A Good News Cycling Story

January 17, 2013
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

bikes

As more and more ‘leaks’ start to spill out in the lead up to Oprah’s interview with fallen hero Lance Armstrong, people are becoming increasingly cynical about cycling. And while I can’t see it happening, there’s even the suggestion that cycling could be removed from the Olympic Games for a while.

Thankfully, cycling as a sport, as a pass-time, mode of transport, recreation or whatever else it is to the millions worldwide who take part in two wheeled transportation in some way, does not revolve around Lance or the other professional cyclists who have doped.

Yes, they’ve cast a shadow over cycling but it’s bigger than that and there will always be good news stories about cycling.

From the feeling of freedom a child experiences on their first bike, through to the rush enjoyed by dedicated racing cyclists who build their performance on hard work and sweat, there’s a magical quality to the humble bicycle. Cycling is great for health and for our planet. It can be enjoyed alone or be incredibly social. Bicycles are also an essential tool in building income for many around the world.

I also wonder how many millions of dollars have been raised for great causes over the years by people who have pushed pedals.

Bikes are constantly being used as a means of highlighting a cause and raising sponsorship. I’ve used bikes to raise money for at least half a dozen causes, including riding many thousands of kilometres for literacy projects in developing countries through Bike for Bibles.

In less than a month I’m saddling up again for a good cause.

I’m hoping you’ll support me and help me save some lives through Compassion.

Having seen first hand, both in Haiti and Dominican Republic, how effective Compassion’s work is, I am determined to do what I can to help. That’s why from the 10th to the 12th of February I’ll once again be taking part in the 25000 Spins Great Ocean Road Challenge.

I’ll be riding 290 kilometres and battling some serious hills over three days and I need your support. By sponsoring my efforts on the challenge you’ll be releasing children from poverty. You’ll be giving children a real chance at life. Please visit my fundraising page and make a contribution. Maybe you can afford to sponsor me for a dollar a kilometre, maybe 50 cents a kilometre, or perhaps you’d just like to donate $10, $20, $50 or any other amount. My overall target is $2500 so I have a long way to go.

Please help me save some lives. Please make your donation, large or small, and then share this post in as many ways as you can so that more people will get on board and more lives will be saved.

No matter what Lance, or any other cyclist may or may not have done, cycling is still a good news story.



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Tour de France 2010

July 3, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

jerseys.jpgIt’s the most wonderful time of the year. The 2010 Tour de France begins later today in Rotterdam and I’m looking forward to watching another fascinating battle for yellow. The 2010 Tour de France runs from the 2nd to the 25th of July.

Lance Armstrong came back to the tour last year and now says that this is his final ever attempt at the race. Can he bring up number eight? Two time winner Alberto Contador is looking to take his third. The Shleck brothers will be there to shake things up with Andy a big hope for the podium. Ivan Basso returns after a three year absence and will be giving it all he’s got. Even Bradley Wiggins has been named as a possible winner. Personally, I’d love to see Australia’s Cadel Evans finally step onto the podium in Paris wearing yellow. He’s in great form and has a supportive team. I’m really hoping it’s Cadel’s turn. (Listen to my radio interview with Cadel from November last year by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.)

What do the coloured jerseys mean?

If you have only started following the Tour de France recently and you’ve heard the commentators talking about different coloured jerseys, you might be wondering what all the different colours represent and why it’s so important to be wearing a jersey other than your team jersey.

Each team wears their own uniform but there are a number of special shirts or jerseys awarded each day. While it’s considered very prestigious to wear any of these jerseys throughout the race, it’s obviously even more so to be wearing one of these jerseys after the final sprint down the Champs-Élysées in Paris on the last day of the tour.

Many people know that the Yellow Jersey or Maillot Jaune is the most coveted of all the jerseys but here’s a quick rundown of what it’s all about.

Yellow Jersey

The Yellow Jersey is worn by the leader in the general classification. That means that whoever has the lowest overall time at the end of each stage of the event will be awarded with the Yellow Jersey. It was first awarded in 1919 and its colour was chosen to match the yellow paper of l’Auto magazine, founder of the Tour de France in 1903.

Green Jersey

The Green Jersey is given to the leader in the points classification, rewarding the best sprinter. It’s sometimes called the points jersey or sprinters’ jersey. During each stage, points are allocated for several intermediary sprints and for the finish. The jersey was introduced in 1953.

Polka Dot Jersey

The Polka Dot or King of the Mountains Jersey is awarded to the rider who earns most of the points at each summit. The winner is known as the King of the Mountains. Although the award was introduced in 1933, the red and white spotted jersey was not introduced until 1975.

White Jersey

The White Jersey is given to the best rider in the general classification under 25. The jersey was abandoned in 1989 but reintroduced in 1999.

So now you know a little more than you did a short while ago. I hope this brief explanation helps in your enjoyment of this year’s tour.



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Talking with Cadel Evans

November 5, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
4 Comments

Cadel.jpgI’ve interviewed dozens of ‘famous’ people but today’s chat with Cadel Evans was certainly one of the highlights of my radio career.

I’m a cyclist but Cadel is cycling royalty.

He started cycling when he was 2 on a 16” BMX bike. Began riding competitively in 1991 on a cross country mountain bike. In 1994 he started competing in criteriums and road races to help with his mountain biking. Since then he has become one of Australia’s greatest ever road racing cyclists.

He was the first Aussie to ever reach the podium in Paris in the Tour de France, coming runner up in 2007 and 2008 and he recently became Australia’s first world road race champion.

His book which describes his journey so far – Close to Flying – was released just days ago and it’s already being reprinted. Cadel Evans joined me live in the studio this morning at 98.5 Sonshine FM. You can hear our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

We spoke about the Tour de France, his move to BMC, his involvement in the 2010 Tour Down Under, the new book, Lance Armstrong and a few other bits and pieces.

Cadel was generous with his time and his answers were honest and informative. I only wish that I could have sat down with him for a couple of hours over a coffee rather than just conducting a quick radio interview in the middle of a very busy promotional schedule.



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Can Cadel Still Win?

July 9, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

tour_de_france_logo.jpgI’m conflicted. Every fibre of my being wants to see Australia’s Cadel Evans peg back the three minutes he needs to stand in yellow on the podium in Paris but I know that it’s incredibly unlikely.

Being a few seconds outside the time of the leaders is one thing, but being 2:59 down from names like Armstrong and Contodor makes the task almost impossible. Cadel is a great climber but we’ve never seen any evidence that he is good enough to put three minutes or more into the other climbers that stand between him and the yellow jersey.

The wheels came off Cadel’s campaign to win the 2009 Tour de France in the team time trial where his team was well and truly outclassed by the teams of the other favourites.

Thankfully Cadel hasn’t given up on his hopes of winning and if there’s an opportunity to do something spectacular, he’s still in the right frame of mind to take advantage of whatever situation might arise.

I’ve never been in this position at the Tour de France ahead of the mountains stages, so we’ll see what happens, but I’m feeling good. The Tour is not over for me yet.

So to the question, can Cadel Evans still win the 2009 Tour de France, I’d have to answer it’s not a big possiblity, but there’s still a flickering flame of hope, and I’ll be cheering him on whatever position he’s in when the peleton reaches the streets of Paris.



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Let the race begin

July 2, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

jerseys.jpgIt’s the most wonderful time of the year. The Tour de France is about to begin. It starts this Saturday in Monaco and I’m looking forward to watching one of the most interesting battles in years. Lance Armstrong is back and so is his team mate Alberto Contador who won in 2007. Can Australia’s Cadel Evans beat his second placing from the last couple of years to win? What a race it’ll be.

I thought that to prepare for the great race I’d revisit some of the basics of the race over the next couple of days.

If you have only started following the Tour de France recently and you’ve heard the commentators talking about different coloured jerseys, you might be wondering what all the different colours represent and why it’s so important to be wearing a jersey other than your team jersey.

Each team wears their own uniform but there are a number of special shirts or jerseys awarded each day. While it’s considered very prestigious to wear any of these jerseys throughout the race, it’s obviously even more so to be wearing one of these jerseys after the final sprint down the Champs-Élysées in Paris on the last day of the tour.

Many people know that the Yellow Jersey or Maillot Jaune is the most coveted of all the jerseys but here’s a quick rundown of what it’s all about.

Yellow Jersey

The Yellow Jersey is worn by the leader in the general classification. That means that whoever has the lowest overall time at the end of each stage of the event will be awarded with the Yellow Jersey. It was first awarded in 1919 and its colour was chosen to match the yellow paper of l’Auto magazine, founder of the Tour de France in 1903.

Green Jersey

The Green Jersey is given to the leader in the points classification, rewarding the best sprinter. It’s sometimes called the points jersey or sprinters’ jersey. During each stage, points are allocated for several intermediary sprints and for the finish. The jersey was introduced in 1953.

Polka Dot Jersey

The Polka Dot or King of the Mountains Jersey is awarded to the rider who earns most of the points at each summit. The winner is known as the King of the Mountains. Although the award was introduced in 1933, the red and white spotted jersey was not introduced until 1975.

White Jersey

The White Jersey is given to the best rider in the general classification under 25. The jersey was abandoned in 1989 but reintroduced in 1999.

So now you know a little more than you did a short while ago. I hope this brief explanation helps in your enjoyment of this year’s tour.



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