Tour of Gippsland 1 – 5 Aug 2012.
The Plan B Racing Team that will contest the Lakes Oil Tour of Gippsland is a blend of youth and experience. The team comprises:

• Alex Smythe
• Daniel Bonello
• Daniel Furmiston
• Alex Malone
• James Ibrahim
• Luke Joyce
• Jackson Mawby (U19)
• Nathan Dahlberg (manager)

The five-day tour, now in its eighth year, will feature a stage on the world-renowned Phillip Island Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuit. The 490.45km nine-stage tour will start on Wednesday, August 1, with a 40km waterfront criterium at the idyllic fishing village of San Remo.
The team won the 4th stage here last year with Brad Linfield and the Teams Award
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This is another in the National Road Series. Click HERE for overview of the NRS

OFFICIAL WEBSITE link for more information
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TEAM BLOG

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Morning stage – criterium in San remo.
A technical course and a big bunch with a lot of strong teams who were happy for it to come down to a bunch sprint.
With sprints every second lap the team tried to get involved in the intermediate sprints with Alex Smyth placing second to eventual winner Luke Davison. The pace was on the whole day and there was no real organization from any teams out on the road. Smyth was involved in a crash with 5 laps remaining in the race but was able to rejoin the race and finish at the front end of the huge bunch.

Afternoon stage – moto GP circuit

An unusually windless afternoon on the GP circuit made for a super fast 66km race. The team worked very well to get Smyth in a sprinting position for the intermediate sprints picking up some more bonus seconds. Luke Joyce made some appearances in the few break always that tried to get time on the peloton but sitting in the bunch was just too easy and breaks were always reeled in quickly. In the last laps of the race the pace was super high and a big effort by James Ibrahim to get Smyth to in front of the fight for wheels and into a top ten overall place in the stage.

The morale of the team is high after being up there with the big teams and looking like we can challenge for a few podiums or better!

We will keep you posted with reports and results from the week!

Taken from the website -

Iconic Victorian tourism destination Phillip Island will host the opening day of the 2012 Lakes Oil Tour of Gippsland.
The five-day tour, now in its eighth year, will feature a stage on the world-renowned Phillip Island Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuit.
The 575km nine-stage tour will start on Wednesday, August 1, with a 40km waterfront criterium at the idyllic fishing village of San Remo.
It will conclude on Sunday, August 5, with the tour’s traditional grand finale criterium at Paynesville on the beautiful Gippsland Lakes.

The tour will be backed by the State Government and four municipal councils – Bass Coast, Baw Baw, Latrobe and East Gippsland.
Melbourne-based Lakes Oil, Australia’s oldest oil and gas exploration company, founded in 1946, will be the tour’s major sponsor for the fifth straight year.

“The tour is also a proven breeding ground for the future stars of Australian cycling and is a superb community event, involving thousands of people from a large cross-section of not only Gippsland, but Australia-wide and internationally.”

The tour will be the opening round of the 2012 Scody Cup and is a feature event on Cycling Australia’s national road series.

Brad Hall and Chris Beeck returned to Belgium in July for a 2 week block of hard core racing. The tour finished on a very positive note with Brad placing second in the 115km kermesse in Dienze. Go to Brad’s blog for more information

Launceston to Norfolk Classic – 30 Sept 2012

Team -

• Alex Smythe
• Henry Morley
• Liam Dove
• Luke Joyce
• Peter Hatton
• James Ibrahim
• Daniel Bonello
• Trent Morey (U23)
• Peter Smith

Tour of Towoomba  14 – 17 June 2012.

Team
Alex Smyth
Brad Hall
Theo Yates
Jackson Mawby
Luke Vitler
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Days like these, (stage 4 particularly), are the most beautiful and the most unpleasant, so much hard work for a result not reflective of our efforts.

Stage 3 TTT 16km’s

With 5 riders this time trial was always going to be difficult. We set off at a high intensity as we attempted to get going post-haste… Straight away the intensity met threshold as these young men drove our small echelon
onwards. Our rythym was even as each of us pulled well and for an equal duration.

Theo and Jackson again impressed greatly, with the later probably pulling the hardest turns through the final 1/3 of the course. Our time, however, was slower then what I would of expected as we came in some 70seconds behind the eventual winners in Budget forklifts. Still some promising efforts from the younger riders and a solid team effort.

Stage 4 116km road race.

This stage was contested over some undulating terrain and massive cross wind sections through open cotton-fields. Immediately I was in the first break of the day, which survived some 5km’s as Alex hit out for the second break staying away for around 40km’s. Behind this break the narrow roads opened up to large empty fields as the wind battered the field from the side.

I made the decision to pull turns with the echelon as working in crosswinds is often easier then sitting in the gutter.
This paid off as when the break was pulled back there was little peloton remaining. I immediately followed the next counter attack which forced a 15man group up the road. With the hard crosswinds the field split into a hierarchy of abilities where only the stronger riders formed the successful echelons.

From here we worked and worked hard. We gained an advantage of around 1.5mins, however with some 20km’s remaining a smaller peloton brought us back into the fold as again the field was brought reeling into the gutter due to the substantial crosswinds.

Over the remaining rollers we pushed until finally we were 5km’s from home. From here I could see both Alex and Theo riding well with young Jackson also in the remaining split. To be honest I was surprised to see the younger riders in this selection as plenty of other more ‘qualified’ riders had not made the cut.

I told Theo to hold fast on my wheel as I navigated through the field and found a spot some 7riders from the front. I also knew Alex was close by which made for a successfull formation. We entered the final hill 2km from the finish and then onto the criterium circuit for a one-lap final’. The par-course we had viewed in the race manual the night before was unfortunately nothing like the actual finish which proved to be a decisive factor in what was to follow.

As we crested the hill, Alex (our sprinter) followed a small attack of 7 riders. I shadowed the move from the front of the field as Genesis began their push for the line. I easily moved into this train as we bridged to the front markers. One rider had managed to escape prior and was to ride onto a hard earned victory and a well deserved one. As the front of the field propped, I called Alex onto my wheel, believing the finish line, which was easily in view, was around one kilometer from our current position.

As Alex slipped in behind me, I pushed hard for the line, culminating in a 630watt one minute effort. Unfortunately the course final’ involved an extra 600meter detour, as I found myself ‘half-cooked’ with around 800m remaining. There was fortunately a cross wind so I was able to ride around 1meter from the gutter, enough to give Alex and Theo a reasonable sit, whilst forcing the others behind them to bare the wrath of the brutal wind.

From this point I knew getting Alex to 200m was our only option for success. I manged to round the final hairpin prior to the sprint as the field caught up with my effort and began the sprint for the line. Alex managed to grab a wheel and I thought 3rd place, but unfortunately was pipped by 3 riders to come 4th in the sprint and 5th over all for the day. Theo also managed to push well for the line and claimed a top ten result: a very impressive effort from a young rider.

Todays race was more eventfull and more enjoyable/hurtful then the first race where I ran 3rd. It required complete concentration and good fitness to even finish with the front group. Plan B managed to finish with 4 riders, including Theo and Jackson (their efforts on this particular day were nothing short of spectacular given their age and racing experience), and managed to coordinate a collective effort for a potential podium spot which resulted in two top ten placings.

So often in cycling one must risk everything so that others may have legitimate oppertunity for success. This ‘collective bargaining’ is what signifies not only cycle racing, but professionalism. Today our coordinated outcome was professional in nature as it involved utilising a complete skill set among multiple parties for a single outcome.

Plan B Racing team, its directors, and ‘Tifosi’ supporters group have been working hard to secure a professional license, in the form of another significant sponsor, for the coming year. Today was again evidence to our ability to work in unison so that a team result can be attained: this is professionalism at work.

Days like today cycling is beautiful, not necessarily pleasant, but a beauty to behold.

Thanks for reading.
Brad Hall.

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Stage 2 Report , 126km’s

Todays stage was the queen stage of this years tour. A steady 20km ascent featured prior to 4km’s of 10% average gradient designed to finish off these humble participants. Without a real climber on board the teams objective was to work for a break away in the hope that we could gain some advantage prior the climb.

All the riders rode good position as we began to make our way through the middle section of the race: here several smaller climbs sort to ‘bust’ the field up. Theo and Brad managed to gain access to several moves that rode clear. Theo here showed his huge potential as a rider, just locating oneself toward the front of the group is hard enough with Theo easily maintaining his position and therefore offering himself for potential breakaways.

Eventually Brad rode clear of the field on the tail of around 10riders through the harder sections of the race. Brad had hoped this would stick, but Team Budget were intent on delivering their general classification rider to the foot of the climb close to 1st position. The break was brought back reasonably quickly as again the intensity lifted.

As we rode through the valley toward the final ascent the pace lifted to a steady tempo. From here it was going to be a climbers day out. We rolled into the final ascent of around 15% as the majority of the bunch crashed due to their chains dropping from the front ring and/or the shear sudden increase in gradient. Most of the riders were caught up in this except for the first 40 or so. Plan B unfortunately did not get through this mess easily. It was some 40seconds until most of us got going again.

Luke Vitler rode well to regain some of his standing on the climb, with the rest of us happy to get over the 3km ramp of 10% average.

This day is not without positives however. Theo showed he was on hand to race through the harder aspects of the race before this brutal climb. He was able to navigate his way around the field with perceived ease whilst also having the fitness to follow some of these strong moves. Much potential there is in this young man.
Luke Vitler also impressed today, he was intent on contesting the climb rather then opting for a break away. We allowed Luke his freedom to contest this final’ as he see’s fit, had he not been caught up in the ‘schnozzle’ that was the entrance to the ascent, he may have featured closer to the front.

Tomorrow we turn our attention to the TTT and the road stage which again may suit our attributes as a team. We lost one rider today in Luke Joyce, so our TTT will depend on 5riders instead of 6. The road stage is a rolling stage where we are hoping for another breakaway or sprint finish using Alex Smyth’s finishing speed.

Thanks again for reading, Brad Hall.
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Stage 1 report
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Tour of Toowoomba, stage 1, 139km’s.

Today’s stage consisted of narrow roads, some undulations and many a strong rider.
For this tour Plan B had several of WA’s premier junior riders in attendance in Theo, Jackson and Luke Vitler. With such a young team we have hoped for a good GC showing and some stage results.

To the younger riders credit their performances today was nothing short of exceptional. They rode position toward the front of the group as though they had 10years racing experience each! This is a great sign of what is to come, and an indication they are confident young men who believe in their abilities. A culmination of the hard work they and their respective others have put into honing their cycling prowess. The riders, family’s, respective coaches and indeed the WA cycling community are all to share in the bright futures of these young men all facilitated through the unique WA racing venture that is Plan B Racing team.

That being said the race itself was hard and fast. A field of around 140riders descended onto the rolling plains south of Toowoomba as we smashed our way around the sometimes flowing, sometimes narrow roads. The usual teams were very prominent in Genesys and Budget, however it was great to see our younger riders and Luke Joyce shadowing the many moves.

As we approached the major undulations around the 105km mark, the field stretched to a single file line as the intenisty increased. Alex Smyth and Myself were well positioned here as we followed moves untill finally a small break crept off the front during the hardest aspect of the race. Initially Budget chased until finally they threw a rider across.

I followed and together we formed a solid front group of around 10riders. The final’ of today’s race was hideously technical with two sharp corners and a hairpin all in the final 1km. As we entered this final’, the peloton were some 20seconds in arrears. I stayed closer to the rear of the group and navigated the many corners with two riders riding clear in solo attempts for the line.

As we rounded the hairpin I followed the wheels until 250m to go and pushed hard for the finish managing to hold off the other finishers for 3rd. A good start to the tour.

Tomorrows stage sees us ascend a 700m climb, whilst this format of racing does not represent our greatest strength for this tour, we will be seeking to initiate an early break and consolidate any loses. Our real hopes are for the other remaining stages which are similar to today’s undulating stage.

Thanks again for reading, Brad Hall.

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This another in the National Road Series.   Click HERE for overview of the NRS

Here is the OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Tour of Singkarak 4 – 10 June 2012. Team:
Alex Smyth
Alex Malone
Daniel Bonello
Trent Morey
James Ibrahim

The team returns again this year with a better idea of what to expect and some Asian UCI Tour races already under the wheels. We are optimistic of a good result.
This is 2.2 UCI Asian Tour Race – click HERE for official site

link to CYCLINGNEWS RESULTS

Good work by the boys over in Singkarak. Alex Smyth gets 3rd on Stage 2.  Hard for the team to get info out due to Internet connectivity but we will post anything when we get it

Day five was the second proper mountain stage, yesterday we had the 44-switchback, 44 Kelok climb and today we rode up to Lembang Jaya, a 9.7km climb with an average gradient over eight percent, a further 5km at ten percent after the KOM before plummeting down to Singkarak Lake. We knew this stage would be tough as Dan Bonello and myself had ridden a complete course reconnaissance in the week prior to the Tour’s start. I wanted to make the breakaway yesterday and although it looked good at times eventually the move of the day took off, without me, but included Alex Smyth. I couldn’t be there but at least we represented the front of the race.

Stage five would begin with a 15km fast and dangerous descent in the poring rain. It seems the local teams aren’t comfortable in these conditions and I knew, by taking a few (or many) risks on the downhill that a group of like-minded riders would form. We took off and the bunch was immediately strung out, a number of guys crashed behind me on the slippery descent but finally an Asian Racing Team rider and about six others split from the peloton. We hit the bottom of and had around 50km of relatively flat roads before the start of the climb. Our group contained a great mix of what I’d call ‘strongmen’ – riders who were more than willing to drive it to the base of the mountain, ensuring our gap was as big as possible. Averaging just under 50km/h we succeeded in putting nearly six minutes into the bunch. It wasn’t enough for me to make it to the top but it was a good day considering some of the disappointment of dealing with stomach (gastro) issues throughout the tour. I ended up riding the remainder of the stage in a small group which included Smyth. This was until a huge bunch, driven by the Japanese Federation Team, caught us with about 15km to go. We were a long way down on the winner but it was a good feeling to have two riders from PlanB at the front on what was arguably the two hardest days of the Tour. It was also the first race I’ve done where it looked like we could arrive after night fall. Our group was well ahead of this time but many others weren’t so lucky and used the following cars headlights to guide their path to the finish. A few riders from the breakaway managed to get over the mountain in the front group but it didn’t work out on this day for me. However, there’s always another chance and stage for a break. If you never try, you’ll never know. Bring on the final two days.

A big thanks to Dan and James who were awesome again in the car today. They kept us hydrated and feed with little fuss. There was one moment descending off the big mountain where I came around a corner after grabbing a bottle and was rubbing elbows with the van but James was calm and it was actually a bit funny. While it was difficult to loose them from riding the tour with us, having them in the car has been fantastic. Language barriers and inexperience with the local drivers can make punctures and feeding a stressful time but with these two at the helm it’s a breeze.

Thanks for reading,
Alex.
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Quick run down on how we went today- Stage 6.

Stage 6 was a 147km stage which had two category 3 climbs mid race and flat all the way to the finish. A break of nine riders went up the road and the leading team ASAD university was happy to let the small bunch get out to over 7 minutes before starting the big chase. All three of the Plan B riders stayed in the peloton hoping for a bunch sprint.
Malone and Morey supported me well throughout the race when a stroke of bad luck saw me puncture with about 20km remaining in the race. Malone instantly gave up his front for mine to get me back on the road quickly as our car was poorly placed in the convoy. Morey paced me to the back of the peloton and from there I had to make the journey back up to the front of the fast moving bunch solo. Unfortunately the break away stayed away by the skin on their teeth as the bunch sprint bore down on them. After a hard chase I was struggling for position in the bunch and was not at full capacity in the sprint. Only 6 riders survived out the front break away and (without official results) I think that I came in a close 6th in the bunch kick. A top 15 result after a puncture in the last 20km so hoping that with a bit of luck tomorrow the guys and I can pull out a good result.
I hope all is well in australia and will speak with you soon,
Cheers once again,
Smythy

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Yesterday was brutal. In a the breakaway from the gun with about seven guys, averaged over 50km/h until we hit the Cat 1 (65km into race). Got caught eventually but solid day out. Alex Smyth ride awesome yesterday so of he has good legs again we’ll look to set up the sprint today. Cheers Alex Malone
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Stage 3
Stage 3 of Tour de Singkarak was relatively short, with just over 100 kilometers to cover. The course featured two major climbs, each with varying, constantly changing gradients. The first climb began soon after the start, and a stiff head wind made the first few K’s of false-flat difficult terrain for a break to establish. Before long, a break did manage to open a small gap, but the pace in the main field stayed high. All three of us from Plan B were struggling early on, and Alex Malone was tailed off during the climb with a number of other riders. Alex Smythe and I held on to the bunch.

After the first climb a moderate section of rolling terrain kept the tempo in the peleton at a hard enough pace to prevent many of the dropped riders from rejoining. Soon afterwards was a long section of constant downhill, and assisted by what was now a tail-wind, the bunch hooned along at 60-90 k/hr for close to 10 minutes. The second climb began after another 15k of rolling, high speed road. Alex Smythe dropped off the peleton at the beginning of the climb, and I held on until the final 3k before the top. From there, it was 19k of downhill to the finish. Alex S caught up to me, and together with a small group we worked well to limit our loss on the day to just over 3 minutes. Alex M arrived just a few minutes later, having ridden hard the whole stage with his group.

The stage was won by Oscar Pujol of Azad University, who was part of the early break and rode solo from early on in the last climb to hold off what remained of the peleton by a scant 8 seconds.
Trent Morey
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Stage one Tour de Singkarak
Sawahlunto-Sawahlunto 77.5km

Flat-ish terrain with a finishing climb of 3.5km before descending 2.5km into Sawahlunto

Stage one looked, on paper, as a fairly straightforward race. The profile cause only one real concern, a climb right at the end of the stage which would definitely split the bunch. Dan Bonello and myself (Alex Malone) had spent the previous week training in and around Sawahlunto so we were extremely familiar with the climb and descent that would be used in the race. There’s only two ways to get out of town, both up so we rode this stretch everyday on our way out training and back to our hotel each afternoon. The climb itself isn’t difficult to ride, a consistent gradient of about five percent meant it would ridden extremely fast if the bunch was still together. This is quite often worse because it’s more a matter of who can just hold the wheel for the longest – hopefully for as long as it takes to reach the top.

Dan and I rode the course a few days before the race started and realised it was no “flat” course like the race manual has suggested. The parcours was never flat, littered with little climbs and along narrow roads which would string out the bunch. My prediction was that a breakaway would succeed after the sprint point at 41km. It did. After a extremely fast start it appeared a breakaway could get away before this point. A late start meant to temperature was up around the 40 degrees point and within the first 20km the bunch seemed to be struggling along, the heat clearly taking its toll early on. Acclimatised the riding in the later part of the day was a definite advantage and my legs were feeling good. Finally, the break went shortly after the sprint point and I was able to get in it. We started with 17 riders but there wouldn’t be so many by the top of the climb. We rocketed up the climb and the attacks begun. I knew this climb very well, having ridden it nearly a dozen times I waited as each of the attacking riders cam back and were promptly ejected. As we crested the top two riders had a tiny gap of a group of about eight. Also familiar with the descent I was able to pass a number of riders but the two in front plus a lone rider already had a gap and with only a couple of kilometres of descending I wasn’t able to catch those in front. Six of us sprinted to the finish line where I got sixth place. Our gap to the peloton was over a minute. Day one done.

On a side note, while the day brought some success we lost two riders with James Ibrahim and Dan Bonello. James was extremely sick on arrival but with no reserve riders he performed like a true teammate as best he could. Dan, after spending the previous week with me, eating street food, got a bad case of food poisoning from the Tour’s dinner. Perhaps the rendang wasn’t the best thing to eat before the start of a hard tour. It was a shame as his form had been extremely good and was going to be our GC hope. I has also eaten this rendang and was not in good physical shape the evening or morning of stage one. I felt good on the opening stage but the symptoms caught up with me in the coming days. It’s frustrating to start out well only to be struck down with illness and be unable to perform like you know you should. Onto the next stage…
Cheers Alex Malone

Check out STAGE ONE RIDE PROFILE from Alex

2011 Images

Plan B Racing are sending a strong team to the GMF Goldfields Cyclassic a two stage handicap race from Kalgoorlie-Boulder to Menzies and on to Leonora. The race has a magnificent history with the inaugural ride taking place in 1928 and now boasting the title of  “The Richest Handicap Cycle Race in Australia.

Plan B Racing Team to contest the event:
Chris Beeck
Brad Hall
Peter MacDonald
Peter Hatton
Theo Yates
Jackson Mawby

This is great event, with multiple grades so if you’re interested go to the event website and sign up http://www.cyclassic.com.au/

BRAD HALL RACE REPORT

Headwinds, all day, all night…Headwinds.

A stern north easter’ blew for the entire weekend making the racing hard and not as fast as our efforts would normally allow.
The 20-man scratch group rolled with intent and purpose as we made our way northward to Menzies. All of the riders contributed to the work load as we averaged around 46km/hr for the sub 3hr journey.
Once the outmarkers were brought back into our fold the race proper began. Plan B’s Peter Hatton pulled hard up a small rise to split the field in to two. & riders formed the break away and from here we would contest the final. Toward the final 5km’s Peter and Chris both had solo ‘digs’ in an effort to try and break away, however The likes of Caleb Ewan and Brad Lindfield proved too strong as each attempt was brought back together. With the final kilometer approaching, ChrisBeeck of Plan B racing lead the small field into the home straight.
Peter Hatton was on my wheel and colelcted me in an attempt to get the jump over the lightning quick Caleb Ewan, we did get the jump on Caleb however he fought well for Peter’s wheel as we both began our sprints some 300m from the line. Caleb immediately kicked and put around 1-2bike lengths into me as I slowly gained on him over the duration of the extended sprint.
Caleb proved too quick and finished some bike length in front of me. His victory was well deserved as he pulled hard all day, never missing a turn, and showed his immense potential as one of Australia’s up and coming fast men.
I was left somewhat disappointed at my efforts as Peter and Chris had given themselves to the teams cause with my job the task of delivering the final result thwarted by this young rider.

For the Menzies-Leonora race the winds were much the same and a little stronger in force. We ploughed into the headwind, this 20man rolling group, as the handicapper had given the outmarkers a greater advantage. With haste we swollowed up the final riders some 20kilometers from home. Both Jackson and Theo had ridden well and pulled hard all day into this unrelenting wind, no mean feat for two of WA’s youngest A grade riders.
Toward the final 15kilomters I was the first to hitout in an attempt to create a springboard for Peter Hatton, one of the strongest riders in the race. As I was realed in the counter attack went with Peter in it, however he was the only Plan B rider present. I instructed Theo to launch me across halfway so I could bridge to the 7-strong break up the road. Theo did this and I was able to bridge: quality team work from one of our youngest riders.
Once in the break I recovered and then began to lok forward to the final, which included a lap around Leonora city. Peter Hatton had managed to break away with another Jayco rider Ben Hill as they were allowed the freedom to contest the finish.
Upon entering Leonora I jostled for Calebs wheel and found it with relative ease. In the final moments of the finish Chris Beeck had chased solo and caught the group and hit out down the left hand gutter, he was followed by Cale and myself in tow as Henry Morely of WA atacked the field into the last 2 corners. This commenced the sprint as Caleb followed Henry’s wheel with myself in tow.
From here we entered the final corner some 250m from the line where I choose an inside line and immediately commenced my sprint, Caleb saw me coming and kicked for the line, however I had enough speed to froge past him and cross the line 3rd.
Peter Hatton did not have the power of the previous day and was disappointed in not winning the race ahead of us. Ben had won in a 2-man sprint.

So Plan B walks away from WA’s premier road race without the victory or result reflective of our efforts. This is bike riding and is so often the case. Now the team turns to the Tour of Singarak and the Tour of Toowoomba to make amends.
Still the team rode well with the younger riders gaining some insight into the rigors of racing a demanding handicap. None of this would be made possible if it wasnt for the humble work of Dorte, our new honorary ‘life-member’ in taking care of everything off the bike so all we had to do was focus ‘on the bike’. Many thanks Dorte, and thank you for reading!

Team for Azerbaijan – starts 13th May 2012

Daniel Bonello
Alex Malone
Rowan Dever
Caleb Jones
Liam Dove
Trent Morey
reserve Chris Beeck

Manager Yves Beau
Reserve manager/ rider Nathan Dahlberg

Here is link to Tour Website – www.azar-tour.com
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Alex and James in action at Stage 5…
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The news has been sparse due to communication difficulties but here is a video Dan and Caleb managed to get through..
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Peter Hatton – Lowrie Memorial 6 May 2012 Report

The race yesterday started under cool conditions with a strong squad of 8 plan b riders, we weren’t’ the only team with numbers either and it was obvious playing the right card at the right time would be key to success. It was a very fast start and because of the cooler temperatures my legs were turning over like stone for the first 20k but luckily this didn’t appear to be the case for all the Plan B guys as I could see multiple attacks firing off the front and one of our guys in every move or else instigating the aggression. Nothing much stuck until around the 35k mark when a group rode clear, we had multiple guys in it and it looked like it could have been the break but after just a few ks it came back together again and is often the case just a short time later the main break of 10 or so rode clear, with Ben, Fitzy and myself included. We rode off at a good pace with everyone cooperating until around 15k to go the Plan B riders started with the attacks, as it was our plan to win solo. It was super nice having the numbers in the break especially as Ben and Fitzy were also really strong and it wasn’t long before I rode clear with former Plan B rider Brad Lindfield in tow. Having numbers behind was a luxury and it allowed me to work Brad over pretty good as I sat on for long stretches before attacking him, a scenario that repeated itself multiple times until I got a gap with about 4k to go! At the same time Brad was chasing me, Ben was chasing Brad and caught him around 3k out so I knew the win was all but assured then and it was a very good feeling having had such good team tactics play out. A good win for the morale!

Pete

Tifosi Giro Dinner 23^rd May

The popular Plan B Racing Tifosi Giro d’Italia dinner is on again this year. Keep Wednesday the 23^rd of May free for this Italian themed dinner coinciding with the live broadcast of the crucial mountain Stage 17 from Falzes to Cortina d’Ampezzo with four peaks in the first at 73k’s.

We are pleased to advise that prices have been finalised for the Giro Dinner on the 23^rd of May at The Rubix Bar from 6pm.
The night will include pre-dinner drinks at the Rubix bar, a three-course traditional Italian meal and beverages, light entertainment and the excitement of a 4-peak Giro Stage.

Prices are as follows:
Tifosi Members:  $50
Non-members:  $90
Sponsors are also entitled to purchase additional guest tickets at the member rate.

Can you please confirm your attendance asap by contacting Darryl Morphett as spots are limited.

Team-
1. Daniel Bonello
2.James Ibrahim
3.Trent Morley
4.Caleb Jones
5.Liam Dove
6.Luke Joyce

The 5 stages race will start from Semporna to Tawau (102.8km) on 27th April, from there the riders will proceed to Stage 2 : Tawau – Lahad Datu (146.6km); Stage 3 : Lahad Datu – Sandakan (181.8km); before they face the grueling mountain highlands in Stage 4 from Sepilok leading to Kundasang (214.8km) the base of Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South East Asia. The race will end in the West Coast of Sabah on Stage 5 : Kundasang – Kota Kinabalu (112.4km), on 1st of May 2012.

Link to event WEBPAGE

Luke Joyce 2nd in Stage, Trent Morey 5th,  Caleb Jones 4th overall GC!

Luke Joyce Stage 5 report-112km solid climb at the start with long descents and steep climbs until about 50km to go where it was flat to the finish. i managed to cross to the break of 4 on a descent which had jon lovelock (genesys) in and worked with them until more riders joined us including 2 more genesys riders and trent morey (plan b) boosting the break aways amount to 10 riders with 60km to go. the genesys boys rolled hard to put jon in a position to win overall with the new zealand team riding hard to close the gap. in the last 3km i got away with blake hose (genesys) and a suren rider. in the final 400m there was a left hander where i ended up on the front and had the lead out the sprint. the suren rider kicked past me with 300m to go, i kept blake held off and held on to get second on the stage. caleb ended up 4th overall with a fantastic ride.

Luke Joyce stage 4-216km with a mountain top finish around 1300m. dan was able to cross to the break after it had been initiated which went out to about 5 mins. the new zealand riders rode on the front like they have been almost the whole tour or their man in yellow. when the bunch hit the climb, riders started going backwards while the yellow jersey tapped out a solid pace for what was left of the main bunch by himself for the last 50km. caleb climbed like a demon to grab 6th on the stage putting him into 3rd on gc.

Luke Joyce stage 3-186km relatively flat with rolling hills. i managed to get in the break with 3 other riders (ccn, 7 eleven and kazak). the gap went out to almost 7 mins while we were chopping off all day. with 20km to go the ccn rider got dropped and with about 17km to go the kazak got a flat tyre leaving it to me and the 7 eleven rider to drive it to the finish with the time gap coming down quickly as the bunch chased. eventually we were caught with just over 5km to go up a short steep hill. caleb managed to get 6th in the bunch kick and was sitting at 9th on gc.

Dan Bonello Stage 2

James Ibrahim Report

Dan Bonello Report
Stage 1: 102km
Elevation: 710m
Average speed: 44km/h

The peloton seemed to have a collective concern that today’s start had been scheduled for 2.30pm as the previous day temperatures had reached just over forty degrees. However a considerable amount of cloud cover meant that the temperature was a little more manageable for the bunch.

As expected there were numerous protagonists showing their cards as soon as racing began and Plan B were able to remain attentive and either be in any move that got a gap or conservatively help bring things back. It wasn’t until around the thirty k mark that a move of just two riders headed off up the road. With some solid tempo riding at the front by both Plan B and Genesys their gap never exceeded a minute forty, but it was surprising to not see it dip below a minute when the impetus of the chase really kicked in.
Without a true sprinter in our line up there was little pressure on us to do little more than consolidate a good spot in the bunch furthermore a safe finish on GC for myself and Caleb Jones.
With 5k to go the first of the riders was swept up by the bunch and it was assumed that the remaining rider from Pure Black Racing would soon be caught as well. A truly amazing ride from Michael Torkler saw him maintain the smallest of margins over the bunch and PBR were able to walk away with a well deserved 1,2,3 on the stage.
James, Caleb and myself were able to avoid the carnage of the final few k’s and finish in the bunch. This leaves us in a position to be on the hunt for a good break away tomorrow and perhaps pick up some time bonuses.
More to come from Borneo.
Daniel Bonello

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— -Luke Joyce Report

Stage one- 108km relatively flat stage saw with countless amounts of attacks from the gun. Eventually a New Zealand and another rider made a break that went out to about 1:40mins. Plan B had Dan Bonello and guest rider Liam Dove rolling on the front with teams such as Genesys to pull the break back.The last couple of kms to the finish were a bit dodgy with everyone trying to position themselves for a sprint and a right hander about 400m from the finish.

The New Zealand rider went on to ride to the finish by himself taking out the win.

All the Plan B riders finished with the bunch except for Luke Joyce and Liam Dove who got caught behind a crash 1.5km from the finish.