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tour after four months in Europe riding for Team ASPTT NANCY based in the north east of France near the German border and competing at our nationals where he placed 2nd in the time trial and 4th in the road race. He drew the attention of the media in stage two a gruelling 165K stage across the rugged mountains from Launceston to St Helens. For all the hard work he put in over the five days racing against the German & Russian riders the pickings were slim. November & things took a turn for the better in the Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic when he finished 5th overall in the event after placing third in two stages. He must love punshing himself in the mountains gaining one of those podium finishes in the notorious Wollongong to Nowra stage. This year |
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He's short, stocky and a bundle of dynamite and packs a powerful punch in those legs of his. Colorful and exciting to watch Robbie McEwen is pure sprinting power as he proved in the with final stage sprint wins in the Tour De France and then in last years Tour Down Under. In those high speed, dangerous criteriums of the Skilled Bay Cycling Classic he has given the legs a damn good workout. Three from three and he had a commanding lead on the event creating a buzz amongst the cycling fans. Will he or won't he make a clean sweep of the 2001 Skilled Bay Cycling Classic. Day four and all would be revealed. Try as hard as he could he's not superman, even if he's nearly as fast. Then again what rider wouldn't love to win three in a row, its still a great efort. |
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He's Mister Unflapable and the original hard working Mr Nice Guy of Cycling. Throw in devoted family man and loving father and you would be forgiven for thinking where does Brett Aitkin find the time to fit in a busy cycling schedule For Brett it has been a long hard haul in cycling but 2000 was the year all that blood, sweat and tears paid off when he and racing partner Scott McGrory took gold at those wonderful Sydney Olympic Games certainly saving Australias arse in international competition and could not have happened to nicer guys. Now there are calls for Cycling Australia to make Brett a full time ambassador for cycling and use him to promote the sport at school level while he continues a limited overseas career. What wonders that would do for aussie cycling. |
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Stuart O'Grady another favourite South aussie son who is just magic and what a career he has had on the international cycling stage. I remember racing against him in a car park at Tea Tree Gully shopping center in summer criteriums. There were three of us with red hair but that little "tyro" would often lap the field. He was a champ right back then and has become a household name in cycling going from strength to strength. What a sight he has been in the Tour de France wearing the yellow jersey, sprinting the worlds best and then coming home to Australia and winning the inaugural Tour Down Under in 1999. The popular Credit Agricole team rider will be back again in 2001 at the Tour Down Under and every aussie fan will be there to cheer him on. |
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Jeff Hopkins is a name not familiar to many cycling followers here in Australia but don't worry as all that is about to change. Jeff has been tearing up both the road and track & leaving his mark here there and everywhere, especially in the support race for this years Skilled Bay Cycling Classic. The world sprint champion is all that and more. In the rough and tumble support race series Jeff has been unleashing awesome sprint finishes that will have many of his international peers keeping a very close eye on him the next time he races them in open company. One big plus he has in his favour is that he does know the importance of keeping his head screwed on the right way taking each race as it comes and that's the sort of attitude that makes real champions in cycling today. |
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For the second year in a row, Germanys Klaus Leibold is back in Australia to race criteriums and enjoy the the great atmosphere of the Skilled Bay Series. A late starter in cycling at the age of 31, Klaus now 43 has been mixing it with the 116 riders competing daily in the support race. Its a madhouse dash for the cash each day with riders regularly hitting the bitumen but that doesn't worry Klaus because back home its freezing cold, snowing and dark at 4:30 pm each afternoon. Obviously a big fan of Australia Klaus is planning to return in 2002. Back home he is a regular on the track scene racing in support events at the six day races. Klaus is a member of SSV Gera club in Germany and rides for the TEAM Koestritzer returning home just in time for spring racing. |
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Once again Robert Tighello dons the Peugeot colors to compete in another major race series. 2000 was a great year for the like- able victorian who, when he's at his best, proved he could match it with any rider on the day. Great wins in the Tatts Cup and the title of Australian Road Champion were topped off by holding on to the yellow jersey for the first two stages of the pretigious Nortas Tour of Tasmania. When the team lost the jersey in stage three Robert combined with fellow team member Glen Chadwick to break the might of the Russian and German riders on the 4000 feet plus accent up snowed topped Mt Wellington. Robert comes from a family with great cycling tradition and will compete in the Jacob's Creek Tour Down 2001 riding for Mitsubishi Sunsmart. |
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young rider has been on the attack at every opportunity. In last years series he was a winner at Geelong but try as he may this year a victory has eluded him. But he has had two finishes in the top ten and in a field with this years quality that is nothing to be sneezed at. With an 8th place at Apollo Bay & 6th in Melbourne at Crown Casino the youngster is now heading overseas to Belgium for preseason training with the new TDU PEUGEOT team.Just in case you haven't heard of Paul before heres a little sample from his bio. Five times Australian rep to the World MTB champs. The 1999 Australian Elite mens series winner. In 2000 he doubled as the National Champion and U/23 series winner. Last years MTB worlds saw him ranked 14th in the world U/23 division. |
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Don't let that baby face look and the innocent smile fool you because Franco Marvulli is one hell of a competitor. The nine times Swiss senior champion has been hard at it competing on the track and road since taking up cycling just seven years ago. Twice runner-up in the European Pursuit Champs '98 & '99 and winner in Mexico of the World Cup Points race Franco was selected last year to represent Swizterland at the Olympics in Sydney on their track team. Out in OZ for the Skilled Bay Cycling Classic riding for the PEUGEOT team he has a very impressive resume` with 130 wins since '98 on the road and track plus the gruelling road Time Trial. It's a hectic schedule travelling all points of the globe but at 22 years of age this young star has a lot of |