Please join us in sending a message to the North Shore City Council to keep and enhance the existing Lake Road cycle lane. We are people who share a vision of the future and understand that anything we can do to promote more people on bikes and fewer people in cars is a good thing. This is a vision which is about our children, our future and promoting a healthy and sustainable environment in which to live. In joining our cause please consider some very simple facts:

- Hundreds of children cycle along Lake Road every day to local schools. Belmont Intermediate is the top cycling school in the Auckland Region. The Principal is proud of this and has given written support for the retention of the cyclelanes. The bike storage cages at Takapuna Grammar are overloaded and bikes now overflow onto non-secure racks. The younger children ride on the shared footpath cyclepath and tend to graduate to the on - road cyclelanes as they gain confidence. If we take the cycle lanes out these children may no longer ride their bikes, losing the health benefits they now get. This will add more car traffic during peak rush hour. Worse, those who continue riding to school will face additional risk of getting hit by a car. Why would anyone want to put our children at risk to appease a small vocal minority?

Click HERE to sign the petition (please ignore donation part)

This year I will again be riding in the gruelling Tour of Southland in November.
For the second year in a row I’m riding for the Ascot Park Hotel. We have a different line-up of riders this year, and I’m pretty excited about our prospects.
Check out the latest news here:

Strongman

Race Report : Arthur Lydiard Legend Half Marathon

The last running race I lined up for was the Onehunga Half at the start of May. That race turned out to be a right disaster, but mistakes were noted and lessons learned. For one reason or another, races I was scheduled to compete in through the past few months were scrapped. But with the Auckland Marathon less than six weeks away it was important to get another half under my belt. So on Saturday I lined up for the Arthur Lydiard Legend Half Marathon. I tell you what …. this course was brutal. I have cycled on the roads the race runs over hundreds of times but running up Titirangi Road, Carter Road, and along Scenic Drive was sadistic. If you think the 500meters of vertical ascent in the race would be the hardest section you would be wrong, the final 4km downhill from Titirangi Village to the finish was ‘killer’ on the legs. Four days later I still feel the downhill in my legs!

The race for me was a great confidence booster, my race nutrition plan was great, thus I had consistent energy levels; my selected shoes, socks and pre-taped feet fared well and my legs held up against the stress of running at race pace.

So now I have a little over five weeks to recover from this half marathon and then prepare for the Auckland Marathon at the start of November.

Richard Speer

NOTE TO ALL ATHLETES!

WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) has re-baned pseudoephedrine - this drug is found in common cold products sold at chemists! So please read the labels carefully if you are taking cold medications!

If you are unsure of what is on the prohibited list find out HERE

And this isn’t just for “carded athletes” theoretically anyone can get tested but typically its those who who ride A-grade+

But don’t fret…they haven’t taken coffee of the list again yet!!!

To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books.
- Dan Brown; The Lost Symbol

Race season is really in full-swing now and with everyone peaking for the big races it’s not so easy to stand out from the crowd.
Kinetic Edge athletes showed they were more than up to the challenge though ripping up the roads over the weekend.
The National Secondary Schools cycling champs were held in Palmerston North from Sat-Mon and KE coached Sacred Heart Boys College came away with the ultimate reward for all their hard work by winning the Junior Boys Teams Time Trial. They actually smashed them, winning by a big margin.
Individually Daniel Smith and Josh Hunter both gained 3rd in their grades in the Road Race on Sunday.

Across the Island at the Taupo - Napier classic and off colour Toni Bradshaw still managed to hold off all her rivals in the womens division, winning in a sprint from Emily Collins. Toni then backed up with an 8th place in the NZ Criterium champs the next day.

Looking forward to next weekend with the Closing Day at Counties Manukau on Sat and Morrinsville Open on Sunday.

Our good friends at Media Unlimited bring you a couple of great magazines in Endurance Sport Magazine and Multisport Magazine.
They also have a great website with some interesting articles.
Check out www.endurancesport.co.nz and take a look at the article on Jonno Wyatt ripping up the world stage in mountain running. Thats my background before cycling and I always admire Jonno’s outlook on sport and life.
Also look for the ‘Reader’s Survey’ icon on the bottom of the left hand menu bar and be in to win some adistar sunglasses. Very nice!!!

Aaron Strongman

The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly right and doing it exactly right.
– Edward C. Simmons

Kinetic Edge athletes continued to rip it up around the races at the weekend. Results I have seen so far are:
Counties Manukau Club race
Glen Frost 5th
Louis Crosby 7th
Mel Burke 1st woman
Emma Jones 1st woman in grade.

Next week a big contingent of KE cyclists are heading down to race the Taupo-Napier classic on Saturday, followed by the NZ Crit champs on Sunday in Hastings. Look forward to complete domination.

Another successful weekend for Kinetic Edge athletes:
The Counties Manukau club held their annual Club Champs on Saturday and KE was well represented with a large number of top 10 finishes.
Senior Men:
Aaron Strong 3rd
Mike Henton 7th
Hamish Osborne 9th
Nico de Jong 10th
U23 Men
Louis Crosby 1st
Patrick Wallace 3rd
U19 Men
Hamish Elley-Brown 4th
Masters 3 Men
Alan Gilder 6th
Senior Women
Mel Burke 1st

On the Auckland Waterfront Time Trial Gary Groves rode strongly to record the fastest time of the day.

The racing is really getting going around NZ this month and next…good luck with all your goals and aspire to get your name on this page each week.