“Audax at Fidelis” (Bold but Faithful)
The Queensland state emblem says it all! Audax Queensland welcomes new riders!
We welcome non-members at our rides. If you would like to do one of our rides, browse through upcoming rides shown to the right. Either register and ride; or contact the ride organizer of the ride concerned for further information.
A history of Audax Queensland written by Dave Minter in 2009 can be found here.
You can contact Audax Queensland here: qld.communications@audax.org.au
Upcoming rides for Queensland for the next 28 days
Details of all scheduled rides are in the Audax Calendar
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Round The MountainsRegister
Scenic ride from The Gap, through Caboolture, Kilcoy, Esk etc. around the mountains west of Brisbane back to The Gap.
Distances: 300km, 401km | QLD | BRM | ||
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Northern Gold Coast ExplorerRegister
Quiet, little-known, dead flat roads through the canefields, then a tour of the pleasant suburb of Coomera Waters and home via M1 service roads.
Distance: 101km | QLD | BA | ||
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River Loop Australia Day SpecialRegister
Celebrate Australia Day with a social ride. A choice of 50 or 100 km
Distances: 50km, 100km | QLD | BA | ||
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Esk at NightRegister
This 100, 200 & 300km ride takes in the sights of Esk, Somerset and Laidley valleys. About 100 km of the ride will be in daylight and the rest at night. Lights required for the 100, 200 and 300km events. Fully supported ride.
Distances: 101km, 201km, 301km | QLD | BA | ||
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River Loop February
A social ride followed by a coffee somewhere interesting on Montague Rd
Distances: 50km, 100km | QLD | BA | ||
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(Almost?) Downs & Back 100, 150, 200Register
100 km, 150 km, or 200 km. Depart Westlake and head out toward (almost) the Darling Downs and return.
Distances: 100km, 150km, 216km, 216km | QLD | BA | ||
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River Loop – Social Ride
A social ride around the iconic Brisbane River Loop, ending with coffee at West End. No registration necessary; just turn up ready for a 5:30AM start.
Distance: 40km | QLD | Soc | ||
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Bellthorpe Bonanza
A ride of two halves, with some of the best views and vistas a rider might find in south east Queensland
Distance: 208km | QLD | BRM | ||
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QLD AGMRegister
An easy 50 km group ride prior to the AGM. AGM commences 10:00AM – For COVIDsafe compliance purposes please register if attending but not riding. The meeting is only open to registered attendees.
Distances: 1km, 50km | QLD | BA | ||
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River Loop – Social Ride
A social ride around the iconic Brisbane River Loop, ending with coffee at West End. No registration necessary; just turn up ready for a 5:30AM start.
Distance: 40km | QLD | Soc |
The Flèche Opperman All Day Trial (or “The Oppy”) is a 24-hour team time trial held annually by Audax Australia. It is named after Sir Hubert Opperman, who was one of the world’s greatest endurance cyclists and the patron of Audax Australia until his death in 1996.
The Oppy is an event for teams of three to five bicycles. Each team must ride at least 360 km (you design your own route) in 24 hours. If you’re not up for 24 hours of riding, try the Petit Oppy (180 km in 14 hours). More details / rules here. If you want to ride, but don’t have a team, we will do the match-making. Contact any of the ROs below. In 2019 in SEQ the Oppy will start at 8:00 am Saturday 23rd March; and finish 24 hrs later. In FNQ the Oppy will start on a different date: 8:00 am 18th May. Is this the year to get two Oppy Medallions? The three Oppy regional organisers and the finishing locations are:
| SEQ | 23/03/19 | Mark Riley | St Lucia; St Lucys for breakfast |
| FNQ | 18/05/19 | Gayle Sticher | Port Douglas |
| midQ | 23/03/19 | Peter Robertson | Mackay |
What Happened in 2018? Summary here.
Matt Rawnsley Statistics
Stat man Matt has posted an amazing array of Oppy statistics. The most number of Oppys by one person? (23(!!): Kevin Ware). The number of times Queensland has won the Oppy Shield? Three, including the last 2 years. The number of times a Queensland team has cracked 600km? None until this year and two teams cracked it!
How to register:
Go to the On-line Calendar, (here), navigate to 23 March 2019. Select the appropriate registration (ie SEQ, FNQ, not Victoria). Click on the “On-line registration via the Audax Portal“. The Team Captain must register first to register the team name. Then other team members can register and select that particular team. When the team captain registers, there are also options to fill in your itinerary (checkpoints, etc) and a link to your course map. I’m not fussed if you don’t include these at this point (as I’ll be contacting you in any case, and you can email me directly). However, you will need your Team Name at the time you register.
| 1993 | ||
| 424 | Cane Toad Express | Dave Minter, Pedro Plowman, Andrew Row In NSW; pre-Queensland Oppys. |
| 1994 | ||
| 500 | The Brisbane Bonkers | Gale Schaub, Dave Minter, Peter Brown, Andrew Row (photo) In Victoria; pre-Queensland Oppys. |
| 1995 | summary | First year for Queensland Oppys |
| 392 | Team Two Up | Kris Kersley, Ross Kersley, Jenelle Davies, Howard Davies, Andrew Wood, Paul McAntee, Glen Cannell, Mitch Carr (8 on a team? yes: 3 tandems, 2 singles) Qld record |
| 377 | Team SEQUENCE | Gale Schaub, Lindsay Green, Peter Brown |
| 370 | Gusto | Mark Spakshott, Dan Reid, Diana McPhee, Andrew McPhee, Nicole McPhee |
| 366 | Three Skinny Guys and a Fat Guy | Rieks van Klinken, Ben Webb, Zane Cavinn, Daniel Farrelly |
| 1996 | summary | |
| 390 | The Generation Gap | Gale Schaub, Lindsay Green, Peter Brennan, Daniel Radford (youngest 16, oldest 64) |
| 363 | Warhorse | Mark Sparshott, Laurie Handcock, Wayne Murray |
| 363 | Three Men & A Baby | David Minter, Philip Rowley, Gary Beasley |
| 361 | Tan Dam | Ross Kersley, Howard Davies, Janelle Davies, Tony Croke |
| 1997 | ||
| 400 | TMAAB ‘97 | Dave Minter, Kris Kersley, Wayne Murray Qld record |
| 1998 | ||
| 401 | Audax Queensland | Gale Schaub, Richard Martin, Vaughan Kippers Qld record |
| 1999 | No QLD teams | |
| 2000 | ||
| 360 | Dave’s Dawdlers | David Minter, Ben Wilson, Chris Jensen |
| 360 | Maslen’s Missing | David Jones, John Gowty, Warren Whisson |
| 2001 | ||
| 360 | Team QLD | Howard Brandis, Margaret Wingett, Mark Jensen, Laurie Handcock |
| 2002 | ||
| 372 | Howard’s Heros | Howard Brandis, Debra Campell, Marc Coombs, Mark Jensen |
| 2003 | ||
| 401 | Oppytunist | David White, Christine White, Melonie de Jong, Errol Ross |
| 372 | Howard’s Heros | Mark Jensen, Debbie Campbell, Joan Brown |
| 360 | Noel’s Nightriders | Noel Newton, Brain Aston, Susan Lostroh, Paul Cribb |
| 2004 | No QLD teams | |
| 2005 | ||
| 366 | 3D | David Minter, David Jones, Dino Morgante |
| 2006 | No Oppy due to date change | |
| 2007 | ||
| 385 | Oppy on the Downs | Vaughan Kippers, Pat Lehane, Errol Ross |
| 367 | Je Suis Fatigue | Bruce Dodds, Catherine Johnson, David Minter, George Row |
| 2008 | ||
| 444 | Against the Wind | Alan Baker, David King, Pat Lehane Qld record |
| 412 | The Southern Invaders | Paul Cribb, Alex Murray, Martin Pearson, Lisa Turner |
| 374 | hOppyn’ Mad | Michael Clare, Iain Cummings, Vaughan Kippers, David Minter, David Pacheco |
| 2009 | ||
| 367 | ? | David Minter(c), Elizabeth Pearson, Martin Pearson |
| 2010 | summary | |
| 360? | Southern Invaders | Lisa Turner(c), ?, ? |
| 360? | John’s Orphans | John Fitter(c), ?, ? |
| 182 | Les Petits Canetoads | Dino Morgante, Peter Jenkins, George Row, Sue May |
| 2011 | Summary | |
| 469 | Right Out of Control | Brian Hornby, David King, Martin Pearson Qld record |
| 370 | Team Slo | Brendan Howard, James Pearson, Rodney Clarke |
| 183 | Miss Kitty and the Bearded Bikers | Dino Morgante, Lawrence Hennelly, Peter Jenkins, Sue May |
| 2012 | summary | |
| 454 | Keep the Pedals Turning | Andrew Bragg, Christian Killen, Roger Hawley(c) |
| 369 | S L Oppy | Alexander Wall, Matthew Zaranski, Rupert Leigh(c) |
| 369 | Quintessential Speed Turtles | Dino Morgante, Michael Deed, Michael Waterson, Nick Burnett(c), Simon Faber |
| 367 | Fixed Oppynions | Anthony Douglas, Martin Pearson(c), Stuart Dowell |
| 2013 | summary | |
| 403 | Cyclonics | Jenny Townley, Peter Robertson, Troy Forbes |
| 403 | Tropical Tailwind | David Adams, Peter McCallum, Phillip Burnham |
| 365 | Four Decades | Anne Latimer(c), Deb Aitchenson, Holli Linklater, Lynne James Qld Record All Female |
| 365 | Just a Nice Day Out | Andrew Gills, Dino Morgante, James Pearson, Martin Pearson(c), Rodney Clarke |
| 361 | KBC Bubble Blowers | Ian Petherbridge, Kirsty Broun(c), Shane Graham, Simon Watt |
| 2014 | ||
| 407 | Gym-wich Flat Trackers | Andrew Keith, John Gowty, Melvyn Yap, Nick Burnett, Rodney Clarke |
| 402 | Captain Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen | Gerry Egan, Rick Abraham(c), WilliamM, WimZ |
| 368 | Doctors and Nurses | Rosie Godwin, Vaughan Kippers, Anne Latimer, Martin Pearson(c), Mark Riley |
| 365 | Out of our Depth | Brett Kerwick, DanM, RobS, ShaunK, SimonP |
| 363 | The President’s Men | Chris Ellis, Chris Groves, Brian Hornby(c), Anthony Richardson |
| 2015 | ||
| 500 | A Pair of Nicks & Two Dicks | Nick Burnett, Nick Fisk, Ant Richardson Qld Record |
| 365 | Team SLO | Peter Jenkins, Vaughan Kippers, Pat Lehane(c), Mark Riley |
| 362 | Cyclonics | Jenny Townley, Peter Robertson, Phillip Burnham, Troy Forbes |
| 184 | Liz Hepple Coaching 1 | Anne Latimer, Holli Linklater, Liz Hepple(c) |
| 184 | Liz Hepple Coaching 2 | Kailee Ng, Liz Nelson, Rosie Godwin |
| 2016 | summary | |
| 360 | Bunya Bandits | Brian Hornby(c), Chris Ellis, Ant Richardson, Mark Riley |
| 365 | Team SLO | Ross Barnard, Kym Raffelt, Vaughan Kippers, Pat Lehane(c) |
| 2017 | ||
| 528 | Flat Out Oppytunists | Nick Booth, Nick Burnett, Mark Riley, Rod Staines Qld Record |
| 360 | The Extremes | Gayle Sticher, Paula Castle, Ian Church, Snowy Evans, Marina Harcot |
| 180 | Small N Dainty | Kim Christie, Mark Kerswell, Nola Kerswell, Toby Kerswell, Jordan Seymour-Jones |
| 184 | Hawaii Four-O | Deborah Gillespie, Peter Kyriakides, Brian Kittler, Lloyd Stonadge |
| 191 | Cassowary Coast Cyclones | Jeff Coward, Steve Bryan, Matthew Wensley |
| 185 | Team Tailwind | Michael Lee, Mary Ann Allen, Helius Visser, Heather Cochrane |
| 197 | Cairns Strava Crew Red | Chad Elliott, Troy Furner, Christopher Clair |
| 204 | Cairns Strava Crew Blue | Ben Smith, Nick Masasso, Campbell Smythe, Warren Elliott |
| 2018 | summary | |
| 560 | Koiled Crazies | Rachel Edwards, Matthew Locker(c), Michael Newell Qld Record |
| 507 | Coasting North | Ken Dyson, Graham Jensen, Tony Pattison(c), Dave Wall |
| 416 | The Alternative | Brian Hornby, Tara Horner(c), Paul Witzerman |
| 366 | Cairns Strava Crew | Warren Elliot(c), Keith Mole, Andrew Morgan |
| 363 | Downs Oppytunists | Jonny Ayres, Raoul Dover, Jeff Franklin, Scott McCarthy, Peter Watson(c) |
| 362 | S.O.F.T | Mark Harris, Helen Marson, Ant Richardson(c), Mark Riley |
| 361 | Team SLO | Peter Jenkins(c), Vaughan Kippers, Pat Lehane, Kym Raffelt, George Row |
| 192 | Puffin’ Billies | Peter Whittle, Justin Bennett(c), Nick Hemmings, Jeremy Drice |
| 184 | McOppies | Ruth Brown, David Booth, John McMullan(c), Darren Milczewski, Les O’Shea |
| 184 | Hawaii 5-0 | Drewe Burgess, Deb Gillespie(c), Brian Kittler, Peter Kyriakides, Lloyd Stonage |
| 181 | Small and Dainty | Kim Christie(c), Mark Kerswell, Nola Kerswell, Zoe Kerswell, Jordan Seymour-Jones |
| 181 | The Waiters | Bob Adams, Rex Hutchinson, Steve Kilpatrick, Joe O’Dea(c) |
| 2019 | ||
| 611 | T600B | Matthew Locker(c), Paul Newman, Frederik Vekeman, Richard Watson Qld Record |
| 400 | Oppydonebakerystyle | Jeff Franklin(c), Ben Hernandez, Brian Hornby, Miles Vass, Paul Witzerman |
| 366 | Oppytune | Ruth Brown(c), Tara Horner, Sharon Jewell Qld Record All Female |
| 361 | Oppy Darts | Ral Dover(c), Doug Gouw, Tracey Howley, Pat Lehane, Peter Watson |
| 360 | H.A.R.D. | Brad Billingham, Mark Harris, Thomas Matyja, Kyle Pratt, Mark Riley(c) |
| 184 | Oppytimists | Keith Heinrich(c), Duane Parnell, Jennifer McMillan |
| 182 | Hudirt Knobbymen | Justin Bennett(c), Peter Jenkins, Scott McCarthy |
| 181 | Team Tiny | Leah Barnett, David Booth, Peter Lovell, John McMullan(c) |
Welcome to the mid May edition of the Queensland Newsletter. Pickings are a little slim this edition as our Brevet Secretary who provides me with ride data makes his way northwards to take part in this years TrOppy in far north Queensland and most riders are trying to get accustomed to the end of summer. I do have a few interesting items to tweak your interest as I continue my journey with bike and gear maintenance with ‘on the road’ repairs in the dark (again!)
For our Far Northern riders, I hope you have good weather and safe riding for the TrOppy.
Our feature photo this edition was taken by Tara (who always seems to have time to take photos) on a downhill section near the top of Mt Nebo. This was not the worst of the dross on the road from the strong winds the night before – there were about six lesser and greater obstructions on the road. Halfway up Mt Nebo the debris covered a lot of the uphill lane in areas which made the descents a bit tricky. Speeds on some of the downhill sections can exceed 60kmh and with debris as large as 50mm diameter you really need your wits about you. Fortunately as the debris field increased so did the courtesy of a lot of drivers. I also noticed that in the bushland further on were some downed power lines with the repair team assessing the damage and trying to figure out how they could repair it on the hilly slopes.
This year’s Bedrock finally saw me successfully complete the ride for the first time (of 3 attempts). I did get maximum value for my ride fee finishing with 8 minutes to spare. All up we had riders for each distance and I believe Scott may have been our first 150km entry.
Gayle has finished her write-up of the Atherton 400. Gayle had six riders completing in times ranging from just over 19 hours to 20 1/2 hours. Excellent effort by all.
Ready Gayle’s report here
There are a lot of rider – bike interface issues that each of us face from time to time. A very frank discussion with some riders recently showed us that when the people in the bike shop say that they understand the problem and that ‘you can talk about it’ doesn’t necessarily mean they are prepared for the minute detail that you need to go into to express your discomfort whilst trying to get their assistance for a solution. Apparently the look of shock and embarrassment was priceless (at least when we were chatting). Names have been withheld to protect the embarrassed.
I think that those of us in the Audax community who spend long days on the road can have a different set of issues not normally experienced by other styles of riding. I believe that gaining assistance with some of the more delicate issues we face may take a little more time and diplomacy to obtain quality assistance in the bike shop.
On a serious note, saddle and knick choice seem to be a combination rather than individual items to be selected, and I have found the choice of saddle to be somewhat dependent upon the vertical angle of the body, shapes of various body parts. I find that with my chunky thighs, I need a rounded saddle, settling on the Selle SMP hybrid for curly, and a TRK for my more upright riding. This has cured the interface issues I had when I first started riding Audax. I have seen that a lot of other riders are quite comfortable with a flatter saddle. The choice is so individual.
We all take a common set of spares on on our rides such as tubes, levers etc and some of us take less commonly used items such as chain breakers, multitools, a specialised cassette lock ring tightening tool (used the chain stay as part of it apparently) and after breaking a spoke on my first 300km ride I carry an emergency flexible spoke (cost $20 so I bought two)
When I rode Yeronga Medley 2 this year, I broke the left shoe lace on my riding shoe. These are a pull cord lace similar to the Boas used on most newer model road shoes that use a ratchet. Fortunately I could tie it and complete the ride with no difficulty. The manufacturer doesn’t sell a replacement without a pair of shoes so I became crafty and found an almost identical item at spotlight. It isn’t as strong but is similar in dimensions. I replaced the lace and made up a couple of spares that I neglected to include in my tool kit so when I went to ride the Every Which Way permanent this month (starting at 6am) I broke the other lace when putting on my shoes. Unfortunately when I tried to tie it conventionally, the lace kept breaking so I was flummoxed as to what I could use. A search of the tool bottle and bags revealed no spare laces and I was about to try a really bad temporary fix when I remembered the flexible spokes. It took a bit to thread the laces but the fix allowed me to start the ride less than 5 minutes late. They make a bit of a fashion statement – maybe.
Peter Watson mentioned afterwards that some cable ties would have worked as well. A good idea except I wasn’t carrying any and I do massage my feet occasionally.
One thing we all like doing is taking part in the audax rides. I get a lot of thanks from riders who participate in rides that I RO and it is a satisfying contribution. Whilst being a ride organiser is not every-one’s cup of tea, we do appreciate every person that puts their hand up to be a RO whether it be some-one establishing their own ride or rides, or some-one that can fill in when a RO is unavailable for a ride. There is a bit of preparation work to plan a new ride, some administrative items in regards to the calendar, some preparation before the ride and a little more afterwards, mostly made very simple as everything is now on-line. Permanent Rides are another ride option that you can RO. Occasionally, an extra set of hands are needed for a supported ride as well. Planning in supported rides is a little more involved but well worthwhile too.
Have a chat to any of the RO’s on your rides and see what it is all about. One thing to remember – in the last two years we have had a few people retire from RO duties and fortunately a few step up.
A bit later this year will be the Ride Calendar co-ordination meeting where all rides are discussed and scheduled for the following Audax season. Even if you don’t intend to be a RO, you can come along and see what it is all about.
This artistic display is located in the Waverley region south of Mt Isa. I first saw this on a working trip to Boulia but we were not in a position to stop and take photo at the time. One of my work colleagues was recently in the area and was kind enough to take a few photos for the newsletter. I have tried to find out the history behind this artistic display to no avail but I have noticed during my research that the number of bikes seems to fluctuate over time.
As always, I welcome articles and ride reports to include in the newsletter Please send them to: qld.communications@audax.org.au.
