OUR SMAX RIDES THE ONE DAY CADEL CLASSIC 
1.2.2015

JOEL dropped hammers and burnt matches during the 174km Cadel Classic 'along' the Great Ocean Road.

The good people from Cycling News also got wood over his performance - "With 100km to race, the gap had dropped down to 3:19 minutes as back in the bunch the chase was being led by Joel Strachan of Navitas-Satalyst at the average speed of 55km/h."
A little slower than our Tuesday and Thursday rides.

Full Race Report to come.

THE SHERPA - THE WORKING MAN'S WINNER

Wednesday 27th, November, 2014. Hawthorn CC A-Grade Crits at the Tear-Drop

Big hitters were all around before the race, it was pretty much like a world champs. Woulter Wippet from Holland in for Drapac. AWS with the guy who got quickest time at Amy Gillet. S2retain. DK. PIMPYYYYYYY. World track champions, VIS – AIS kids. NRS  - pro conti – every bike shop in Melbourne- the dog walker – wackjobs with aero helmets and skinsuits (wtf it’s a local crit with a hill in it, nuffies)

Pimpy, batter and I were talking before saying no way a break would go with the depth in the field.

The gun went, then the hits came. PIMPY goes, then gets brought back by the Dutchman. Me 8min in, mini bang bang, off the front for a lap, big long line led by team Holland brought me back, as I get caught, B Canty (bloody impressive racer – goes deep) and AWS guy and THE BATTER hit it, I look at Team Holland and in my best flemish say ‘#tkm4supercrit & #hccteardrop &#issvennjsreallyin2blokes’ and go again, I get on as we hit the turn, I get dropped on the hill, I am in trouble, I look back, its an abortion, people all over the road., only a VIS kid on my wheel. I swing wide and he pulls me across the last 5m, now a group of 5.

2 laps later, VIS kid blows. I say to him, have fun listening to one direction in the autobus. This is for hitters.

We roll for 25 minutes, I struggle and then start to feel good, we get to three laps to go, I skip some turns, 2 laps to go… canty smacks it up the hill and I am OK to respond. 1 lap to go, I swing wide and take last wheel, on the down hill the two NRS kids look at each other, Batter looks shagged, I hit them with a good run up through the smallest gap on the inside….

SHERPA has 5, Sherpa has 10, Sherpa has 100m going into the turn, I look back, I cannot see them, I start to think, WTF, have I gone a lap late and the race is over? People at the finish line look confused, they look at me and I am confused, we are all confused because SHERPA just took out the dictionary, opened the page to L for Lesson – and showed the BIG NRS KIDS a picture of me attacking and them having a discussion about which sandy vag would chase me down.

All over, I'm getting a fking webstie and it will be called ‘Sherpatip’s – how to speak flemish’.