hindsight, it may have been the wrong time to attack… but then again, who was going to bridge the gap if he didn’t? As Cadel says, “Funny, usually people tell me I don’t attack…”.

Post-race it’s always easy to pull things apart and make declarations about what would have happened if…. but until we can set up some parallel universe and trial all of the options, we’ll never really know. At 5th, Evans was ahead of some big names. (Worth noting too that Simon Gerrans had another good race, finishing 8th.)

And come July we’ll get to see Cadel defend his now traditional 2nd place in Le Tour. He may even attack!

In hindsight, it may have been the wrong time to attack… but then again, who was going to bridge the gap if he didn’t? As Cadel says, “Funny, usually people tell me I don’t attack…”.

Post-race it’s always easy to pull things apart and make declarations about what would have happened if…. but until we can set up some parallel universe and trial all of the options, we’ll never really know. At 5th, Evans was ahead of some big names. (Worth noting too that Simon Gerrans had another good race, finishing 8th.)

And come July we’ll get to see Cadel defend his now traditional 2nd place in Le Tour. He may even attack!

It happened to Grand Tour winner Alberto Contador, and he lost 3 minutes and the race lead in the process. Cyclists call it “bonking”, but “bonking” can mean many things. I’m not going mad – even Lance Armstrong knows what I mean: “Bonked” basically means running out of fuel. Happens to us all.

It’s the point where you simply feel so wasted, so tired, that all form and much forward motion is lost. You aren’t injured, you simply have no energy. Physiologically you can increase your endurance and stave it off, but you still must eat as you ride if you are to avoid it. For me personally it usually happens around the 80-90km mark, but only if I don’t eat. If I eat something – anything – every 25-30km I’m OK.

But I wondered – how did it get this name? So let’s look for clues from a few online sources…

1. First definition – To strike or cause to come into contact It’s close – like ‘hitting the wall’ in marathon running, which is a nice image until you experience it
2. Or perhaps to have sexual intercourse No, I don’t think that’s it – is it? Not on a bike, anyway
3. Paul Beale tentatively connects it to bonk ‘a short, steep hill’ I don’t think so, although short hills become mountains when you have bonked
4. Eric Partridge in his Dictionary of slang (not online, sadly) suggested the same, a short sharp hill, from about 1840. He also suggested that it was circus slang and gave an attribution. Hmmm. No cycling connection, at least not that far back
5. More recently Fergusson, Partridge and Beale dropped the circus slang and the hill reference and went for ‘a resounding hit’ (citing a verbal usage in 1919, and as a noun in 1920). They also agree with sexual intercourse (who wouldn’t?) and eccentric behaviour; and if the former was performed on a bike it would certainly constitute the latter in my book!
6. More pertinently, a sudden attack of fatigue or light-headedness sometimes experienced by racing cyclists and other athletes is spot on, and is dated 1952 – but why a bonk??
7. I felt myself start the unstoppable downward spiral that leads to what we Americans call “bonking” Nice description but I think the English made it up first – but again, where’s the proof?
8. From left field: Bonking is a card game for 4 players that is played with one deck of cards. Everyone plays for themselves. In total 11 rounds are played, in which every round has its own goal. The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible. The player who scores the most points is declared the winner. I haven’t thought of playing this game whilst riding, but it may be possible…
9. And of course: Bonkers “crazy,” 1957, British slang, perhaps from earlier naval slang meaning “slightly drunk” (1948), from notion of a thump on the head. Now we are making some sense.

I think I’ll stop here as I’ve hit the wall on this one. There’s an onomatopoeic (is that how its spelled?) element here, I reckon. My theory being that “bonking” was originally an approximation of the sound of hitting or colliding with something – perhaps even something like a human head! If it was a human head (and it would be a suitably muffled bonking sound, surely?) then it’s possible to acquire a brain injury, which would lead to “bonkers”, or a form of madness, hopefully temporary. In a less drastic fashion it may be more like a wobbly, drunken state, as suggested by the naval slang. From there it’s a short hop to the exhausted, similarly wobbly and slighty incoherent state of the cyclist’s “bonk”.

Thus I blame the British Navy circa 1950 allowing drunken sailors to ride home on shore leave, possibly falling off their bikes and “bonking” themselves silly. Actually I see the other popular definition coming into play as well, with those same sailors involved, but with bikes purely optional!

It happened to Grand Tour winner Alberto Contador, and he lost 3 minutes and the race lead in the process. Cyclists call it “bonking”, but “bonking” can mean many things. I’m not going mad – even Lance Armstrong knows what I mean: “Bonked” basically means running out of fuel. Happens to us all.

It’s the point where you simply feel so wasted, so tired, that all form and much forward motion is lost. You aren’t injured, you simply have no energy. Physiologically you can increase your endurance and stave it off, but you still must eat as you ride if you are to avoid it. For me personally it usually happens around the 80-90km mark, but only if I don’t eat. If I eat something – anything – every 25-30km I’m OK.

But I wondered – how did it get this name? So let’s look for clues from a few online sources…

1. First definition – To strike or cause to come into contact It’s close – like ‘hitting the wall’ in marathon running, which is a nice image until you experience it
2. Or perhaps to have sexual intercourse No, I don’t think that’s it – is it? Not on a bike, anyway
3. Paul Beale tentatively connects it to bonk ‘a short, steep hill’ I don’t think so, although short hills become mountains when you have bonked
4. Eric Partridge in his Dictionary of slang (not online, sadly) suggested the same, a short sharp hill, from about 1840. He also suggested that it was circus slang and gave an attribution. Hmmm. No cycling connection, at least not that far back
5. More recently Fergusson, Partridge and Beale dropped the circus slang and the hill reference and went for ‘a resounding hit’ (citing a verbal usage in 1919, and as a noun in 1920). They also agree with sexual intercourse (who wouldn’t?) and eccentric behaviour; and if the former was performed on a bike it would certainly constitute the latter in my book!
6. More pertinently, a sudden attack of fatigue or light-headedness sometimes experienced by racing cyclists and other athletes is spot on, and is dated 1952 – but why a bonk??
7. I felt myself start the unstoppable downward spiral that leads to what we Americans call “bonking” Nice description but I think the English made it up first – but again, where’s the proof?
8. From left field: Bonking is a card game for 4 players that is played with one deck of cards. Everyone plays for themselves. In total 11 rounds are played, in which every round has its own goal. The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible. The player who scores the most points is declared the winner. I haven’t thought of playing this game whilst riding, but it may be possible…
9. And of course: Bonkers “crazy,” 1957, British slang, perhaps from earlier naval slang meaning “slightly drunk” (1948), from notion of a thump on the head. Now we are making some sense.

I think I’ll stop here as I’ve hit the wall on this one. There’s an onomatopoeic (is that how its spelled?) element here, I reckon. My theory being that “bonking” was originally an approximation of the sound of hitting or colliding with something – perhaps even something like a human head! If it was a human head (and it would be a suitably muffled bonking sound, surely?) then it’s possible to acquire a brain injury, which would lead to “bonkers”, or a form of madness, hopefully temporary. In a less drastic fashion it may be more like a wobbly, drunken state, as suggested by the naval slang. From there it’s a short hop to the exhausted, similarly wobbly and slighty incoherent state of the cyclist’s “bonk”.

Thus I blame the British Navy circa 1950 allowing drunken sailors to ride home on shore leave, possibly falling off their bikes and “bonking” themselves silly. Actually I see the other popular definition coming into play as well, with those same sailors involved, but with bikes purely optional!

Not such a new idea for pro cycling fans as is made out on the Crowdriders site, but a good idea nonetheless that (admittedly) takes the fan-as-owner idea a step further than before, where the crowd will (in theory) manage the pro cycling team as well as provide sponsorship (or capital, if you prefer). That should be interesting – 40,000 people voting on what to do with the cash raised! Basically if enough people get together and raise enough money they’ll sign up riders and start a UCI-registered team. It’s certainly not impossible, but others have tried to crowd-source and failed. Especially tricky will be getting the management side right – balancing the “democracy” that is promised for the crowd against the professional management and governance that is required. What if the majority want to do something crazy, or risky, or just sub-optimal? What if the guy starting this idea off is not the best guy to run the show yet remains at the epicentre just because he, umm, started it? Who will tell him that he’s just one voice and what will he do – change the rules? I guess that will be explored in the fullness of time.

For a previous take on a subscription-based sponsorship of a cycling team, check out David McKenzie and iTeamNova

Not such a new idea for pro cycling fans as is made out on the Crowdriders site, but a good idea nonetheless that (admittedly) takes the fan-as-owner idea a step further than before, where the crowd will (in theory) manage the pro cycling team as well as provide sponsorship (or capital, if you prefer). That should be interesting – 40,000 people voting on what to do with the cash raised! Basically if enough people get together and raise enough money they’ll sign up riders and start a UCI-registered team. It’s certainly not impossible, but others have tried to crowd-source and failed. Especially tricky will be getting the management side right – balancing the “democracy” that is promised for the crowd against the professional management and governance that is required. What if the majority want to do something crazy, or risky, or just sub-optimal? What if the guy starting this idea off is not the best guy to run the show yet remains at the epicentre just because he, umm, started it? Who will tell him that he’s just one voice and what will he do – change the rules? I guess that will be explored in the fullness of time.

For a previous take on a subscription-based sponsorship of a cycling team, check out David McKenzie and iTeamNova

I’ll miss a few I’m sure, but for the record here’s my first take on a list of Sydney’s race tracks, especially focused on those that hosted races of the wheeled variety but also ponies and horses, greyhounds or whatever springs to mind… in no particular order!

1. Sydney Sports ground – pushbikes (ie real bikes) raced here on a large, shallowly banked outdoor velodrome until about WW2; also speedway cars and motorbikes after that date (until noise complaints outnumbered followers of the sport, who moved west to…
2. Liverpool Speedway - from 1967 to 1985, a banked dolomite surface; pretty much a short dirt oval track for car and motorbike racing, out Casula way
3. Liverpool Collingwood racecourss – circa 1832 the Sydney Turf Club opened a course near Liverpool, probably the one referred to elsewhere as the Collingwood racecourse, used until 1900
4. Liverpool Woodlands racecourse – circa 1890s the Liverpool Turf Club had been formed and was holding races at a course near O’Brien Parade off Orange Grove Road. By 1892 this venture was known as the Liverpool Horse and Galloway Racing Club
5. Centennial Park - a great training Mecca for cyclists, used for road cycle racing on a variety of circuits over the years, it featured also in the 2000 Olympics with both road cycling and the individual road time trial
6. Parramatta Park, another excellent road course for cycle racing, was also used for car racing in the 1950s, until common sense presumably prevailed
7. Henson Park, Marrickville – an old quarry converted into a large outdoor velodrome around 1930, regularly hosting 30,000 spectators on a Saturday night. Replaced in the early 1970s with a steeply-sided (45 degree, 250m) concrete velodrome at…
8. Camperdown, built in or around 1970 in an old quarry/tip, now residential, semi-replaced (how could it truly be replaced?) by…
9. Tempe Velodrome, a 330m concrete track for track racing, built around 1983 in twinship with the Chandler velodrome in Brisbane to replace…
10. Wiley Park, a decent sort of banked bike track that fell victim to road widening (King George’s Rd) in the early 1980s. Remnant banking still exists. But all of these velodromes are overshadowed by the…
11. Dunc Gray Olympic Indoor Velodrome, Bass Hill, a timber track purpose built for the 2000 Olympics
12. Complete with a criterium track next door, added post-Olympics. Just a shame it’s in Bass Hill (no offence meant, it’s just plain hard to get a crowd there)
13. Not too far away is Hurstville Oval, a well-maintained saucer-type velodrome for track-bike racing that quaintly encircles a cricket pitch
14. Several criterium tracks also exist in Hurstville, notably one around Oatley Park (used by St George club for many years)
15. and the purpose-built tracks in Kempt Field
16. and Olds Park, both used for the sadly-defunct Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic
17. Not far away from Hurstville is another purpose-built criterium track for bike racing at Waratah Park, Sutherland, used by the Sutherland Cycling Club. Watch out for the big dipper on the long circuit, it’s a hairy turn at the bottom
18. And yet another excellent crit track exists at Lansdowne Park, near Bankstown, a fast and twisty track with a steepish rise to the downhill finish
19. Merrylands Oval, a slightly-less-picturesque but functional saucer velodrome that was home for the McGee brothers for many years
20. Lidcombe Oval, even-less-picturesque saucer velodrome with a sharper than expected left turn after the finish
21. Blacktown Oval – a crit course for bicycle racing with a big tree to dodge on the left and a short and hard-braking area immediately after the sprint. If you don’t brake hard you end up in the street
22. Bondi promenade, yes that Bondi, was used as a bicycle racing venue (from the 1940s, or earlier?) until increasing traffic pushed the racing out to Bunnerong Road in the 1960s, until finally a dedicated circuit was built in the 1970s at…
23. Heffron Park, Maroubra. An old military base complete with Nissen huts and long strips of hardstanding concrete (said to be for tanks), Heffron is spiritual home to the Randwick Botany Club
24. There’s also an Olympic rowing course at Penrith with an access road that’s now used for road racing and time trials
25. And an Olympic Mountain bike course at Fairfield
26. Moving back east, there’s Randwick racecourse – horses, rock bands and more recently the Pope (who obviously doesn’t mind the horse racing and betting connection). Noteworthy for the massive multi-platform tram station (now sadly a car park)
27. Victoria Park, Zetland – ponies, probably cars as well. Then it became a Nuffield (later Leyland) car factory, Naval stores and finally a residential development
28. Ascot – at Mascot. In the far northeastern corner of today’s Sydney Airport it was a pony race track with tram access (a balloon loop). Not much remains to be seen
29. Warwick Farm – horses (still) and previously cars (until maybe the late 70s? I did a driver training course there in about 1978 on just a segment of the track – ‘creek corner’ – it was seriously narrow with plenty of trees and the aforementioned creek to miss- or hit!). William Long circa early 1880s bought J.H Stroud’s ‘Warwick park’ grant north and east of Liverpool and by 1884 had also developed his property across the river, building stables and tracks there. He called this estate ‘Chipping Norton’. In 1922 the racecourse was sold to the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and in 1923 it was closed for redevelopment. The new Warwick Farm course opened 2 years later. A spur line off the main rail line led directly to the racecourse, being subsequently electrified in 1929
30. Campbellfield estate, Campbelltown, along Bow Bowing Creek; circa 1840s. The Campbelltown Turf Club leased 60 acres (24ha) from a John Keighran for a racecourse
31. Narellan – a racecourse was built at Studley Park, Narellan and meetings were regularly held there in the 1890s. Accessible by train to Campbelltown and then by steam tram to Narellan (a long closed line, however embankments remain)
32. Menangle Park – south of Campbelltown, a horse racing track in use since the 1870s. Railway sidings were built to bring people to the track
33. Rosehill racecourse, near Parramatta – horse racing, interesting for its access via a wharf on the Parramatta River and a steam tram from there to Parramatta itself. The steam trams also ran from Parramatta up to Castle Hill. The first race meeting in Parramatta was held in 1810. In 1885 Rosehill Racecourse itself was built on what had been John Macarthur’s estate
34. Rosebery – just off Gardeners Road,bordered by Florence Ave, a pony training track. Not much left, it became housing in the 1960s. Plenty of sand hills and lakes in this area, and the trams went right past. In fact the tramways used an area nearby to source sand and gravel for track laying
35. Kensington – right next door to Randwick on High Street, just off Anzac Parade with plentiful tram access; now part of the Uinversity of NSW. At least one old building is still standing and was used to house ‘the Old Tote’ theatre company for a while, and NIDA
36. Kogarah – pony track, corner of President Ave and Princes Highway, now a TAFE College; served by steam tram of course
37. Sydney Sports Arena, Surry Hills – a steeply-sided wooden velodrome in the area of Devonshire Street (a mural exists depicting this, off Elizabeth Street). Moved to Canterbury
38. Canterbury racecourse – still a horse racing track, the south-eastern corner housed the old indoor timber Sydney Sports Arena velodrome for bike races (which was moved holus-bolus from Surry Hills in the 1950s). Watch the splinters!
39. Maroubra – the Olympia motor racing oval – in the general area of Mons Ave, served by trams. Site was chosen for its remoteness, in the sandhills overlooking the beach and was sadly quite deadly with the occasional car flung out of the track, launched into mid air…
40. Belmore Park, Penrith – Circa 1920s Belmore Park was used as the Penrith Speedway, a dirt track, one mile in circumference. Both car and motor cycle races were held
    
41. Marsden Park – a disused WWII airstrip put to good if brief use as a car racing facility in the early 50s
42. Pitt Town, near Windsor – another old WWII airstrip put to limited use for motor racing in the 50s
43. Schofields, near Blacktown – a disused RAAF aerodrome (3 intersecting runways!) that was used for motor sport from about 1950 until ’59, when the airstrip was reactivated as a Naval Air Station. Being so close to Richmond RAAF base was a problem (as a trainee pilot I did touch-and-goes here in the early/mid 70s – it was v. easy to stray into the RAAF prohibited zone and get a verbal caning!). The aerodrome was deactivated once more in the late 1970s with a fence put across the main runway, stranding a DC-3 in situ. Sadly now used for housing… (the land, not the DC-3)
44. and Mt Druitt – yet another old airstrip converted and connected to access roads to form a makeshift (and potholed) racetrack for cars. Closed in the late 50s, it got more use than other disused airfields – but now gone
45. Castlereagh – possibly another airstrip (confirmation, anyone?) converted to dragstrip and closed with the advent of Eastern Creek
46. Catalina Park, complete with PBY-5A Catalina Flying boat in a lake, was a car racing circuit at Katoomba, 100km west of Sydney during the 1960s. It got a reprieve via Rallycross in the 70s and continued with occasional car club use (lap dashes mostly) until “final” closure in the 90s due to growing noise complaints and the fact that it is an incompatible use (being in a national park and draining into Sydney’s water supply as it does). It still exists however and is mostly complete – but the Catalina itself is long gone
47. Amaroo Park, Annangrove: a twisty, hilly car racing circuit opened in the 60s, closed in the 90s. Noise problems again. Now housing
48. Oran Park, Narellan: a combination of 2 tracks (north and south) that could be combined to form a single, scary-fast “GP” circuit. Will close in 2008 and become (yawn) housing
49. Eastern Creek, a “new” track in western Sydney that comprises a car circuit and a dragstrip. The circuit itself and connecting roads and car parks are also used for bicycle racing
50. Moving back towards the coast, there are 2 historically interesting venues – firstly Wentworth Park, Ultimo, a multisport park complete with a railway viaduct through the middle. Greyhounds, trotting, pacers – I have no idea really. Something to do with horses and dogs, I believe, with bets placed
51. And Harold Park at Glebe with much the same mix of animals raced around an oval of sorts nestled up against the old Rozelle Tram depot. There must be a good reason to house seemingly similar venues so close together but I haven’t explored why it is so… yet
52. I’m sure I’ve missed a few… insert them here!

I’ll miss a few I’m sure, but for the record here’s my first take on a list of Sydney’s race tracks, especially focused on those that hosted races of the wheeled variety but also ponies and horses, greyhounds or whatever springs to mind… in no particular order!

1. Sydney Sports ground – pushbikes (ie real bikes) raced here on a large, shallowly banked outdoor velodrome until about WW2; also speedway cars and motorbikes after that date (until noise complaints outnumbered followers of the sport, who moved west to…
2. Liverpool Speedway - from 1967 to 1985, a banked dolomite surface; pretty much a short dirt oval track for car and motorbike racing, out Casula way
3. Liverpool Collingwood racecourss – circa 1832 the Sydney Turf Club opened a course near Liverpool, probably the one referred to elsewhere as the Collingwood racecourse, used until 1900
4. Liverpool Woodlands racecourse – circa 1890s the Liverpool Turf Club had been formed and was holding races at a course near O’Brien Parade off Orange Grove Road. By 1892 this venture was known as the Liverpool Horse and Galloway Racing Club
5. Centennial Park - a great training Mecca for cyclists, used for road cycle racing on a variety of circuits over the years, it featured also in the 2000 Olympics with both road cycling and the individual road time trial
6. Parramatta Park, another excellent road course for cycle racing, was also used for car racing in the 1950s, until common sense presumably prevailed
7. Henson Park, Marrickville – an old quarry converted into a large outdoor velodrome around 1930, regularly hosting 30,000 spectators on a Saturday night. Replaced in the early 1970s with a steeply-sided (45 degree, 250m) concrete velodrome at…
8. Camperdown, built in or around 1970 in an old quarry/tip, now residential, semi-replaced (how could it truly be replaced?) by…
9. Tempe Velodrome, a 330m concrete track for track racing, built around 1983 in twinship with the Chandler velodrome in Brisbane to replace…
10. Wiley Park, a decent sort of banked bike track that fell victim to road widening (King George’s Rd) in the early 1980s. Remnant banking still exists. But all of these velodromes are overshadowed by the…
11. Dunc Gray Olympic Indoor Velodrome, Bass Hill, a timber track purpose built for the 2000 Olympics
12. Complete with a criterium track next door, added post-Olympics. Just a shame it’s in Bass Hill (no offence meant, it’s just plain hard to get a crowd there)
13. Not too far away is Hurstville Oval, a well-maintained saucer-type velodrome for track-bike racing that quaintly encircles a cricket pitch
14. Several criterium tracks also exist in Hurstville, notably one around Oatley Park (used by St George club for many years)
15. and the purpose-built tracks in Kempt Field
16. and Olds Park, both used for the sadly-defunct Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic
17. Not far away from Hurstville is another purpose-built criterium track for bike racing at Waratah Park, Sutherland, used by the Sutherland Cycling Club. Watch out for the big dipper on the long circuit, it’s a hairy turn at the bottom
18. And yet another excellent crit track exists at Lansdowne Park, near Bankstown, a fast and twisty track with a steepish rise to the downhill finish
19. Merrylands Oval, a slightly-less-picturesque but functional saucer velodrome that was home for the McGee brothers for many years
20. Lidcombe Oval, even-less-picturesque saucer velodrome with a sharper than expected left turn after the finish
21. Blacktown Oval – a crit course for bicycle racing with a big tree to dodge on the left and a short and hard-braking area immediately after the sprint. If you don’t brake hard you end up in the street
22. Bondi promenade, yes that Bondi, was used as a bicycle racing venue (from the 1940s, or earlier?) until increasing traffic pushed the racing out to Bunnerong Road in the 1960s, until finally a dedicated circuit was built in the 1970s at…
23. Heffron Park, Maroubra. An old military base complete with Nissen huts and long strips of hardstanding concrete (said to be for tanks), Heffron is spiritual home to the Randwick Botany Club
24. There’s also an Olympic rowing course at Penrith with an access road that’s now used for road racing and time trials
25. And an Olympic Mountain bike course at Fairfield
26. Moving back east, there’s Randwick racecourse – horses, rock bands and more recently the Pope (who obviously doesn’t mind the horse racing and betting connection). Noteworthy for the massive multi-platform tram station (now sadly a car park)
27. Victoria Park, Zetland – ponies, probably cars as well. Then it became a Nuffield (later Leyland) car factory, Naval stores and finally a residential development
28. Ascot – at Mascot. In the far northeastern corner of today’s Sydney Airport it was a pony race track with tram access (a balloon loop). Not much remains to be seen
29. Warwick Farm – horses (still) and previously cars (until maybe the late 70s? I did a driver training course there in about 1978 on just a segment of the track – ‘creek corner’ – it was seriously narrow with plenty of trees and the aforementioned creek to miss- or hit!). William Long circa early 1880s bought J.H Stroud’s ‘Warwick park’ grant north and east of Liverpool and by 1884 had also developed his property across the river, building stables and tracks there. He called this estate ‘Chipping Norton’. In 1922 the racecourse was sold to the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and in 1923 it was closed for redevelopment. The new Warwick Farm course opened 2 years later. A spur line off the main rail line led directly to the racecourse, being subsequently electrified in 1929
30. Campbellfield estate, Campbelltown, along Bow Bowing Creek; circa 1840s. The Campbelltown Turf Club leased 60 acres (24ha) from a John Keighran for a racecourse
31. Narellan – a racecourse was built at Studley Park, Narellan and meetings were regularly held there in the 1890s. Accessible by train to Campbelltown and then by steam tram to Narellan (a long closed line, however embankments remain)
32. Menangle Park – south of Campbelltown, a horse racing track in use since the 1870s. Railway sidings were built to bring people to the track
33. Rosehill racecourse, near Parramatta – horse racing, interesting for its access via a wharf on the Parramatta River and a steam tram from there to Parramatta itself. The steam trams also ran from Parramatta up to Castle Hill. The first race meeting in Parramatta was held in 1810. In 1885 Rosehill Racecourse itself was built on what had been John Macarthur’s estate
34. Rosebery – just off Gardeners Road,bordered by Florence Ave, a pony training track. Not much left, it became housing in the 1960s. Plenty of sand hills and lakes in this area, and the trams went right past. In fact the tramways used an area nearby to source sand and gravel for track laying
35. Kensington – right next door to Randwick on High Street, just off Anzac Parade with plentiful tram access; now part of the Uinversity of NSW. At least one old building is still standing and was used to house ‘the Old Tote’ theatre company for a while, and NIDA
36. Kogarah – pony track, corner of President Ave and Princes Highway, now a TAFE College; served by steam tram of course
37. Sydney Sports Arena, Surry Hills – a steeply-sided wooden velodrome in the area of Devonshire Street (a mural exists depicting this, off Elizabeth Street). Moved to Canterbury
38. Canterbury racecourse – still a horse racing track, the south-eastern corner housed the old indoor timber Sydney Sports Arena velodrome for bike races (which was moved holus-bolus from Surry Hills in the 1950s). Watch the splinters!
39. Maroubra – the Olympia motor racing oval – in the general area of Mons Ave, served by trams. Site was chosen for its remoteness, in the sandhills overlooking the beach and was sadly quite deadly with the occasional car flung out of the track, launched into mid air…
40. Belmore Park, Penrith – Circa 1920s Belmore Park was used as the Penrith Speedway, a dirt track, one mile in circumference. Both car and motor cycle races were held
    
41. Marsden Park – a disused WWII airstrip put to good if brief use as a car racing facility in the early 50s
42. Pitt Town, near Windsor – another old WWII airstrip put to limited use for motor racing in the 50s
43. Schofields, near Blacktown – a disused RAAF aerodrome (3 intersecting runways!) that was used for motor sport from about 1950 until ’59, when the airstrip was reactivated as a Naval Air Station. Being so close to Richmond RAAF base was a problem (as a trainee pilot I did touch-and-goes here in the early/mid 70s – it was v. easy to stray into the RAAF prohibited zone and get a verbal caning!). The aerodrome was deactivated once more in the late 1970s with a fence put across the main runway, stranding a DC-3 in situ. Sadly now used for housing… (the land, not the DC-3)
44. and Mt Druitt – yet another old airstrip converted and connected to access roads to form a makeshift (and potholed) racetrack for cars. Closed in the late 50s, it got more use than other disused airfields – but now gone
45. Castlereagh – possibly another airstrip (confirmation, anyone?) converted to dragstrip and closed with the advent of Eastern Creek
46. Catalina Park, complete with PBY-5A Catalina Flying boat in a lake, was a car racing circuit at Katoomba, 100km west of Sydney during the 1960s. It got a reprieve via Rallycross in the 70s and continued with occasional car club use (lap dashes mostly) until “final” closure in the 90s due to growing noise complaints and the fact that it is an incompatible use (being in a national park and draining into Sydney’s water supply as it does). It still exists however and is mostly complete – but the Catalina itself is long gone
47. Amaroo Park, Annangrove: a twisty, hilly car racing circuit opened in the 60s, closed in the 90s. Noise problems again. Now housing
48. Oran Park, Narellan: a combination of 2 tracks (north and south) that could be combined to form a single, scary-fast “GP” circuit. Will close in 2008 and become (yawn) housing
49. Eastern Creek, a “new” track in western Sydney that comprises a car circuit and a dragstrip. The circuit itself and connecting roads and car parks are also used for bicycle racing
50. Moving back towards the coast, there are 2 historically interesting venues – firstly Wentworth Park, Ultimo, a multisport park complete with a railway viaduct through the middle. Greyhounds, trotting, pacers – I have no idea really. Something to do with horses and dogs, I believe, with bets placed
51. And Harold Park at Glebe with much the same mix of animals raced around an oval of sorts nestled up against the old Rozelle Tram depot. There must be a good reason to house seemingly similar venues so close together but I haven’t explored why it is so… yet
52. I’m sure I’ve missed a few… insert them here!

Go London. Frankly, whilst I love cars I’m realistic enough to realise that they take up too much space and are out of step and scale with both the people they are meant to serve and the environment we live in. There should be a better balance struck between the use of private cars and the alternatives, like public transport, walking and cycling. For our health and well being if not for the planet’s survival we have to act soon to reclaim the streets for people, not over-subsidised, over-weight machines. (And yes, we subsidise car production, distribution and use to an enormous extent, far more so than for any other manufactured good. If you think that’s not so, try reducing the subsidies and protections for car manufacturing, petrol refining or road building and see who squeals – you’ll find a lot of people are addicted to the free cash we dole out to the car industry in the name of “freedom to move”. So ‘Go London!’
The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said: “The aim of this programme is nothing short of a cycling and walking transformation in London. We will spend something like £500 million over the next decade on cycling – the biggest investment in cycling in London’s history, which will mean that thousands more Londoners can cycle in confidence, on routes that take them quickly and safely to where they want to go. “The cycle hire scheme in Paris has proved a huge success, and I have now instructed Transport for London to work with the London boroughs and interested parties to develop and implement a bike hire scheme in central London, accessible to all Londoners. By ensuring that Londoners have easy access to bikes in the centre of the capital, as well as making our city a safer and more enjoyable place to cycle, we will build upon London’s leading position as the only major world city to have achieved a switch from private car use to public transport, cycling and walking.

Go London. Frankly, whilst I love cars I’m realistic enough to realise that they take up too much space and are out of step and scale with both the people they are meant to serve and the environment we live in. There should be a better balance struck between the use of private cars and the alternatives, like public transport, walking and cycling. For our health and well being if not for the planet’s survival we have to act soon to reclaim the streets for people, not over-subsidised, over-weight machines. (And yes, we subsidise car production, distribution and use to an enormous extent, far more so than for any other manufactured good. If you think that’s not so, try reducing the subsidies and protections for car manufacturing, petrol refining or road building and see who squeals – you’ll find a lot of people are addicted to the free cash we dole out to the car industry in the name of “freedom to move”. So ‘Go London!’
The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said: “The aim of this programme is nothing short of a cycling and walking transformation in London. We will spend something like £500 million over the next decade on cycling – the biggest investment in cycling in London’s history, which will mean that thousands more Londoners can cycle in confidence, on routes that take them quickly and safely to where they want to go. “The cycle hire scheme in Paris has proved a huge success, and I have now instructed Transport for London to work with the London boroughs and interested parties to develop and implement a bike hire scheme in central London, accessible to all Londoners. By ensuring that Londoners have easy access to bikes in the centre of the capital, as well as making our city a safer and more enjoyable place to cycle, we will build upon London’s leading position as the only major world city to have achieved a switch from private car use to public transport, cycling and walking.

We all know the story. That testosterone gel that we all have in our cupboards at home is just so easy to apply, so smooth and sweet on the skin that we almost forget it’s a banned substance as we smear it on.

Why? Because we are really good bike riders anyway and all we need today is a bit of a lift, a bit like caffeine or Salbutamol really. Everyone does it, don’t they?
Why? Well, it’s more of a placebo than anything but it seems to improve recovery. I think.
Why? Because I want to take a risk. I’m a cyclist, we are all risk-takers.
Why? Because I feel like coming clean in public after getting caught. It’s good for the soul.
Why? Because I feel like a bit of a break from cycling, y’know. A long break.

Once more, from Cyclingnews:
Sinkewitz’ home searched The German Bundeskartelamt (federal police) searched Patrik Sinkewitz’ apartment in Künzell, Germany, on Thursday, The search was connected to the BKA’s investigation of the German cyclist for “fraud or damages against his contract partners”, and is unrelated to his positive testosterone doping test. Both the BKA and Sinkewitz’ attorney Michael Lehner confirmed the search. It was a routine matter, Lehner told the press agency dpa. “Herr Sinkewitz has nothing to hide and will answer all questions posed to him.” A spokesman for the BKA said that it was acting on behalf of prosecutors in Bonn. It is alleged that the former T-Mobile rider used medications for doping purposes and in so doing would have “defrauded and damaged” business partners such as sponsors and sporting event organisers.

We all know the story. That testosterone gel that we all have in our cupboards at home is just so easy to apply, so smooth and sweet on the skin that we almost forget it’s a banned substance as we smear it on.

Why? Because we are really good bike riders anyway and all we need today is a bit of a lift, a bit like caffeine or Salbutamol really. Everyone does it, don’t they?
Why? Well, it’s more of a placebo than anything but it seems to improve recovery. I think.
Why? Because I want to take a risk. I’m a cyclist, we are all risk-takers.
Why? Because I feel like coming clean in public after getting caught. It’s good for the soul.
Why? Because I feel like a bit of a break from cycling, y’know. A long break.

Once more, from Cyclingnews:
Sinkewitz’ home searched The German Bundeskartelamt (federal police) searched Patrik Sinkewitz’ apartment in Künzell, Germany, on Thursday, The search was connected to the BKA’s investigation of the German cyclist for “fraud or damages against his contract partners”, and is unrelated to his positive testosterone doping test. Both the BKA and Sinkewitz’ attorney Michael Lehner confirmed the search. It was a routine matter, Lehner told the press agency dpa. “Herr Sinkewitz has nothing to hide and will answer all questions posed to him.” A spokesman for the BKA said that it was acting on behalf of prosecutors in Bonn. It is alleged that the former T-Mobile rider used medications for doping purposes and in so doing would have “defrauded and damaged” business partners such as sponsors and sporting event organisers.

Almost sorry to put Alessandro here, but he did fail a doping test – for Salbutamol – despite having a medical release registered with the UCI that allows him to use it legitimately. The problem is the quantity. Does it remind you at all of the old caffeine chestnut? Yes, caffeine wakes you up and gets you going, and it even mobilises fat use; but should we ban it outright at any level of use? What about coffee addicts? Aren’t we human after all? Just insert “salbutamol” for “caffeine” and ask the same questions. Well, OK, we aren’t all coffee drinkers – or asthmatics. And there do seem to be a lot of “puffers” out at the start of bike races though, eh?

Again from Cyclingnews.com:
CONI appeal on Petacchi set Alessandro Petacchi may return to competition this week, but he’s not out of hot water yet. While the Italian cycling federation cleared the Milram man on charges stemming from a ‘non-negative’ doping control from the Giro d’Italia, the decision was appealed by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) which wants to see a one year ban. The date for the appeal has been set for August 11 according to the Italian federation. Petacchi was left off his team’s roster for the Tour de France, and spent the month instead awaiting a decision by the antidoping authorities on punishment for a urine test which showed he had more than the allowable amount of the asthma drug Salbutamol in his system during the Giro d’Italia. The rider claimed that he had simply used too much of his asthma inhaler.

Almost sorry to put Alessandro here, but he did fail a doping test – for Salbutamol – despite having a medical release registered with the UCI that allows him to use it legitimately. The problem is the quantity. Does it remind you at all of the old caffeine chestnut? Yes, caffeine wakes you up and gets you going, and it even mobilises fat use; but should we ban it outright at any level of use? What about coffee addicts? Aren’t we human after all? Just insert “salbutamol” for “caffeine” and ask the same questions. Well, OK, we aren’t all coffee drinkers – or asthmatics. And there do seem to be a lot of “puffers” out at the start of bike races though, eh?

Again from Cyclingnews.com:
CONI appeal on Petacchi set Alessandro Petacchi may return to competition this week, but he’s not out of hot water yet. While the Italian cycling federation cleared the Milram man on charges stemming from a ‘non-negative’ doping control from the Giro d’Italia, the decision was appealed by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) which wants to see a one year ban. The date for the appeal has been set for August 11 according to the Italian federation. Petacchi was left off his team’s roster for the Tour de France, and spent the month instead awaiting a decision by the antidoping authorities on punishment for a urine test which showed he had more than the allowable amount of the asthma drug Salbutamol in his system during the Giro d’Italia. The rider claimed that he had simply used too much of his asthma inhaler.

From Cyclingnews.com…
Luca Ascani positive for EPO The reigning Italian time trial champion Luca Ascani (Aurum Hotels) was suspended by his team following news that the rider had tested positive for EPO. The 24 year-old tested positive following his championship ride, according to the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), the country’s antidoping agency. His team suspended him pending the outcome of the hearing on his case. Ascani thus becomes the next in a long line of recent doping positives including Saunier Duval’s Iban Mayo, Astana’s Alexander Vinokourov and Matthias Kessler, T-Mobile’s Patrik Sinkewitz, and fellow Italian Cristian Moreni (Cofidis).

From Cyclingnews.com…
Luca Ascani positive for EPO The reigning Italian time trial champion Luca Ascani (Aurum Hotels) was suspended by his team following news that the rider had tested positive for EPO. The 24 year-old tested positive following his championship ride, according to the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), the country’s antidoping agency. His team suspended him pending the outcome of the hearing on his case. Ascani thus becomes the next in a long line of recent doping positives including Saunier Duval’s Iban Mayo, Astana’s Alexander Vinokourov and Matthias Kessler, T-Mobile’s Patrik Sinkewitz, and fellow Italian Cristian Moreni (Cofidis).

Well the abecedarian insult is no more. Instead I will dump my dope about doping here to cut the clutter in my cycling blogs. Well, that’s the theory, anyway.

Well the abecedarian insult is no more. Instead I will dump my dope about doping here to cut the clutter in my cycling blogs. Well, that’s the theory, anyway.

I do understand why they do it, I really do. It’s simply human nature to cheat. We cheat ourselves, our families, our friends, usually to gain some advantage or to simply prove ourselves. Sometimes with real consequences, sometimes not. If you know as an athlete that you can achieve great things, know it in your heart, yet fail to deliver on the day(s) in question – be it because of poor judgement, tactics, illness or injury – you are left with a lot of ‘what-ifs’. If you are open to temptation, if the EPO or other enhancing substance is available, you have a choice. And choice is what it is all about, and where we become much more black and white, good or evil about these things. Iban Mayo appears to have chosen EPO to gain, or perhaps regain, what he displayed in the Tour. He looked reborn as a rider, best he’d been in years. And now we may know why.

Vinokourov faced the same pressure, but worse; that of a favourite in possibly his last shot at the title. What if he couldn’t deliver? What if he injured? What happens then?

And Rasmussen? Well he didn’t test positive, he just don’t look or sound honest. Or perhaps we don’t know the full story? We do know he chose to train away from the spotlight and to appear to prevaricate over his location. This is not illegal, and is our perception only. He wasn’t proven to have cheated, and he continues to deny it.

I do understand why they do it, I really do. It’s simply human nature to cheat. We cheat ourselves, our families, our friends, usually to gain some advantage or to simply prove ourselves. Sometimes with real consequences, sometimes not. If you know as an athlete that you can achieve great things, know it in your heart, yet fail to deliver on the day(s) in question – be it because of poor judgement, tactics, illness or injury – you are left with a lot of ‘what-ifs’. If you are open to temptation, if the EPO or other enhancing substance is available, you have a choice. And choice is what it is all about, and where we become much more black and white, good or evil about these things. Iban Mayo appears to have chosen EPO to gain, or perhaps regain, what he displayed in the Tour. He looked reborn as a rider, best he’d been in years. And now we may know why.

Vinokourov faced the same pressure, but worse; that of a favourite in possibly his last shot at the title. What if he couldn’t deliver? What if he injured? What happens then?

And Rasmussen? Well he didn’t test positive, he just don’t look or sound honest. Or perhaps we don’t know the full story? We do know he chose to train away from the spotlight and to appear to prevaricate over his location. This is not illegal, and is our perception only. He wasn’t proven to have cheated, and he continues to deny it.

A great place to start… Machinehead Software. Power calculator is here but there’s lots of great stuff.

This looks interesting… a running-based anaerobic sprint test... not exactly cycling but interesting, and a useful way to calculate power over a 35m run… annoying yellow advert takes the eye, too. Uuuugh. Aaahh but it links to this Wingate test… all is not lost. Not a bad site, actually, full of info. Like this chart on “Percentile norms for Relative Peak Power for active young adults” – especially interesting, if you happen to have a power meter handy! An average sort of club racer, IMHO, would fall into the 90th percentile, surely? Having said that I’m neither young nor average (who is?) and I go right off the scale… remembering this is PEAK power, not sustained… and I’m not particularly overweight (nor skinny).

Maud, P.J., and Schultz B.B: 1989

And this…“Percentile norms for Peak Power for active young adults” is :

Maud, P.J., and Schultz B.B: 1989

Looks like they surveyed some pretty average active people… perhaps non cyclists?

How about the Human Powered Vehicle association? Or look at this technical exercise in analysing the forces at work on a bike. Or this interesting exercise by FLAcyclist in comparing the power required to overcome a hilly bike course vs a less hilly but longer one… and Analytic Cycling is a treasure trove that will have you staring at the computer for hours… STOP IT! Go outside and ride!

Still here? Ok, how about Aerodynamics for cycling? If you are getting into the maths, try this Human Power eJournal for size. And last but not least the informative guys at CyclingPeaks software discuss reading and comparing power outputs at different durations.

Cycling and data. Well I was hooked on bike data long ago – firstly by writing down how far I rode, then how long it took… which gave me an average speed. Then I collected more detailed data on max speed, then heart rate and finally power output. It just gets better and better (the data collection, not the output). Here’s a reassuring story I found in the NYT about similar obsessive behaviour.

SMART. Let me think… without looking it up… Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Repeatable and Timely (or something like that!!). Goals should be something valuable to you – an achievement, but not so easy as to be almost worthless, and not so hard that you never get there! Goals should also be measurable, although how you do that is up to you (quantifiable. My goal here is to write about goal setting, and I measure that by successfully posting… but that doesn’t mean that my post is relevant or useful.

Anyway, in cycling terms it’s a bit easier – or more explicable. I’m in the (sob!) Masters 5 category now so I can look up the world masters records and see how close I get. Hmmm. 50-54 year age group, 500m in … yikes! I’ve a bit of work ahead of me!

Here’s a useful track resource, by the way: Fixed Gear Fever.

Phil Thuaux is doing well after getting in those miles at the Tour of Siam…

Men 4000m Individual Pursuit – Final

Gold & Silver Medals
1 Phillip Thuaux 4.24.955
2 Zakkari Dempster 4.30.070

Bronze Medal
3 Cameron Meyer 4.29.691
4 Michael Ford 4.30.686

Phil set a PB of 4.23.555 (54.64 km/h) in qualifying.

Phil Thuaux is doing well after getting in those miles at the Tour of Siam…

Men 4000m Individual Pursuit – Final

Gold & Silver Medals
1 Phillip Thuaux 4.24.955
2 Zakkari Dempster 4.30.070

Bronze Medal
3 Cameron Meyer 4.29.691
4 Michael Ford 4.30.686

Phil set a PB of 4.23.555 (54.64 km/h) in qualifying.

Renshaw won the big race of the day but (being parochial and all) Central Coast CC rider Dale Scarfe has had a great win and jointly leads the support races at the Bay series. There’s a nice shot on the Cyclingnews.com site of Dale winning, too: http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2007/jan07/bayseries07/index.php?id=bayseries072/DSC_0379

Looks like he won by the throw!