Hi,

Thanks so much for organising yesterdays ride!! It was my first ride ever and I underestimated how much fun it would be! My brother and his wife came from NZ, and with my husband we did it together. I felt like a kid again burning around the city! Thanks.

It was more than that too. We now know there are trails that we can take our kids on, that they will love...and my husband is stoked that I am falling in love with riding too! I was able to bond with my bro...I think it's far to say that it was quite a bit life changing for me.

You're a credit to this planet :)

Thanks again, Joni

ps. I was not able to purchase a t'shirt yesterday and I was wondering if you were selling them online somewhere?

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Andy, another stellar event. I can't believe how far its come and its still such a great day out. A true gathering of Melbourne's cycling tribes.

You should feel very proud.Thanks very much.

Next year we should get Robert Doyle to do it...!

I smashed it back to Hawthorn with a guy on a Bianchi pista from the event and got to East Malvern just after 3 as I'd promised.

Happy wife, happy children, stoked dad.

Stu

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Great day, we'll be doing that again!

FB, Adelaide.

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Andy,

Congrats on this years event, mucho fun and the changes did not detract from the day, rather, they probably enhanced it. It still had the feel of a small underground event even with many more punters - a difficult trick to pull off.

Bron and I had a ball, although I missed not having the tandem this year

Cheers, Karl

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Thanks for a great day on Sunday. The Melburn Roobaix gets better every year. I brought along several first timers this year and they loved it and promised to be back again in 2012. I can't wait to see what else you have up you sleeve for other rides.

Cheers, Michael

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Hey Andy,

Just wanted to say thanks for organizing yesterday it was a perfect day out on the bike! Hope there are many more editions to come in the future.

Cheers, Vince

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hi there

we didn't participate in the ride today, but we just came to the velo drome for the giving away prizes and we loved it!!

It was really funny and we thought it was great that the rule was that the prize had to be collected in person. good decision and good reasoning for re-drawing!!

If you need any volunteers for next year I am more than happy to help out anywhere. I guess I will just be in contact with you again a few month before the next event.

Awesome event! Sidonia

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Good Morning Andy,

Mannn I got to say how much fun it was doing the Roobaix yesterday. You and your team should be proud of running a great event so thanks for allowing us from Albury to join the fun we had a ball. We are planning something simular up here in Albury so will send you the details when sorted. One of the guys that came with me won a saddle and is absolutely stoked about it.

Hope to be part of the fun again next year with a bigger group from Albury, Keep us informed

Regards, Stephen - Albury

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Hey mate,

Thanks, yet again, for a wonderful day. I had a ball on the BlueBike (which I highly recommend - gearing and tyres quite suitable to M-R - weight, notsomuch).

I decided against the DSLR (potential for rain), so took my PoS, but forgot to charge it. Got a few pix off. Took some more with my phone. It was also my first real outing with my GoPro, which, unfortunately, upon replacing the battery had reset so that it didn't power off automatically. So I burned most of my battery without getting footage.

Pix worth looking at are on flickr, And my ascent of the Koppenberg until my battery ran out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Hcv89oxXc

Anyway, thx again. CB

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Andy

Thanks to you and your crew for another highly enjoyable day. We even left some of our skin on the track!

That damn trophy is very hard to get back!

Here’s the link to our pics.

Cheers, KY

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Andy,

Thought you may be interested, here is a set of photos my girlfriend took from today's ride and did a short write up in my blog

Cheers, Leigh

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Andy

Just wanted to say thanks. Best Melburn Roobaix yet - Long cobbled sectors, mud and bbq + guiness at the end

Thanks, Louis

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Hey Andy - thanks heaps that was an awesome day. Such a great trail. I will definitely be back next year (from Auckland)!!

Cheers, Dan

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Thanks Andy did my first Melburn Roobaix on Sunday and had a ball. It’s a classic . Just wanted to say thanks and well done. See you next year.

Regards Gary

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Hi Andy,

I’m sure you have already had one-million and one emails to the same effect, however I just wanted to add my hearty congratulations for organising such a brilliant day. The bike-share beast held up admirably. I can’t remember ever having so much fun on 3.5 tonnes of government owned transport.

Austin.

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Great job today. A lot of effort by you and your crew for what was a fantastic day. Thank you and The Boss for all your work.

Some pics of the crowd - not sure if anyone else captured it - at low resolution. The pic of Mum shows her red cheek after crashing twice! I had to explain to her the harsh realities of bike riding...she is now officially a bike rider.

cheers, Monique

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Hey Andy,

That was a great event (I only heard of it a few months ago for the first time!). Family loved it too, and since sector 7 went past my house, they managed to meet me and ride the sector with the peloton. My 6yo daughter did a great job keeping up (and out of the way) on the pave!

I tracked my ride using Cyclemeter iPhone app: here are my results.

If anyone else uses cyclemeter (or tracked their ride using KML files etc) then we could get some sort of overlay of several rides.

Wonder if the 12 sectors are available on google maps so we can overlay as well???

Cheers,Danny

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Hey Andy,

I just wanted to thank you for yet another sensational Melburn Roobaix. It is already comfortably my favourite ride of the year...every year. Great effort pulling it all together. It must be a lot harder now that you have both more people, and higher expectations...but you smashed it!

For the record, while they were sodding heavy, the Bike Share bikes handled the pave admirably...and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a few of the pro teams using them next year in the Paris-Roubaix. Hopefully I'll see you at some stage at Liaison when I can lavish praise on you in person, but in the interim, congratulations on another great event.

Cheers, Chris.

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Fuk'n Devastated! Fuk'n Devastated! Fuk'n Devastated! Fuk'n Devastated! Fuk'n Devastated!

First time I've left early for the family and I've missed out on something so special. It will just keep me coming back again and again until I win the Roubaix trip! Again!

I think the amount of calls messages I received about missing out on the TRIP TO PARIS just rub it in even more as to what I've missed out on! Maybe you and I can just go anyway next year mate, we'll do Roubaix, Flanders, stay away 16days and get three classics in.

But thank you for another great day. You and your team should be very pleased with yourselves. As you've said you have to go bigger each year to keep them coming back. You've touch many riders with your vision to bring a little euro to this great city. So a job very well done to you!

Regards, LSD

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Hey Andrew

I just wanted to drop you a line and say a massive thanks for yesterday. It was an awesome event and I was very happy I could take part. I only had one major fall, which involved me flying off cobbles into a fence head first. With a bit of work my bike and my body should be back in working order before too long.

Also, the jacket arrived and is a perfect fit. Thanks for that.

Anyway, once again a huge thanks. Great day. Can't wait for next year.

Charlie

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Andy and The Boss,

This was my fourth Roobaix and this year I decided to do approach it differently than I have the others. The two big changes were - forget the gears and ride the fixie and relax and enjoy the ride for the pleasure of riding rather than a quick finish.

My personal challenge was to get through all the sectors on the fixie without walking or stopping. The Moolenburg was a steep surprise and first test. I passed the test but it was near thing. I knew the Koppenburg was coming but a good fast approach and some "dancing on the pedals" saw me through to the top without incident.

Catching up with friends over a post ride sausage and beer at the velodrome was a great way to round off the afternoon but then having my manifest drawn to win the Masi Speciale Fixed was the icing on the cake. (I'm very glad correct answers weren't a prerequisite)

Thanks for a fantastic day. I'm already looking forward to next year's.

Cheers, Philthy

Thanks very much for an enjoyable day out on the saddle!

I've posted some photos of my experience of the ride here.

Cheers,Peter

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All right proved wrong once again. In 2009 I disregarded the Fyxamotosis (http://www.fyxomatosis.com) Melburn Roobaix cobblestone classic as being something for a different crowd (when I use different crowd, I mean inner city wankers). In 2010 I followed the same prejudiced path. This year I was talked into it. Burnham and Dovey got the better of my grumpy nature and put together a small party. Initially I missed the cut off (several hundred riders got in before me), but I was put on the waiting list and sure enough a reminder email arrived. Yep paid the $44, cancelled a Sunday's racing at National Boulevarde and joined a diverse and happy crowd for the start at Hawthorn Velodrome. What a great day. Super organised. Yes it took four plus hours to complete 40 plus kms, yes we got lost, yes there was lots of fun. But the five of us did every bit and then some more. Some highlights. Peter dressed as catwomen - 6 ft all in black, stilleto's and lookin hot, a single speed triple, french baguette delivery bicycles, the climb up "the Koppenberg" in Travancore - so good I had to do it twice. I shouldn't forget to mention the man with the Ghettoblaster. Groovin' across Brunswick, he was like the disco pied piper. I am told that some 900 riders were at the Brunswick (http://brunswickcyclingclub.com) velodrome for the wrap up. Andy from Fyxomatosis and his wife Melody, handed out the raffle prizes (a few things odd things like DVDs,bikes, a trip to France to see Paris Roubaix). By then it was cold and time to go see the Bushwackers (http://thebushwackers.com.au) play a reunion gig (Dobe - you have never disbanded - how could it be a reunion) at the Lomond Hotel. A fantastic finish to a fantastic day. Can't wait to do it again next year.

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Dear FYXO,

A few days have passed yet the memories are still clear.

Every type of bike imaginable on display, rust-buckets to finest Italian bling, cheap bikes to expensive bikes, plastic-no-personality-carbon bikes to steal-is-real bikes, bamboo bikes to titanium bikes, Ken Evans His-and-Hers bikes, mountain bikes to courier bikes and track bikes, unicycles (do they count??? Or are they just half-assed???) to tandems and multiples there-of (what-ever they are called).all with their matching riders.

As for the terrain – all started out quite civilised – at first. Then we hit the pave – hmmm, maybe the 28mm rubber would have been a better choice. Too late, no pit-stops now, keep going, the adventure was on…………..there were back-alley fences in all states of condition, barking dogs (now really, who brings a dog to a bike race?) broken bottles, empty wine bottles, tifosi, give-aways, fancy architecture, humble cottages, ostentatious mansions, rivers, stairs, bike paths, cross-country trails, photographers, interesting bridges, cafes, bike repair places, mud, cameramen (and women), grass, steep-descents, local geology, train crossings, golf courses, velodromes, cemeteries, football matches (the type that you play with your feet), high-voltage transmission lines (I’m claiming the trip on tax), open-channel drains (thought we were going to race Grease Lightening style when we saw that), dead-ends, real hobo’s waking up under bridges thinking what’s with all the commotion today???, World Champions, confused gardeners, World Record Holders, every retro jersey imaginable (told the Festina guy that the UCI Doping van was between Sectors 11 and 12)..all topped off with a big picnic, hotdogs, trophies and beer!

Quick check of the tyres and wheels – no buckles or punctures in the Vittoria Open-Corsa’s!!!! Even the Hyperon’s made it through un-scathed.

And we didn’t see anyone with a sad look on their face – although Fran came close at the half-way-mark (half-hour wait for a strong flat-white at Julio’s). Of the few stacks we heard behind us there were no screams – just fits of laughter once it was established all were okay, including the guy that slammed into the corrugated iron fence! Even the guy at Brunswick getting treated by the ambulance crew had a big grin on his face!

Closest thing we saw to road rage was some guy who backed his car out of a garage on Sector 11 shaking his head thinking “what the frigg is going on today???”. It was certainly an incredible way to see Melburn the way that most locals never even see it.

Guys, you’ve cobbled together an extraordinary cross-section of enthusiasts celebrating ‘the art of the bike’. In doing so, you’ve also promoted the versatility of the bike better than the entire Transport Department could have done in a single lifetime.

You have excelled yourselves!

DZ and FB

PS – put our names down for next year, the year after and so-on.

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Hey Andy,

Just a quick note to say thanks for the awesome day on Sunday. I can't wait until next year. Also, it was great to meet you in person.

Cheers, Jolan.

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