27/01/2026
G’day folks
If you’ve noticed I haven’t been around the shop much over the last week and a half, I just wanted to share why.
I had the opportunity to step back into cycling at the very top level again, something a little different to my day-to-day in the shop, and honestly something I hadn’t really planned on doing. It’s been a good few years since I was involved in the peloton or cycling at WorldTour level in any real capacity.
After 14 years racing professionally, followed by 7 years as a Sports Director with Team Sky and INEOS, the experiences and people I was lucky enough to work with shaped how I see high performance, detail, and teamwork. A lot of that knowledge is exactly what I’ve tried to bring home and pour into Leading Edge Cycles since taking over the shop just over 18 months ago and I think it reflects in how the business is growing and evolving.
Last week at the Tour Down Under, I took on a different role and worked across both the women’s and men’s races. Long days, big heat, and definitely outside my comfort zone but it was absolutely epic. I caught up with old colleagues, plenty of people from the bike industry, and a stack of suppliers who had their latest bikes and gear on show. For me, staying connected at the top level means I can bring that knowledge and perspective straight back to Shepparton and show people what the cycling world has to offer.
I spent most of the week on a motorbike in the race, servicing breakaway riders, dropping back through the bunch, and making sure everyone stayed hydrated. A huge shout-out to Yamaha Motorcycles for sponsoring the race and setting us up with the Yamaha FJR1300 for the week an incredible bike, and they looked after us brilliantly. It created some pretty special memories, and I’ll share a few photos here of what the week looked like.
One of the photos I’ve shared really hit home for me, an awesome reminder of where this whole journey started. It brought back some massive memories of winning Olympic gold in Athens back in 2004 alongside my teammates Luke Roberts, Bradley McGee, Graeme Brown and myself. Special moments, special people, and memories that never fade.
I’m still on the road this week, down here in Geelong with the Australian ARA National Team, looking after a great mix of young riders and some experienced pros as well, including Chris Harper and Pat Eddie, the current Australian National Road Champion after his recent title win. There’s a heap of young talent coming through, and it’s been really rewarding guiding them through the week of racing here.
It’s also been great to keep my foot in the door at the top level, seeing firsthand the industry standard with bikes, equipment, and how everything’s evolving. That’s knowledge I can absolutely bring back to Shepparton into the shop and straight to our customers, both familiar faces and new ones.
Thanks as always for your support. I’ll be back in the first week of February, keen to share a few stories and plenty of new ideas and gear after rubbing shoulders with the industry and seeing what’s coming next.
Cheers,
Brett Lancaster
