Pure Black Racing

U23 Europe Update

pbr_admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:16:14 +0000

German Training Camp, Freiburg 2nd – 8th May 2012

Following our race in Frankfurt the U23 Mens Endurance Squad remained on-the- road for a further 6 days in Germany. We landed on our feet by discovering the region of Baden-Württemberg and the city of Freiburg; about 2.5hrs south of Frankfurt.

Freiburg-Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany located on the western edge of the Black Forest. The city is famous for its ancient university, high standard of living and advanced environmental practices. But what makes this place so attractive for cyclists is the mountainous terrain, perfect roads, and a climate that is believed to be the sunniest and warmest in Germany. The U23 Mens Endurance had stumbled upon cycling nirvana and our 6 day stay was an experience that all of us will remember for a very long time.

Ride Guides:

We were fortunate to make contact with two local Freiburg cyclists: Hanka Kupfernagel and Elke Gebardt.

Hanka is one of Germanys all-time great athletes. She has 5 World Championship titles (Road and Cyclocross), 30 German National Titles and has been named German Cyclist of the year 6 times. To get a feel for just how accomplished she is check this out:

Olympic Silver (2000)
World Champion TT (30km) 2008, Stuttgart
World Champion 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2008 (cyclo-cross)
Third place World Championship 1998 (TT and Road Race)
European champion 1996 (Road)
Three stage wins at Tour de France feminine 1997
31 x winner of international stage races (e.g. Thüringerrundfahrt, Tour de l’Aude, 5 x Tour de
Gracia, Tour de Swiss)
3 x Junior World Champion
22 x German Champion (1993-2002)
Winner of German Cycle League 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998
Winner of German Mountainbike League 1995
6 x German Cyclist of the Year in 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2007
Junior World Record over 2000m IP, Athens 1992

Our other guide for the week was Elke Gerbahrdt who was born in Freiburg and is a familiar face to some of us who have done several of the Track Cycling World Cups. She is a member of the German Track team where she competes in Points and Scratch events. Elke is a very experienced cyclist and races in 2012 for the female professional squad: Be Pink. Previous teams affiliations include: German National Team since 1999, Team Red Bull Stadtwerke 2002-2004, Team Rothaus-Vita Classica 2005-2006, Team drinks Hoffmann 2007,Team Rothaus-Vita Classica 2008.Both Hanka and Elke rode with us most days and introduced us to many of the regions 10-12km mountain climbs as well as the best of German food, wine and local culture. I know I speak for all the guys when I say we are grateful for their support. We all look forward to returning to their beautiful part of the world sometime soon.

Daniel Healey

U23 Mens Endurance Coach

PureBlack Racing finish 5th in Team GC at Jelajah Malaysia

pbr_admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 03:35:51 +0000

A lack of manpower meant the final stage of Jelajah Malaysia has ended uneventfully for the three remaining PureBlack Racing riders hoping to shake up the standing in the final kilometers of the stage.

“The boys kept to a plan for the whole stage,” said Director Sportif, John “Harry” Harris, “they managed to split the field in half but just got in the wrong position towards the end.”

“We were expecting a much bigger climb but it didn’t feature at all,” said team captain, Roman van Uden, “this was where we really wanted to launch an attack but it wasn’t steep enough, it was quite an uneventful stage.”

“We were heavily marked today,” said Harry, “and the peloton was very well controlled by the big teams looking for the yellow jersey, and today we just didn’t have the numbers.”

Despite the frustrating stage, PureBlack Racing dug deep, and with only three riders racing the final four stages, taking 5^th in the overall team GC was a testament to the determination of the riders.

The highest place rider from PureBlack Racing was Michael Torckler who finished 8^th in the individual GC. Michael was unable to make any inroads on the 2:46 deficit inflicted on the second stage, finishing the last four stages with the same aggregate time as yellow jersey winner Yusup Abrekov from Uzbekistan Suren Team.

With Louis Crosby, and Shem Rodgers crashing out of the race in Stage 2, Jelajah Malaysia did not quite go to plan for PureBlack Racing. With the remainder of the team, Roman, Michael and James Williamson, involved in a crash in Stage 5, the team was unable to make a dent on the GC deficit with their options limited to just three riders.

“We were lucky,” said Harry, “They sustained no serious injuries and have come off pretty lightly.”

The team has now wrapped up their final race in Asia and arrives home on Thursday for some well deserved rest, before heading off to the next racing stint for 2012.

PureBlack races on after crash takes out all three riders

pbr_admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 02:05:12 +0000

Saturday 12^th May: PureBlack Racing fought a tough battle to finish the fifth stage of Jelajah Malaysia today, after the three remaining riders all going down in a crash.

With two riders already out of the tour due to crashes, this could have been a disaster ending for PureBlack Racing’s time in Asia but Michael Torckler, Roman van Uden and James Williamson all got back on bikes and rejoined the peloton at the 83km mark.

Not only did they rejoin the peloton but made a number of attacks during the rest of the course. Michael made a solo attack to catch the breakaway but at just 20 seconds behind them got brought back by the peloton.

Roman was next to attack and was in a breakaway only for that to also be caught. With the end approaching, 5km to go, James decided it was his turn for a shot at chasing the breakaway until the breakaway was caught with 4km to go and a bunch sprint was looking likely.

Roman sprinted into 6^th place, with Michael in 19^th and James in 65^th. An incredible result despite the day’s events.

In an unlucky day for the team, at the same time as the crash the team car, carrying the mechanic Faizal Dreamwerks, Director Sportif, John “Harry” Harris and spare bike parts, also broke down as the team was waiting for assistance.

“The boys hit the deck at 60km/hour,” said Harry, “just getting back on the bike was a hell of an effort and then to make a chase like that is unbelievable.”

“Roman worked like 20 men to get the other two boys back to the peloton,” said Harry.

“When you stand up and everything feels OK, you just have to get back on the bike,” said Michael.

The team is lucky to have just suffered from grazing.

Harry believes that credit needs to be recognized where it is due and today that credit needs to go to Faizal who Harry says worked beyond his responsibilities to ensure the boys had their bikes ready to go.

“We were driving 160km/hour to get to the boys at the crash and he had to hang out the window, almost standing on the roof and hold onto the bikes on top of the car to make sure they were secure,” said Harry, “he is worth one million dollars, he did double bike changes for the boys, Roman had two punctures – he was just amazing.”

Harrif Salleh from Terengganu Cycling Team took out Stage Five in his second consecutive stage win.

The final stage of Jelajah Malaysia is another long stage, 199.5km, from Ipoh, Perak to Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, with three sprint premes, one category 1 climb and a category 2 climb.

Jelajah Malaysia – Stage Four

pbr_admin — Sat, 12 May 2012 07:40:47 +0000

Stage four of Jelajah Malaysia was full of high speed and many breakaways over 115km of a relatively flat course.

Roman van Uden, James Williamson and Michael Torckler attacked from the beginning of the stage but like all other breakaways of the day were swiftly brought back by the peloton.

“We worked really well as a team today,” said Director Sportif, John “Harry” Harris, “with only three riders it is really difficult, they tried really hard but kept being brought back.”

The stage ended, as predicted, in a bunch sprint, won by Harrif Salleh of Terengganu Cycling Team. Roman placed 5^thin with the same time as the winner, 2:40:56.

“Michael shot out with 5km to go, he was trying to set up a sprint for Roman but he was caught not long before the finish,” said Harry.

Stage Five sees another big day in the Malaysian heat, with the stage covering 193.4km including three sprint premes, and a single KOM preme.

“Tomorrow is going to be a long day, the team in yellow is going to be under a lot of pressure,” said Harry, “If we can get Michael up those hills we will throw the dice and make a play where we can, put the cat amoungst the pigeons and see if something can go our way.

It is going to be a big battle for the team tomorrow with only three riders but Harry believes Roman, James and Michael have the strength to turn something up.

Louis Crosby and Shem Rodger are both recovering well from their crashes; they have lucky come out with no major injuries.

PureBlack Racing take it easy at Jelajah Malaysia

pbr_admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:44:46 +0000

It was a safe day on the bike for the three remaining riders of PureBlack Racing in Stage Three of Jelajah Malaysia.

After the troubles of the previous day, which saw two riders out due to crashes, Michael Torckler, Roman van Uden and Jimmy Williamson stuck with the peloton in the 168.8km stage.

Three riders were able to escape the peloton, with the bunch finishing in 4:25:34, just under 2 minutes behind stage winner Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin from Terengganu Cycling Team.

“For a while we had Jimmy looking at getting away in the break but at the end of the day it just didn’t make sense today” said Michael Torckler. “It was a good day to roll through and keep ourselves in a good position for later in the tour.”

Despite the unfortunate exits of Louis Crosby and Shem Rodger from the tour, Michael is still sitting in 8^th place in the individual GC and PureBlack Racing is in 5^th in the team GC.

Stage Four is the shortest stage of the tour at only 98.5km and is expected to be a fast race with only two sprint premes and no KOM.

PureBlack Racing sustain one-two punch, but still standing in Jelajah Malaysia.

pbr_admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:53:46 +0000

Thursday 10^th May: Crashes in Stage Two of Jelajah Malaysia has seen the end of the tour for two of PureBlack Racing’s riders, Louis Crosby and Shem Rodger.

While Louis and Shem have been left battered and bruised, Michael Torckler, Roman van Uden and James Williamson avoided trouble and finished the stage in the peloton, three minutes behind the leaders.

Louis crash occurred 90km into the race after an object, possibly a water bottle, got caught on his wheel.

“It was a strange crash, my hands lost the grip on the handle bars and I just went down,” said Louis, “usually when that happens you can regain your balance, but this time I couldn’t.”

After getting his bike checked out by the mechanic, Louis tried to get back onto the bunch but after 10km he realized that he was just too sore and got into the race ambulance.

15km further into the race, Louis heard over the ambulance radio that there had been another crash; he hoped that it was not one of his team members but as they approached he saw the mechanic preparing a new bike from PureBlack Racing team car and realized it was Shem

“Shem was on the side of the road, while Faizal [Mechanic] was getting a new bike ready for him,” said Louis, “he tried to get back on the bike but was shaken up and possibly had a knock to the head because he dis not remember going down.

Louis and Shem spent yesterday afternoon in the hospital getting examined to ensure there was no major damage, Shem has a small hematoma on his hip but broken bones have been avoided.

With only three riders left in the tour, the next four stages are going to be a big challenge for PureBlack Racing – but as the team has proved they can perform with limited riders, and with team captain Roman, James and Michael still with plenty of gas in the tank, they will be pushing hard for results.

Stage Two race winner was Jai Crawford from RTS Racing Team with a time of 5:07:42 followed by Yasuharu Nakajima (Aisan Racing Team) and Tonton Susanto (Putra Perjuangan).

The yellow jersey holder after day two is Yusup Abrekov from the Uzbekistan Suren Team.

Michael is sitting in 7^th overall in the Individual GC and PureBlack Racing is sitting in 5^th place in the Team GC.

Today’s Stage Three is 168.8km with three sprint premes and a Category Four climb, from Kulim, Kedah to Felda Chuping, Perlis.

Europe in his own words – Taylor Gunman

pbr_admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:36:55 +0000

April has been a whirlwind month. I have been able to experience and race with some of the world’s best riders and nations. There has not had a chance to relax and sit down long enough to write any kind of reports until now.

My big aim for the trip was having the opportunity to race the Tour of Flanders. A dream race of mine which tests all aspects of the rider as a complete athlete but also involves a lot of luck, this is because it is not your normal race, it involves racing over hand laid cobbles on very soft dirt and are more than likely to be found going uphill if that wasn’t hard enough. It is a race that demands 100% from any rider. As a build up to the event we raced in local kermesse races which are 8-17km loop lap races which are about 120km long. With the body shock of spending 3weeks in the tropic of Malaysia and to then race full gas in the 4’c temperatures of Belgium I fell victim to a very bad cold which left me out of selection due to my health. Not the greatest way to kick things off, however I ended up being a last minute inclusion to the squad as one of the other riders also became sick, but I was seen as more fit for the occasion.

Flanders was an amazing experience to be had. It was extremely challenging and my wrist still acnes now when we ride any cobbles around our base. There was a lot for fighting spots with in the field leading in these sections of cobbles as no one wanted to be stuck behind another rider but also did

not want to be on the front. It was total madness, but there was massive kick and rush to be had from it all. In the end I did my role and supported our protected riders through the race until it was lights out. For me I finished the race feeling as if there was unfinished business and would love to go back.

From there we have race several other Nation Cups races where national teams send their strongest riders to earn points for International ranking. We raced in France where I was still recovering from the cold but also crashed out 80km into the 180km race. From there only a couple days later we were in Holland racing another Nation cup where it was quite simply the sickness was still slowing me down like a ball and chain which ruined any chance and any ability to be competitive.

As a development team we then move on again and spent 4 days training in the hills of South Belgium in the Ardennes. The total complete flat profile of where we are based hasn’t been too productive for our climbing legs as we head into 2 hilly race, one in Germany followed by an 8 day tour in Ireland. During our stay in the French region of Belgium I raced in a stage of local tour. With the wind rain and hills it was a race more suited to my style. Spending the majority of the early part of the race off the front, I missed a small break that snuck up the road after I was caught. However this was a training race for me and it felt good to be the one driving the pace and being to race up hills again.

I am making great progress as I head towards the end of my short stint in Europe but the legs are building up for Ireland and Germany. As a typical European Cyclist would say, “the sensations are good” and the hard work is being put in with several training camps and block put in throughout our schedule.

Cheers

Taylor

U23 – BikeNZ PureBlack Racing – Europe

pbr_admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:55:11 +0000

Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt 1st May 2012

After a two week break from racing we were back in the saddle again on 1st May at Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt (GER). This one day race is the sporting focal point of festivities for a National Public Holiday in Germany. With blue sky, no wind and temperatures reaching 25 degrees the stage was set for an exciting days racing. To add to the spectacle our U23 race was held in conjunction with the Senior Men’s Professional event so at the start/finish and also out on the course the Pro Tour circus guaranteed massive crowds.

Where would any good German Race Report be without some comment on German efficiency? The team managers meeting was a lesson in precision timing. Scheduled to start at 5.30pm we were herded into a large sterile room at 5.28pm and instructed to sit quickly; schnell. The briefing began with a dimming of the lights and a PowerPoint presentation (12 slides) which highlighted every conceivable deviation, obstacle and potential hazard on the 140km U23 course. The presentation was so detailed that there was basically no way for any of the team managers to misinterpret the instructions. And even more impressive, the entire briefing was delivered in English. This was great for most of us but I sometimes wonder how the guys from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan fare in these situations?

The team for Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt was: Taylor Gunman, Dion Smith, Cam Karwowski, Piet Bulling, Scott Creighton and Alex Frame. Ben Rowell was mechanic, driver and picked up whatever job needed doing and Nicole Faust was our super-swannie and local German girl who has worked on a few BikeNZ campaigns.

Brand new hire car. 25km on the clock and they handed it over for us to drive in a bike a race? The racks look good – only took several hours to get them on with a few screws and electrical tape.

Ben got into the whole attention-to-detail thing in Germany. We probably had the neatest setup of any U23 team. This shot appeals to my mild O.C.D.

On race day we were greeted by blue skies and literally thousands of people in Eschborn, which is on the outskirts of Frankfurt. The Umpa Bands were in full flight, Beer tents were filled to capacity and a vigorously contested In Line Skating competition was coming to its anticlimactic end (who knew this was a sport?).

By the time we had completed the perfectly scripted and precisely timed pre event formalities it was nudging 25 degrees. After coming from a bitterly cold Belgium this temperature change was welcome but would play a significant role in determining the outcome of the race for some of our riders. Our first casualty was Alex Frame. Alex crashed in training the day before the race and in addition to a few bruises and scratches he tweaked his hip and was unable to stay with the leaders up the first major climb 40km into the race. A bitterly disappointed Alex was forced to get in the team car and view the remainder of the race from the back seat; which was hair raising at times. A little further up this climb we were surprised to see Dion Smith drifting backwards. Our first thought was that he may have suffered another puncture but as we drove up next to him he looked drained. Dion was one of my picks for creating or at least being in the early break. He had been working closely with his coach, Jono Hailstone back in NZ to bring him back into form for this race, but it was clear to see that this would not be Dions day. To his credit he soldiered on while we scooted up the hill, dodging bike riders as one-by-one the peloton of 170 riders was reduced by half and there was still 100km of epic terrain remaining.

Over the next 10km of absolutely stunning scenery we witnessed numerous machanicals, multiple punctures and several bikes falling off the roof of team cars. The latter is something I’ve not seen before. When you see a brand new high end bike (with top of the range group set and special German carbon wheels), hit a low lying tree branch and bounce down the road in the direction of your own windscreen, you just know you are going to be paying the excess on your hire car insurance. Luckily we missed this bouncing broken bike as the tally for punctures and glycogen depleted bike riders continued to mount. At 55km we saw Scott Creighton on his own. A combination of heat stress and the remnants of a heavy dose of flu (Scott had it the worst) forced him to ride tempo to the finish. This last 85km solo was very good training for Scott and he’ll be fine by the time we start the RAS in Ireland on the 20th May.

At the 80km mark Taylor’s day came to an abrupt end. In his own words he was comfortable on the days monster climb, sitting top 10 the whole way up. But somewhere between then and the 75km mark he struggled. I think I was just as disappointed as him as we drove up alongside and offered everything from sticky- bidons, Coke to vigorous encouragement (that’s Bens department). But Taylor was done. This was just one of those days where the legs don’t turn up. Taylor has been prepared very well by Aaron Strong back in New Zealand. Both Aaron and Taylor deserve more for their efforts and the RAS will be the place where Taylor gets the result he deserves.

The next 30km was uneventful for our riders but was absolutely insane for Ben, Alex and I. With every steep ascent comes and equally steep and twisting descent and with cars, bikes and spectators all over the course, every corner turned into a dangerous new challenge. We learnt that if you accelerate into a gap that is too narrow for your vehicle others will give you room. And I learned that if an opposing team car tries to ram you off the road, your best course of action is to hold your line and call their bluff…and call them a few other things with the window wound down. We had some guy from Austria try and do this while we were feeding Taylor; directly behind Com Car 1. The Chief Com was standing out the sunroof of his vehicle watching this smash-up-derby and you would think the guy would have pulled his head in at the sight of the Commissaire pointing his finger. But the cretin from Austria persisted. Taylor was so in-the-box that he didn’t know what was going on so he kept swerving all over the road with sweat caked around his ears and nose.

110km and at the completion of the legendary Mammolshan climb (3-4km wall), Cam was isolated from the front bunch with 3 other riders. We did our best to motor pace them back into contention but after a few minutes of this the road suddenlydropped out from underneath us. We had hit another steep and treacherous descent coupled with traffic calming obstacles. With Cam and Co approaching at a rate of knots I swung to the side of the road and these guys flew past. Alex and I did not see Cam however Hawk-Eye Rowell reckons he did. Then as a few other riders descended at warp speed we started to chase and eventually latched onto this second group on the road. Comprised of around 20 guys and being in car position 9 my eyes found it hard to make out which rider was Cam. Alex also couldn’t see him, but Ben was adamant that Cam was there so we followed. But Cam was not there. We later found out that on that descent he overcooked a corner. He ended up at the back of an apartment block, shaken but otherwise OK. We didn’t see Cam again until the end of the race.

This left one BikeNZ U23 rider in the race: Piet Bulling. You’ll know from previous reports that Piet has been steadily building form on this trip. You’ll also know from his Junior results that he is a talented bike rider. But to be fighting some of the best U23 riders in the world on a course that should not suit him with a 16 degree temperature gradient between Blauberg and Frankfurt was nothing short of exceptional. When we realized that he was in the second bunch on the road and they were ripping time out of the early breakaway the mood in the car turned from somber to ecstatic. We had front row seats to Piets work on the final 3 finishing circuits through the streets of Frankfurt and although he didn’t win, his finishing place of 2.31 down on the leaders was an absolutely epic ride. I listened to a few of the guys chatting at dinner the other night and they recalled a recent trip to Bendigo where Piet struggled on a 3hr training ride with some of the women enduros (sorry Piet I had to add that detail). Well I can tell you all now, Piet is a very different rider today and to finish this race the way he did, carrying the form he has, was nothing short of exceptional. This ride will be backed up in Ireland and I expect several great results from Piet and all the guys in the USA phase of this campaign.

Michael Torckler 2nd in Jelajah Malaysia

pbr_admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:28:43 +0000

Tuesday 8^th May: Michael Torckler has continued his strong riding into Jelajah Malaysia with a 2^nd placed finish on the first stage of the tour.

Michael and teammate Louis Crosby spent most of today in the breakaway in a tremendous ride in extreme heat.

“We couldn’t wish for anything better,” said Director Spotif, John “Harry” Harris, “The peloton couldn’t bring the breakaway back, and we capitalised on it.”

“The first hill climb felt much harder than a category one, but once Louis got up in the breakaway it gave us options,” said Michael, “I looked for a small group within the last 10km and lined it up for the sprint.”

The stage was won by Japanese vetran, 40-year-old Shinichi Fukushima of the local favourite Terengganu Cycling Team, with a time of 3:50:38, with Michael hot on his wheel.

Louis finished in 11^th place just 48 seconds behind the leader.

The much vaunted Genesys Wealth Advisors, did not have a prominent day on the bike, said Harry, with the Australian team allowing the breakaway stretch a eight-minute lead at one point, and doing little work in the peloton to bring it back.

“Michael found a gap and just went for it,” said Harry, “In a way, it is good that we are not in a jersey going into the second stage, because tomorrow we are in for a tough day.”

Like today, tomorrow’s stage has one just KOM category one climb, at the 130km mark, and three sprint premes. “Tomorrow has the biggest hill of the tour – it could be the hardest day,” said Michael. It is the longest stage of the tour covering 202km.

It is going to be a tough six-day tour for PureBlack Racing after the huge effort they put into the Tour of Borneo, which finished just a week ago. “Our bodies are still pretty tired and feeling a bit sluggish, but we will ride into it – it is going to be a massive week,” said Michael.

Jelajah Malaysia Pre-Race Report

pbr_admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:59:02 +0000

Monday 7^th May: After the incredible results from the Tour of Borneo, PureBlack Racing is ready to take on their final tour in Asia for this year, Jelajah Malaysia, Malaysia’s oldest cycling series.

After a weeks rest, the team are hoping to continue off the back off the success of Michael Torcklers’ tour win at the Tour of Borneo, but with less than a week of recovery, it is going to be a tough first couple of days getting back into racing.

“The boys rode like two teams in Borneo and it has been really hard to recover,” said Director Sportif, John “Harry” Harris, “Torckler is feeling really good so we are really just going to have to pick our days.”

PureBlack Racing welcomes back Shem Roger, who has recovered from the illness that forced him out of the previous tour.

“Shem’s feeling much better – he is on the upward swing rather than the downward spiral,” said Harry.

The five-man team racing Jelajah Malaysia is:

Louis Crosby

Shem Rodger

Michael Torckler

Roman van Uden (Captain)

James Williamson

Jelajah Malaysia is a six-day stage race, starting at the Stadium Medeka in Kuala Lumpur and covering 1,023.5km.

Stage One is 161.5km from Kuala Lumpur to Bandar Baru Kampar. The teams will have little time to settle into their rhythm – with a Category 4 climb just 21km from the start, a fractured field is a very real possibility. The climb is followed by two sprint premes leading to Bandar Baru Kampar, guaranteeing plenty of action on the first day of racing.

Stage Two is 201.8km from Bandar Baru Kampar to Kulim, Kedah; Stage Three is 168.8km from Kulim, Kedah to Felda Chumpling Perlis; Stage Four is 98.5km from Kandar, Perlis to Sungai, Petani; Stage Five is 193.4km from Sungai, Petani to Ipoh and Stage Six is 199.5km from Ipoh to Dartaran Mereleka, Kuala Lumpur.