Tommy Nankervis

Derny Criterium!

// September 24th, 2009 // 5 Comments » // A Day Down Under

Not too much of an interesting post really, but a couple of interesting photos! The internet has been a bit of a no-go for me recently, hence the lack of posts. The wireless thingy on my computer stopped working, so when I wanted to use the internet, I had to wait till the other guys in the house weren’t online, and then plug my computer into the modem. I now have a wireless thingy to plug into my computer, but then I got some virus aswell, but that is all sorted now…

Anyway…

Check this bike out, it belongs to someone on a Belgian team who we race against. I don’t know anything more about him, but he has quite some paint-job on his bike!

My team mate Logan Hutchings and I did a Derny Criterium in Nantes, France a couple of weeks back. It was a fantastic experience, one of the best experiences I have had since I started cycling. Racing around the circuit, each of us behind our own Derny, I was just covered in goosebumps! It was just awesome. I had such a great time, and will jump at the opportunity to do one again anytime!
Nico made sure Logan and I got onto one of the derny bikes for a photo:

Always keen to steal the show, Nico Mattan was up to his trade-mark trick, riding backwards on my bike! After he finished the Tour de France each time he did it, he apparently would ride a lap of the Champs Elysees just like this, in his team uniform!

Outside the USA, Ireland is the largest software producing country in the world.

Article

// September 13th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // A Day Down Under

Howdy readers. I just had an article written about me for the new Australian website, ozcycling.com

Here it is for anyone interested in having a read:
http://www.ozcycling.com/newsarticle/index.html?article=234&page=1

I am a little bit shy about being interviewed, and slightly amazed that anyone is interested in interviewing me, but all the same, it was nice. It will hopefully give me a bit of exposure and help me secure a deal for a team here in Belgium for 2010!

Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

Bont Shoes, and other things…

// September 1st, 2009 // 4 Comments » // A Day Down Under

Okily Dokily readers, I hope you have had time to read up on Mal Sawford and what he does for the Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club! Now I have another blog I have been anxiously waiting to post on Missing Saddle; my laziness and ability to find other things to do than write a blog post have nothing to do with this, I was just trying to leave Mal’s extended profile up as my current post for as long as possible!

We have had a busy last few weeks with quite a bit of racing and recovering. The weather here has been great, and all those people who think Belgium does nothing but rain, well, today you are in luck – it started again, and will likely take us through our next couple of races!

Last weekend we did a ride for our team leader, Bert Roesems. The Bert Roesems Classic. Bert has been a top rider here in Belgium for a long, long time. He has raced on top teams, including Davitamon Lotto with all the Aussies; Robbie McEwen, Henk Vogels, Nick Gates, and Cadel Evans. During this time he develpoed a good Aussie slang about his perfect English!

Here is the team with Bert on the left, and his son in the front. I will endeavour to do a post on Bert in the coming weeks, to give a better account of his success on the pushy.

A few weeks ago Nicky did a derny criterium in Antwerpen, and the star of the show was the current World Champion, Alessandro Ballan! Here he is with Nico just before the start. It was great to see how these post-tour races go, and I am glad I was there to watch/mechanic for Nicky, even if I didn’t get to race…

The coolest thing though, of recent times for me, is that I have been hooked up with a new pair of shoes, BONT! These shoes are the best thing I have ever used on the bike I reckon. You can do all sorts of things to make you faster, and put out more power, but when the team usually restricts a number of these things to sponsored products, there are very few additions you can make. Luckily, I am able to wear these new shoes, and it is just ridiculous how stiff and light they are.
Here is the cool thing:

Heat mouldable!
You throw these bad-boys in the oven for a few minutes, and then put them on, and wait for them to cool. Next thing you know, you have a pair of customised cycling shoes! I am so exctied to go for every training ride now, and know that in races I have a little bit more power going straight through the pedals. Top these shoes off, or bottom them off(!), with some “pre-custom” SuperFeet Insoles, and you have the most perfect cycling shoe set-up available! This might sound like I am trying to just give a big plug to sponsors, or something like that, but I am genuine when I say this, and I really feel like I have the most perfect set-up now. It feels like I can now begin my cycling again; cycling “pre-Bont/SuperFeet”, and cycling “with Bont/SuperFeet”! I could go on and on about these things, but all I can really say is, if you get the chance to try it out, you have to see it for yourself!

One thing, I stacked and really made a mess of the new shoes, the very first day I raced in them! A bit of black texta and some craft-work, and they aren’t too bad though…

In other news, racing has been going well. I am definitely going strong, just in search of some big results, still! I hope to capitalise on the good form in the next month – there is no shortage of opportunities! Tomorrow we are doing a kermesse and racing up the famous “Geraardsbergen Mur”, made famous by its cobbles, and always being in the Tour of Flanders.

Hope everyone is going well.

Spiral staircases in medieval castles are running clockwise. This is because all knights used to be
right-handed. When the intruding army would climb the stairs they would not be able to use their right hand which was holding the sword because of the difficulties of climbing the stairs. Left-handed knights would have had no troubles, except left-handed people could never become knights because it was assumed that they were descendants of the devil.