19th December 2006
KOM Rider Lever's McGee steals the show at his international début
Like a meteor crashing to earth, Dave Levers McGee burst onto the international scene last Sunday the 17th of December 2006 in Sydney's beautiful Cronulla Shire. Single handedly Lever's McGee re-invented the cycling safety flag as a "must have" for any international Pro div 1. team. Robbie McEwen seen here sitting on lever's Mc Gee's wheel (for nearly 3/4 of the race I might add) was heard talking into his two way saying to Johan Bruneel " we must get our team some of those safety flags for the start of the '07 pro tour, cause this Lever's guy is turning some angry laps....and while we are shopping get me some of those safety goggles that he has...bloody hell he looks good, fast , tanned and very, very strong". Say what you like about Robbie's comments Lever's McGee was so relaxed that he even started to grow a Mo, for Decembomo,bro and his choice of eye protection was simply breathtaking. Very,very few riders can wear the new Oakley "fully sic Jacket" sunnies with such grace and perzaz, and the channel nine commentators were reluctant to switch to the third ashes series as one commentator said "who needs to watch the ashes when we are witnessing Lever's Mcgee single handedly "cooking" his competition with his unique sense of style and gnashing of teeth.

7th November 2006
The papers should have read "KING KOM" as KOM Team Riders bomb the media!
KOM team rider Zoe King was featured on the front cover of the Northern Beaches Weekender on the 2nd of November. Zoe is an awesome rider and we wish her all the best for her up and coming races and Olympic Games selection process. We are proud to have her as a member of the KOM racing Team. Who know's we could have our first KOM jersey on the Olympic podium...

KOM riders Wazza B, Dave C and David E (lever's) were featured in the Mosman Daily on Thursday 30th October. The article was simply about how good looking these guys are in full KOM kit, and a brief mention about the fact they are CREAMING the opposition in every race! Go boys.

26th October 2006
Cannondale System Six test ride bikes have arrived at KOM
Our Cannondale test ride bikes will be available to ride up until the 3th of November. We have a 56cm running Dura Ace, a 58cm running SRAM, a 54cm running Ultegra and a 52cm running Dura Ace. Call 9908 1745 to book a ride.

24th October 2006
KOM is once again proud to be a sponsor of the 2007 "Berghaus Polaris Challenge"
KOM is once again proud to be a major sponsor of the 2007 "Polaris Mountain bike challenge" to be held approx. 2.5 hours from Sydney on 10-11 March 2007. Polaris is Australia's premier mountain bike navigation event, now in it's 11th year, this two day, overnight event combines mountain biking racing, navigation, and adventure in magnificent Aussie bush. Entry forms and further details are available at www.wildhorizons.com.au

24th October 2006
KOM rider Zoe King wins Australian MTB series 2006 Yellowmundie NSW October 21, 2006.
KOM rider Zoe King riding a Rocky Mountain Element wins a very tough round of the Australian MTB series. Thanks To GEAX tyres, Rocky Mountain Bikes, Rudy project glasses, Innovation inflation products and Swissco Insurance. Also congratulations to Tori Thomas and Caroline Jackson who placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. For the first time ever in mountain biking history in Australia the number of women competing exceeded the number of elite men. Well done ladies. The men had an equally tightly contested race with the overall winner being Cannondale rider Aiden Lefmann congratulations Aiden and also to Dylan Cooper and Matthew Fleming who took out 2nd and 3rd place respectively.

19th October 2006
Time test ride bikes have arrived at KOM
Our TIME test ride bikes will be available to ride Saturday the 21st and Sunday the 22nd of October. We have the super comfortable VXS, the performance VXR and the outstanding entry level EDGE. Call 9908 1745 to book a ride.

19th October 2006
Beaumont Road Criterium 15th October
KOM Team Rider Andrew Crawley takes out third place in the A-Grade divison of the Beaumont Road Criterium. Up and coming rider and the newest member of the KOM Team Gus Fitzherbert took out fourth place in C Grade. Congratulations boys on your results and well done to the other KOM team members that raced. It just goes to show that team work is a fabulous thing.

18th October 2006
The Bicycle Film Festival is in Sydney October 26-28
Two-wheeled transportation will take over Sydney, Australia as the Sixth Annual Bicycle Film Festival rolls into town. The Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) kicks off on October 27, 2006 with screenings at the University of Sydney, Bosch Lecture Theatre 2, Western Ave, Camperdown (close to Carillon Ave).
Tickets available at the Box Office soon!
Further details are available at www.bicyclefilmfestival.com

13th October 2006
In 2007 and 2008 Liquigas will ride Cannondale
Liquigas has signed a two years' agreement with the US brand

In 2007-2008, Liquigas will ride Cannondale bicycles. The agreement has been signed by Liquigas Sport president, Paolo Dal Lago, and Cannondale Europe B.V. president, Jeff McGuane.

"We are glad to welcome a prestigious brand which will offer the riders bicycles featuring the highest technology, " said Dal Lago. "I must also thank Bianchi for these two years of hard work and great achievements."

General manager of the team Roberto Amadio has also pointed out "the profitable cooperation we have had with Bianchi during the last two years. We thank them all." Amadio went on: "Now, we are very confident in this new partnership confirming the growing internationalization of the Liquigas Team. Technological innovation of Cannondale represents a guarantee as the strategic choice to sign a two years' agreement does."

"This was a very important decision for us." said Matt Mannelly, Cannondale President and CEO. "We've been approached by a number of teams and we had the best chemistry with Liquigas. It's a true partnership built on performance and winning at the highest level."

11th October 2006
King Of The Mountain Cyclery is now offering bicycle financing through Flexiway
KOM is now an approved "Flexiway" finance provider. We can provide finance for all your bicycle needs including your bike, accessories, apparel - even servicing and insurance from $500 to $20,000 with low monthly payments and NO DEPOSIT! Come in and ask for a brochure our visit www.flexirent.com

10th October 2006
King Of The Mountain Cyclery Team Report Scott 24 Hour, 7/8 October 2006

King of the Mountain Cyclery (KOM) headed off for their tilt at the Scott 24hour with 5 teams looking to perform across four different categories. There were the Marathon Pairs of Andy Crawley and Alex Malone, Pro Female 4’s of Zoe King, Heather Evans, Selina Stoute and Alina McMaster, Pro Male 4’s of Dave Cottee, Dave Evans, Wazza Burgess and Blair Martin and 2 teams in the Male 4’s, The Dirty Dogs and the KOM Social Club.

Let the race begin…

As if a 24 hour race isn’t tough enough, the Scott begins with what is claimed to be an 800m run LeMans style. I’d definitely be happy to purchase real estate off the Scott organisers (although not in Kowen Forest!) with the run being at least two to three hundred metres longer than stated! The run did serve its purpose though spreading out the field although it was reported by several competitors that a KOM rider was seen doing some serious line jumping at the first real bottleneck about 2km in at the switch backs – I wondered about the dirty looks I was getting for the rest of the afternoon – MTBers definitely have long memories!
The course was as usual a great mix of single track and fire roads with very little technical terrain. The only real issues encountered by any of the KOM riders was the odd tree ‘side swipe’, dust and passing issues. Quite a few of the KOM boys were sporting shoulder grazes and bruises of which Mike Kent looked to have the best. I’m still wondering who came of worst, Mike or the tree? Passing - with 53% of the course being single track, there was always going to be difficulties with passing but all in all, a little bit of patience and kind words of thanks were all that was required for a smooth pass. On the dust, well what can you say, our lungs may never be the same again – who ever said exercise was good for you definitely hasn’t spent 24 hours mountain biking around Kowen Forest!

To the teams…

24 hour mountain bike races by nature are tough, but clearly there are those who aren’t happy merely with a ‘tough’ 24. The soloists and marathon pairs definitely fall into the masochistic category. Andy Crawly and Alex Malone were the KOM representatives in the Marathon Pairs category. They went out at a pace that had them in 1st place at half way but eventually succumbed to fatigue and were forced to rest for several hours leading into dawn which eventually saw the boys finish in 4th place (19 laps) and a mere 43 seconds off 3rd. To see first hand what these two guys (and their support team) put themselves through was definitely inspirational and I think helped others put their ‘tough’ night rides into perspective!
The girls Pro 4’s put up a great show and ended up in 2nd place, with 21 laps, 1 lap down on the Trek Pro Team. The girls showed great team spirit and were able to cover both mechanical problems and illness to keep the pressure on the Trek girls all the way. Well done to Zoe, Selina, Alina and Heather.
The men’s Pro 4’s again showed that a 24 isn’t about super fast laps (although Wazza & Blair put in their share of them) but about consistency and team spirit. After 24 laps and 468km’s to their name, KOM pro team 1 finished in an amazing 6th place.
The Pro 4’s men’s team performance was mirrored by the two KOM 4 man teams (The Dirty Dogs and The KOM Social Club) who were both a picture of consistency. The Dirty Dogs completed 21 laps for 25th place and The KOM Social Club weren’t too far behind coming in 38th with 20 laps. Considering there were well over 100 teams in this category, it was an outstanding performance by both teams.

The wrap…

Thanks to GEAX tubeless TNT tyre technology, no KOM rider had a flat and the new Rudy Project ImpactX glasses were simply amazing under extremely difficult dusty conditions. We rode Rocky Mountain Team Elements and ETSX’s that performed faultlessly, again absolutely no mechanicals during the event.
Sore muscles, sleep depravation and severe dehydration aren’t generally outcomes that result in an event being called ‘fun’. The Scott 24 however seems to be able to overcome these resultant negatives with everyone (well almost everyone) coming away with smiles and a massive sense of accomplishment.
Thanks also to the KOM support crew for Endura hydration and nutrition management, our three wrenches, Mike, Tony and “Sydney’s best mechanic”…he knows who he is..and to the KOM family for holding the fort in our absence.

Well done to all those MTB’ers both from KOM and elsewhere that completed the Scott 24 hours for FUN!!
See you all again next year!!

6th October 2006
New King Of The Mountain team clothing in store

29th September 2006
New Endura N-Acetyl-Carnitine
One of the lastest products to be released from Endura is Endura N-Acetyl-Carnitine. N-Acetyl-Carnitine (NAC) is used in cellular energy production and may be helpful in improving the symptoms of physical and mental fatigue. NAC is essential for the transport of fatty acids into the mitochondria to be utilised as a fuel for energy production and athletic performance. NAC may also enhance the burning of excess fat stores, promoting a lean, powerful physique.

Scientific research supporting Endura N-Acetyl-Carnitine

Carnitine has been investigated as a supplement to improve the body’s ability to use stored fat as fuel. Research has shown supplementation enhances lipid oxidation, increases VO2 max, and decreases plasma lactate accumulation during exercise. Several investigators have suggested L-carnitine supplementation might benefit athletes. Swart et al investigated the effect of giving 2 grams/day of L-carnitine for 6 weeks to seven male marathon athletes. They reported a 5.68 percent increase in running speed, and decreased average oxygen consumption and heart rate in a treadmill test following supplementation.
Siliprandi et al, in a small double-blind cross-over study of ten moderately-trained male subjects, gave either 2 grams of L-carnitine or placebo orally one hour prior to exercise. Supplementation with L-carnitine induced a significant post-exercise decrease of plasma lactate and pyruvate and a concurrent increase of acetylcarnitine.
Vecchiet et al randomly gave 2 grams of L-carnitine or a placebo to subjects one hour before they began exercise. At the maximal exercise intensity, treatment with L-carnitine increased both maximal oxygen uptake and power output. The authors also reported, at similar, non-maximal, exercise intensities, participants receiving L-carnitine had reduced oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, pulmonary ventilation, and plasma lactate.

Endura N-Acetyl-Carnitine is available online and instore.

29th September 2006
"Flight Centre Epic" in Toowoomba 3rd September 2006
KOM Team Rider Andrew Crawley finished an impressive 8th place in the "Flight Centre Epic" in Toowoomba. This was a highly contested race and was the Australian Mountain Bike Marathon Championships as well. Well done Andrew on a fine race and an impressive dirt tan.

29th September 2006
Grafton to Inverell 16th September 2006
KOM Team Rider Alex Malone takes out first place in the D-Grade divison of the Grafton to Inverell Race. Well done Alex for a fantastic effort on a very demanding course.

29th September 2006
Beaumont Road Criterium 27th August
KOM Team Rider Alex Malone takes out first place in the A-Grade divison of the Beaumont Road Criterium. Congratulations Alex on a fantastic result.

29th September 2006
Go Natural Multisport 19th August 2006
KOM Team Rider Warren Burgess also known as "the angry elf" finished an impressive 4th place in the Solo Men's divison of the Go Natural Multisport. He also took out first place on the bike leg of the race. It was a fantastic day and we were proud to be sponsors of such a well run and enjoyable event.

29th September 2006
Manly Dam Time Trial
Ok so you think your fast? Try beating the PB of "the angry elf" who did a lap of Manly Dam in 27.02 on a 5 year old hard tail. If you can better this time email us and we will post your time....but remember trail etiquette at all times.

29th September 2006
KOM Team Rider claims 19th place at the Goulburn to Sydney Race
KOM Team rider Dave Evans claimed 19th place overall at the Goulburn to Sydney Race. An amazing result given the level of riders and an extreme head wind.... onya Dave

29th September 2006
King Of The Mountain Cyclery features on the Kerri-Anne Show.
On the 22nd of September 2006 KOM was featured on Channel 9 on the Kerri-Anne show. We had a great time being involved with the show and hope that our bikes have inspired a new generation of young riders to take part in this fantastic sport.
Please email us if you would like a copy of the show.

29th September 2006
Jaggad 2007 complete range now in store.

29th September 2006
Tom Boonen signed Time VXRS Ulteam now on display instore.

29th September 2006
TransRockies Challenge V Canada August 6-12, 2006
Big Congrats to KOM riders, Heather Evans and Blair Martin who finished top 10 in the mixed pairs at the 2006 TransRockies in Canada 6-12 August 2006. The event is a testament to riders incredible strength, Jedi mastery and determination, as riders face 7 days, 600 km, and 12,000m of climbing.

Have a read of Blairs blog

Now that we have a little time, we thought we would do a quick race report on the Transrockies mountain bike race for those who are interested. (We will keep it brief!)
Day 1-2: Lining up at the start line in the beautiful mountain town of Fernie was pretty daunting and needless to say both of our knees were shaking. We had no idea what we were in for but soon found out when the race took off at a frantic pace (over 50km/hr). However once we were into single trail within 15km, there was a lot of walking, and climbing over rocks and roots. The theme of both days was heat and dust- it was incredibly dry, which combined with the altitude, really knocked us. We finished 8th on day 1, and while we were happy to be even racing, we were surprised by just how fast and good the top teams really are. After day 2, which included a 9.5km climb of 12% gradient to 2100m, we were concerned that finishing was not a certainty...
Day 3-5: By now we were pretty shelled from the heat and altitude so decided we needed to take the next three big days (109km, 95km, 107km) a bit easier. Day 3 was a long day in the saddle (8hrs) with 37 degrees C heat and a crossing of the Continental Divide (it was absolutely amazing even when trying to suck in air).Heather was struggling to walk at the end of this and certainly wasn't the only one (some teams coming in well into the evening). At the end of day 5 came the start of the rain- cooling things off a lot, but adding another level of complexity to the already challenging terrain.
Day 6-7: Knowing now that we had the toughest behind us, we could let our hair down a little and go out harder. We had stayed the night of day 5 in a resort called 'Nipika'- a XC skiing resort with miles of trails for skiing in winter and biking in summer. Had the loveliest outdoor hot tub, and they served Salmon for dinner and breakfast. However in the mud the trails on Friday morning were just mires- a lot of fun and we were glad we were used to the mud from Newcastle a few weeks back. The day also included a route out of the Rockies that the organisers cut that week. They said "it is a route, but not a mountain bike route..." 6km of carrying our bikes uphill. BEAUTIFUL forest, if we didn't have to carry our bl. bikes! Some racers even saw bears on that part of the race. The day ended with a cruise into Invermere to prepare for the final stage. Whilst walking around Invermere we bumped into an Elk munching on some grass so snapped a few mugshots!!!! The final day was at least rain free and was clear enough for us to see up to Mt Panorama where we would be climbing to the finish line. We rode hard up the 18km climb and reached the summit at 2500m to the most amazing views. A freezing descent, struggling to hold the brakes, to finish at the ski resort. We crossed the line and sunk a few burgers and cokes whilst reliving the race with all the people we had met along the way.
This has been an amazing way to see the Rockies. While we are happy with finishing top 10 mixed teams (we were one of the only teams who did not use a towing device), given that a week out of the race we didn't even know if we could start, we are pretty chuffed with ourselves. The overhwelming feeling around the camp was that everyone who finishes is a winner- the 'race' part of it was almost a side show. The people we met through the race were all so friendly and positive (over 20 countries were represented), we've made some great friends along the way.
We would certainly recommend this experience to everyone (but advise training up a lot of mountains to do so- we definitely didn't do enough!).
A special note to King of the Mountain Cyclery and especially Warren for all the help and support. We had no flats and no mechanicals. Thanks heaps guys!!!
We're off to enjoy some more of the Rockies on foot this time. I hope this finds you all well.
Love Heather and Blair

31st July 2006
Cannondale System Six now instore

23rd July 2006
2006 Tour de France Floyd Landis wins on a BMC bike. Full range of BMC bikes now instore!

16th July 2006
Team KOM finishes 2nd in round three of the Sydney 8 hour "Working Week" series.

13th-19th May 2006
Central Australia Bike Challenge (www.cabc.info)
KOM rider Andy Crawley spent a week racing in the Northern Territory in some of Australia's most picturesque riding places on "awesome sandy single track". Andy finished an amazing 8th overall in a world class field. Andy was supported by KOM's permanent Canadian soigneur Kelsey and Andy described the event as being "incredibly well run with very professional teams and great competitors". No punctures (thanks to GEAX rubber and Stan's sealant).

7th May 2006
Dirt Works 100
KOM finishes 1st in men's Vets, and 2nd overall in Men's Elite. 2nd place winner Andy described the race as "good times on a great course with strong competition. I'll be back next year." In our KOM women's team, Lainie finished strongly in 10th after wrestling with a nasty curry the night before....

9th April 2006
Manly Warringah Road Championship
KOM team rider Alex Malone (BIG Alex) finished strongly and was the 2nd Manly Warringah rider to finish in what was described as a "very, very tough course". Alex was heard whispering "If only I could climb like Dave" at more than one stage. Soon grasshopper, soon.

1st-2nd April 2006
SYDNEY Enzo 24hour race
KOM finishes 1st place men's pairs and 1st place in the daylight mixed four pairs. KOM manager Warren Burgess wins the prestigious "both hands on it" award for a exceptional display of alcohol consumption while riding in a two piece bikini!

25th March 2006
NSW STATE round MTB at Threbo
KOM finishes 1st and 2nd place in the "Expert Men's" category.

12th March 2006
Polaris challenge
All the "King's Men" on the podium at this years Polaris challenge in Delegate country NSW! This Years 10th Anniversary Polaris two day Mountain Bike Race was dominated by boys (and girls) in the red and white poker dots from the King of the Mountain cyclery pro team who picked up 1st and 2nd place in the men's open division, 2nd position in the "teams of teams" and 3rd in the mixed pairs. In addition, the manager of KOM, Warren Burgess picked up an amazing second place in the inaugural King of the Mountain hill climb race sponsored by KOM.

Team manager and KOM owner David Cottee was "ecstatic" with the results saying that "our plan was to get one KOM team on the podium, and to get all three teams was a perfect start to our newly formed race team". KOM would like to thanks their sponsors "SWISSCO insurance brokers, TIME frames, SIDI race shoes, PowerBar nutrition products, Rocky Mountain bicycles, and Continental tyres".