Here is a message from Angela and Dave Cigana.
As you may be aware, David and I are currently in Mallorca on our overseas cycling odyssey, a trip we have talked about for five years, and finally coming to fruition. Life is wonderful. We love the slower pace of Spain, especially the siesta's....
Anyway, I have a blog of our trip, where I have written up climbs and rides we have done and thought you may wish to provide the link in your next newsletter, so club members can read along and enjoy our ups and downs (literally).
Let me know if this would be OK
Titled: Pedals and Peaks
http://pedalsandpeaks.blogspot.com
Angela and David Cigana
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A Champion Rider!
On the 19th and 20th August, Nigel Smith raced in the ACT championships and came 2nd in his age group M5 (which is 50 to 54 years old) in both the time trial(20km) and the road race (60km). Nigel proudly rides in his Cooma jersey in the ACT road race.
Then on 10th September Nigel travelled to Lorne, Vic.
to race the UCI Gran Fondo qualifier. A 116km race with 1800m of climbing. He came 2nd in his age group with only 4 seconds behind the winner. An official time of 3:01:35 at an average speed of 38.1km/h
Well done Nigel, we are all very proud of you.
Early Bird registrations are now open for one of Australia’s biggest and most-loved cycling Gran Fondos – the Bowral Classic.
Returning for the seventh year to the Southern Highlands, the Bowral Classic will be held over two days on the weekend of 21-22 October, 2023.
The event weekend will start with a bang on Saturday, 21 October with ‘The Crit’ – a criterium race around Loseby Park in the heart of Bowral. Cyclists will duke it out for a share in more than $4,000 worth of prizes and the glory of being crowned the King and Queen of The Crit.
The road rides will return on Sunday, 22 October with three courses to choose from, the 85km Rouleurs Classic, the 120km Challenge Classic and the big one, the 150km Maxi Classic.
Starting on Bong Bong St, Bowral and finishing at Loesby Park, these courses have been selected to showcase the best of the region as they pass through the rolling hills of Berrima, Moss Vale, Bundanoon, Fitzroy Falls, Robertson and Kangaloon.
The Bowral Classic is offering a refreshing approach to event fundraising with individual riders and teams raising money for whichever charity they wish to support. Since the inaugural Bowral Classic event in 2016, the Classics events have raised over $400,000 for charities across Australia.
A staple on the cycling calendar, the Bowral Classic attracts cyclists and their families from across the country and brings in over $3M to the local tourism economy each year.
Locals are encouraged to get involved with the event through either registering for the ride and enjoying the on-course support, or volunteering over the weekend. Head to www.bowralclassic.com.au/community for more information.
The Bowral Classic is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Cooma cyclists impress
Tuesday, April 11th 2023
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Smith will now turn his attention to securing a wild card entry into the June UCI Gran Fondo World Series in Cambridgeshire United Kingdom for the 50-55 age group.
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Carlo Botto finished seventh overall in the 110km course and third in his 60 – 69 age group with a time of 3 hours 39 minutes and 2 seconds.
Carlo has been an avid cycler since his youth but became a runner instead until around 2 years ago during Covid he convinced his wife to get on a bike and an obsession was born.
“Initially she shared concerns over road safety and traffic but now we are obsessed,” Botto said.
Botto has eyes set on his next event, the Bowral Classic, running over October 21 and 22. He said he can’t wait to ride in the Snowy Classic again next year.
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“The distance is on par with some of the European events with closed roads, climbing and altitude. It’s a demanding race with the 170km course asking riders to handle 3000m worth of climbing,” he said.
By Luke Treadwell
RIDING TO WIN: Cooma cyclist Carlo Botto performed well in the recent Snowy Classic event held in the region. Botto finished third in his age category and seventh in the 110km ride.​
Riders took to the roads of the Monaro recently for the Snowy Classic with members of the Cooma Cycling Club, Nigel Smith and Carlo Botto, coming away with impressive results.
Nigel Smith finished in the top three overall, and first in his age category with a time of 5:7.22 hours over the 170km course.
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“My main goal was to be competitive in my age group so to come away with a top three was a bit of surprise,” Smith said.
Smith has lived on the Monaro for 23 years. His first foray into riding was on a mountain bike before taking up road cycling.
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“I didn’t quite have the success I wanted on a mountain bike but really enjoyed the local trails we have on offer. I turned my attention to cycling initially for fitness but realised I was having much better competitive results,” he said.
Cyclists’ injuries at record high, riders blame aggressive motorists
By Nigel Gladstone and Julie PowerMarch 12, 2023 — 5.00am
Cyclist David Page has been threatened by angry motorists a dozen times. They’ve hurled abuse, a full bottle of Coke, a lit firework and even a motorcycle helmet at him as they drove too close, violating a law requiring motorists to keep at least a metre away.
During one of these road rage episodes, a bystander called police alerting them to an “attempted murder” after they saw a motorist driving aggressively towards Page.
“If you want to kill someone, do it with a car because you will always get off,” said Page, a doctor who lives near Turramurra.
A record number of NSW cyclists – 2330 – were taken to hospital in 2021, the most since complete hospital records began to be collected in 2005.
Bike riders now represent about one in four (23 per cent) road crash hospitalisations, and are the only road user group to report increasing injury numbers recently.
From 2005 to 2021, 173 bicyclists were killed and 29,464 were seriously injured on the state’s roads. However, many of these injuries were not reported to police and did not involve another vehicle, Transport for NSW said.
Bicycle NSW chairman of advocacy John Hawkins said, “Most cyclist complaints to NSW police about aggressive driving are not investigated.”
Page said he discovered that a report he made in January to Crime Stoppers about a motorist who threatened him on Bobbin Head Road in Turramurra – on a spot marked with a large bicycle sign – couldn’t be found when he followed up with the local police station.
In NSW, drivers must give bicycle riders at least one metre of space when passing them in areas where the speed limit is 60km/h or less, and at least 1.5 metres when the speed limit is more than 60km/h.
Hawkins, an accountant, understands how much work it is to prosecute this road rule and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a driver violated the law.
For the full article visit HERE: