Orbea Aqua - alloy frame, shimano sora groupset RRP: $1199 Special: $1034

Orbea Onix - carbon frame, shimano 105 groupset RRP: $2999 Special: $2549

Orbea Orca - (pic above) carbon frame, shimano ultegra groupset RRP: $5999 Special: $5099

Its finally here!  Feels like I've been waiting for this Garmin for a year!  I have no patience for gadgets so the Garmin 610 touchscreen was a must.  and it is as easy to use as they claim.  I didn't read the instructions but still managed to figure out how to get it to track the distance of my first 20km run.  Yahoo, I finally know at a glance exactly how far I've run, at what pace, in what heart rate zone and how much energy I'm burning.  The 610 also has virtual racer, training effect and autosync features - click here for the rundown on these features - plus a very cool 'vibration' to let you know when you reach your goals - so much better than the continual 'beeping' of other gadgets.  The touchscreen is waterproof but don't take it deep sea diving!

Garmin Forerunner 610 $449   add Heart Rate Monitor $499. 

Review courtesy of Chelsie Easton - Fusion Cycles

The road closures are now approved and entries are almost ready to open!  The Fusion Games at Newstead in 2011 include a 40km Social Ride to Samford, a Kids duathlon(750m run/1.2km cycle/500m run), Adults duathlon (4km run/15km cycle/4km run), Elite and Masters cycling criteriums and a 30min Teams Criterium.  There will be food and coffee available all day at Epresso and great viewing of the start/finish from Fusion Cycles balcony.  Music, MC, fast, aggressive racing, random prizes to be won..... it'll be a great day! 

Entry Prices: $20 kids, $25 social ride $35 duathlon and criteriums.  The Teams Criterium supports Variety Queensland and is $250 per team of 5.  For more details click here.  Elite and Masters entries are open on CQ website and close Sun 3 July.

Thank you to the Fusion Games sponsors and Brisbane City Council who make this unique innercity event happen!

The Clear Mountain loop is one of the most rewarding rides in SE Qld. This 70km round trip has everything from fast flat sections, rolling hills, steep pinches, fast descents, amazing views of the glasshouse mountains, more steep pinches, more rolling hills – and a whole lot of fun. I can’t believe this ride is only a stone’s throw away from the city.  It is currently a favorite among some of the Fusion Cycles cycling team, mainly because it is hilarious to see a team mate in so much pain. The ride can be taken steady of course, however if you are used to doing mostly flat courses, then working your way up to this ride is suggested.

Starting from Fusion Cycles, head out along Bowen Bridge Rd and link with Newmarket Rd. Turn right onto Enoggera Rd until you reach Samford Rd, chuck a left and follow this all the way to Samford. These roads are light with traffic of an early morning – we leave early enough and we head against the traffic, as most traffic is heading into the city at this time of day. The stretch between Ferny Grove and Samford has a thin shoulder, but shouldn’t be a drama as it is surprisingly quiet. Head through Samford and follow Mt Samson Rd, turning left onto Old Mt Samson Rd – follow the route and you will pop back onto the main road for a short stretch, then right onto Winn Rd. Follow along until you reach Clear Mtn Rd, turn right and you will notice an immediate sting in your legs – yes, you have started the climb already. There are a few 17% inclines to get through, but hang in there, the reward is on the top of the climb with amazing views!

Got a Garmin?  Sync the below file and let it lead you!  Lacking motivation? If you have “Virtual Partner” turned on, experience the ride as we did – if you are up for the challenge! The “Virtual Partner” function is a fantastic way to start monitoring your fitness gains.   The route can be found here : http://connect.garmin.com/activity/89349833

Ride log courtesy of Shane Bedford - Team Fusion Cycles

Photo Above: George Walker completed his first Ironman in New Zealand earlier this year - awesome effort George!

Age: 37
Occupation: Builder

How did you get into cycling?  I had a big night at the Fusion Cycles opening party. And that got me to thinking that I needed to add another dimension to my running, and triathlon seemed like a great challenge.

What bought you to Fusion?  I have known Matt since we were kids. Although to your credit, the guys at Fusion helped instil my passion for the bike.

What do you ride and how often?  I have two Cannondale's in my quiver. The awsome super six three which I will ride 3+ times a week, including a long ride over my local hills of Maleny. And I ride my Slice for TT intervals and a recent Ironman conquest.

What are your cycling goals?  A good effort at Capricorn Ironman 70.3 at Yeppoon on August 14 with a sub 2.30 bike split would do me!
 

Great news for women riders. HPRW are hosting a women's 3 round series starting in July. 

If you have never raced before - Don't worry this is a great opportunity to come & try it out - all you will need is a day licence for $33.00 or a 3 Ride licence for $44.00 + line entry (with the option of getting the $44.00 taken off the fee for a full licence) Women riders from other clubs or cycling disciplines are welcome to come & compete, or to purchase a 3 day licence and give racing a go!.
 
For full Details about racing venues and start times click here. 

cheers & see you on the bike!

Karen Forster
HPRW Ladies Captain
phone : 3856 1664
 

Sat 4 Jun HPRW Lakeside Kermisse, Kurwongbah.  Click here for more info.

Fri 3 - Sun 5 Jun Caneland Classic Road Race, Bundaberg.  Click here for more info.

Sun 5 Jun Challenge Cairns Triathlon, Cairns.  Ironman and half Ironman distances.  Click here for more info.

Sun 12 Jun Brisbane South MTB Club XC Chase Ride, Karingal, Mt Cotton.  Click here for more info.

Sat 18 - Sun 19 Jun Tour of Toowoomba Road race, Criterium and Social Ride, Toowoomba. Click here for more info.

Sun 19 Jun MTB Enduro Super Series 24hr  Round 3, Old Hidden Vale, Grandchester.  Click here for more info.

Sun 19 Jun Club Croc Duathlon Race 1, Nundah.  Click here for more info. 

Sun 26 Jun Avanti Classic Road Race, Lowood.  Click here for more info.

Sun 26 Jun Brissie to Bay Social Bike Ride, Southbank. Click here for more info. 

With another mountainous Tour De France fast approaching we will all be watching and asking ourselves “ How do I climb like the pros?” . Well, here are a few basic tips to get you started.

· The best way to improve your hill climbing is to train on hill climbs. This is more than just finding a hill climb and ride it over and over again the same way and at the same speed. As mentioned in earlier tips we need to develop our strength, aerobic capacity and speed on the climbs. This will take a range of efforts and drills to improve our climbing.

· Climb in an easy gear. Once our cadence drops to around 50RPM we are riding in our strength building zone. The lower cadence is fatiguing on our muscles so where possible maintain a cadence between 70 to 80RPM. Elite riders can maintain 80 to 90RPM.

· Maintain your effort around 75% to 85% effort for long climbs and 80% to 90% effort on shorter climbs. This will ensure we can climb consistently over the entire climb, remember anyone can ride ¾ of a climb!!

· Stay in the saddle for the climb, only get out of the saddle when the gradient increases and you feel your momentum slowing down. When getting out of the saddle try not to accelerate, simply maintain your momentum and once gradient reduces you can hop back down in the saddle. Please note : When riding with others avoid pulling yourself up on the handle bars to stand. This can cause your bike to be thrust back into the rider behind.

· Stay nice and relaxed in your hands and upper body.  Avoid doing push ups on your handle bars, remember we pedal with our feet and not our upper body!

· Maintain a soft gaze 5m to 10m in front of you. This will help you ride in a straight line and avoid moving side to side.

When starting to use tips above, start with one tip at a time. When you can master one, then move onto the next. Good luck and catch you on out on the road.

Cheers Gilly

Cycling Tips courtesy of Adam Gill - Cycling Science

The world of supplementation can be a mine field. As more and more supplements come out that purport to do amazing things, with patented blends that ensure better outcomes than their competitor’s, it is becoming harder and harder for the consumer to know what works and what doesn’t. A simple excursion through the supplement aisle at a supermarket will give you a small glimpse of what is available to the main stream. A venture into a supplement store can be mind boggling. Supplements are big business but most athletes have no idea what most of the ingredients in their supplements do? There has been a massive push in the US by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to try and clamp down on the unsubstantiated claims supplement companies make about their products and this has led to a large number of court cases and product recalls.

So what are the main ingredients in some of the big selling supplements and do they work?

Fat burners: These supplements are sold under the premise that by talking a tablet or powder multiple times in the day you will increase your body’s ability to burn fat and lose extra body fat while not actually doing anymore work.  The main ingredient in the vast majority of Fat burners (those that seem to work anyway) is Caffeine. Caffeine is not always on the ingredient list though and most provide large amounts of caffeine through plant based sources such as Guarana, Kola nut, and Green tea extract.

Caffeine allows you to exercise harder without feeling like you are exercising harder. It affects a person’s Rate of Perceived exertion (RPE) so when you take caffeine in suitable doses you feel like you are working at a lower intensity than you actually are. This means you can work harder and burn more energy without feeling like you are at your maximum.

Also at rest it causes an increase in Basal Heart rate. This means that things are just going a little faster in the body. Meaning that the body needs to work a little harder to maintain basic function and therefore you burn more energy at rest. Very minor but over a long period it can be significant.

The amount of caffeine found in these supplements can be extraordinary. One report on a fat burning supplement from the US suggested it contained >1,200mg of caffeine in a daily dose (the average cup of espresso has around 100mg). These levels of caffeine can have significant detrimental effects on mental function, cardiac health, anxiety, not to mention the ability to totally destroy normal sleep patterns and behaviours. Therefore even though people convince themselves that these supplements are working they are probably doing more damage than good.

Another that is losing favour now but is still in some fat burning supplements is L-carnitine. Carnitine is important in the transport of fatty acids across the cellular membrane into the energy factories of the body. This process has been identified as the limiting process that may be the reason why humans can’t burn fat at high exercise intensities. Therefore the theory is that more carnitine would mean greater ability to transport fat into the cells where it can be burned for energy. In practice, this is not actually the case. Oral L-carnitine supplementation can in fact increase levels of carnitine in the body but research has shown that these levels aren’t actually increasing where it matters most in the cell membranes. This means that more L-carnitine in the body cannot change the amount in the cell walls meaning it can’t affect fat metabolism as it has been suggested.

Recently a fat burning supplement has been recalled in the US due to it causing liver damage in a number of people taking it. Although this is in the US, a lot of products still make their way onto Australia shelf’s and contain similar products to those in the US.

Athletes and weekend warriors alike need to be very careful when using these fat burning supplements as they can have serious long term consequences.

Greg Shaw
Sports Dietitian
Australian Institute of Sport