Bicycling Australia, 2010, Jan-Feb

You only have to look at the start list of the Tour Down Under to see how its importance as a pre season race is increasing on the world stage. Last year we had Armstrong, Voigt and Hincapie. In 2010 the big names have increased with Cadel Evans and Alejandro Valverde joining the other stars. When I received the press release announcing Valverde’s attendance I immediately contacted Caisse d Epargne director Neil Stephens to arrange an interview. 

Pedantically preparing my equipment the evening before and conscious to the sock line on clothing etiquette, I will take time to ponder on the loop intended and of course base the entire experience around the best coffee stop. Once out on the bike, finally, it is within about 15 minutes that welcome blood pours sufficiently back into oxygen starved muscles with a wince before a kick and splutter and then power on away – we are cycling!

It’s hard not to talk about transfers this time of year, but before that, and something closely related, is the emergence of Lance Armstrong’s all powerful, supposedly all-conquering, Team RadioShack, set to make its 2010 race debut at our very own Tour Down Under.

Most Australians, whatever microclimate they live in, know the importance of hydration, especially cyclists, who often exercise for extended periods. Yet each summer, many are hospitalised due to simply not drinking enough fluids. Dehydration is not just feeling thirsty. It occurs when the body reaches a dangerously low level of water content, often caused by a sustained net loss of fluid. One third of our body is made up of water, and within our muscles the level rises to 75%.