Graham Potts has asked Simon about getting in breakaways and whether this could be a tactic he could use to gain an advantage in a race such as Paris-Nice.

Getting in breakaways is definitely not a gift. Like sprinting or climbing, it’s something that you need to train to be good at. From early on in my cycling career I realised that I was a bit of an all rounder. There are many better climbers and many better sprinters in the peloton than myself so I figured that the best chance I had of winning races was from a breakaway, so that’s what I worked on.

You do need to be able to read a break well. There’s no point if the wrong combination of riders are trying to get away as the bunch will always bring them back.

Leigh De Luca has asked Simon how he mentally handles tough situations on the bike and what he tells himself to get his heart rate and breathing back under control.

In this situation I try to focus on the things I can control and don’t get preoccupied with other riders or anything out of my control. I stay focused on specific points in the race coming up and try to create small goals for instance, get over the next climb, get to the front for the next cross wind section etc. The better you are prepared for the race the easier this is.

A good example of this was during stage 15 at the 2008 Tour de France. I knew heading into the final climb that I was not the strongest in the group and that I would need to be on top of my game in order to give it my best shot at winning the stage.

Liz Swinton has asked Simon about his favourite food energy source whilst training and racing. 

Hi Liz. This differs depending on whether I’m racing, training short or training long.

My favourite training food without question is my Mum’s homemade Christmas cake. Unfortunately this only gets baked once a year, so I make the most of it for the couple of weeks following Christmas when I’m training in Australia.

When I’m in Europe and Mum’s chrissy cake isn’t around, I prefer real food like madeleines, cakes, sandwiches etc. However, when I’m racing I stick to energy bars and gels.

Simon.

I haven’t had much success at Paris-Nice in the past so I’m happy to arrive into Paris in good form and ready to race. I’m really motivated for a strong performance here as it is my first objective for the 2010 season.

My plan since the beginning of my preparation for the season was to be around 90% fit going into this race and I feel that I’m pretty close to that.

My goal for the race is to try and ride well on the general classification. To achieve this, firstly I have to get to Nice and stay healthy for the duration of the race. In the past this has always been my biggest obstacle. I'm not expecting any miracle results this year but racing for the GC is something I want to work on in the hope to be a real contender in the future.

Gavin Moore from England has asked Simon about making the switch from Motocross to Cycling.

When I was 15 I got seriously injured from racing motocross and had to have a knee reconstruction. After 12 months rehabilitation I was back on my motorbike fooling around in the yard when I fell off injuring my knee again. This time it was very serious and was apparent that my motocross days were over.

I didn’t really have one main object to overcome in making the transition. My doctor recommended I take up cycling as a form of rehab for my knee, so at the time it was more out of necessity than a choice. Phil Anderson had the farm next door and helped me out with some training advice, which got me started.

With Simon having competed for four different teams in the last four years, Peter Ottis from Canada would like to know what effects changing teams has had on Simon’s training and preparation. Peter would also like to know about the affect this change has had, if any, on Simon’s personal life outside of cycling.

Hi Peter, thanks for the question. It has not been a big change personally in swapping teams like I have, as I’ve always been able to keep my home base. It is not necessary for cycling teams to train together everyday therefore we don’t need to live in one particular area. Although we do get together for races and training camps, we mainly train on our own so this allows us to live where we like.

My first race for the 2010 season was the Ruta del Sol in the Andalucía region of Spain. My aim for the race was to find a little race rhythm and fitness so I didn’t have any expectations for results. Most of Team Sky’s line up came off a 10-day camp near by in Valencia so we were feeling pretty good and ready to race.

The first stage had a tough finish with a steep 3km assent. With this stage being my first race since the middle of October last year I didn’t have the condition to be competitive. I lost a bit of time, which resulted in me being down on GC for the remainder of the race. Thomas Lofkvist rode well and finished the stage in 10th position.

Stage two was a pretty uneventful stage that ended in a bunch sprint. The team got together to help Greg Henderson in the finale.

Dean Martin has asked Simon about the chances of Australia having a team in the ProTour. 

There’s no doubt we have enough Australians racing at the highest level to field a very competitive ProTour team and there is definitely no shortage of young Aussie talent coming through the ranks to keep it going for many years to come. We even have a number of great Australian directors working on different ProTour teams who could potentially run an Australian team.

The motivation would be incredible. Whether it's at the World Championships, Commonwealth Games or Olympic Games, all Aussies get a real buzz out of racing for the national team, so an Australian trade team would have a fantastic ambience.

Simon has placed 2nd behind Francisco Ventoso (Carmiooro NGC) in today’s final stage at the Ruta del Sol. The 161.4km stage into Antequera featured a category one-climb 46km from the finish.

Just 11km into the stage, a breakaway formed including Brice Feillu (Vacansoleil), Angel Vicioso (Andalucia-Cajasur) and Marco Marzano (Lampre-Farnese Vini). Team Sky’s Bradley Wiggins joined the trio just seven kilometers later. The four riders rode strong to gain a lead of over 5 minutes however their advantage was brought back and with 20 kilometers to go the main group of 30 riders was at the front of the race. The group sprinted for the win with Ventoso taking the stage from Simon and Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia) in third place and claiming the overall title.

Wendy Parkinson has asked Simon about which race he is most looking forward to this season and what he dislikes most about training.

Wendy, one of the races I have dreamed about winning is the Amstel Gold Race. It has such a great history and the course is well suited to my style of riding. I have been getting better each year I have raced Amstel and I hope to continue that progression this season. It is also a great race for the spectators. The race winds around many of the same roads so it is quite possible to see the riders pass 4 or 5 times.

I’m out on the roads every day and the weather is not always kind however one of the advantages of living in Monaco is that we have pretty good weather for most of the year.

Simon has placed 3rd behind Rabobank’s Oscar Freire in today’s stage of the Ruta del Sol.

“I didn’t come to this race with high expectations so to achieve a 3rd placing today is a good result. It was a tough up hill finish into a head wind, which suited me quite well. Hendy and the boys did a great job getting me up there for the finish”.

The riders will contest a 10.9km time trial around the streets of Murcia tomorrow followed by the final stage on Thursday.

RESULTS – Stage 3, Ruta del Sol
1st Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank
2nd Grega Bole (Slo) Lampre             
3rd Simon Gerrans (Aus) Sky

Eryn Stott from Canada has asked Simon about training in Colorado and whether joining team Radio Shack was ever a possibility.

I had a great time training with Lance, Levi and Chris in Colorado last year. I initially planned to do all my training around the roads of Lyons, Boulder and Vail until Levi and Lance suggested that I do a block with them up in Aspen. Aspen was a great place to train and I would really like to get back there in the future. I asked Lance about his plans for next season, however at that point he was more concerned about the Tour de France coming up in only a few weeks.

The first question to kick the week off is from Mike Kirby from Washington in the United States. Mike has asked about nutrition specifically prior to a hard training session and with a focus on providing enough energy while not gaining weight. Simon responds to this question below.

Thanks for the question Mike. I have found that nutrition is very individual and requires trial and error before you find the perfect formula. When I was an amateur racing in Italy, we would usually have a big feed of pasta at the pre-race lunch put on by the race organiser. It didn't take me long to realise that this didn't work for me.

VUELTA A ANDALUCIA
21 - 25 February 2010
Team Sky: Kjell Carlstrom, Steve Cummings, Simon Gerrans, Greg Henderson, Thomas Lofkvist, Serge Pauwels, Bradley Wiggins

Here at simongerrans.com we thought we would give you the opportunity to ask Simon a question. Whether you want to know something about Simon's training, racing or just have a general question we would love to hear from you!

Please send your question along with your full name and country to info@simongerrans.com and Simon will do his best to answer it. The best 10 questions will be posted on the website.

Simon will start the 2010 season racing in Spain in the Vuelta a Andalucia and Clasica de Almeria. First stop however will be Team SKY's second training camp in Valencia.

"Andalucia and Almeria are all about preparation. It will be the first time I've pinned a number on since Lombardia at the end of last season. I will need to hit these races going well in order to find some race fitness and with Paris-Nice an early season objective, these races will be crucial".

Vuelta a Andalucia

Team Sky line-up: Kjell Carlstrom, Steve Cummings, Simon Gerrans, Greg Henderson, Thomas Lofkvist, Serge Pauwels, Nicolas Portal and Bradley Wiggins.

For the first time in my career I had the opportunity to test not only my time trial position but also my road position in a wind tunnel. This is something that I have always wanted to do. I’ve read many articles on cyclist who have changed their position ever so slightly following wind tunnel testing and had huge gains in their performance, so I was thrilled to have this opportunity.

Under the guidance of Team SKY physiologist Matt Parker and former professional time trialing guru Chris Boardman, who between them have hundreds maybe thousands of hours of experience in aerodynamic testing, I was able to make some minor position changes to both my bikes and get the improvement I’d hoped for. We also spent some time testing different clothing, wheels and helmets. The results blew me away!

What a fantastic start for the team! To have Hendy win the Cancer Council Classic, the first official race for Team SKY and CJ winning the final stage of Down Under, the guys in Australia really achieved the best start that Team SKY could hope for. The first wins for the season are often the hardest to get and there’s always a lot of pressure on a new team until the first results are achieved, so having the guys winning races right from the beginning is a perfect way to kick things off.

News just in from Qatar and the boys have taken out the teams time trial…another great result for the team!!

Simon.

I really enjoyed the first Training Camp. It was 10 days in length and great to finally get out there and ride our bikes together. The camp was held in Spain, close to Valencia. The hotel we stayed in had more than enough facilities to keep us busy if we had any energy left after training.

The weather was a little ordinary for the first couple of days so the hours we got to spend out on the road was limited however the weather cleared up for the final week of the camp and we got some really solid work done. I made a real effort to spend some time training beside everyone and also having a chat with each of the riders at dinnertime. It doesn’t take long for the personalities in the group to stand out, whether it’s the quieter guys or the jokers.

The launch was a great experience. The day was split in two parts with the SKY ride in the morning and the formal presentation in the afternoon.

The SKY ride was the first time all the riders donned their SKY team kit and were joined by 300 competition winners from across the UK for our first ride. The team and competition winners were split into three groups departing from different locations around London. Each of the groups made their way to Hyde Park where we joined forces to ride a few laps.

All the Team SKY riders and competition winners were all frozen stiff in the sub zero temperatures however it was a great experience.

During our get together back in November, each rider met with the team of coaching staff and directors to plan their season. I had a great chat with the staff and we decided that my plan would be to head to Europe at the beginning of January for the team presentation followed by the first training camp.

It was a difficult decision to skip the Australian races as I love racing in Australia and the support I get down under is like nowhere else. I missed the Tour Down Under in 2009 and arrived in Europe a lot earlier than in previous years. I was better prepared for the Spring and achieved some great results at the Ardennes Classics.

The first time the whole Team SKY squad got together was in Manchester last November. We came from all over the world to attend a week long camp with the focus on planning the season and getting to know each other. It was a great opportunity to do some media stuff as well as having photos taken so it was a busy week.

The team of staff that has been assembled is extremely impressive. The team manager Dave Brailsford is a great guy and really knows how to lead the team. Aussie expat Shane Sutton and Rod Ellingworth who have had years of experience with the British Cycling Team are there to head the coaching staff.

Simon has become the first Australian to claim a stage win in all three Grand Tours when he took out Stage 10 at the Vuelta Espagna today.

From kilometer zero, the pace was high with a number of riders wanting to get in the days break. A big group went from the start which included Cervelo's Dominique Rollin however after 5km it was brought back. Simon went with the next attack and after some fast racing a group of 19 was formed. With Caisse d'Epargne controlling the peloton behind, the breakaway group were able to establish a strong time gap of 4 minutes after just one hour of racing. The gap eventually went out to 8 minutes and at this point it was clear that the winner would come from the group of 19.

After one week of racing Simon is placed 55th, 3 minutes 17 seconds behind leader Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) who impressed in todays 30km time trial. There were major changes in the general classification after the time trial with the serious contenders coming out to shine over the wet and windy course. The time trial comes after 5 days of racing and one rest day where the riders transferred from Holland down to Spain. Simon commented on the racing in Holland stating that "the peloton was very nervous for the first few days. We were on small roads so there was a fight to be up the front which which created a some of chaos and resulted in a number if crashes. I normally prefer to stay up the front as it tends to be a lot easier.

Simon has claimed his second major victory of the 2009 season at the ProTour classified Grand Prix Ouest Plouay. After 229km of racing, Simon outsprinted his breakaway companions including 2008 winner Pierrick Fédrigo (BBox Bouygues Télécom), Rabobank's Paul Martens, Daniel Martin (Garmin) and FDJ's Anthony Roux.

The initial attack of Gerrans, Fedrigo, Martens and Martin came on the last circuit with 8km to go. The four riders worked well together and were joined by Roux as they rode under the flamme rouge. With the peloton close behind, the 5 lined up for the sprint where Simon took the victory from defending champion Fedrigo and Martens rounding out the podium.

My goal was to use the Vuelta a Burgos to get some more racing km in my legs. It was a good race and course to back up with following the Tour of Denmark the previous week. There were a couple of stages that I liked the look of, so I thought a good stage result might also be possible.

I really struggled with the 36 degree temperatures on stage one. It was the first time since the Giro d’Italia that I had ridden my bike in such heat. On the second stage I thought the steep uphill finish would suit me quite well, however unfortunately with the combined fatigue from Denmark and the previous stage I wasn’t up to the challenge and finished mid peloton. Stage three was a flat windy stage that ended up in a bunch sprint. I did my best to stay up the front and keep out of trouble.

Wed 5th August - Sun 9th August

RACE INFORMATION
Wed 05/08 Stage 1: Oña - Briviesca, 143km
Thu 06/08 Stage 2: Villasana de Mena - Miranda de Ebro, 153km
Fri 07/08 Stage 3: Burgos - Burgos, 175km
Sat 08/08 Stage 4: Ribera del Duero (Roa - Roa), 15km (time trial)
We 09/09 Stage 5: Areniscas de los Pinares - Laguna de Neila, 155km

CERVELO TEST TEAM
Inigo Cuesta, Philip Deignan, Simon Gerrans, Jose Marchante, Ted King, Joaquin Novoa Méndez, Serge Pauwels, Oscar Pujol Muñoz

For more information see the race website: www.vueltaburgos.com

Tour of Denmark.  5 days, 6 stages including a 15km TT. Totaling 814km.

CERVELO TEST TEAM - TOUR OF DENMARK
Simon Gerrans
Roger Hammond
Jeremy Hunt
Ignatas Konovalovas
Daniel Lloyd
Martin Reimer
Dominique Rollin
Daniel Fleeman

I was super keen to get to the Tour of Denmark and have a race as it was my first race back after 2 months of training. My goal was to find my legs and get a bit of racing condition back so I was very surprised on the first day to find myself in a position to go for the sprint.

Well as I’m sure you are all well aware by now, for the first time in my professional career I’m spending July watching the Tour de France rather than racing it.

I was really disappointed when I got the phone call from my director telling me that I was going to be left out of the Tour team. The thing that disappointed me the most is I never got told a really good reason why I was left out of the team. So it was left up to me to speculate, I’ve run many scenarios though my head but still I struggle.

It took me a couple of days to come to terms with the fact that all the hard work I’d put in to being in my best shape for July was for nothing, it also took me that couple of days to realise that getting pissed off with the situation was going to get me nowhere.

DATE	RACE	COUNTRY	NUMBER OF DAYS
29 July - 2 Aug	Tour of Denmark	Denmark	5
5 Aug - 9 Aug	Vuelta a Burgos	Spain	5
23 August	GP Plouay	France	1
30 Aug - 20 Sept	Vuelta Espagna	Spain	21
27 September	World Road Championships*	Switzerland	1

Simon's calendar for July, August and September will include the following races:

Tour of Denmark, Vuelta a Burgos, GP Plouay, Vuelta Espagna and the World Road Championships* (*pending selection in the Australian national team).

I was pretty excited and happy to be selected to race the Giro for the first time. The Cervelo TestTeam put a strong lineup together with the main focus being to support Carlos Sastre in his bid to the general classification.  My role in the team was primarily to support Carlos as much as possible in the Mountains while also covering breakaways and trying to win a stage.

We stayed pretty quite in the first week of the race, not doing much other than keeping Carlos in a good position at the front of the bunch and conserving our energy as much as possible ready for the decisive stages that would come in the middle and later parts of the Giro. There were some really long stages in the first 10 days of the race, in one three day block we covered close to 700km!!

Simon had his first Giro d’Italia stage win today at the top of the San Luca climb in Bologna. Gerrans and his teammate Philip Deignan were part of a breakaway that took off from the peloton only 12km into the stage, and in the final kilometer, Gerrans rode away from the remaining survivors of the break for an uncontested victory.

For more news on stage 14 please see www.cervelo.com.

I was kind of surprise that my best result for the Spring Classics was at Liege. Being the hardest and most demanding of the Ardennes Classics, as well as being the last race, I thought a good result might have been a little beyond me. So I was very happy to be in the group sprinting for 3rd place and eventually finishing 6th.

I had good legs throughout the entire race and it was only within the last 20km that I began to run out of energy and suffer with cramps. Xavier Florencio did a great job helping me maintain a good position in the bunch leading into several important parts of the race while Carlos Sastre and Philip Deignan rode the front after Schlek attacked. Overall the Cervelo Team were a great support.

It was another tough day on the bike with the riders covering the 195.5km 72nd edition of la Fleche Wallonne in 4 hours 42.15 minutes.

Davide Rebellin of Serramenti PVC claimed his third Fleche Wallonne title today beating Andy Schlek (Saxo Bank) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre) while Simon rode a strong race to finish in 8th place, 11 seconds behind the winner.

"I am very pleased to have achieved another top 10 finish. My race pretty much went to plan today. I gambled a bit when the attacks started to go in the last 30 or 40km. I didn't follow any of the attacks as I thought that the race would come back together.

It was a tough day in the saddle on Sunday with the 44th running of the Amstel Gold Race in Holland. 200 riders took to the start in Maastricht square with the sun shining and the fans out in force. Simon and his Cervelo team took to the start one rider down after Daniel Lloyd withdrew from the race due to illness.

After the breakaway was formed, the peloton cruised through the first 3 hours of the race with the average speed slightly less than the 40km per hour estimate. With the breakaway quickly gaining close to 12 minutes over the peloton, Caisse d'Epargne, Euskaltel-Euskadi and Rabobank reacted putting riders on the front to limit the leaders time gap. When the peloton reached the Cauberg for the second time and with only 76km until the finish, the race was on.

Simon is racing in the Ardennes classics this week starting with the Amstel Gold Race this Sunday. After placing 12th in last years edition, Simon heads into this weekend confident of a strong performance.

Last week was spent down in Spain competing in Pais Vasco which proved to be a solid tour with a large number of Tour de France GC contenders racing for the win. The block of racing was very beneficial for Simon which showed in his 19th placing in the final time trial.

Following Amstel, Simon will compete in Fleche Wallonne and Liege Bastogne Liege.

Simon will line up at Fleche Brabanconne this Sunday.

"I have recovered well from my illness and crashes at Tirreno-Adriatico two weeks ago. I took advantage of this week to do a really solid block of training as this is one of the last opportunities I will have before the Classics and the Giro. I am very motivated for my next few races. This weekend will be a good test for my current form and then Pais Vasco will be a great final preparation for the Classics".

Due to illness, Simon has withdrawn himself from this Saturday’s Milan – San Remo. Cervelo head into the race with sprinters Thor Hushovd and Heinrich Haussler in form and ready for a big result. The two sprinters will be strongly supported by Xavier Florencio Cabre, Roger Hammond, Andreas Klier, Gabriel Rasch, Jeremy Hunt and Hayden Roulston.

"I'm disappointed that I can't join my teammates this weekend for MSR. It's a cool race and one that I really enjoy. Arriving into San Remo after 300km+ is tough but satisfying. I'll be cheering the guys on and hoping that they can come through with a strong result".

The weeks racing at Tirreno started off well for Simon. After the 3rd stage, he was sitting comfortably in 15th position on the general classification however from stage 4 onwards Simon’s race went down hill.

"I was really motivated heading into Tirreno as I felt I had good condition following my 3rd placing at Lugano the previous weekend. I was hoping to place well in the general classification however with 2 crashed and getting sick it was just not my week. I'm now super keen for my next block of racing starting at Fleche Brabanconne next weekend and finishing with the Giro in May".

Due to illness, Simon did not start the final stage and is now training back at home for his next block of races.

Simon has finished 3rd today in the one day GP di Lugano behind ex Credit Agricole team mate Remi Pauriol now riding for Cofidis, and Davide Rebellin of Serramenti Pvc Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli.

"Lugano was a tough race. The wet and cold conditions made the 178km feel a lot further than what it was. I had really bad legs all day because of the cold weather but stuck it out and was surprised to be up the front with the best guys on the last climb. I was a little disappointed that our group didn't catch the 2 leaders and have the chance to sprint for the win but i'm happy for Remi that he won. He really deserved the victory after his effort of spending the entire race in the breakaway".

News from www.cervelo.com

Today's race started with attacks right from the beginning. After 20 km, a group of 6 strong riders finally was able to escape containing Sébastien Rosseler, Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto), Iñaki Isasi, Sébastien Chavanel (Française des Jeux), Mauro Santambrogio (Lampre-NGC) and Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil) opening a gap of 3m 10s on the peloton at one point.

Towards the end of the stage, Astana started chasing the escape group in support of Alberto Contador. In the last 3 km, the escaped riders were captured where a new lead group of 80 riders including all of the Cervélo TestTeam riders was formed.

Heinrich Haussler and the Cervelo TestTeam have taken out stage one of the Tour d’Algarve in Portugal this afternoon. After the stunning stage 3 victory by Thor Hushovd in the Tour of California less than 24 hours ago, the Cervelo TestTeam has notched up another win for the 2009 season.

The race, dominated by a number of attacks, was brought back together with 8km to go when the Cervelo TestTeam hit the front and rode strong until with 1.5km to go Cervelo’s train was swamped by Quickstep riding for Weylandt. Haussler aka Hollywood, rode a tactical race to come from behind and claim victory over Van Winden and Fernandez.

DATE	RACE	COUNTRY	NUMBER OF DAYS
18th - 22nd Feb	Tour of Algarve	Portugal	5
1st Mar	Lugano	Switzerland	1
11 - 17th Mar	Tirreno - Adriatico	Italy	7
21st Mar	Milan - San Remo	Italy	1
29th Mar	Fleche Brabanconne	Belgium	1
6th - 11th April	Vuelta al Pais Vasco	Spain	6
19th April	Amstel Gold Race	Holland	1
22nd April	Fleche Wallone	Belgium	1
26th April	Liege - Bastogne - Liege	Belgium	1
9th - 31st May	Giro d'Italia	Italy	21

Article from www.cervelo.com

Cervélo TestTeam officially launched today at a gala presentation in the midst of the Team’s two-week training camp. The presentation included riders from the men and women’s teams, staff, management and team owners.

Cervélo TestTeam formed in the past few months as a new concept, even though the idea of a team supported by a bike company instead of an external title sponsor looks like a throwback to the great teams of the 1940’s and 50’s. The Team brings together the best of the bike industry, focusing on more than racing alone.

Date	Race	Country	Number of Days
12th Jan - 25th Jan	Training Camp	Portugal	14
17th Jan	Test Team Presentation	Portugal	1

By Samantha Lane of www.theage.com.au

COULD there be a greater compliment in cycling than the reigning Tour de France champion saying he wants you to help him defend his title? Unlikely as it might seem for a boy who didn't care for pedal pushing while growing up in country Victoria, Simon Gerrans has been paid that compliment by Carlos Sastre, the 2008 winner of the world's most famous bike race.

He chuckles when reminded, but the look on his face is a giveaway that the novelty of the news Gerrans received last September has not worn off. "It's a huge honour," Gerrans, 28, says.

Simon has taken the honors in stage one of the 2009 Jayco Bay Cycling Classic. After a delayed start, the bunch attacked the 45 minute Williamstown circuit with the winning break forming just 10 minutes into the race. Simon was joined by Dean Windsor, Joel Pearson and current Australian criterium champion Bernie Sulzberger. They assumed a lead of over 20 seconds which they maintained coming in to five laps to go. The bunch, lead by the Skilled and 2XU teams started to chase and got within meters of the break away on the finish line. Simon lead his three breakaway companions into the last corner and took victory from Windsor and Pearson.

Simon received the key to the shire of Mansfield in a ceremony held in the town's main street. Organised by the local council, Simon was honoured by the local Mayor for his sporting achievements. The Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club also presented him with life membership.

Join in with Trashbag's newest auction item...one of Simon's under shirts. 

"I've got half a dozen or so, but that one was my favourite and definitely my most used, that one was pretty good. I think I got it in my very first year pro, so back in 2005, and so I think it's quite fitting to retire it and give it away following my first Tour de France stage victory."

Log onto www.ebay.com.au, type in "Simon Gerrans disco undershirt" in the search box and get bidding. All proceeds to the Catherine Freeman Foundation. Auction closes 4pm sharp on Thursday.

Last weekend I participated in the Around the Bay in a day. It was a great day and fantastic to see so many people on their bikes. I didn't tackle the any of the longer distances, settling for a very social 80km roll down to Mordiallic and back with my mates from AVIVA. 80km was more than enough!!

I've hardly touched my bike since the World Road Championships at the end of September. Following the ride I was able to duck home for a quick shower and a change of clothes before heading back down to Alexandra Gardens to greet and congratulate just a few of the 16,500 riders that had tackled Around the Bay in a day.

This year I followed the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, however not in the same way I normally would... I replaced my Credit Agricole jersey with a Media Bib, and what an eye opener it was.

I was working mostly with the TV guys. My job each day was to do a stage preview and give a prediction on some of the team tactics we might see and who the potential winners could be. To be honest with you, for the first couple of stages I found this really tough, it is completely different to doing interviews or even public speaking. I was really fortunate to have a very patient cameraman and producer who were there to give me plenty of help and advice. By the end of the week I was starting to get the hang of it, and feeling a lot more comfortable in front of the camera.

Simon will join the Cervelo Test Team for the next 2 seasons after officially signing at the World Road Championships last month.

2008 has been Simon’s most successful season as a professional to date with wins in the Tour de France, Criterium International and Route du Sud. Simon now joins the newly formed Cervelo Test Team for his 5th year in the professional peloton and is energized about the opportunities that lay ahead.  

Simon has been invited as the special guest of the 2008 Kelly Country Classic. The event, in its 3rd year, is the annual fundraising event for Northeast Health Wangaratta. The event has raised $11,500 for the hospital in its first two years and the committee hopes this figure is over and above $20,000 after the ride on November 9th. "This is a great cause and one that I am more than happy to assist. I spent a bit of time in the Wangaratta hospital after a motor bike crash a number of years ago so it is nice to be able to give something back" said Simon.

Last weekend was my final race of the season at the World Road Championships. It was a hard circuit and with Lloydy being the only finisher out of the nine Aussie starters this proved that it was also a hard race. To be honest I wasn't feeling that great leading into the race so I was happy to be able to help out the guys for the first 200km. I was a little disappointed not to finish but i've had a great year so i'm not complaining.

After competing in a block of one day races over the last 3 weeks (Hamburg, Paris-Brussles, Fourmies, and Wallonie) I wasn't feeling as good as I would have liked and was therefore a bit concerned about my form going into the Worlds. In the last 4 years, my form at this part of the season has been a lot better so I was starting to get a little worried. It was therefore nice to have a good ride personally and to assist my teammate William Bonnet at Isbergues on the weekend . I am now feeling a lot more confident that I can put in a solid ride at the Worlds this Sunday, which will also be my last race of the year.

Simon has been named in the Australian cyclones team to compete at the 2008 World Road Championships in Varese, Italy on Sunday 28th of September. The team was narrowed down after selectors announced the squad late last month. One notable absence is that of Cadel Evens who will be cheering on the cyclones from the sideline after another stunning year in the saddle.

After a 10 day break from racing since the Eneco Tour, Simon will line up in the Vattenfall Cyclassic in Hamburg over the weekend. This will be Simon's 2nd attempt at the race after finishing 58th last year while also producing a stunning attack in the final kilometers. With 10km to go Simon attacked the peloton and was joined by Vladimir Gusev of Discovery Channel. They maintained a slight advantage before being caught at the 1.5km to go mark. Simon goes into this weekend feeling motivated for his last few races of the season and ready to perform.   

We have just completed stage 4 of the Eneco Tour and I am feeling quite good. I'm being very realistic about my chances for a result this week as the race is more suited to bunch finishes, as we have seen in the past 3 days. I knew that this race wasn't going to be one with many opportunities for me personally however it should be a good solid week on the bike and will hopefully set me up for the remainder of the season. Yesterdays race was fast...we averaged 53km per hour in the first 50 minutes until a break formed. It has also been tough with the rain and the cooler weather.

I have been at home for 10 days since the Olympics and I can tell you that it is great to be in the one place for a while. You tend to get used to living out of a suitcase but it is always nice to come home and pack the suitcase away. After nearly 4 weeks at the Tour de France, I raced a couple of criteriums before going into an Olympic Camp in Italy. We were not there for long before heading to Beijing. It was awesome to go to the Games and the whole size of the event blew me away.

I have entered the 4th week of the Tour de France...the Post Tour Crits!! During the first 2 weeks straight after the Tour, towns throughout Europe hold Criteriums where professionals from the Tour line up against local riders in circuit races around 2 hours in length. A large percentage of the Tour peloton line up in these crits, with the more popular circuits being in France and Belgium. I have frequented the French towns of Lisieux, Camors and Dijon for the past three years. They put on great events and the crowds that turn up to watch the racing is on par to that of the Tour.

By Simon Gerrans

The final stage of the Tour is a great day for any bike rider participating in the race. We have rode 3500km over the past 3 weeks and have been challenged by sun, wind, rain, mountain passes, crazy descents, doping issues, illness and disappointments. On the other side, the energy of the spectators was something else and the personal joy of accomplishing my life long dream of a stage victory in the most challenging race in the world is something that I will never forget.

By Simon Gerrans

When you reach the final time trial in the Tour de France you know you’ve all but reached Paris. For some riders, like Cadel, today’s race is the decisive factor in whether they claim the ultimate prize in cycling, wining the Tour de France. For others like me it is just part of the process of the Tour and making sure that I ride hard enough to beat the time limit.

By Simon Gerrans

The great thing about the 20th stage of the Tour de France - which is a 53km time trial - is that after it is over I will be 53 kilometres closer to Paris. I really have absolutely nothing to achieve by killing myself out there in the stage from Cerilly to Saint Amand Montrond. The 19th stage from Roanne to Montlucon over 165.5km was one of the hardest in the Tour - and fastest at 45.728kmh average. I struggled all the way.

By Simon Gerrans

When the peloton rode up through the crowds to l'Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday afternoon everyone was saying: 'Well, the Eiffel Tower is in sight now'.

By Simon Gerrans

Now I feel like I am really into the third week of the Tour de France. We have finished stage 17, the Alps are behind us and the fatigue and pain are constant. But importantly, health-wise, I feel good.

By Simon Gerrans

What a mighty thump back to earth the 16th stage of the Tour de France provided me. From being a Tour stage winner on the mountain finish to Prato Nevoso one day to placing 134th at 31 minutes and 49 seconds behind the winner the next day. Suffice to say I have experienced a wide range of emotions.

I must admit..I still can't believe it!! I had a terrible sleep last night, my mind was racing all night. I would have only got 5 or so hours of sleep. Lucky it's a rest day today. I have received so many messages of support from family, friends and cycling fans who stayed up to the early hours of the morning yesterday. Thank you everyone. I really appreciate your support...and will do my best to reply.

Simon.

By Simon Gerrans

You spend so much time dreaming about winning a Tour de France stage as a professional bike racer that when the moment comes you are not ready for it. I can vouch for that after the most amazing ride of my life - even as I write these words I am still coming down from my win today in the first Alpine stage of this year's Tour.

By Simon Gerrans

When riders get caught for being drug cheats, one of the things they don't realise is how severe the impact of their actions are. This week on the Tour de France is an example.We have seen three riders fall foul of doping authorities with their samples taken in only the first four stages - Spain's Manuel Beltran and Moises Duenas plus Italian Riccardo Ricco.

By Simon Gerrans

You watch a stage of the Tour de France, see the break escape and then the peloton fail to chase as the gap of the leaders widen beyond 20 minutes. You think it is just a transition stage, there is nothing on the line for the overall contenders, and that it is a rare opportunity for those who go on attack. What you may not realise though is how wrong you can be.

By SimonGerrans

The Tour de France is a hard slog. There are times when you feel like you are beating your head against the wall, especially when it comes to trying to get in the winning break. Timing is the key. And there is a balance between having the gumption to make the effort - or take the risk - for a break or go with one, and knowing when not to make an attack.

By Simon Gerrans Aahh ... the rest day. The first of two in this year's Tour. What do we do? We always go for a ride. You need to really to keep the sensation going. Most people think that after 10 days you need the rest, which you do. But at the same time your body is used to the routine. To just do nothing would make you feel worse. In any case, it is not that we go out and ride hard.

By Simon Gerrans

It is regarded as one of the riskiest descents on a bike of them all in the Tour de France. I am talking about the ride back down a mountain after a stage finish like what we did after today's ninth stage. On this occasion the decent was down Hautacam, the finishing location for the finish.

By Simon Gerrans

If there was one person I felt sorry for today, it was Cadel Evans after his crash in the Pyrenees. I didn't see the fall. But when I came around the corner where he and several others had crashed 106 km into the 224km ninth stage from Toulouse to Bagneres de Bigorre in Pyrenees, they were just picking themselves up. From what I understand the Eusklaltel-Euskadi rider took the corner too hot, too quick and that caused a bit of a reaction behind and a half dozen guys went down.

By Simon Gerrans

It was very important for Credit Agricole to be represented in the breakaway today as we thought that the race profile would be ideal for the right move to survive until the finish. Our team was really active at the front and were in all breaks up until the 40km mark when Laurent Lefèvre (Bouygues Telecom) made a solo move and the peloton sat up. Lefèvre was later joined by three other riders forming the main break of the day. After once again missing the break, we changed our plans and decided to ride for a brunch sprint for Thor.

By Simon Gerrans

What can I say about the positive test for EPO by Spanish rider Manuel Beltran? I first heard about it on the news. after the 159km seventh stage from Brioude to Aurillac that was won by Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne).The ramifications are huge, but what a way for one Spaniard to spoil the party of another - Sanchez - who won convincingly at the tail end of a great day of racing. But now we have this - Beltran testing positive. I really can't believe it. This news is the last thing the Tour needs.

By Simon Gerrans

The die has been cast. We know, as a team, what we are racing for, even though it is what we hoped would become our 'raison d'etre' when the Tour de France began - the green jersey. Thor Hushovd claimed the jersey that denotes the points competition leader and the best sprinter of the Tour with his fourth place on the fifth stage from Cholet to Chateauroux. You can see that there is a bottle neck there in the points category with Thor leading on 88 points, Spain's Oscar Freiere on 85, Kim Kirchen on 81, Erik Zabel on 72, Robbie Hunter on 60, Mark Cavendish - who won the stage - on 51 and Robbie McEwen on 49.

By Simon Gerrans

There are days in the Tour de France when despite all the speculation, expectation and logic appearing rock solid, the end result is the opposite - as stage three showed us all on Monday. We - at Credit Agricole - were one of the sprinters' teams caught by the effectiveness of a four man breakaway that formed and stayed away early in the 208km stage three from Saint Malo to Nantes.

By Simon Gerrans

There is a lot more behind a stage winner's success than what meets the eye, and the win by Thor Hushovd in the second stage of the Tour de France was a prime example. Sure, it was a win for Hushovd to savour as an individual, especially after his run-in to the Tour when he had to skip his national road title race last weekend because he was ill. I don't think Thor came to this Tour really confident because he missed last weekend. He was lacking a bit of confidence because he wasn't 100 per cent sure of his ability - as can happen. But now he has won that stage, he will be up for it in the days ahead.

By Simon Gerrans

You forget each year until you come back to the Tour de France just how dangerous the race is with all the spectators and obstacles on the side of the road. Everyone crowds closer and closer to the middle of the road, just to try and see how the race would come and then pass them by. Then just as you are coming up on them, they duck for cover. The worst situation is when you a have an old lady looking through her camera and she doesn't realise how close the bunch is and turns into the middle of the bunch.

These last few days until you actually stick a number on your back and start racing in the Tour de France are the longer days of the race because all you are doing is just waiting to get up, on your bike and begin racing. Until then you are just doing all the extra stuff out of the race. And by the time you get to the first stage, it feels like you have been going for a week already. So now we are just looking forward to getting the job done. And we will do so on stage one, a 197.5km stage from Brest to the finish in Plumelec which is a popular city for cycle racing in France and where I have raced. There were one or two races I did there as an amateur. And I have  raced there twice as a professional in the Grand Prix de Plumelec. The second time - last year year - I won. I know that finish, know it well. It will be very hard to predict.

Simon has joined his Credit Agricole team in Brest for the start of the Tour de France. After a short ride this morning to get used to some new equipment, the riders headed into the centre of Brest for the Team Presentation. "The Tour de France presentation is always fantastic as it attracts a huge enthusastic crowd".

Credit Agricole's line up for the 2008 Tour de France:
Mark Renshaw, Remi Pauriol, Christophe Le Mevel, Dmitriy Fofonov, Jimmy Engoulvent, Alexandre Botcharov, William Bonnet, Thor Hushovd, and Simon Gerrans.

Date	Race	Country	Number of Days
5th - 27th July	Tour de France	France	21
9th August	Olympic Games Road Race	China	1
20th-27th August	Eneco Tour	Holland	8

By Jean-François Quénet
In a strong contingent of nine riders at the start in Brest on Saturday, Simon will be one of the most experienced Australians although he’s only in his fourth year pro. But that will be his fourth Tour de France as well – just like Cadel Evans who will attract most of the media attention this year. From these nine starters, only Stuart O’Grady, Robbie McEwen and Baden Cooke have started more Tours than Evans and Gerrans. Milram’s Brett Lancaster only had a taste of it last year as he had to pull out on stage 5 because of injuries, while Adam Hansen from Team Columbia, Crédit Agricole’s Mark Renshaw and Trent Lowe of Garmin-Chipotle will be the rookies in the absence of Olympians Michael Rogers, Graeme Brown and Bradley McGee who have not been selected by their Professional teams.

Cycling Australia has nominated Simon in the Australian team for the Olympic Road Race. The 5 man team which also includes Cadel Evans, Stuart O'Grady, Mick Rogers and Matt Lloyd has been sent to the AOC. The AOC will now consider the nominations and subsequently announce the team publicly on July 4th pending appeals. "I am very excited to be named in the team. It is always a huge honour to be selected to compete in any Australian team, so to represent Australia at the Olympic Games will be an unbelievable experience".

Following his victory in the 206km first stage from LUSIGNAN PETIT to BOULOGNE SUR GESSE, Simon rode a solid Route de Sud finishing the 4 day Tour in 4th place overall. "I was very happy with how I performed here over the 4 days. I knew my condition was improving throughout the Dauphine last week, so I was confident in getting a result here. Hopefully this will confirm my selection in the team for the Tour de France". Simon explained.

The Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is a 60 year old race that concentrates everything from the Tour de France in one week: a prologue, stages for the sprinters, a time trial and stages in the mountains. In fact, there is no space for riders who like to create surprises and attack from far out. Simon has waited for his fourth year as a professional to discover this event that has a special place in the international cycling calendar in the lead up to the Tour de France.

by Jean-François Quénet

After a month without racing, as he wished when he discussed plans with his Crédit Agricole team, Simon has resumed racing in Germany at the Bayern Rundfahrt (May 28-June 1) and proved himself to be on the right track towards his 4th participation to the Tour de France (July 5-27). He prepared for the German event and the following ones around Boulder, Colorado, from May 6 to 22. “I had never been to the United States before and I wanted to see another country combined with altitude training”, Simon explained.

Date	Race	Country	Number of Days
28 May - 1 June	Bayern and Rundfahrt	Germany	5
8-15 June	Dauphine Libere	France	8
19-22 June	Route du Sud	France	4

For the past 10 days I’ve been up in Belgium and Holland tackling 3 of the hardest and most prestigious one day races on the calendar. I was very focused going into the week as a result in these three races was my first objective for the season. After claiming the second stage of Criterium International a couple of weeks ago, I was feeling confident of my form and was hoping to achieve some good results.

Simon claimed the second stage of Critérium International last Sunday, achieving his first victory for the 2008 season and one of his greatest professional wins. His victory came after a long breakaway with the Tour's eventual winner Jens Voigt (Team CSC). Voigt and Simon rode away from their breakaway companions Sandy Casar (FdJ) and Mauro Santambrogio (Lampre) with 20km to go after their formation 15km into the race. As their lead grew to 2m40, Casar and Santambrogio couldn't stay with Simon and Voigt through the hilly terrain. With 300m to go, Simon attacked Voigt to claim the victory.

Simon formed part of a 16 man breakaway in today's 172.5km stage 5 from Althen-des-Paluds to Sisteron. The strong group was represented by a number of teams with no threat to the overall general classification. With 15km to go, Simon's team mate Pierre Roland joined Barredo (Quick step), Kroon (CSC), Mori (Saunier Duval), and Moreau (Agritubel) in an attack from the leading 16.

Date	Race	Country	Number of Days
2 March	GP Lugano	Switzerland	1
9 - 16 March	Paris - Nice	France	8
22 March	Milan - San Remo	Italy	1
29 - 30 March	Criterium International	France	2
7 - 12 April	Tour de Pays Basque	Spain	6
20 April	Amstel Gold Race	Holland	1
23 April	Fletch Wallonne	Belgium	1
27 April	Liege Bastonge Liege	Belgium	1

By Rupert Guinness - of The Sydney Morning Herald

IT was July 21, 2005. … Simon Gerrans has just collapsed from exhaustion and dehydration after taking third place in the 17th stage of the Tour de France – a 239.5km haul from Pau, at the foot of the Pyrenees to Revel. It was hot. It was week three of Lance’s Armstrong’s soon-to-be historic seventh Tour win. And emotions within the peloton were still high over the death of Australian cyclist Amy Gillett and the injuries of five teammates who were all hit by a car on the eve of a stage race to be held in Germany. The ride by Gerrans in his first Tour de France, to place third in this stage after joining the eight-man decisive breakaway, continued the spirited showing by the Australians on that Tour in the wake of Gillett’s tragic death.

Date	Race	Country	Number of Days	Classe UCI
2 Jan - 6 Jan	Bay Criterium Classic	Australia	5	-
13 Jan	Australian Championship	Australia	1	C.N.
20 Jan	Down Under Classic	Australia	1	1.1
22 Jan - 27 Jan	Tour Down Under	Australia	6	ProTour

The 2008 Australian Championship has been run and won by Matt Lloyd, in a thrilling race that saw a breakaway group of 9 assume a strong lead of over 6 minutes.

The day started out cool and windy with the thermometer reading only 12 degrees on the circuit 1 hour prior to the race start. Light rain soon followed but by the time the race was underway, the rain had stopped and gradually over the next 4 hours the clouds slowly cleared.

Simon lines up for his last ProTour race for 2007 at the GP Ouest Plouay this weekend. The strong Ag2r line up includes French champion Christophe Moreau and in-form John Gadret, fresh from his win at the Tour l'An.

Ag2r Prevoyance for the GP Plouay: Martin ELMIGER - John GADRET - Simon GERRANS - Lloyd MONDORY - Christophe MOREAU - Rinaldo NOCENTINI - Christophe RIBLON - Nicolas ROUSEAU

SIMON Gerrans has revealed that he "gambled" his selection in the French Ag2r team for the Tour de France by opting to race less in the lead-up to ensure he began the 3569.9-kilometre race with enough reserves.

The Victorian, in his third Tour, bagged the last and ninth spot on the team led by evergreen French contender and national road champion Christophe Moreau. Gerrans will be one of Moreau's domestiques. However, when told of his selection 10 days before the start in London, Gerrans was warned that if any French teammate produced a top result in the national titles they would take his spot.

Simon has taken the 9th spot on Ag2r's Tour de France team. The 2007 edition will be Simon's third participation in the Tour.

'We have a really strong group of guys this year headed by Chrsitophe Moreau who has shown fantastic form lately. We have a number of riders who will be aiming for a strong performance on GC and there will be pleanty of fire power to back them up.

Simon has arrived in Switzerland ready to compete in the 71st edition of the Tour de Suisse. The ProTour race is regarded as one of the most prestigious stage races on the calendar and is one of only a handful of races leading up to the start of the the Tour de France. The nine days of racing will cover a total of 1225km around the Suisse countryside and will feature a prologue, seven road stages including six mountain top finishes and a final individual road time trial. The race will be Simon's final opportunity to confirm his selection in Ag2r's Tour de France line up.

Simon took out the 1.1 catogorised GP de Plumelec in France last Saturday. The 31st edition of the race, covered over 174km in the western region of Bretagne, was Simon's first victory for 2007.

After finding himself in breakaways for most of the race, Simon attacked the 12-rider lead group with 20km to go. He held on to the lead and crossed the finished line 42 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.

The next two races on Simon's program are the Grand Prix de Plumelec (C.F) and the Circuit de L'Aulne, both held this coming weekend in the north of France. After the two one-day races, Simon will head into a team training camp around the French Alps prior to the start of the Tour de Suisse

Simon has joined Ag2r for the 61st edition of the Tour de Romandie. The Swiss ProTour race is usually a target for the Giro contenders and comprises one prologue, four tough road stages and an individual time trial. Last year's edition was won by Australian Cadel Evans after a strong performance in the final time trial.

Amstel Gold Race - 22 April 2007

La Fletche Wallone - 25 April 2007

Liege-Bastone-Liege - 29 April 2007

Ag2r Prevoyance for the Northern Classics:
José-Luis ARRIETA – Samuel DUMOULIN (only Amstel & Flèche) – Martin ELMIGER (only Amstel) - John GADRET – Simon GERRANS – Rinaldo NOCENTINI – Hubert DUPONT (only Flèche & Liège) – Ludovic TURPIN (only Flèche & Liège) - Stéphane GOUBERT (only Liège) – Christophe MOREAU – Christophe RIBLON (only Amstel)

Simon will be racing in the 4th round of the Coupe de France this weekend at GP de la Rennes. After successful breakaways in the previous two C.F races, today's race may end up in a bunch kick. Simon placed 2nd in his last start in a C.F race and will be hoping for a strong result for his team today.

2007 will see the 76th edition of the prestigious Criterium International. 20 teams will start the race comprising of 11 ProTour teams, 8 Pro-Continental teams and 1 Continental team.

'The Critérium International's winners' list also illustrates, in the form of a nearly comprehensive list of the cycling legend, the vigour required to stand out in this sport. Bobet, Anquetil, Poulidor, Thévenet, Zoetemelk, Hinault, Fignon, Kelly, Roche, Indurain, and Jalabert have mastered it.

Simon will be racing in Switzerland over the weekend in two UCI 1.1 classified races, the Grand Prix du Chiasso on Saturday 3 March and the Grand Prix de Lugano on Sunday 4 March.

Simon has placed 2nd behind Italian Filippo Pozzato (Liq) in the 39th running of the Tour du Haut Var. The 192.4km opening round of the French Cup was raced from Draguignan to Draguignan in the south of France. Check out Simon's race diary for more info on what happened in the race.

Results

1. Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Liquigas
2. Simon Gerrans (Aus) Ag2r Prevoyance
3. Riccardo Serrano Gonzalez (Spa) Tinkoff Credit Systems

*The Coupe de France is a competition open only to French registered teams.

Simon heads to Haut Var on Sunday 25 February for his third race in Europe. This race is classically a hilly race won by an early in-form rider. Look for riders such as Nibali (Liqugas), F. Schleck (CSC) and Ten Dam (Unibet.com).

Simon has withdrawn from the Tour of Mediterraneen due to illness. His next race will now be the Trofeo Laigueglia, a one day UCI 1.1 ranked race in Italy on Tuesday 20 February. The race will be Simon's second one day event in Europe this year.

Simon will contest the GP de la Marseillaise on Tuesday 6 February. The 2006 edition of the race was won by fellow Australian Baden Cooke (Unibet.com), with Simon suffering a bad fall in the final sprint.
Simon will return to the race in the South of France as his first competition in Europe.