Quick Snaps from the Australian International Pedal Prix

We're still coming to terms with the fact that we crossed the line first. Wow!

We will post up plenty of photos and our race report in the next few days, but in the meantime we thought we'd collate some of the quick snaps from our Twitter feed during last weekend's Australian International Pedal Prix...

   
       

   

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Riders announced for BYR's 2009 Australian International Pedal Prix campaign

We have a team!

A while ago, we asked you how you picked a team. In the past few days, we’ve gone through the process ourselves with a team vote. 

We are proud to present to you our 2009 Rider Line-up:

Riders: (pictured top row then bottom row, left to right)

Cal Ridge
Daryl King
Dave Maud
Deven Pearce
Jarrod Henderson
Mark Anson
Nigel Preston
Troy Hutchins

Emergencies / Pit Crew:
Adam King
Matt Anson

Pit Crew:
Chris Crowe
Tristan Tippet
Jake Cathcart
Marcus Sloane
Joe Frawley

Each team member was asked to number each of the possible riders 1-9 strongest to weakest, excluding themselves, based on fitness and ability to handle a vehicle on the track.

Here's what some of the guys had to say about our line-up:

“I think this is the strongest team we’ve ever had.” – Daz
“It all sorted itself out in the end.” – Chooka
“I’m just glad I made the team, I haven’t had much time to train with the guys and they are all super fit, so they haven't had much chance to see where I'm at at the moment.” – Nige
“Good on it.” - Troy

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How do you pick a team?

In Human Powered Vehicle racing, you only have 8 riding positions.
So how do you choose the riders from 10 fit, experienced and committed guys?

Our 2008 Australian International Pedal Prix Team. Pic from Pics08 Gallery

It's just not cricket...
It's not like footy or cricket where you can miss a week or a test and be back in the team for the next game.
We only race once or twice a year at best and we spend up to 10 months building our vehicles from scratch too. There's too much riding on it to sit one out. (pun intended)

We're not in the pro-peloton
It's not like a pro cycling squad either, who can pick their teams for the Classics, Tours or One-Day races based on riders strengths and race styles.
We are all HPV racers.

History Repeating?
In the past for Bendigo Youth Racing, we've rarely had an issue of too many riders.
In fact, Wonthaggi in '07 is the only time that we can recall where one rider elected to sit out.
In most cases our teams have come together in the final few weeks when the top 8 has become kinda obvious.
At other races, we have taken members to ride who were underdone fitness-wise because we simply didn't have a fully fit eight.

With 6 weeks to go, we've got 10 - 11 guys pushing for selection:
(in alphabetical order)
- Adam 'Gavin' King
- Cal Ridge
- Daryl 'Daz' King
- Dave Maud
- Deven Pearce
- Nige Preston
- Jarrod 'Chooka' Henderson)
- Troy Hutchins
- Charles (Mark Anson)
- Matt Anson

Here's some selection models we're looking at:

• What do you think is the best method?
• What experience have you had with your teams?

1. Team Poll
   Each team member nominates their top 8 riders - either rated 1-8 or simply 8 names on a slip. The votes are tallied and the results announced. Daz suggests that people need to be "honest and ‘think of the victory" when selecting their preferred rider line-up. They should choose "the 8 quickest riders who will bring the vehicle home safely."
   
   
2. Selectors Panel
   Similar to Cricket Australia I suppose, where a group of senior team members, ex-riders and neutral team friends choose the 8. "It's tough to do this way because you are choosing between friends and we're all deeply committed mates who have put in loads of work. It could be very personally scaring."
   
   
3. Ride-Off
   Either in a vehicle, on a road bike or on a wind-trainer, each rider is subjected to individual tests. Best 8 times get the places.
   "I don't really want to have one hour time trials in the race vehicle, because it will just end up on it's lid." BYR President Jarrod Henderson explained.
   
4. Self-Select
   We could simply wait until the final few weeks of our lead-up and those who are illness and injury free would either 'self-select' or 'self-omit'.

So, there's a few models we could use to pick our team.

• What do you think is the best method?
• What experience have you had with your teams?

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Callan Ridge

Here we get a bit of an insight into assistant Technical Director and Race Starter Callan Ridge's personal life and he's experiences as a HPV Racer.

(Above) Callan slipstreams the VW on a training ride to Mt Alexander in the lead up to the 2008 AIPP.

1) Age?
Turning 20 this year.

2) Where do you live?
Spring Gully in Bendigo, they have a really good footy team called the Spring Gully Springs. (Get Round em).

3) What is your job and where do you work?
I'm in my second year of a Fitting & Turning apprenticeship, I work at McCullochs Hydraulic Engineers which is in Epsom on the outskirts of Bendigo. It's a good place we do some fairly interesting things out there.

4) Number of Races?
Ridden in eight 24 hour races and two 6 hour races and also been in the pits for 5 or 6.

5) As a Fitter and Turner how do the skills you use at work benefit BYR?
Well they're skills that are required to make the majority of the steering and driveline parts so it comes in quite handy. Being able to use the machines at work is also quite beneficial as it allows parts to be made during the week ready for the usual Friday night work sessions. I don't think many of the parts could be made as easily, cheaply or to as high of a standard otherwise.

6) As a HPV student at both Flora Hill and Bendigo Senior Secondary you have been a part of some successful teams. What is your best memory/moment from HPV Racing?
By a long way my favorite race was back in 2005 with Flora Hill in a bike called Beefcake Productions, it was the first time I'd actually ridden in a HPV event and I still wasn't quite sure what to expect. We ending up coming 2nd in b class by 2 laps but it was very close exciting racing for most of the event. The whole year was quite exciting actually, the bike we built was completely different to any previous Flora Hill bikes and was the start of Flora Hills rise to the top of secondary HPV racing. It had a few similarity's to BY-03. But it was probably also the hardest race though, I think Rowan Nankervis and Myself ended up riding more than half the race between us.

7) What is the best thing about being involved in BYR?
The sense of achievement from both the building and training point of view and all the friendships made.

8) What is the Hardest part about BYR?
I'd say the commitment required, you can't really have anything else going on in your life if you take the training and building seriously.
Slipstreaming a Volkswagon in the dark up Mt Alexander on the road bikes in sub zero temperatures isn't much fun either.

9) And Finally BYR don't promote crashes but they are an unavoidable part of our sport. What is the most spectacular crash you have been involved in or seen?
For me it is probably quantity over quality whilst riding in the wet for the first time at Wonthaggi I managed to have 5 rollovers in just one stint.
And although I didn't actually witness it, I imagine Rowans crash last year at Murray Bridge must have been quite spectacular. Judging from the damaged sustained anyway, cross members aren't exactly easy things to break!

Callan second from right at the 2006 RACV Energy Breakthrough with fellow BYR teamates Jarrod, Deven, Mark, Adam and Tristan

Stay tuned for more interviews as we work our way through the 2009 BYR team.

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Daryl King

1) Age?
24 (I think)


2) Where do you live?
Axedale (winner of tidy town 1972)


3) What is your job and where do you work?
Technology Teacher at Bendigo South East College (Flora Hill)


4) Number of 24hr Races?
7 raced, 13 as manager or pit crew

5) As a HPV teacher at Bendigo South East Secondary (Formerly Flora Hill) your job is partially based around teaching Students how to design and construct a HPV and race it at all the major races. What is it that you enjoy most about your job?
It's great to work with young people who are incredibly enthusiastic about designing and constructing HPV’s. I get a real buzz out of seeing there ideas come into reality and knowing that they have achieved them of there own accord. It is also fantastic to see that they can be so successful in vehicles that they have produced against some opponents who rely heavily on teachers and parents to design and construct there vehicles.

6) As Technical director of BYR since the team was formed in 2003 you have designed and built some very quick vehicles. What is your best memory/moment from a HPV race?
Would have to be the finish of the 03 AIPP. To win on debut by only 10 seconds was remarkable and I don’t think that we will see that again.

7) As a member of the team since 2003 what is it that motivates you to come back to BYR year after year?
It’s just a fantastic engineering challenge. To work with like minded people who have common aims is a real motivator.

8) What is the Hardest part about BYR?
I think the hard yards, the long nights building the vehicles, the hard days out training and also coordinating people from across the state.

9) And Finally BYR don't promote crashes but they are an unavoidable part of our sport. What is the most spectacular crash you have been involved in or seen?
Would probably have to say that the most interesting crash that I have been involved in was at Wonthaggi in 06. The vehicle was BY-04 and I got in during the heaviest rain I have ever seen at a race. I got through the first hour without any dramas but into my second I came down the hill through the twisty section and round the corner I was greeted by around half a dozen vehicles that were mostly upside down and I joined them. By the time I was put up the right way I was facing up the track and noticed that at least a dozen other vehicles had also joined me on my ceiling.
Top Stuff!!

Stay tuned for more team profiles as we continue our long journey to Murray Bridge.

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