From our "OZ" reporter.

I shudder to think how long ago it is since I sent a despatch from the land of the long weekend.
I write to you from the V C Meudon Consulate in Australia - well we had Malcolm and Georgina here in January and Richard and Sue Kidd arrive on Monday so I feel the title is justified. (just checked my 'sent' items and note I wrote in January so don't feel so bad).

Spoke to Malc not long ago and he told me that Richard has had flu and due to the job he was working on had done little bike riding. This was music to my ears as I'd just come in from a training ride (on my own fortunately) where I'd been really grovelling and as I was struggling up one of the hills (and there's only two on the particular ride) the thought kept going through my mind that I'd be spending time on every ride telling Billy that "I'd see him at the top" and that perhaps the thing to do would be to put really heavy tyres on the bike he's going to borrow.

However, I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that as old age beckons (I refuse to admit that it's here), it's really only the hills that present a problem and to this extent have now fitted a compact chainset 50/34 to my Olmo training bike. This also has a double bonus in that I can bring it to Europe and fit it on the Alan that I leave with Tony Mills (last year I found that the old campag 52/42 didn't give anywhere near the low gears that my physique required and the 34 v 42 is a lot more beneficial than the 50 v 52).

We had our usual trip to Adelaide for the Tour Down Under. The organisers were very pleased for it to be part of the Pro-Tour - the first one outside Europe. The racing was certainly much better, although it was noticeable that apart from the Aussies most of the big hitters from the teams were not present. To early in the year for them no doubt. The usual terrific cycling atmosphere was present in the city and it was nice to get out each morning in warm weather, thankfully not in the heatwave conditions of a couple of years ago when the temperature was 30-35C at 9.00 in the morning!!. Bit of a perk was a criterium for veterans on the final day's circuit in the centre of Adelaide a couple of hours before the Tour Down Under 'performed'. Only for 4 x 5kms laps, which seemed a bit of a waste of time, but the race was 'full on' and I was glad when we finished. I like to think I was respectably placed in the front half of the bunch but that may have been wishful thinking. Still it was nice to perform in front of a crowd of about of 3,000 (much bigger of course when the stars turned up) and another experience to notch up at an age when I didn't expect it.

Almost coming to the end of our summer criterium season out here. One more month and we're back out on the open road and hilly courses. Have stayed in D grade most of the season. Tried C grade three weeks ago, as an experiment to see if I could still handle it, and did finish - albeit at the back. However, it must have been beneficial as the following week, on reverting back to D, I won !! As I've often said before it was all down to experience. The Goodwood type course we race at on a Thursday evening has one slight hill, on the last lap I was quite pleased to be sitting near the middle of the bunch as we got near the top with no more thought than at least I'd be finishing ok. It was at this point that a guy in front of me, who would double as the jolly green giant, changed gear for no apparent reason other than he looked like he was going to 'have a go'. As he jumped I was on his back wheel and thereafter it was like sitting behind a motor bike. With about 800m to go he looked round and I told him to keep going as I was more than happy with second. Up the finishing straight, into the wind, we were well away but with 200m to go the bunch were coming back like an express train. With one effort left in my legs I sprinted as he died (I even apologised as I went past - we were brought up proper in the Meudon). Result was I won and he came fourth. I did give him some of my winnings and am now considered a 'true gentleman' plus I won't feel so guilty if I ever get the chance to do this again.

Can I claim the first VC Meudon win of the year ?? I guess it will be my only one.

From the various emails that I get being on your distribution list the club seems to be going from strength to strength, not just with racing but cyclo-sportif type events as well. Have to admit to being a bit envious as I always enjoyed these. We do get the odd one out here but not on the scale of the big ones in France. Moves are afoot to rectify this, although we will never have them on such a grand scale. Cycle Sport Victoria organised one last week and as Board member I somehow got talked into it at a track meeting the night before!! Fortunately it was only 80kms (50 miles) so would have been classed as a reliability ride in the UK. Still it was far enough for me having got to bed at midnight and then up at 3.45am for a 130kms drive to the 7.00am start. I had been taking organisation lessons from Geoff Hartman and arrived at the start just as they were being told it was a ride and not a race (falling on deaf ears as per any cycling event) and by the time I'd registered and pinned my number on a deserted road lay ahead of me. Fortunately, but unknown to me, they were doing a ceremonial ride around the part of Geelong City that was being used for the UCI Ladies World Cup race later in the day. Result was that as I pedalled along thinking I was in for a lonely ride they all started to come past - there is a God after all. Only 80kms but with a very strong wind blowing in off the Southern Ocean - bloody hard. Plenty of hills but in some places it was just like northern France - dead flat, no hedges, boring scenery and the wind. Possibly people around me thought I was a bit suspect when I complained it was just like Paris - Roubaix without the cobbles. Innovative use of transponders to time each individual and pleased to say I eventually finished 19th fastest out of 104.

Sitting down having a coffee at an outside table and watching a world class ladies race go by later in the day made it all worthwhile.
Sadly no Nicole Cooke this year, as she had become something of a crowd favourite.

Nothing definite fixed yet but we still hope to come over to Europe this year - subject of course to the pound not dropping any further against the Aussie dollar and the Euro.