AUSSIE CYCLING FRESHLY BREWED EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING, EXCLUSIVE TO ADVERTISER.COM.AU

FASTEST MAN ON TWO WHEELS FUELLED BY GRANDMA’S CORNFLAKE COOKIES

AUSTRALIA — and one of the world’s — fastest track cyclists Matthew Glaetzer has revealed the secret behind his speed and it’s found in his grandmother’s pantry at Lockleys.

Whenever Glaetzer visits Reta, 88, he never leaves without a batch of freshly-baked cornflake cookies.

“Matt gets off the plane, comes straight here and he is always starving hungry,” Reta said.

“I haven’t seen him polish off a whole tray yet but he’s eaten at least six (in one sitting) and he leaves with the rest of them which probably get eaten on the way home.

“At least cornflakes are supposed to be good for you although I have increased the butter from a quarter of a pound in the original recipe to a full pound.

“I’ve been making cornflake cookies for many, many years and even when he was little he could make a hole in the tin.

“Old fashioned cooking is hard to beat and I still use my 66 year old sieve from my glory box to sift the flour.”

Glaetzer, 23, is the reigning Commonwealth keirin champion and bound for his second Olympics in Rio in August.

He made his debut in London at just 19 and in the past four years has established himself as one of the superstars of the sport.

And he’s not afraid to admit he has a soft spot for his grandma’s cooking.

“Pretty much every time I return back (from being away) I see her,” Glaetzer said.

“The cookies are the best, she even forces some of them on me to take home and they go down a treat.”

Glaetzer, from Paradise in Adelaide’s north east, went to the 2012 Olympics as reigning world champion in team sprint but narrowly missed a medal by finishing fourth.

This time around he is likely to ride all three vents in Rio — the team sprint, individual sprint and keirin — and he says the countdown is on.

“If you look at our training periodisation there is not that much more to go,” he said as today marks 100 days to the start of the Games.

“We race the ITS (event) in Melbourne (next month) and then we’re off.

“But I’m trying to play it down as much as I can.

“Mainly knowing how excited you get when you enter the village at the Olympics, you’re always on edge and excited about something, it will be important to have my own time away from that environment to concentrate.”

Reta won’t be in Rio but says she will be watching nervously from the TV at home.

“The last time I saw him race was at the nationals in February at the velodrome and it nearly killed me. It was a photo finish and I was a nervous wreck,” she said.

MATTHEWS, OGE START CONTRACT TALKS

ORICA-GreenEDGE has opened discussions with out-of-contract star Michael Matthews who is believed to be highly sought after by rival teams.

The 25-year-old joined the team in 2013 and has been one of its most consistent performers — winning stage of the Vuelta a Espana, Giro d’Italia, Pais Vasco, Tour of Alberta, Tour of Switzerland, Paris-Nice, Tour of Utah and the Tour of Slovenia.

More recently his name has been linked to disharmony in the OGE camp after he and Simon Gerrans both contested team leadership at last year’s world championships and as recently as Amstel Gold Race in which he finished fifth.

This year Matthews won two stages of Paris-Nice and won the Vuelta Ciclista a La Rioja.

OGE general manager Shayne Bannan would not elaborate on the nature of contract talks to retain Matthews but confirmed there was outside interest.

“We are in discussion with his manager and understand that he is also being looked at by a number of teams,” Bannan said.

HAYMAN A CHANCE FOR RIO

PARIS-Roubaix champion Mathew Hayman remains in contention for the Rio Olympics but his chances may hinge on whether Australian selectors take three or four riders into the men’s road race.

The consensus among the cycling world is that only a climber or genuine all-rounder can medal on the brutal course in Rio which may tempt Cycling Australia to allocate one of the spots on the road team elsewhere — such as the team pursuit squad on the track where it is a better chance of winning gold.

But after his stunning performance to win Paris-Roubaix this month, Hayman further pressed his claims to go to Rio as a road captain alongside the likes of Richie Porte, Simon Gerrans, Rohan Dennis and Michael Matthews who are believed to be front-runners for selection.

A brutal course awaits both the men and women for the time trial and road races in Brazil in August.

The men’s road race is 241.5km long and finishes with three 25km circuits — each with an 8km climb — which follows 12km of cobblestones and a windy section along the coast. The women face similar challenges over 141km.

CA high performance director Kevin Tabotta believes it will take a rider coming off the Tour de France in good form — or one who has had a specific preparation for Rio — to land on the podium at the Olympics.

Hayman is on Orica-GreenEDGE’s long-list for the Tour de France which begins on July 2.

Porte meanwhile last week revealed he was heading to Rio after the Tour de Romandie to have a closer inspection of the Olympic course.

ROGERS A CHAMPION RIDER AND CHAMPION BLOKE: TURTUR

NEWS of Michael Rogers’ retirement from professional cycling on Monday night was met by widespread congratulations from past and present riders and the sport’s officials.

Among them was Tour Down Under race director Mike Turtur who recalled the day Rogers miraculously finished Stage 5 of the 2002 race on a borrowed bike and went on to win the Tour.

Rogers was hit by a motorbike during the stage on Mengler’s Hill and was unable to continue on his own two wheels.

“But the guy standing on the side of the road had an identical bike and set up,” Turtur said yesterday.

“The only thing wrong was the tyres weren’t pumped up enough.

“He’d won the stage into Strathalbyn earlier which set the race up but he was going to lose time that day that would cost him the race ... so it was a significant win.”

Rogers, 36, retires from the sport a three-time individual time trial world champion, Tour de France and Giro d’Italia stage winner, national champion and Tour of California winner.

“He was one of the pioneers along with Stuart O’Grady and Brad McGee and so on,” Turtur said.

“These guys that broke the mould of track riders being considered road riders as well. They came from a track endurance background and not many years before that it wasn’t even a consideration for a director to look at a track endurance rider.

“After these guys the penny dropped that they made bloody good road riders, then you saw a wave of them being contracted to professional teams and it set a trend.”

Turtur described Rogers as a “typically tough, complete professional”.

“And in his later years he became a captain on the road and mentor to young guys. His knowledge of the sport is exceptional — and he’s a good guy too.

“To have him as a past winner of our race, we are delighted to have him on the honour roll.”

HENDERSON LOOKING GOOD FOR RIO

GOOD signs for Australia’s tope female mountain bike rider Rebecca Henderson who finished on the podium of a world cup for the first time on the weekend.

Henderson was locked in a battle with two-time world champion Catharine Pendrel for third place when she made a move on the final lap and held on.

“She helped me get the best out of myself today,” Henderson said.

“Early in the race I wasn’t backing myself, I was waiting for most of the field to catch me.

“Catherine then caught me and I just tried to follow her as best as I could. Then on the last lap I thought it was now or never.”

Henderson is almost certain to race the Rio Olympics this year after winning a bronze medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK ...

“My post-school time had already been mapped out — rush home, have a quick snack, turn on the TV and study the nuances of yet another pro race.”

- Michael Rogers reflects on when the dream of being a professional cyclist was born.

“It was the toughest day on a bike that I can remember.”

- Rui Costa after finishing third behind Wout Poels in shocking weather conditions in Liege-Bastogne-Liege on Sunday.

“You’d have to ask some of the other contenders about how seriously they take me a threat.”

- American Tejay van Garderen talks to Cyclingnews.com about his Tour de France chances this year.

TWEET, TWEET ...

— Brisbane sports journalist Sam Squiers makes the most of the autumn weather by bike.