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Wilkinson overtakes Kempe at Riviera

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After fours days of competition, Shelby Racing’s Victoria Wilkinson has displaced team mate Debra Kempe as the General Classification leader at TOMR’s Riviera. Wilkinson sits on 301.4 points ahead of Adam Ralph (All Torque 293.0) with Kempe slipping down to third position (Shelby Racing 289.4). Wilkinson also became the first rider to set a score of more than 50 for a stage with an impressive 50.6 on S9.

Team Manager for Shelby Racing, Brendon Morrison, said that it was too early to read too much into the result. “As a team we have GC ambitions. Leading into the event we had the belief that Deb (Kempe) or Vanessa (Johnson) were cable of winning the tour, Vic’s form is a bonus for the team as in effect it now gives us a three-pronged attack. Over the next few weeks we will see some of the gun riders heading down from the metro area to set scores, so we will know much more then.”

Riviera is a unique event that takes place in the Margaret River Region of Western Australia over a ten-month period. Riders can enter up until July 1st with results finalised on November 1st 2022.

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Event: Riviera 2022

Image: Daniela Tommasi Photography

Wellington National Park Trail Adventure

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By Claire Tyrrell, Ride WA’s Roving Reporter

Under the canopy of tall gum trees, perfectly loamy tracks have been carved out along a hillside in Wellington National Park. Eager to test them out ahead of the Collie MTB Ramble I journey south from Perth to Wellington Dam.

From the carpark I head north towards the trail head and turn my pedals over to the highest elevation point. I pause at the top to absorb my surroundings – the brown leaves dotted along the earthy trails and dewy scrub shadowed by tall trees. Eucalyptus and fresh rainfall coalesce to bring a quintessentially Australian aroma that underpins so many of my winter rides.

Without further delay I set off down the trail, my tyres rolling with just enough resistance to keep momentum high. The familiar buzz of my mountain-bike hub echoes through the trees as I make my way down the grippy trails and towards the quarry.

Weaving through the scrub and leaning into the banked turns I think to myself “There’s nothing like this in Perth”. The sheer length of the descent makes this place unique, not to mention the jaw dropping artwork offsetting the tens of metres away.

Wellington Dam is home to the world’s largest dam mural, painted by Australian artist Guido Van Helten on a colossal 8000 square metre wall. The dam is easily accessible from the trail carpark and has fast become a tourism drawcard for the region.

Coupled with the epic mountain-bike tracks through surrounding bush, expect Collie’s Wellington Dam to become a lot more popular into the future.

Bring on the Ramble!

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Event: Collie River MTB Marathon

Event Organiser: Cycling Eventures / Ride WA

Photo: Daniela Tommasi Photography

Trails: Common Ground Trails, Wambenger Trails

Major Sponsor: Synergy WA

(Please note, the new trails in Wellington National Park are not yet open for general riding.)

WA SET TO BOOM

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Western Australia welcomes Dutch cycling star Lars Boom to the 2019 Tour of Margaret River. The four times World Champion will join a host of cycling stars including Dutch compatriots Marianne Vos and Moniek Tenniglo on the start line when the Tour kicks off in Nannup on Friday November 8th. While in WA, Lars will be catching up with his good mate Graeme Brown and may potentially even make an appearance at a Cyclo Cross event in Perth. Stay tuned.
Photo: Cor Vos

Marianne Vos – Objectively

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I recently read an article articulating the case for Serena Williams to be recognised as the greatest sports person ever. I am not really a tennis fan, and even if I was it would still be difficult to compare athletes across sports and across gender. The story did get me thinking, however, about Marianne Vos and how her career should sit in the overall scheme of things. How does Marianne’s career compare to that of Serena’s and how does her career sit objectively against her male counterparts in cycling? 2019 has been another stellar year for Marianne with numerous victories including La Course, Tour of Yorkshire and the Tour of Norway. At times this year it has looked like, at 32 years of age, she is actually getting stronger. Those victories and others this year can be be added to what is arguably the longest list of individual victories in any sport. But the list is incomplete, as it lacks a grand tour victory, simply because women’s cycling has never had one. If the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and La Vuelta had run grand tours for women, how many would Marianne have potentially won? In my mind the answer is at least six or seven and in all likelihood probably more. Serena will likely retire as the greatest tennis player of all time and if bike races gave equal status to men and women then potentially Marianne would retire (in 2028 🙂 ) with the same mantle in cycling and potentially with an athletic palmarès that would likely never be matched. B.M.

*Marianne Vos will be riding with the EY team in TOMR10.

Captain Clarke coming to WA

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He is the Captain of the Australian Team that will take on the world this Sunday and he could be the captain of your team in the Tour of Margaret River. After his stellar performance in the Vuelta and leading the Australian Road Team at the World Champs, Simon Clarke will be heading to Western Australia to participate in TOMR . Simon will be one of the featured riders in One More Ride’s  TOMR campaign, along with OMR Co-Founder and retired professional Andrea Nicosia. The great news for punters is that if you don’t already have a team, OMR is offering the chance to race in a team with Simon! Like all of the pro riders in the Tour, Simon will be able to scale his output to match his team. We recommend leaving him on the front for slightly longer stints in the Team Time Trial.

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World Number One to Race in WA

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The reigning champion of the Giro Rosa and La Course by Tour de France, Annemiek van Vleuten, will return to Western Australia in early November to race in the the 2018 Tour of Margaret River for Team EY.  For most of the year Annemiek has been battling fellow countrywoman (and close friend) Marianne Vos to be the UCI Number 1 ranked rider of the World Tour. Her stunning victory at La Course was perhaps the most exciting race we have seen so far this year across both the men’s and women’s pelotons (watch the video if you would like to argue.) One of the finest female cyclists of all time, Annemiek has a happy go lucky and approachable personality that made her one of the most popular pro riders amongst the amateur riders competing in the 2017 TOMR.  Stay tuned for a personal message from Annemiek as she looks to help us build the number of female riders participating in the Tour. EY is a major sponsor to the Tour and a company dedicated to providing equal opportunities for women, we think a perfect fit all round.

Photo: Beau Le Fort, 2018 Giro Rosa

Grit your teeth and silence your legs…Jensie is coming to the Tour!

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The universe may have conspired to keep him away in 2017, but it’s official…Jens Voigt will be at the 2018 Tour of Margaret River!

Famous for being one of world’s most tenacious breakaway specialists, and admired for being one of cycling’s most genuine and amiable personalities, we believe Jens is the perfect fit for the Tour. We can’t wait for you to meet him!

Your first chance is at the Medio Fondo with Jens on Thursday November 8th. All teams registered in the 2018 Tour receive automatic entry to this pre-race ride. This is your ideal opportunity to meet and ride with Jens away from the pressure of racing, which starts the next day.

SHUT UP! Jens is coming to the Tour!

Find out more about Racing the Tour

Find out more about riding in The Breakaway with Jens

Race to launch along the river

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The first stage of the 2018 Tour will will depart from the picturesque township of Balingup and wind its way along the river and through the serene Blackwood Valley to eventually deliver riders to the Event Village in Nannup. This 42km Stage will be conducted as a team time trial with results used to classify teams into racing divisions for the rest of The Tour. The road is constantly undulating, riders who participated in the 2017 Tour will remember this route from Stage Four. The overall 2018 Tour has race logistics similar to those of 2017 with a total of two transfers required.  For teams that can not muster the required support crew to coordinate transfers we will be offering a return shuttle service that can be booked online as you register.

Photo: Beardy McBeard 2017 TOMR

Beardy’s Caravan is coming to TOMR!

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It’s one thing to ride alongside of the world’s best riders…it’s quite another when you are able to have that image of yourself captured by one of the world’s best cycling photographers. This year Marcus Enno, aka Beardy McBeard will be joining us at the Tour to help us capture the best possible images of the race. Take a few moments to amble through Beardy’s images of this year’s Tour de France and Giro and you will see why we are so excited to have him as a part of our media team in 2017.

“Beardy’s Caravan captures the unique spirit of one of cycling’s true characters. Part adventurer, part cycling photographer, and part enigma, there is only one Beardy McBeard – and only one Beardy’s Caravan.”

beardyscaravan.com

Awesome Annemiek

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Story: Andrew Amos Photo: TDW Sport.

Annemiek van Vleuten’s crash at Rio was horrific. However, it only seemed to spur her on. Only one month after breaking her spine during the Olympics Road Race, she was back on her bike and on form. She finished her 2016 season with a win in her return race, the Lotto Belgium Tour, ahead of Marianne Vos. But in 2017, she’s gone from great to legendary. She has proven herself as one of the best climbers in the Women’s World Tour, taking stages at the Giro Rosa on slopes of 27%, winning atop the Col d’Izoard in La Course, and conquering the hilly Individual Time Trial at Worlds in Bergen. In all her Women’s World Tour participations, she has only failed to finish in the top 5 twice. She finished 2nd on the Women’s World Tour rankings behind her compatriot – and winner of that fateful Rio Road Race – Anna van der Breggen. In her homeland of the Netherlands, she won the Boels Rental Ladies Tour in September, as well as the National Time Trial Championships. As an Orica-Scott rider however, and as an ambassador for Ride WA, her second home is Australia. She loves riding Down Under, winning the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race back in January. Her return to form is nothing short of spectacular, producing her best season ever in 2017. She finishes it off in November at the Tour of Margaret River, as a World champion, where you can expect her to blow everyone away up the Mur du Hay.