My Bike and I
Ryan Holmes – Director
Age: 38
The Bike: My current ride is a 2013 Ridley Helium SL. I had a Ridley Excalibur prior to this one and really like the Ridley’s. This bike is great on the hills. The geometry is pretty much perfect for all kind of riding though.
I bought the frame from MB Cycles in Milton and built it up with Ultegra Di2 originally. I have since upgraded to Dura Ace 11 speed Di2 but more about that later.
Like most, I like my bling and this bike has its fair share of that. Apart from the ultra bling Dura Ace Di2, it has 3T bars, stem and seat post and my all-time favourite pedals….TIME. I did try to persevere with SpeedPlay pedals for a while but I just didn’t like the freeplay.
You don’t see too many Ridley’s and that is what I I like most about them. I will probably hold onto this one for a while but would love to move my groupset across to a Canyon if they ever make their way out to Australia.
The Groupset: Dura Ace 11 Speed Di2. I have just upgraded from the 10 speed Ultegra Di2 and am a huge fan of the electronic groupset. I ran SRAM Red prior to going with the Di2 and did find it pretty good but the Di2 is as smooth as silk. I like that I can shift while out of the saddle going uphill without crunching the gears. Being able to hold the lever down and change all the way up or down is pretty neat too. The Dura Ace Di2 is about as good as it gets in my opinion.
I have only just installed the new 11 speed, so looking forward to seeing how it compares to Ultegra. From what I have read and heard from others, I am sure I will not be disappointed.
Kilometre Count: That really depends on whether I am training towards an event or just riding for pleasure. I would say between 200-350 would be a fair indication of my kilometre count. I used to bang out a lot more than that but since I started training with Gary Kristensen at Certa Cito Coaching it has been more about quality rather than quantity. I can often be found punching out interval sessions and these I believe have helped with my conditioning far more than just sitting in the saddle all day. Don’t get me wrong, I still do longer rides but my program is more focused since I started training with Gary.
Good Points: The friendships, the camaraderie. The buzz you feel after a good session that sets you up for the rest of the day.
Bad Points: Waking up at 4:30am most mornings. As often as I do it, I still can’t get used to it. It’s quite often a struggle dragging my arse out of bed but once I am up and away….it’s all apples. Winters sometime hard too. You really have to be motivated to drag yourself out of your warm bed to ride around in the cold.
Miscellaneous: I used to race Motorcycles and gave that up as I thought that they were too dangerous. I was obsessed with motorcycles when I raced and now I am obsessed with the non-motorised version.
I currently race with the MIA Rouge Coffee team here in Brisbane and absolutely love it.