Five West Australian five riders represented at World Championships.

Cameron Myer, Travis Myer, Scott Sunderland, Josephine Tomic and Sarah Kent all recipients of funding from the HVCF represented Australia at the 2009 World Track Championships in Poland.

HVCF donated $1000 to the Victorian Bush Fire disaster Fund.

HVCF donated $1500 to Christopher Thomas Barty to purchase a new set of high performance Spinergy wheels, tires and spokes for the World Championships (wheels usually only last a season because of the high impact nature of the sport)

Chris is unique in that he is one of the few Cerebal Palsy disabled athletes to participate at this level (most are amputees) making his playing task even more difficult

Record:

• 2008 Australian u23 squad and selected in May 2009 for Australian Team for 2009 World Championships in Paris July 2009
• Member WA Junior State Wheelchair Team 2006-07
• Player Perth Wheelcats in National Wheelchair Basketball League Competition 2007-2008
• Player in World Club Championships with Perth Wheelcats in Osaka Japan Dec 2008
• Member 2009 Arizona University Wheelchair team on sports scholarship (participating in National USA University Competition)

The Henk Vogels Cycling Foundation was founded in 2002 to provide promising elite, disadvantaged and disabled Western Australian cyclists with funds to prepare for and compete in national or international cycling competitions so that they are given an opportunity to make a mark on the Cycling World and achieve the levels attained by Henk Vogels.

In addition, Henk Vogels Senior was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his services to cycling.

Stuart O'Grady attended our annual fundraising dinner, and we have a number of other initiatives in the pipeline, 2009 promises to deliver a further boost to the Foundation, cementing the success achieved so far and helping to expand the Foundation in order to deliver better services to our benificiaries in the future.

Above is a picture of the 2008 National Jnr Track Championships (left), 2008 National Snr Track Championships (Click to see larger versions).

Well, 2008 was my last season as a professional cyclist. Fourteen years as a pro and four years on the national team. It's been quite a ride! I have been a lucky man to have been given the opportunity to represent my country at two Olympics, one Commonwealth Games and around 10 world Championships.

Since I've been back home there has been a lot of off-season happenings. I flew back for the Sun Tour with my Toyota team and all the boys went well especially Ben Day, Hiltz and the big fella Dom Rollin. But i just couldn't hold the wheel on the climbs. I was dropped and jumped in the car earl on the second day. It was strange for me as Brad McGee had announced his retirement that week and was getting a send off helping Stuart O'Grady to win his first Sun Tour. It was a bit bizarre as Stuey and I go back a long way as juniors living together and training together for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. We rode together in a couple of Tour De Frances and then went our separate ways. I can't stress how much respect I have for riders like Stuey and Robbie McEwan, who at 36, are signing new two year contracts. It's unbelievable that their bodies are still able to hold up after a good two decades of sport.

After the Sun Tour was the Noosa criterium and I hadn't trained a single day for this event and was probably the most unfit guy in the bunch. But somehow I managed to hold on and I thought I'd give it one last shot in the last lap/ I hit them with everything I had and was in the lead with one meter to go when Robbie pipped me with a throw right on the line. Well if your going to get beaten, then I guess it helps if it's from one of the best riders in the world.

The next weekend was the Nick Gates Classic and Foundation dinner. It was held in Townsville and went down really well. The Classic I mean, not the dinner. The criterium was right on the foreshore in sweltering conditions, with a beautiful backdrop towards Magnetic Island. All the boys pot on a good show for the locals. It ended up being a had race with a break going 15 minutes from the finish containing me, Robbie, Nick and Scotty Davis. The two Lotto boys were active and Nick ended up escaping for a win in his last race. The Gat and I raced together since 1992 and have lived together for a couple of hard season. The times we had as teammates are some of the best memories. We had some great laughs and many incredible stories were told along the way! The dinner after the race was a big success and they raised a great deal of money for the local kids.

So What Now?

Well, I still want to be involved in the sport and I'm working together with some existing Aussie and US pro cycling teams to grow their programs and expand the bigger and better things. I've often said that Australia is a powerhouse in the cycling world but with no major Aussie professional team. There have been many teams folding lately, so I'm hoping we can accommodate some good riders into a fantastic Aussie team. That's my objective now and i want to do it properly. If we can do this now in the current economic climate then we can do anything.

This won't be the last time you will hear from me. If the team goes as I plan I'll be reporting in a couple of times a year. But, I would like to thank everyone that has helped me through my long career. All the people who helped me comeback from a life threatening injury which probably took three or four years off my career and about 10 off my life! Also all the fans who support on the side of the road, to all of me teammates who helped me get to the line and most importantly my family. I couldn't have done it without you.

Plan B Racing Team

Cycling WA and the Henk Vogels Cycling Foundation are pleased to announce the development of its newest High Performance Program, the Plan B Racing Team.

Objectives of the Team

• Provide a team pathway and support structure within WA for athletes to achieve their full potential in cycling at the elite level
• Achieve high performance team success at a State, National and International level
• Work closely with the WAIS Cycling Program to enhance delivery of the program and to meet shared performance measures
• Provide incentive opportunities for coaches, athletes and management staff within WA
• Engage sponsors to collaborately meet shared objectives and deliver results
• Promote cycling and team supporters to the WA community and provide a vehicle for attracting sponsors to the sport of cycling
• Increase the exposure of cycling in WA Actively contribute to increasing the number of cyclists in WA
• Develop athletes as role models for the sport by reinforcing values, conduct and responsibilities of all athletes and management staff

Team Members:

Males – Neil Manning, Jon Dunlop, Luke Durbridge, Henry Morley, Pat Gill, Doug Repacholi, Jordan Van Der Togt, Brad Hall, Anthony Giacoppo, Duane Johansen, Elliott Wells & Scott Sunderland

Females – Davina Summers, Melissa Hoskins, Claire McLean, Josie Tomic, Sarah Kent & Sally Robbins.

Sponsors:

Plan B Wealth Management, WAIS, Budget Forklifts, Sprint Design, Euroflex, Henk Vogels Cycling Foundation, Perth Integrated Health Clinic, Visionary Eyewear / Rudy Project.

For further information on the team, visit the Team Website: www.planbracing.com.au

News

The second part of the season is now really underway with a successsfull Tour of Georgia and a stage win there For the Toyota - United team, all of the guys have been riding well, and have had many victories.

But as for me, I have had a couple of wins, in the tour of the Gila, and some local criteriums in boulder which I may add are some of the hardest to win, as there are a lot of Pros living here.

I saw quite a lot of America in a great road trip from Altanta Goergia, to Silver City which was 1600 miles, big roads, big cars, big people and big steaks!!!!!, had a ball in the team bus, I wasn't allowed home as the family were really crook with a super infectious virus!

The next phase of the year is Philladelphia week and the Nature Valley Grand Prix, and then its mostly big criteriums and a short trip back home for some Tour De France breakfasts in Sydney Melbourne and Brisbane.

Stay Tuned

Henk