A rookie move..and my first track enduro race..

Sun 24 Oct: Back to the SKCC crits. First race of the points series. The improvement I’ve been noticing week after week has been almost scary, yet, it certainly brings about a sense of curiosity to see how far I can really push myself.

Woke up feeling a little sluggish – pretty sluggish actually. Probably due to the warm weather and I had woken up with my shirt drenched in sweat. Was going to head down to the Latte Laps session that morning to pick up a skill or 2, but could not pull myself out of bed. I really needed that extra hour of sleep in today.

Hmm…everything sure feels heavy today, I thought to myself as I rolled down on my warm up to the crits.  I was already in the small chain ring and tried as best to get the legs moving.

With the first race of the points series (there was extra prize money and extra awards up for grabs), the big guns had certainly come out to play today. More new faces in peloton, more team kits out there today. With both Jenny Mcpherson and Nicole Whitburn in the mix – it certainly was going to be an interesting race.

We rolled off – with a scooter leading us out round the first lap. 2^nd lap and it was get go. Things were quick right from the start with everyone throwing attacks left right and centre! A new pair of shoes up for grabs for the most aggressive rider – everyone was certainly keen to have a crack.

The scooter following us at the back of the peloton.. (Photo by Rob M)

Managed to bridge one of the early breaks – but boy, it sure felt like I was hauling a sack of bricks around. I even had to soft pedal through the corners, and I couldn’t help thinking that it must have been the hill training the day before. No time for negative thoughts – just focus on the race. I tried to move up the peloton, but lap after lap I kept on getting spat out the back. Weird – the pace was high but certainly not unbearable. Every corner I was trying to crank down hard and found myself doing a lot of work. I need to move up! But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t quite spin the legs. I took a quick glance at my cassette sprocket – I was pushing a 52-19 – a 52-19?? That’s like somewhere in the low 70’s of gear ratios. I really must be tired.

A third way through, I eventually got dropped on one of the corners. Bugger. I tried to TT for 2 laps – I wasn’t going to quit. Every glance at my speedo – I was pushing a ridiculously low speed. No quitting. No quitting. Onto the 3^rd lap, and eventually I was caught by 2 riders in a break. Ah well, gave it all I had. Certainly was a little disappointed with my performance but I knew I had given it my best shot.

Was really feeling like a sack of bricks at this point.. (Photo by Rob M) 

After a brief chat with my coach to reflect on the race, I handed my bike to him whilst I returned my race bib. “Your back wheel wasn’t fixed in properly and your brakes were rubbing!! Grace!!” Haha..no wonder my bike felt like a tonne!! A rookie move – certainly one not to be forgotten – and always, always check your bike before you race! Oh well, mistake made, lesson learnt, certainly not one to be repeated.

A power nap and some food, I headed down to DISC for Hawthorn CC’s (HCC) Sunday Roast track race. I was certainly excited, yet nervous – 80 laps round the track – works out to 20ks – but 80 laps sure sounds like a lot! Well, at least there’re no brakes to worry about (or be worried about?) this time!

The predicted rain didn’t eventuate, and it was really warm inside the velodrome. Well, good training to get use to the heat for the summer races. Fixing up my gears, this time, I certainly did a double take to make sure my back wheel was aligned and the nuts were done up tight.

The arvo kicked off with a 30 lap scratch warm-up race. Those young kids were pushing the pace from the get go. 5 laps to go and I eventually got caught behind someone who had blown, could not quite get over him, and ended up having to pull out. That’s alright, a warm up and I was more nervous about the bigger race later that day.

Next up – my first elimination race. Rules were simple: a few laps of rolling, then the last person every 2 laps gets eliminated till 3 riders were left to contest the sprint. Sure sounds like fun! With too many riders in my division, we were split into 2 groups. I was allocated to the 2^nd group. As I sat spinning on the rollers watching the first race unfold, it looked like heaps of fun, and I was itching to get on the track. With about 10 or so riders, I lasted about half way through till I was eventually eliminated. Certainly can’t wait to give that type of racing a crack again!

Now it was time for the big one – the 80 laps points score. First 5 riders across the line every 10 laps score points but you had to finish the race. I was well warmed up by now, and certainly starting to get the hang of riding shoulder to shoulder. After about 30 laps of getting the feel for the race, I was keen to have a crack at scoring a point or 2. But gee, those sprinters are sure quick! So every 10 laps, I tried something different each time, but had not quite mastered finishing in the top 5. No worries, today’s plan was to get the feel and finish the race. Being a fun and friendly racing atmosphere, we had more experienced guys shouting out moves – move up, stay down etc. – it certainly was great having them in the bunch.  Last 10 laps, I was still in the race – not long more. 2 laps to go, having just pulled a turn, I saw a gap and managed to swing into 5^th position – not too bad a place.  Bell lap – I stood up and sprinted. Revving as quickly as I could – I ended up finishing 4^th in the final sprint. I had earned a spot on the points ladder – no where near the winners - and will have to learn to climb up eventually.

A great day of racing overall at the track, and I certainly enjoyed myself. It was definitely a fun and friendly racing atmosphere organised by HCC. A big day of racing done – another power nap before dinner. Can’t believe November is just around the corner – just received my racing/training calendar – and it certainly feels like I’m on a caffeine overdose just thinking about the races. Super duper excited!!

A win..and learning the craft..

Sunday 16 Oct: A week off the local SKCC club crits led me in search for a race alternative – Glenvale crits hosted by Carnegie Caufield CC. The 25k commute was a nice warm up, especially with a strong tail-wind all the way out.

I rocked up nice and early, bid a few of my training mates g’day and proceeded to sign up at rego. I was a little nervous from not having raced that course before, though the pre-race recce sure helped as I start to become aware of the small, yet important course details as I mature through the sport.

I proceeded to sign up for Men’s D grade (knowing mates who ride faster than me in there), but was told I could not as the records showed that I had previously won a B grade men’s crit. What the??  This handicapping dilemma has happened a few times now. Not sure what all the clubs have going on with the cycling records. Enough said. A small negotiation followed, and I ended up settling to ride in Men’s C, which meant having to wait around for another hour plus.

The icy bay winds made for a long and teeth-chattering wait having not brought enough clothes. Warm up wasted, oh well. Settled down for a coffee, got chatting with a few friends and cheered my mates who were racing in B and D from the sidelines. Once they had finished, I immediately proceeded to warm up the cold muscles again. And the rain came – a massive downpour enough to soak you to the bones. Oh no. Had all fingers and toes crossed that they wouldn’t call the race off as we huddled under the shelter. It came, and it went. A 10min delay, Mr Sun came out and it was race time!

Focused (Photo by Michael Eaddy)

 A fairly big group with 35 starters. Again, with the wet course, I had no idea exactly how long we were racing for. As I looked around, I spotted 3 other women in the group – all with the bright pink headbands on their helmets - today’s goal will be a race against them – CCCC awarded the first 2 women home. And off we went.

With the wet course, everyone was a little cautious at the start, but things immediately got moving after the 2^nd lap. I set on to chase down any pink headband riders who were in front of me. 3 of us women were constantly jockeying for bunch position - often appearing one if front of the other. I spotted an early break by a few of the men go – but decided against attempting to follow with none of the girls on the break. The pace immediately pushed higher as the bunch worked to reel the break back in.

As the clock ticked down, it was only myself and 1 other girl racing it out. With the bunch getting tighter and tighter, and at times riding single file, things were really starting to hot up. About 5 laps to go – another surge in the pace. By this time, 2 men had already broken away and the men were racing for 3^rd place. I caught onto a swarm and really had no idea where I was in relation to the other women. Focus. Just focus on what was going on in front.

Digging hard (Photo by Michael Eaddy)

Bell lap. Riders were beginning to jostle for a front position on the last corner. Another surge in pace. Not long to go – hang on. Out of the last corner, I dug in hard and sprinted – trying to find whatever empty space there was to the line. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted another pink band sprinting and closing in fast on the other side of the road. We were head to head. Few more meters – come on! I was absolutely committed to the finish, gave it all I had – saw the line – and thrusted my bike forward. Yes!! I had won the women’s race!

1st woman across the line, finished somewhere in the top 10 – I was absolutely pumped. Racing amongst that bunch was a great eye-opener and a good learning experience. Despite the wet roads, this was my first race where everyone held their lines well in such a big bunch. It was also definitely great learning to be part of the peloton and watch the race-craft of the other stronger and more experienced sprinters.

Win #1 of the season – that sweet feeling and a great confidence booster! Thanks James for a new pair of BikeNow knicks, and Leon for a tub of Sukkie ‘lemon crush’ race fuel.  Keep racing, keep learning and keep riding.

1st envelope of the new season. (Photo by Nic Hamley) 

It's all in the saddle..

The more miles I've been putting into the bike - and the niggles were starting up again. First my back, then my knee, and the worse bit - saddle sores. Eek! Like any endurance sport, the more miles you put in, that's when you start noticing those annoying pain. Leave them for too long and pretty soon you'll realise you're down with an injury and have to take time off. With the summer racing season around the corner, I needed a solution - and a quick one too. 


Being a big believer of getting the right fit on the bike, I kept on asking my coach if I looked alright on the bike. Everything looked fine - stem length was right, seat height was right, fore/aft distance was right, cleats were in the right position- but those niggles were a constant nag. I didn't want to sound too whiney, but yet it was a constant bother. And with the increased number of miles on my new training program - it was a love hate relationship with my bike. 

"Specialized test saddles" (got mine from BikeNow)

Well the saddle sores were a sign - and I knew it had something to do with the saddle. I had read on the internet once how the wrong saddle could be a cause for back pain as well. With the new Specialized test saddles in store at BikeNow, manager James Storer soon got me onto an ass-o-meter to find the right width saddle. 


The cool thing about the test saddles were that they had the standard sizes printed up the top - 130cm, 143 cm and 155 cm.  And within each size, there were various different types of saddles too - some with longer noses, some with more gel padding, and some which were a lot more racier. Once I had the correct width sorted out, I started testing out the saddles one after another. The knee pain and back pain immediately went away!! Brilliant! Now it was about finding the most comfortable one. With my racing, I spend a lot of my time in the drops and hence the nose length and width mattered a lot too. After a couple of weeks of trying -I've finally found my perfect one!  And just like that, with a snap of the fingers, my longer rides were a lot more nicer and a lot more fun too. 


Finding the right saddle is like finding the perfect running shoe. My perfect running shoe may not be your perfect one. I've got really flat feet, whereas you might have a really high arch. Just like shoes, you can't really read reviews about saddles and randomly pick one. Ok, sometimes you might be lucky - especially if you're a guy as a lot of saddles are catered to the boys. The first thing that riders normally question is their bike fit, but very rarely is the correct fitting saddle a point of contention. If the saddle is somewhat comfortable, most riders would settle for it - and it isn't till the long rides that the niggles become an issue. 


Well, I certainly learnt a number of things throughout this process: did you know that a saddle too narrow can force you to lean onto one side and aggrevate one knee? or not support your pelvis and start pushing on pressure points that cause back pain? or a nose too wide that starts causing chafing around those important bits? 


Different brands would work for different riders and just like runners, every rider would have their favourite saddle brand and type. It's cool that Specialized do test saddles with the try before you buy approach. Just like walking into a shoe store and trying out a pair of runners. And certainly, the guys at BikeNow for being ever so patient in helping me get the right fit. So if you're going through that finding the right saddle for your bike, I'd certainly recommend trying out one of those test saddles. It's certainly made a world of difference for me - I used to dread those long training rides, but definitely looking forward to the 100-k-er this weekend! 

Muddy spray..

Sun 9 Oct: Woke up to overnight rain and wet roads. Rain had stopped. Good - that meant the crits were still on. 


Women's A Grade - 12 starters today. Though we did have Aus's 2008 ITT champ Bridie O'Donnell who had been riding in the pro peloton in Europe amongst the mix today. Cool! The wet roads meant the corners were a little sketchy and there was crap all over the ground.  


About a third way through a break managed to form. Soon 3 riders were in the 10s break. The peloton constantly kept them in sight and held pace, no one wanting to bridge just yet. Nevertheless, our bunch kept on shrinking with one after another dropping off from flat tyres. 


Just as we were settling into a rhythm to start chasing down the break, a crash happened in the other grade, and we were put on neutral for 1 lap. But the group of riders in the break did not slow down! Within half a lap, the gap had grown to 30s, and we lost sight of the riders in front. The race for a place was pretty much over then - and it was soon a race amongst ourselves. 


Last lap - I took the lead and pulled the bunch. Out of the final corner, did a semi-sprint to the finish line - a race for a place was no longer in contention and I was keen to save my legs for the next race. Finished 2nd in the bunch. Oh well, got to learn to spot the breaks next time. 

"Concentration..." (Photo by Marisa Farrell) 

"Working hard to bridge" (Photo by Marisa Farrell)

Men's D grade - must have been about 40 riders. It had started pissing down again, meaning the roads were now even wetter. They decided to let us ride around on neutral till it was safe to bring it up to race pace. 15 minutes of neutral riding - the rain eventually stopped - we were brought to a halt and real racing begun. 


From the go - the pace was high. It was almost like everyone had that inner kid in them wanting to break lose. With lots of water still on the road, everyone was braking before the corners. Argh - it was so annoying! Brake - chase - brake - chase. 


With the neutral riding, I had no idea how long we were racing for. The commisaire wasn't sure at the start either. As one point, one guy with a bike 4 sizes bigger tried to push me off the wheel I was on - his handlebars ended up hooking onto my arm. Bugger. I held firm and pushed back. I wasn't to let that wheel go. No bullying mate! 


Didn't see the 3 laps to go sign and before I knew it, the final lap bell rung. Oh crap, I had just lost a couple of spots with one rider blowing up in front of me. I tried as best as I could to make up the lost spots, but with the race pace gone up significantly, could not quite get near the front going into the final corner. Finished about 10 or so. 


With the wet roads, it made for a somewhat sketchy day of racing - though good fun nonetheless. Mud and spray all over - it certainly looked like I had just been back from mountain biking. A flat on my tubulars meant I had to walk the final k home. Eek! Some sealant by BikeNow mechanic did the trick and won't need new tyres just yet.  Cleaned my bike for the 2nd time in 2 days - hopefully this spring rain goes away soon! 

Aaaaaa...drenaline...

Sunday 2 Oct: First criterium race of the new summer season!! Been patiently waiting for the crits all winter  - and it's finally here. After a horrendous Melbourne weather week, we had nothing better but blue skies and sunshine to kick off the racing season. 

"My first race amongst the A grade women" (Photo by Marisa Farrell)

A recent win on the road meant it was finally time to make the move up to Women's A Grade. 45min + 3 laps. Went about my usual warm-up, a few words of advice from the coach, and pretty soon I was lined up amongst the fairly huge group of 20 starters. BikeForce, Prime Estate and SKCC Race Team were the few dominant teams there  - I was a little nervous just looking around the field. Breath. 

"Focus!" (Photo by Robbie Moore) 

The race kicked off and I was soon sitting amongst the peloton. 10 mins in - the attacks started being launched by those in the teams. Every couple of minutes someone would attempt a break. It was almost like sitting in a car of an L-plater - accelerate, slow, accelerate, slow. With some decent headwinds on the course, the attacks weren't going to last - just sit tight.  Today was about learning to recognise the riders of the peloton - picking out their strengths - learning who the sprinters were, who the domestiques were. Knowing who your competitors are definitely goes a long way. 


 Beep..beep. I heard my timer go off. 3 laps to go. The pace started picking up. 2 more attempted attacks. Patience. Patience. I started making my way up to the front of the field. 2 laps to go - swamped. Lost my position up the front. Bell lap. Managed to creep up to the front of the peloton. Round the last bend before the final corner, Prime Estate lead out went with sprinter Nicole Whitburn. BikeForce chick tailing them. (Note to self: Gotta start learning some names soon). Boxed in. Crap. They already had 2 bike lengths gap. Saw a space and jumped. Out of the final corner, I stood up and sprinted. Too late. Managed to close it down to 1 bike length settling in for 4th/5th position. (probably needed a photo finish but they only paid down to 3rd anyways.) Top 5 placing in my first race up a grade - stoked!!! 

"Racing amongst the men" (Photo by Marisa Farrell)

Adrenaline still pumping, a few lessons learnt from the earlier race - I was onto race number 2 for the day - men's D Grade. I hurriedly signed up, grabbed 2 snake lollies from the rego desk and was soon lined up ready to go. 37 starters. A much bigger field. 40 mins + 3 laps. The field was a little strung out at the start, with the riders not really sure what to do. Riders were jittery with that being the first crit of the season. We had riders trying to overtake on the inside of the corners. One guy who did that even screamed  - "Give me a chance!" Suicide attempt I call it. Nervy peloton - best stay up the front, and focus!! 


10mins + 3 laps. I was really starting to tire. My sinuses had started to play up again from the hayfever. Should have had some energy food during the break. Running out of fuel. 2 riders jumped and went for the break eventually managing to gain about 1/3 lap from us. I spotted fella BikeNow compatriot Tommy Weereratne coming on the outside and immediately jumped on his wheel to chase them down. He was pushing the pace really high - I dug hard, and hung on. We caught them. Great chasing Tommy!! "Keep left!" "Keep left!" We heard the dreaded sound of the marshals telling us to keep left and slow down to let the B-graders lap us. The bunch immediate caught on and swamped us. 


2 laps to go. Someone in front of me swerve. Sitting tight on his wheel I followed. Guy behind me clipped my wheel. Arggh. I stayed up. "No crossing wheels!!" someone shouted. "Thank you!!" No crashes. Phew. 1 lap to go. Not much left in the legs. Dug hard. 2 guys went off - I had nothing left in me to chase. Needed fuel. Out of the final corner - I tried a sprint. Finished somewhere in the top 10 - 7th I think. 


Great racing overall and I was happy with the season opener. Lot of learning - tonnes of adrenaline! Am already hungry for the next win. Time to train hard and build on the experience.