Derny training in the country

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Derny Driver
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Derny training in the country

Postby Derny Driver » Sat Dec 19, 2015 4:58 pm

Wollongong is a great place to ride bikes, the third largest 'city' in NSW yet its like a country town. This morning was one of those days I felt sorry for the city folk. I took the derny in my van to our velodrome, opened the gate with my own key and had the track to myself as usual. I have decided to see if I can turn a very good ironman triathlete lady into an Australian track pursuit champion in the space of 3 months. More about that project later but after an hour of skilling her up she was riding smoothly behind the moto. She has the strength and more importantly the right attitude and coachability so Im excited to see if we can achieve this dream of hers.
After that, a young kid I help on occasions met me at the velodrome and we headed off for a 2 hour road ride behind the moto. He is fine tuning for the Junior Track Series final round in Adelaide in a couple of weeks time. He leads the series so barring a mishap he should snare that title. After that he has track and road nationals in the next 4-6 weeks. We derny-paced from Wollongong to the base of Macquarie Pass and back in the 2 hours, along the country roads near the escarpment. I saw a wedge tailed eagle, a couple of black-shouldered kites, about 100 horses and a thousand cows. I would say that we had less than 100 cars go past in that time (most on the road to Macquarie pass) and all of them were extremely courteous. We held up one car over a narrow bridge and I gave him a wave as he came by, and got a wave out both the passenger and driver's windows in return. What a great place to live and train.
Saw loads of guys out riding including my friend Josh Berry with a bunch of Budget Forklift guys, they must be hanging out at his house so they can train in God's country too.
Hope the city slickers survived the heat and the traffic. Its a mugs game in the city.

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Alex Simmons/RST
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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby Alex Simmons/RST » Sat Dec 19, 2015 9:42 pm

I'm leaving the city soon for this very reason Derny. Nice work.

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby zill » Sat Dec 19, 2015 9:53 pm

My main training ground is my lounge on the trainer!

Ride outside only for commutes, slow endurance ride, fast group ride or ITT on a popular strava segment (that will only be next summer when I'm much fitter).

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby ft_critical » Sun Dec 20, 2015 10:26 am

Fixed:
zill wrote:My main training ground is my lounge on the trainer!

Ride outside only for commutes, slow endurance ride, fast group ride starting at 11am or later or ITT on a popular strava segment (that will only be next summer when I'm much fitter).

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby zill » Sun Dec 20, 2015 10:49 am

ft_critical wrote:Fixed:
zill wrote:My main training ground is my lounge on the trainer!

Ride outside only for commutes, slow endurance ride, fast group ride starting at 11am or later or ITT on a popular strava segment (that will only be next summer when I'm much fitter).

You've got good attention to detail and good memory. Realised only a few months ago that there are good group rides in the evening.

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby toolonglegs » Sun Dec 20, 2015 4:21 pm

If I had 100 cars go by in 4 hours I would be looking for a quieter road :lol: .
In NZ at the moment, rode a bit in the first week or so, got to admit I don't feel safe here... there might be loads of guys and girls out riding but personally I don't feel I get given the same amount of space as at home. But cycling is pretty big in my home town these days... having cycling NZ based in a small town with a big Velodrome does that. Man if I had had that when I was young :lol:
Sort of regretting not bring my mtb as I was supposed to be in Rotorua for most of the time... wifey been hospitalized basically off the plane changed that :| .

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby foo on patrol » Sun Dec 20, 2015 5:17 pm

Hope things are going to be better for ya missus, TLL. :(

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby toolonglegs » Mon Dec 21, 2015 5:40 am

Cheers mate, fingers crossed she is out today... nasty virus on top of chemo. Hopefully we can now enjoy holiday :lol: . Might even get back on the bike :D . Typical I come to NZ in summer and don't ride while everyone at home is getting in at least 200km per week in the middle of winter!

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby gabrielle260 » Mon Dec 21, 2015 6:46 am

toolonglegs wrote:Cheers mate, fingers crossed she is out today... nasty virus on top of chemo. Hopefully we can now enjoy holiday :lol: . Might even get back on the bike :D . Typical I come to NZ in summer and don't ride while everyone at home is getting in at least 200km per week in the middle of winter!
TLL, I'm just catching up as I've not been active on the forum for a few months.... Very sorry to hear about your wife. Good luck with the chemo - I've had a relative go through it so have a small insight into how tough it can be.

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby dalai47 » Mon Dec 21, 2015 9:20 am

Wishing your wife and you all the best and am sending positive energy your way!

My wife finished her chemo last month. Her rare Neuroendocrine cancer is very aggressive (grade 3 stage 4), so we have been told it will return in months to a few years. But we went to her Oncologist with a new CT scan last week to see if the chemo was successful and it was! No visible signs of the metastatic lesions which had filled her liver! :D

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby toolonglegs » Mon Dec 21, 2015 2:23 pm

Thank you both! ... sorry gone a bit OT DD :P
That's great news dalai! ... be good to enjoy Christmas with that result.

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby mikesbytes » Mon Dec 21, 2015 10:11 pm

DD, you need a key for the Velodrome? I don't recall a locked gate

If I sold up in Sydney and brought near your velodrome I could retire :)

TTL, emailed you, we must be crossing paths and I've heard of the great velodrome they have built in the home town of your 1st country
If the R-1 rule is broken, what happens to N+1?

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby Derny Driver » Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:16 am

mikesbytes wrote:DD, you need a key for the Velodrome? I don't recall a locked gate

If I sold up in Sydney and brought near your velodrome I could retire :)
Yes Mike there is a locked gate but you can park outside and walk in and use the track.
The key allows you to drive in and use the track lights at night and use the toilets rather than the bushes.

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby Derny Driver » Sun Aug 21, 2016 6:36 pm

BUMP this thread :)

Wednesday arvo I turned up at the velodrome (Wollongong) to do my usual derny paced drills with the lady I am training. Almost simultaneously 3 other riders arrived, the current masters world points race champ had come down from Sydney to train with our clubs pair of world track champions, obviously for Manchester later in the year. As well as them, an older chap on a road bike turned up and jumped on to the track to do a few laps. So as he was riding around I just quietly motored up next to him and said gidday, and without any fuss we agreed to let the world champs do their standing starts and sprints on the bottom of the track, I would motorpace my rider at 45kph in the middle of the track, and the roadie guy was happy to ride the top of the track where the blue line is.
I thought that was a very cool thing, 3 different sets of riders with 3 different objectives all on the same track having fun together. On my left was 3 Australian and world champions training for Manchester, on my right some random dude doing 20kph on his old road bike. Thats cycling for you.

Today I was back at the track and did our usual drills with the lady rider, then after that I headed off to meet an NRS rider on the road for a 2 hour session (100km in 2 hours - yep). Anyway we were flying along at 50kph and we passed a hairy legged old punter on his MTB flogging away into the headwind at about 10kph. We went 6km further then turned and cam back, doing about 55kph with the tailwind. The MTB chap coming towards us let fly with a huge wave and a big grin as we simultaneously gave him a wave. Again, you couldnt get 2 more different riders but it was that wonderful friendliness that comes from having the same love - bike riding.
Thats one of the things I love about cycling. Anyone who rides a bike, any sort of bike, has that connection.

Sort of like this forum. So many people from different backgrounds, different experiences and ideas, yet we all share that common love of bikes.

Thats my thought for the day haha

Cheers
DD

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby foo on patrol » Sun Aug 21, 2016 7:55 pm

But that's what this sport is supposed to be like, everyone enjoying the riding and working together..........oh wait, that's old school thinking. :lol:

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby trailgumby » Sun Aug 21, 2016 8:03 pm

:lol:

When you said "let fly with..." I was thinking "oh, dear" and expecting the next words to be "a torrent of abuse" ... but then you said something completely unexpected. :D

It is indeed a wonderful part of cycling.

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby Derny Driver » Sun Jun 18, 2017 5:56 pm

Its getting pretty COLD derny pacing in the country at this time of year. Takes a bit of commitment on my part as well as the rider.
So its nice when the results come through, as they always do.
After quite a few 4 hour Saturday morning pacing sessions I got the text from Nationals, saying the guy I was helping has just won the u19 National Road Race. (He also ran 3rd in the TT).
Now we have a bit more work to do in the lead up to the Junior Commonwealth Games.
There's a reason why all the Pro's motorpace.
It works.

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby Alex Simmons/RST » Sun Jun 18, 2017 6:42 pm

Nice work DD. I rode today, managed a couple of hours which took some doing as it was longest ride for me in a long time. Been back on the bike for a few weeks now. Every rider from the roadies out thumping it to the fluro jacket dude wobbling along on his beat up MTB, along with several drivers waved, as did I of course. Such a pleasure riding where I am now. Short sleeve temps as well.

I'll be back in Sydney next week for a couple of days, have some aero testing to do at DGV. Weather permitting I'm going to have a ride on Thurs morning in Centennial with some old mates before heading home again. I sure have no desire to ride the streets of Sydney again.

Not sure we'll do any motopace work here but it sure would be fun. Having said that at the local track they run a derny which is more my style!

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby g-boaf » Sun Jun 18, 2017 6:57 pm

Derny Driver wrote:Sort of like this forum. So many people from different backgrounds, different experiences and ideas, yet we all share that common love of bikes.

Thats my thought for the day haha

Cheers
DD
I've come across NRS riders who are very easy going, friendly. Me and someone else were just out riding, minding our own business and got a friendly wave from him going the other way. And other times as well. Never did quite work out exactly who the rider was, but it does make a good impression for the team (which is one of the well known ones).
Alex Simmons/RST wrote: Every rider from the roadies out thumping it to the fluro jacket dude wobbling along on his beat up MTB, along with several drivers waved, as did I of course. Such a pleasure riding where I am now. Short sleeve temps as well.
It's what you do, and what I do as well. I'm pleased to see more riders out and about, whatever bike they are riding.

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby vander » Thu Jun 22, 2017 9:38 pm

g-boaf wrote: I've come across NRS riders who are very easy going, friendly. Me and someone else were just out riding, minding our own business and got a friendly wave from him going the other way. And other times as well. Never did quite work out exactly who the rider was, but it does make a good impression for the team (which is one of the well known ones).
NRS riders are no different to anyone else. It upsets me when they act all cliquey and are not friendly. I do understand it can happen sometimes unintentionally just because they dont know the other people.

Totally agree about Sydney roads they are quite testing.

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Re: Derny training in the country

Postby grantw » Fri Jun 23, 2017 6:59 am

It's quite remarkable how that area is changing now, Calderwood and West Dapto are experiencing significant housing growth and the roads are getting busier and busier as a result. Still better than Sydney, but it's not going to last much longer.
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