It’s been a pretty great atmosphere within the team here, and I’ve been real motivated to train everyday, which as any athlete can understand, it makes life in a camp that much easier.

We’ve had four more races since last week, one of which I sat out to give my back a little more recovery. Ash and Mel came down sick for this and didn’t have a great day, and Belinda had some confusions during the race with a commissaries decision after she got caught behind a crash, but Megan rode a gutsy race and pulled off the win for the team.

I raced Sunday, and seeing as this was only my second start, and a course I remember liking from last year, I was really determined to do well and help set one of the girls up for a win. I had a good start to the race, and tried to initiate a few breaks, but at the half way mark, my back started to tighten up, and 5km later I was out.

I was of course disappointed I didn’t get to finish once again, and see myself get some sort of result. but I guess at the end of the day I did my part while I could for the team, and I just have to remind myself I’m still in a rebuilding phase. The good news was, Belinda took another 2nd place.

We did something a little different last Saturday.. Took the chance to go and watch the Australian junior Waterpolo girls whilst they were playing here in Holland too. They had a good 1-point win against Canada, and I loved it! Can’t believe how rough it can get.. I’d love to see a game played at Olympic level one day! Apparently there were five WAIS girls in the team, so was good to see some others from back home competing in their sport too.

Holland’s loss to Spain in the World Cup last weekend didn’t seem to shake the locals spirits too much. We paid Amsterdam a short visit on the Tuesday, and the streets were still filled with people in orange shirts blowing their vuvuzelas. Didn’t get much shopping done, so I’ll definitely be going back to finish off my shopping spree!!

We just finished a back-to-back day of another two races. On the first day in Zwijndrecht, well let’s just say, the brick paving roads were not far off cobbles. By the end of the race, the girls had blisters and swollen hands and elbows from the constant vibration. It was crazy.. for the short while that I lasted, I couldn’t hold my back wheel down. The extra intensity bought on my back pain pretty quickly so I wasn’t willing to risk it.. I’m not here for that. I know the men race cobbles in the Paris-Roubaix etc, but they only ride over short sections at a time.. Though they weren’t quite as harsh as cobblestones, this was for 60km straight, so it gives you an idea how tough some of the courses can be. The two girls we’re working for, Megan and Belinda did a good job again. Well actually that’s an understatement.. They got first and second, so what more can you ask for?

On Sunday we head out to Bovenkarspel. I was looking forward to helping out in the race today.. until about 5 minutes before we arrived I started to feel real nauseous and dizzy. I kicked back for a while to try shake it off in case it was just car sickness, but by the time team went to warm up, I was in struggle street, so had to pull the pin. I must have passed out on the back seat of the car, cause the next thing I remember was hearing the commentator over the loud speaker saying there was 2 laps to go, so I’d slept for about 2hrs. Felt heaps better for it, and woke up just in time to hear that Belinda just rolled the Dutch chick for 1st, and Megan also got 3rd as well. Mel also managed a 6th, and Ash an 8th.

It was established after that, that it was by far the best result the team has had this trip so far.. not result wise, but the way they worked together and helped Belinda take the win. It’s still hard to sit back and watch the girls doing so well as team and learning so much about the racing and getting all that experience while I’ve had to sit back and watch it all unfold most of the time.. but hey, just have to cop it on the chin.

I’ve been maintaining my rehab program and gym under high intensity here to make sure I’m moving in the right direction, and still been training hard, so I feel pretty buckled and tired. I certainly can’t complain though, when I get to do it in 30 degree weather can I? I’ll be thinking of you all back home in the rain and hail.

Anyway, I’m sure you’ll hear from me shortly,

Take care
Sarah

602nds is fortunate to have Australia’s very own World Champion, Sarah Kent write for us. Sarah was a member of the gold medal winning Australian womens team pursuit at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Copenhagen earlier this year.

Sarah is currently in Europe racing and riding with the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) but took the time to write this blog for 602nds and the WAIS (Western Australian Institute of Sport). Sarah’s previous blog can be found here.

Follow Sarah on Twitter for all her updates.

07-Jul-2010 – Freiburg: Cervélo TestTeam’s Heinrich Haussler, who has thus far held dual citizenship—German and Australian—has decided to give up his German passport and will compete in the future with an Australian license. The administrative process is under way and will soon be concluded.

Haussler grew up in Australia as the son of an Australian mother and a German father. He moved to his father’s home country at the age of 14 to have better possibilities to pursue his sport while attending school, and has since been riding with a German license.

“It was not an easy decision to give up my German citizenship, but I came to a point in my life where I decided to follow my feelings. I had the lucky situation that I was the owner of two passports, but I feel more Australian and therefore I made the final decision to ride in the future for the country where I grew up,” said Haussler. “It was definitely a hard choice. Germany is still really important to me and I have many friends here. I would also like to take the opportunity to say thank you to all the people who have supported me along the way so far, especially the German national cycling federation.”

After changing his license, Haussler plans to stay on in Freiburg (GER), where he has an excellent environment for a professional cyclist.

Source: Cervélo TestTeam PR

Photo Courtesy of Kristof Ramon

Visit Kramon’s Flickr gallery for more images

Sarah is currently in Europe racing and riding with the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) but took the time to write for this blog on Tuesday (06/07/2010) for 602nds and the WAIS (Western Australian Institute of Sport).

It’s sunny and 30 degrees here in the little town, Vaasen, which we’ve been living in for just short of a week now. I’m just sitting back soaking up the sun with a coffee, after our 4hrs on the bike this morning. It was probably the most entertaining ride I’ve had in a while..

After the past couple of months I’ve spent back in Perth doing a rehab program for my back injury, it’s certainly been one giant rollercoaster ride. After a tough past month deciding on whether I should be coming here to Holland for a month of training and racing with 4 other AIS track girls, I’m very happy to say, so far making the tough decision to come and try to manage my injury as best I can has really paid off so far. I feel like I’m in a good place over here and when not training, am feeling pretty relaxed in the environment I’m in. The other girls include WAIS’s Mel Hoskins, and AIS’s Belinda Goss, Ashlee Ankudinoff and Megan Dunn. We’re being joined by another Aussie, Kate Bates, next week.

After arriving in Amsterdam last Thursday morning, tired and jetlagged, we were told everyone except me had to race that night. I was allowed a few extra days to let my back loosen up a bit after the flight. Though it seemed a bit rough considering how tired we all were, to everyone’s surprise they raced very well pulling off a 2nd place by Belinda. Some courses are really tough with tight corners, narrow streets and most are dodgy paved roads.

Our next race day was Saturday, the Ronde van Enter, a pretty tough course. I started this one, and I was keen to see how my back was going to hold up. The first 30-40 minutes are always pretty full on, and my lack of experience in this type of racing, with bug bunches probably caused me to struggle a little more than know I was capable of. When the split in the bunch happened 30 minutes in, I was caught down the back and couldn’t get back up to the front, and by that point I was pretty stuffed. The good news was, by that stage my back felt like it was coping under the load okay! We’ve still got a lot more races to go over the next 3-4 weeks, so I’m happy at where I’ve started the trip and am confident I can increase my skill level in the bunch and manage a much better result soon. The girls raced really well again, helping Belinda to a 3rd place. It’s great to see the girls putting in the effort for each other to get the team a result.

On Sunday, we got the chance to make a trip into Rotterdam to watch the start of stage 1 of the Tour de France. Shane Sutton got us passes back into the team buses to meet some riders and get some good photos and autographs. It was an awesome opportunity, and one that I’m sure a lot of people will be very jealous about! It was so cool to see just how big it is over there. We now don’t race again until Friday now, so it’s back to training this week.

Which brings me back to today’s ride. In the first hour a massive wild pig leaped across the road in front of us, followed by it’s little baby in tow, followed by another massive one! About another 30 minutes later, we saw this massive peloton down the road in front of us. But as we got closer we realized is was a big heard of cows. We had to wait for about 10 minutes for this heard of cows to move paddocks, and as they all walked by us a couple of them strayed off over to us and got right up in our faces. I got the cutest photo of one that came right up to sniff my camera. Another 10km later, we had to get through a long section on a path with tones of rabbits jumping everywhere in front of us. Can’t believe how much wildlife we seemed to attract in one day! Certainly made a long boring ride a little more interesting!

For now, that’s all I have to report on. I can hear the party starting next door at the pub at reception. They’re all getting ready for Holland to win tonight in the soccer. Hopefully they’ll have lots to celebrate!

Until next time, enjoy!
Sarah

Follow Sarah on Twitter for all her updates.

Sarah Kent (left)

Sarah Kent (second from right)

In Part 1 I went through the simple process of setting up the account and uploading information and logos for the design. With Part 2 I take you through the design and confirmation process.

Design

With 602nds’ colours being black, red and white, I was inspired by the design of the Cervelo Test Team kit having similar colours and bold logos. The proposed ‘Cervelo’ concept was described as accurately as possible in the hope that the design brief would be interpreted by the Champion System graphic designer.

Within a couple of days of submitting all the information for the Champion System designer an email was received providing instructions to log into the control panel on the website to view the design proofs. The proofs are viewed as JPEG files within the web browser and can be downloaded locally to the computer.

After viewing the proof I was provided two options – Yes, to approve or No, to make changes. With the proofs almost looking right, some minor changes were required to make them look exactly as I wanted. A brief description of the changes was provided and submitted. The same process was repeated for each of the kit items – jersey, bibs, wind vest and cap.

Again, within a couple of days an email was received prompted me to review the changes. This time all was good and I was ready to approve and sign-off the design.

Sizing

To confirm sizing, a sample pack can be requested free of charge providing a range of sizes for trying on. The sample pack arrived within a couple of days and needed to be sent back at the expense of the client after confirming sizes.

For mens jerseys, sizing is available if two different cuts – Race cut and Club cut. The Race cut is very streamlined providing a more European cut that is designed to be worn tight and close to the body. The Club cut jersey is a more relaxed cut and more suitable for those who know their cycling limitations and don’t have the cut athletic build to suit.

Knowing our own physical limitations we had no hesitation to go with the Club cut jersey. Jersey cuts are also available for women and children.

Good to go

Upon confirmation of sizes and quantities a spreadsheet is provided to fill in. Prices are self calculated with the balance due being the total price minus the deposit previously paid during the setting up of the account (described in Part 1).

Having completed and submitted the spreadsheet, finalising the order and paying the balance we eagerly wait for the completed 602nds kit which will take a few weeks to arrive.

Although the initial manufacturing run will be limited, we will have a very small quantity available for purchase. Please contact us if interested.

After many months of thought and research, 602nds are pleased to present the final design of our Champion System custom cycling kit.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of this series when we receive the gear.

So here I am deciding what to take and what not to take… These choices are very important, and not something taken lightly.

The first thing I have packed are my SIDI’s, pedals and riding gear. I think I’ve chosen what heels to take. There are three pairs so far but I would like to get that down to two by the 5 July.  There’s the LBD for the evening in Paris of the last stage, but that is it. Do I take jeans, shorts, what shirts? etc. etc. Ok, I know I’ll figure it out, but I really don’t want to pay nearly $500.00 excess on my return trip out of Brussels like last time. So some serious packing will be done this weekend.

I am looking forward to catching up with friends, helping out on the cycling trips and watching such an amazing race. I will try to keep you all up to date on what I’m doing, as well as throw in a few pictures when I can.

I’m also going on a small trip to Belgium/The Netherlands after the TdF to attend the Crits. So this will be a lot of fun and I’ll keep you all up to date on that as well.  Just found out I’ll be in Belgium for the Tour de  Wallonie, I’m looking forward to going to watch this race as my favourite rider, Philippe Gilbert should be riding. Hoping to have some exciting news and pictures from this race.

I hope you stay tuned, will post more updates once I get to France.

Au Revior, CycleGirl

P.S. Ohh, and thought you might like to see my shoes im taking

and my SIDI’s,  not going all the way to France and Belgium and not ride.

We look forward to taking our followers on our journey from the preliminary set-up right through to the delivery of the gear.

Check out 602nds Custom Cycling Kit – Part 1 now with updates to follow in the coming weeks.

1. Low quantities – We were wanting an initial run of around ten jerseys, bibs and caps.
2. Design flexibility – Although we had a vague idea of the proposed jersey we needed them fully designed for minimal if not free design cost.
3. Quality – There is nothing worse than buying average quality cycling clothing when you spend so long in the saddle. Although possibly a contradiction, we wanted the best quality for the best price.
4. Value for money – Like all of us, we wanted the jerseys to be as cheap as possible whilst still being the best possible quality… long shot?

With these requirements we researched manufacturers to find Champion System being able to meet all of our needs.

Champion System have offices in the USA, Europe and Australia with manufacturing in China. Jerseys are described as being excellent quality with full sublimation printing that ensures the artwork is printed directly into the weave of the fabric, just like the pro jerseys.

Set-up

After getting in contact with Champion System we were provided clear instructions by email on how to proceed in getting the ball rolling.

After providing an idea of what gear we required an invoice was received requiring a deposit payment of 50% of the proposed order. The deposit provides a commitment to Champion System who from this point on provide unlimited free design.

The deposit was paid by electronic funds transfer and confirmation provided the following day by the Australian representative that the funds had been received. An email was promptly sent providing login and password information to access the Customer Control Panel within the Champion Systems website.

Design

Upon entering the Customer Control Panel instructions are provided for uploading graphics and providing a description to the Champion System graphic designers for how the jersey and other pieces of the kit might look.

The Champion System website has a gallery of jersey pictures and templates that can be downloaded for your own purposes of ‘colouring in’ and to come up with your own suggestions which could then be translated to the Champion System designer.

With the initial process only taking a couple of days, the deposit is paid, all ideas, concepts, logos and other graphics uploaded – we wait for a preliminary design proof.

Sharkies organic fruit chews are packed with real fruit juice, whole grains, and carbohydrates for an energy boost that lasts. Naturally occuring minerals and electrolytes replace those during vigorous activities like running, soccer, biking, hiking or snowboarding. Sharkies are gluten free, wheat free, vegetarian and provide a natural source of electrolyte.

Unlike jelly babies and other lollies, Sharkies contain no gelatin and don’t contain high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, or further refined sugar. Complex carbohydrates make up half of the ingredients, which keep children and athletes from “sugar crashing” and sustains energy.

With Sharkies, half the product is brown rice syrup giving it complex carbohydrates for sustained energy and provides the silky smooth texture that is easily chewed and digested. This added to the simple sugars from the fruit and organic cane make Sharkies a functional, healthy alternative to lollies. Each package contains 140cals and 36g of carbs.

Sharkies are packaged in convienient 45g packages that slip easily into a cycling jersey pocket and are currently available in three great flavours: Berry Blast, Citrus Squeeze and Fruit Splash. They can be purchased in boxes of twelve for AU$33. So, for under $3 per individual package you can get that energy hit without the nasties of traditional lollies. Sharkies are manufactured in the USA.

Sharkies can be purchased from the Australian website with free postage within Australia.

• Week One: twitter.com/mdan01
• Week Two: twitter.com/@88liz88

The Week 3 competition will run through this weekend as drawn on Monday 5th June 2010.

Born on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Adam was the Australian National Time Trial Champion in 2008. Adam is affectionally called “Croc Man”, a nickname he was given due to his racing in the tough outback Crocodile Trophy mountain bike race, which he has won two times.

Throughout the previous season, Adam has been dealing with injuries. It seems ‘Lady Luck’ has finally come his way with Adam recently winning the Ster Elektrotoer.

Team HTC-Columbia has very recently announced that he will be riding in his second Tour de France in 2010.

602nds: What is the one race you would like to win before you retire from cycling?
Adam: Australian Road Champs, I’d love to win that.

602nds: What is your personal cycling goal for 2010?
Adam: To be at a great level again, and to do what happened in every year improve. Didn’t really happen in 2009 thou….

602nds: What is your all time cycling moment? (Could be about you or something you have seen)
Adam: Just the feeling being at my best and being in a race and showing it.

602nds: Do you remember your first bike you ever road?
Adam: Yep, saw it 4 days ago in my garage It’s a GT.

602nds: What or who inspired you to get involved in cycling?
Adam: I was a runner and I wanted to do duathlons, so my mother bought me a bike

602nds: Is there a current rider in the peloton that you most respect and why?
Adam: Philippe Gilbert, love how he races. If you not a sprinter, climber or GC rider then you have to do what he does. It’s always exciting to watch.

602nds: Do you think you would be doing for a living if you hadn’t been a pro cyclist?
Adam: Writing software.

602nds: You have been unlucky with injuries the past twelve months, how hard is it to see your team racing at a race that was a major goal for you and   do you avoid watching the race?
Adam: It’s always hard I guess. I don’t avoid watching races. I don’t have a TV so I have no choice but I always see the results on the web.

602nds: Everyone has an opinion on the Footon-Servetto kit, what are your thoughts?   Would you be happy wearing it? (hehehe)
Adam: My thoughts “it would motivate you to try hard at your national championships”.

602nds: The World championships are in Geelong, Australia this year.  Have you looked at the time trial & road courses and who do you think they best suit?
Adam: Hard to say. I have not really looked at it but from what I hear it’s not going to be a pure sprint day.

602nds: During the off-season, what do you do for fun?
Adam: Why does fun only happen in the off season?

602nds: What is the craziest thing that a fan has done on the side of the road whilst racing?
Adam: Well not craziest but in 2008 at the tour, I was in the slow group up the climb and this one guy yelled out, “Hey Adam (while running full gas next to the bunch, so imagine him breathing hard and gasping for air between words) I chat with your sister on facebook”……. thanks mate! Hope that’s all you do!

602nds: If you could spend a week out camping in the Australian Outback, minimal camping gear, with five riders, who would it, be an why?
Adam: Hahaha, you know I could pick 5 guys I really didn’t like. They would just die out there in the OZ outback 52 degrees with minimal camping gear. I did the crocodile trophy a few times and they had trouble surviving that, Euros! After saying that I don’t think it would be right to name 5 riders…..

602nds: You have ridden and won twice the infamous “Crocodile Trophy”, that features 1,200km/12,000m of mountain bike racing over 10 days. How hard is the race and how does it compare to riding in the Tour de France?  Will you ride the race again?
Adam: You’re asking me as I sit in Belgium in the freezing cold raining country. The Croc Trophy is hot, sunny, dry…… very dry. I do hope to be back, I like that race a lot and it starts in my backyard. It is harder; when I was doing it it was much longer and harder. It was 14 days and the stages were also much longer. The TDF is hard in the sense the racing is hard, the Croc is also hard like that, but not so much, but it is far harder mentally. When I did it from Darwin to Cairns, it was really in the middle of nowhere and the heat and openness really brings the worse out in people.

Here are the questions from Nikki Cyp, an Adam Hansen fan from the USA:

Nikki: Do you have any idols that you look up to?  In cycling, or in life?
Adam: In cycling I like Philippe Gilbert, like how he races. In non-cycling life would be my si-fu Martin Cholevík.

Nikki: Many riders like to watch videos while training at home, do you watch any to get through a few hours on the trainer, and if so what are they?
Adam: I like my share of movies…. I watch anything. But I must be entertained by this, by story or special effects. Jumper, Matrix, IP-Man, The Die Hards, Ice age list goes on.

Nikki: Are there any races you likes to watch for motivation?
Adam: Not really, YouTube have some good things but I don’t have a TV.

Nikki: What do you do to unwind and chill out after races?  Music, TV, calls to friends?
Adam: Anything and everything, Movies, friends and making something exciting in my house I always must be busy

602nds would like to thank Adam Hansen for taking the time to chat with us. We are looking forward to seeing how the rest of the cycling season turns out for Adam.

If you would like to stay tuned on what Adam is up to you can checkout his website (currently closed, being updated) http://www.adamhansen.com/

Pictures courtesy of http://www.jxpphotography.com.au/ & Elmar Krings