LRB News !

 LRB in Pictures... While the elevator musics hums gently in the background as the points are tallied, LRB News! would like to share some previously unseen images from the Hell of the North. We'd also like to once again congratulate and thank all participants for their company on the day.    Stick with us, your patience is appreciated.  We'll get to your query as quickly as we can... Tall and tan and young and lovely The girl from Ipanema goes walking And when she passes Each one she passes goes, "Ah" When she walks, she's like a samba That swings so cool and sways so gently That when she passes Each one she passes goes, "Ah" And, ah...no, this is not quite the final issue of LRB News!  Lucky Issue #13 will round out the points and confirm who will receive the trophy as king of the Hell of the North !

  The Dust has Settled... Well, some weeks have passed since the very first running of L'enfer du Nord - The Hell of the North - Launceston Roobaix.   Here at LRB News! time has passed quickly while basking in the smug and self-satisfied glow of what can only be described as an unparalleled success !  However, the time has ( finally ) arrived to recap the day, and reflect on a few of the stories.  There is also the not-so-small matter of the coveted LRB trophy to be awarded. But lets not get ahead of events.  Sit back while we relive the morning...  A strong field gathered in unseasonably warm conditions in Civic Square - well, most of us Ben and Wes - just as the rolling tones of the town clock faded away at the appointed count of 10.  Wonderful timing.  Of the exclusive invitational start list, there was only one true scratching - Steven unable to make the start due to illness.  Of particular note Craig B stunned the gathered starters...

Course Confirmation and Start Time Well now, the long-awaited day is nearly upon us.  With only 2 more sleeps to go, it seems timely to outline the planned course, and confirm the start time with this last-minute issue of LRB News !   On Saturday the 9th April 2022 , please make your way to Civic Square in the heart of Launceston for the official start at 10am .  Please note that this is an hour later than originally planned to make some grace time for professionals driving/flying in. For early birds warming up pre-event, there is usually a coffee van operating in Civic Square, and there are amenties for a last-minute ( nervous ) nature break if required.   Keep an eye out for your official starter who will be sporting a red, white and green jersey and casually awaiting your arrival astride a blue racing machine. Paper course map and street directions will be available at the start point.  You will be required to sign on, and have your likeness recorded ...

LRB News ! Tech Spy Camera Reveals...  Hi all, and welcome to issue #9 of LRB News!  In the final week of build time before the big event, it seemed timely to send out our spy camera's to see what you all have been up to. Now Wes, it seems as though LRB has come around just in time to rescue your machine from a silent burial.  While I'm impressed by your under-floor insulation, and the bonfire-like stacking of flamable materials to near floor height, the team here at LRB News! have been wondering how on earth you have managed to dislodge the beast ?  And what else of value did you find on the way both in and out ?  Yes, look closely into the black centre ( at first glance we did wonder what this was a picture of exactly ).  A very tall skeleton lies in wait. Obviously your chosen steed has been sequestered away for quite some time ( juding by the life-time's worth of accumulated stuff piled in after it ) just waiting for the call to rise like a pheonix....

 LRB Trophy Revealed ! Well fellas, here it is.  The coveted LRB trophy... This artisanal relic is what we all will be vying for at the inaugural L'enfer du Nord.                                   And what a masterwork it is. Carefully hand-crafted artefacts, masterfully patined as though pulled from a badly crashed and discarded machine from years gone by, and appearing as though assembled with other left-over detritus from around the LRB Service Course, this piece has been drawn together with the sort of laser precision only possible with modern artisanal tools and techniques. In order to take this beauty home as the centre-piece of your trophy cabinet, you will need to score points on the day in the following loose, and likely to change categories;          1.  Bike selection and build + adherence to the budget.          2.  R...

 GBH This edition LRB News !  is pleased to present another in-depth and hard-hitting interview with  one of the wild cards of the invitation list, sometimes bad-boy and favourite for outright honours,  Ben Greaves.   Name :   Ben Greaves, aka GBH Age :  XXXVIII years young Palmares :  Too numerous to list fully.  High-lights include:  Architecture tragic, fake Bianchi ownership. Career Highlight :  Embracing failure   Ben , L’enfer du Nord is an entirely new event coming up early in 2022.   With the final course a controversial unknown at this point, can you share with LRB News ! your approach to training as we build up to what will be an historic first event ? Between coffees, sweet + savoury takeway goodness, and my erratic circadian rhythms, I am relying heavily on decades of sustained bad habits in preparation for the torturous inaugural L’enfer du Nord… ! Bad habits could be read several ...