Day 3 of the norbs TdF Challenge 2015

Day 3 was a very windy affair. Not a lot of fun, but a bit longer and a few more metres climbing than normal. I am a bit sore tonight. The slow average speed tells the tale.

This bloody wind. #cycling #lunchride #cubecycl #norbstdfchallenge

A video posted by @norbsy on

Glad the gate was locked. #cycling #lunchride #cubecycl #norbstdfchallenge

A photo posted by @norbsy on

Glad the gate was locked. #cycling #lunchride #cubecycl #norbstdfchallenge

A photo posted by @norbsy on

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Day 2 of the norbs TdF Challenge of 2015.

Well that was a sucky ride today. Wind that would blow the stench off Tony Abbott and cars everywhere.

So already I am out the back of the peloton. One good thing, I bettered my KOM on a long downhill drag with the wind up my clacker. Go fatty!

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Day 1 of the norbs TdF Challenge of 2015.

Every now and then I am known to shoot my big mouth off, and the other night was a clanger. I put this out to the world on Twitter.

Had a giggle to myself and sat back. Ding. A notification that it has been retweeted. Hahah. Ding, ding. Oh wow, 2 more. Hahah. A few more dings and I was starting to worry.

And then it went a bit crazy and I ended up with 45 retweets.

So today, after a bit of shopping, it was on the bike.

Enjoying a ripper day out in the sun and a bit of a breeze. Then…


I cracked it and pulled the pin a little while later. So about 12kms down on my goal for the day.

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the norbs TDF Challenge of 2015

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Non Pro Cycling #tourquiz Stage 2

Who will finish 3rd on tonight’s stage which is as flat as a shit carters hat!

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Non Pro Cycling #tourquiz Stage 1.

Ok people, each stage there will be a question for people to answer. No prizes, apart from bragging rights.

Tonight, where will Cav come in the prologue? Answer in the comments below.

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Just #toursnacks

Get on board the #toursnacks train.

Aussie cycling freaks love to nip out to the kitchen in the dead of the night to top up for the last 50kms of each stage. Keep an eye on Twitter for the #toursnacks hashtag. Join the fun. Follow me, @norbs and @cyclingcentral to see when it is time to unleash the musette of goodies.

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Hashtag Snacks. What is all the fuss about.

I have been asked quite a few times now, “what is #toursnacks, #girosnacks, #thereandbacksnacks ?”

Easy, it is this cycling freaks way of staying alert during the wee small hours that Aussie cycling fans have to watch the sport we love.

I am not sure when it started, but I suspect it was off the back of the guide I wrote a while back about watching a grand tour in Australia. Snacking towards the end of a stage in a grand tour was one way to keep me alert. I am pretty handy on the tooth, so any reason to chomp down on some grub late at night sounds good to me.

With excellent support from Cycling Central, it has become a thing. It happens when there is 50kms left in a road stage, or a ore determined time for ITT and TTT stages. The word will go out and the masses respond with some truly excellent snacks. I even gave the #girosnacks a plug on the blog a few times last year.

So join in everyone. And the best thing is, you can ride off the calories the next day.

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30 Seconds! God Help Me.

This is the sort of thing that really winds me up.

If you click on that you can see the car drivers sign language for “get off the fucking road”.

So, if you are the driver or classy passenger of Commodore BK43QE, have some patience you mouth breathing arsehats! I held you up for all of 30 fucking seconds.

If you know this knuckle dragging waste of space, tell them they are famous on the internet.

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Norton Summit in Under 20 Minutes!

Earlier last week I took another swing at Norton Summit, my goal, a sub 20 minute climb. Once I got to the top, I didn’t think I had managed it. But when I got back to the motel, I thought I had. That was until Carl made this comment on Strava.

Oh arse ache. One issue I have with Strava is the amount of segments that pop up when you ride in a popular area. I reckon there is more segments than metres climbed on Norton Summit.

So yesterday morning, Carl and I rode it again. I wasn’t feeling real well, but it would be my last time til next Adelaide trip.

I stopped at the bottom for an energy gel and a drink. Then we were off. Carl at the front, me sitting on his wheel, hoping he would pace me all the way up. We passed a few people, then Carl waved me through as he got blocked by a few other people that were slower than us.

I got onto the wheel of a bloke with tri bars and sat there for the first kilometre or so. At a tight hairpin, I gave it some gas and went by him.

We managed to go by a few more people, and I wasn’t feeling too bad. Around a bend, I was trying to figure out how far to go. I asked Carl “Are we half way yet?” No answer. Hmmm. A few more metres and I asked again. Nothing. Strange. I looked over my shoulder and got the shock of my life, I had put a few metres between the two of us. I must be going ok, I’ll be buggered if I am going to stop.

I little further up the road, I pass a tall skinny guy who jumps on my wheel. Awesome, I am hoping we can swap turns and I can have a bludge. I start flicking my elbow like a pro. Nothing. I keep going and then flick again. Still not coming around. Ah crap. I turn around and he is gone. Bloody hell.

I push on and still manage to miss the line on the road that marks the official end of the climb. I get to the point that I always stop and look at my time, I reckon it is 22 minutes.

Carl rolls up not long later.

Carl reckons it is a sub 19 minute time. I am not so sure.

He took me up a few more hills and got a bunch of terrific photos. See below. Then it was the plunge down to Adelaide. I managed to top 70kph at one point, plus a few hairy moments going down the hill.

A terrific ride and my first sub 20 minute ascent of Norton Summit.

So, a successful ride and a great ride to end the Tour Down Under.

Massive thanks to Carl for taking me out and for the photos below.

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