Tour de Lanza 2010
Last year the Hardie Clan upped sticks and headed to Playa Blanca after the first Cross race for a bit of family/training time, this seemed to make all the difference as on my return I managed to get a win at the Mugdock Cross :)
Last year I certainly needed to up my game as the legs were a bit dull in the first race. This year we returned to Playa a week later for some of the same as last year, bit different as I have already started coming into the form with a win in the series so this trip was more about maintenance of the legs and chillaxing instead of trying to get some form.


This worked out great and it's been a cracking week in brill weather with the family and a bit 'o' biking to boot, this year runs consisted of about 1hr in duration up to 2 1/2hrs which was more than ample. The biking was made even better as I hooked up with good friend and bike nut like myself Fraser who through Facebook seen I was heading out at the same week, was great to get out with a mate in a different part of the world :) The Femes climb out of Playa is always better with company in tow, a bit of suffering shared never seems as bad lol!


So as I write this descending into Glasgow I am sure the weather will be slightly colder/wetter than the 28/29 we have enjoyed over the past week :) Being in the Lanza Sun should have set me up for the rest of the Cyclocross season in good stead, let's have it!!

From The Rules velominati.com :
"The purpose of competing is to win. End of"

New scoot
Out for a ride on my new Madone tonight and it certainly feels like it gives me an extra 2/3 mile an hour advantage without trying!
Colours are fantastic match for the Hardie-Bikes.com Team Colours

TREK Madone for sale
Check out my own TREK Madone which I am selling to make way for a Madone in Hardie-Bikes.com Team colours

SOLD

Memories of the tour
Here is a pic of Alberto Contador's TREK Madone which was presented to him on winning the 2007 Tour de France.


Will there be another TREK Madone in yellow come the end of the Tour 2009?

Sam Robinson Memorial Road Race
Sunday was my second road race in two weekends and having the feeling I was getting a bit of form coming I decided to have a plan of attack for this race, my plan was to go for the NVT Climbers jersey which would mean getting over the major climbs of the day in the front to get the points.

After the start there was what seems to be the all to common crash as everybody gets a bit twitchy fortunately I was not involved although I did have to take evasive action to keep out of the way. After the crash the race settled down and 6 riders had ridden off the front which would mean no points for me if I let it go, so before the first hill prime I pushed off the front and went in pursuit of the break which I duly caught just after the prime so there was no points here.

In the break there was a few riders sitting in so the biggest work was done by myself and two others, at the next hill prime at the Dukes pass I managed third and then heading over the Top 'O' the World I bagged second. After this last hill prime sprint my legs started to feel a bit flat and then we got caught back by a group of six riders meaning the pace went straight up with attacks, I managed to hang in till the finishing circuit that would be covered two and a half times. The first ascent of the circuit finished me off and the elastic snapped putting me out the back where I got swept up by a group which I just wheeled in to the finish with.

After getting 31st it does not look very good but as I was up the road most of the day and got joint second overall in the Climber Competition the day worked out pretty well overall.



1 6 Gary Hand Pedalpower.org.uk/Endura RT E 03:20:53
2 71 Chris Thomson VC Astar/Anderside 2 12
3 19 Graeme McGarrity Dooleys Cycles RT 1 same time
4 1 Gordon Murdoch Pedalpower.org.uk/Endura RT E same time
5 76 Philip Brown Velo Ecosse 1 same time
6 18 Arthur Doyle Dooleys Cycles RT 2 same time
7 7 Scott MacRae Pedalpower.org.uk/Endura RT 2 same time
8 15 Callum Wilkinson Bicycleworks 2 19
9 48 Stuart McManus Glasgow Wheelers 2 01:30
10 59 Rab Wardell Sandy Wallace Cycles 2 01:31
11 20 Paul Rennie Dooleys Cycles RT 1 03:39
12 36 Tom Anderson Falkirk BC 3 same time
13 85 David Robinson NFM Race Team 2 same time
14 58 Ian Taylor MTS Cyclesport/Inkland 1 same time
15 2 Kevin Barclay Pedalpower.org.uk/Endura RT 1 same time
16 75 John Walton VC Azzurri 3 05:19
17 39 Steven Dunn Falkirk BC 2 05:26
18 37 Neil Cameron Falkirk BC 2 same time
19 35 Lewis Oliphant Equipe Velo Ecosse 2 same time
20 73 Keith Gibson VC Azzurri 3 same time
21 72 Ronnie Batey VC Azzurri 2 same time
22 52 Alister Watt Granite City RT 1 same time
23 30 Colin May Edinburgh Road Club 4 same time
24 64 Robert Hassan Rockhard Racing 3 05:29
25 10 Steven Ward MTS Cyclesport/Inkland 2 05:30
26 60 Daniel McShane Omagh Wheelers 3 05:33
27 50 Michael Nicolson Glasgow Wheelers 3 05:36
28 55 Josh James Kinesis UK E 05:39
29 24 Stephen Russell East Kilbride Road Club 3 05:53
30 47 Alan Thomson Glasgow Couriers 2 06:07
31 54 Craig Hardie Hardie-Bikes.com 3 06:29
32 23 Paul McInally East Kilbride Road Club 2 08:17
33 51 Keith Smith Glasgow Wheelers 3 same time
34 42 Craig Moffat Falkirk BC 3 08:40
35 33 Stuart MacGregor Equipe Velo Ecosse 1 10:13
36 49 Graeme Neagle Glasgow Wheelers 3 10:14
37 5 Blair Gibb Pedalpower.org.uk/Endura RT 3 10:16
38 22 Michael Summers Dunfermline CC 3 same time
39 11 John Brown ActiveCycles/Corbridge 3 same time
40 32 Alistair Simpson Edinburgh Road Club 4 same time
41 28 Alastair Easton Edinburgh Road Club 3 same time
42 61 Callum Gough Omnipex RT/Bioracer/Museeuw 3 same time
43 8 Jason Roberts Glasgow Nightingale CC/Sapphire 3 same time
44 69 Dougie Young Stirling BC/Wheels of Callander 3 10:21
45 12 Collin Humphrey ActiveCycles/Corbridge 1 10:24
46 14 Raymond Turner Activecycles/Corbridge 3 12:28
47 27 Tim Blathwayt Edinburgh Road Club 4 27:18:00
48 56 Tom MacDonald Lomond Road CC 3 27:21:00
49 45 Jamie Kennedy Glasgow Couriers 4 28:37:00
50 34 Alastair McNicol Equipe Velo Ecosse 4 29:01:00
51 26 Georges Avraam Edinburgh Road Club E same time
52 25 Guto Williams East Kilbride Road Club 4 34:34:00
53 21 Jed Martens Dunfermline CC 4 same time
54 77 Trevor Wilson Walkers Cycling 4 same time

Team Astana go Trek

The colour scheme looks pretty good and if you look through to the back of the rack of Madones, it looks like a custom frame colour for Levi as American Champ.

Yet more Madone
This is the Madone 6.9 Pro utilizing the Trek OCLV Red Series Carbon*


*Trek's highest-performance carbon fiber, OCLV Red uses a significant percentage of high modulus carbon fiber arranged according to Treks most complex lay-up schedules.

New Trek Madone
Pic of the 2008 Trek Madone outfitted with Ultegra SL