Vic Track Cup – Another bagful of silvers!!

24-25 Nov 12: Another busy weekend of cycling at the velodrome. This time, with juniors right up to senior and masters riders combined, the velodrome was surely buzzing!! Work and training have peaked the past two weeks, so a short report this time.

Round 1 – Individual Pursuit
Qualifying: 16s PB from last year, broke the four minute barrier – absolutely STOKED!!!
Finals: Got a little too excited and went out way too hard on this one, popped massively 4 laps in – was puffing and heaving for the last 2km so didn’t quite have the legs in the end.
Still lots of work to do on pacing, but that’s just one step closer to goal time!!

Round 2 – Time Trial
A late night at the track from the Footscray track open the night before led to a groggy start on the Sunday. Nothing new with the 500m – those fast-twitch fibres were well and truly fast asleep this morning. Nonetheless, another silver to the bag!

Round 3 – Match Sprint
I love watching this cat and mouse event – one of tactics, strategy and sheer velocity. Had never done a match sprint in my life, so I was really keen on giving it a shot! As an enduro, the key was to go long, to get that first jump. The qualifying flying 200m saw Lauretta
and I separated by one hundreds of a second!! It was going to be a close match of the enduros. Alas, Lauretta got the jump on me and I was left chasing her wheel to the line.

Another 3 silvers to the tally!! Huge congrats to Lauretta who took home the golds and the overall Vic Track Cup title! Thanks again to my coach Simon for the support and all the volunteers who helped make it another great weekend of cycling.

3 silvers!!! :) 

Trying really hard! 

Match sprint podium 

Next up – Vic State Titles and the National Omnium - a massive week at the track – how much more time can I shave off??

2013 Victorian Omnium Championships: Another glitter of silver..

17-18 November 2012: After months of preparation, the track season finally arrived. Time really does fly...I still remember that time a year ago when I owned my first skin-suit and was beaming as I raced my own track bike for the very first time. Boy, the year sure has gone by quick!

2013 Victorian OmniumChampionships to officially kick off the Victorian track events for the summer. With the poor numbers, the U19, Elite and Masters Women were combined into a single field for the race.  I was disappointed that our race distances were halved as it would have been a great preparation for the upcoming national omnium, nonetheless, there was still heaps to learn from racing the shorter distances for the local Victorian races later in the season.

The Saturday racing started off with the Flying Lap. The cold air did make it pretty difficult to get the legs firing and I only managed a long 16.9s lap. Not great and lots of work to do there. Jess Laws blitz the field with a 15.4s lap!

Next up was the Points Score. Over the past few months racing the Sunday Roast with Hawthorn CC, I’ve grown pretty fond of this race. A very tactical race, with points given to the top 4 riders every ten laps, and reward those that can get a lap on the field. The pace was very much slower, and it was a whole different ball game than what I was used to. Ruby Hurtig certainly dominated the field stealing the top points in the first three sprints!! After months of learning, I had finally learned the art of getting my name up on the scoreboard! A rookie error in the third sprint cost me a placing and I finished third behind Ruby and Jess.

The Elimination was next. Unlike the typical free laps at the start, the elimination started straight on lap 2, with the last rider across the line being eliminated every two laps. A very very silly error saw me getting boxed in at the bottom of the track and I was the second rider out! I was utterly disappointed with my performance – a mistake caused by own fault that should never have happened and just like that I had gathered heaps of points throwing me down the ladder in the overall placings. It was certainly a lesson well learnt, something that will go a long way in future Elimination races.

Sunday kicked off with the 2km Pursuit. With the track a lot colder than ideal, a proper warm up was absolutely essential. From the gun, I took off with a slower than scheduled first lap, but managed to slowly claw the time back over the next few laps. Lap 5 is when the lactic kicks in and I knew it was a mind over matter thing to push through the barrier. Pace, pace, pace. I was now down on schedule. Time to hold constant and gradually pick up the pace – not too quickly, but just that gradual lift. I managed to catch my opponent -  and almost stopped pedalling – I had nearly forgotten what to do!! I was usually the one being caught! Crossed the line in a 02:42. A 5s PB from last year’s effort and I was happy. I had gone out with a 3km pacing strategy and still had something left in the tank. Certainly still plenty to work on but that’s just one step closer to the goal!

Next up was the 30 lap scratch race. Like the day before, the pace was much much slower, certainly a very different game. The shorter race was not enough to attempt a lap either and it was going to come down to the final sprint. A little argy-bargy on the bell lap with a rider coming down on me – the slight move to prevent a tangle – and again that cost me a place. Crossed the line in 4^th place. Still work to do in the bunch races.

The 500m TT finally came to wrap up the championships. A less than ideal kick out of the gates, somehow I managed a 40.9s – another PB by almost 3s! I was pleased with the effort, but the 40s barrier is what I’d be looking to break over the season.

It was a very close contention for overall first placing between Ruby and Jess, and it ended up coming down to Ruby’s blitzing pursuit time that won her the championships. I ended up finishing fourth overall in the standings and it was certainly the mistake in the Elimination that threw me down the ladder. That lesson learnt would certainly stick around for a very long while!!

A great start to the track season, two PBs and an improvement by a long way from last season. They ended up splitting up the medals into the U19, Elite Women and Masters Category – which was certainly an unexpected bonus!! Another silver to add to the collection of growing silvers – it sure feels like its becoming an eternal second place. Nonetheless, it certainly is this second places that makes me want that bit more, strive that bit harder, and push the limits that bit further!

Thanks to my coach Simon for his support throughout the weekend – mechanics, running schedules, feedback and advice. Thanks to Mitch for lending me his front disc wheel too! And to CV and all the volunteers – thanks for the tremendous effort in running such a smooth event. One down, new goals set – looking forward to another massive weekend of racing at the track cup!

Tour of the Goldfields – riding the gutter!

19-21 Oct 2012: The last and final round of the NRS. With not enough riders to field a team, I had to fill in despite some really really poor road form. Nonetheless, it was great fun to get together with the SKCC Giant team to race together again and feel spoilt as a full time athlete – well for the 3 days at least! Jussy and I were joined by Claire Stevens guest riding for us.

The Friday saw the start of the Stage 1 Criterium at Victoria Park. I was pretty keen to start – after all, the crit was one of my favourite events! From the gun, it was full on!! Slamming the brakes as we approached the first corner, I found myself riding at full steam. Every time I managed to wiggle my way to the front, we’d approach a corner, a poof, I’d be popped way to the back. I was almost ready to vomit!! And within 3 laps when the whistle for the intermediate sprint went, my race was over. Gee – I must be in a really bad shape.  I rolled around with Von for a while – and it was only then I realised the inevitable, the back brake callipers had gotten stuck, and I had been riding with brakes on the whole time!!!! At this point, it was way too late to take a mechanical lap out and we eventually got pulled out of the course. I was rather disappointed to say the least – but oh well, lesson learnt for next time! I managed to watch the rest of the crit and it was certainly really impressed by Ashlee Ankudinoff’s solo victory to the line!

Robocop!! (Photo by Shane Miller) 

We had 2 stages on the Saturday – a TTT in the morning and a road stage in the arvo. TT’s hurt, but somehow ironically, the fun of TTT’s takes that pain away! We were first off, and with only 3 riders, we had to finish, and finish as a team. The ride out was a little slower, but with a ‘pro-style’ turnaround that we had been practising a little earlier on, we managed to lift the pace significantly for the ride home. Despite finishing bottom of the ladder of the teams classification, we had ridden well together and were happy with our efforts.

The afternoon’s stage took a while to start and an afternoon nap in the shade was all I could think of!  An early attack by the VIS caught a lot of us by surprise and we were chewing bars in the gutter a mere 5kms in. I was spinning out on the 50-14 gear ratio I had and was soon dropped in no time. Lucky I had 3 others to share the ride with – Josie from Total Rush, Hannah from Specialized SA and team-mate Claire – and we started working turns. Somehow, the 60kms felt like the longest race I had ever done! The lack of road km’s in recent weeks of track training was certainly showing. Nonetheless, the chicks were in good and high spirits and we managed to finish the stage together.

Sunday – 99kms, 3 laps of a circuit. Yes, I was certainly nervous – I think the last time I saw that number on my Garmin was back in July! Despite the strong winds, we were certainly lucky to have some nice sunshine. The peloton stayed together for about 25kms before things got wild after a sharp hairpin. Again, the slight downhill, gutter action – and I was popped to the back again. I chased for a while to pick up a few riders along the way and we eventually got into a group of 6 riders – the Kosdown crew of Von and Emma, Hannah from Specialized SA, Vic from Torq and Steph from Holden. 40kms in and the break was now long gone. We were eventually joined by team-mate Claire. Vic and Steph left us with 1 lap to go. The k’s eventually ticked by and we managed to finish the ride together.

Everyone in smiles and glad to finish the tour! (Photo by Shane Miller)

 I certainly had a great time with the girls and huge thanks to sponsors SKCC Giant, team manager Super G and DS Stu Mckenzie for supporting us and giving us the opportunity to race with some of the best girls in the country. My last road tour with the SKCC Giant team – a huge thanks to the team for having me along for the ride this year – Jussy, Marlena, Maddy and Heidi – thanks for the opportunity and exposure to learn and develop, and for all the fun and crazy times we had at the tours together.

Part of the team in its early days w DS Stu Mc and team manager Super G

Last road race for a while now – and certainly looking forward to focusing on the track this summer – officially a trackie for now! 

SKCC Grand Final Kermesse

29 Sept 2012: The moment I woke up, I was constantly checking the weather forecast every half an hour. Rain and hail was predicted, nonetheless, it was sunny skies and a howling westerly wind.

The SKCC Kermesse at National Boulevard was the final race of the Northern Combine Women’s Series. Great pre-cursor to the start of the crit season!

Once all the women arrived, they were keen to start the race early. The dark clouds didn’t look at all promising! And as soon as the race had started, it started raining! The first few laps were raced under neutral conditions – the roads had certainly become really slippery and we weren’t sure whether the race was going to continue on.

Not expecting to race in the rain,  I had pumped my tyres up to maximum pressure and  certainly wasn’t keen on taking any risks out there that day.

It soon became evident that the race was to continue. Team-mates Jussy and Clare started launching a couple of attacks to split the field, but was constantly closed down. With the bunch taking the corners in neutral due to the rain, it didn’t look like any of the breaks were going to stick.

Nonetheless, with a few laps to go, Jenny Mcpherson launched a solo break – and as the bunch sat looking around at each other, the gap started to grow. Someone would try to bridge, but once someone else countered, the pace would slow right down again.

Due to the hazardous conditions, the commissaries decided to cut the race short. Bell lap – and it was clear that it would come down to a bunch sprint for the minor placings. Jenny solo-ed to take the win, and Nicole won the bunch sprint, followed closely by Kate and team-mate Clare. Congrats to Nicole who won the overall Women’s series too!

Thanks to all the volunteers who braved the conditions to put on the race that day, and team sponsors SKCC/Giant for supporting us. A great pre-cursor to the start of the crit season – one week to go! 

Race link: http://www.northerncombinecycling.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=39&Itemid=54

Photo by Jo Upton

Italo Trophy Race & Damian Mcdonald Memorial Race

22-23 Sept 2012:

What a weekend! It sure has been a while since I’ve raced back to back. Flu’s gone now (well fingers crossed!) and time to rebuild the strength again.

Perfect cycling weather!! 

NCC Italo Trophy Race

Saturday – NorthernCombine Italo Trophy Race at Newham. It was great to be finally back racing with the Northern Combine, albeit a bit late in the season with only a few more races left on the calendar. It’s weird how quickly you lose the knack of racing, from pre-race preparation to holding your nerves together. A little disorganised and had totally forgotten my sunnies that morning – lucky a spare casual one in the car did the job.

60km race, mixed in with the D grade men. Most of the women were racing the Midlands Tours in Anglesea, so no women’s placing today – time to ‘man up’ against the big boys. The race started off at a fairly moderate pace, but once we had descended into the Lancefield, the bigger boys started driving the pace. A break of 2 tried to get away but were soon caught as we started the gradual drag up Dons Road. Boy, it wasn’t even all that steep, but was I panting up that rise! Phew, made it through with the boys – onto lap 2 of the circuit. Less surges this time round, but it was a solid pace all the way through. Round the flat section up the back road, some guys were starting to put the hammer down, shedding a few off the back. The 2^nd time up Dons Road was where the decisive move was. The final kick before the fast descend into the finish, and I just didn’t quite have the positioning or the legs to follow through. Chased but only managed a finish a hundred metres or so behind from the main group.

It certainly is surprising how much fitness you lose from a nasty bug, nonetheless, it was great to be back on the bike racing again. And awesome weather for it too! Thanks to all the volunteers and the Italo club for hosting the race. As I was returning my number, the rego lady said – “Hey, you won here last year – nothing this year?”. A sheepish smile as I replied – “Nah, not today. Will be back next year!”

Link to race: http://www.northerncombinecycling.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=39&Itemid=54

Damian Mcdonald Memorial Road Race

Sunday – Damian Mcdonald Memorial RoadRace. After much convincing from the ever supportive Blackburn Cycling Club, I put a last minute entry into the race. 

I was still pretty knackered from the day before, nonetheless, the beautiful weather, stunning scenery, great atmosphere and my Quickcycle buddies’ all looking ready and excited for the racing – that certainly put a smile on my face. With only 5 of us in Women’s A Grade battling for 3 spots, we were combined with Men’s C Grade and the top age U17 boys.

Our race was the 73km race round the pondage loop and up the Skyline loop. The bigger bunch with the boys meant a pretty solid pace right from the start. The women were content with sitting in behind the 6.5 feet boys getting as much shelter as we could – it was evident that it was Skyline that would break us apart.

The first kicker up the 6.6km climb shattered the group to pieces. Amy took off with the front group followed by Rachel just off the mark, leaving Ruby, Renee and myself straggling behind. I was certainly in no climbing form at all – and was using every ounce of effort to pull my heavy legs up. Had it been another route, I certainly would have cracked – but it was knowing the length (and pain!) of the hill was that managed to pull me through.

Renee had caught up and we managed to work for a bit together to catch Ruby who kept on disappearing round the corners. Nonetheless, once we hit the final climb, I took off in pursuit of Ruby. I caught up on the descend and flew down taking the corners as fast as I could. Once hitting the base, I was alone. I had somehow talked myself into doing the long solo ride back to Eildon – I had done it earlier in the season – I wasn’t sure what sprint form I was in for a bunch finish, and thus it was decided, I’d have a crack at a TT today. I knew Amy and Rachel were long gone, but there was still 3^rd place up for grabs.

A few glances back and there was no other rider in sight – time to go solo. Switched to TT mode, and drove everything into the pedals. Words of advice from one of the volunteers the day before kept ringing in my head: “Race to the best of your abilities no matter what form you are in. Give everything you have, leave everything out on the road – that way you’ll be content.” And those words kept pushing me through as I focused every effort into driving the pedals.

Once I hit Thornton with 15ks to go, and still with no one in sight, I kept pushing on. Cars passed. 10ks to go. Just push on. More cars passed. 5ks to go, and any breakaway rider’s biggest fear, a chasing bunch of 5 had caught up!! It was mixed group of riders from another grade that had caught on and in there was both Renee and Ruby – both sprinters!  My heart sank.

As I rolled a few turns my legs were starting to go wobbly and I could just feel the calves cramping up – the stop start pace wasn’t doing them any good. I tried to get as much fluid in – any food at this stage of the race wasn’t any good. 2 of them jumped in the last 3ks holding a break of about 50m or so.  Nonetheless, we were content with the gap, and with about 1.5ks to go we jumped on – it was now going to be a bunch sprint.

“Leave everything out there.” Those words were still ringing in my ears. Forget the pain, adrenaline was now taking over. A slight uphill going into the roundabout with about 400m to go – another guy from another grade was leading us girls out. I was on Ruby’s wheel and could just feel Renee trying to coming round the outside. I waited. Ruby jumped, I hung on, before kicking to take the bunch sprint for 3^rd place.

I had certainly left everything out on the road today and was happy with my efforts. Congratulations to both Amy and Rachel to took 1^st and 2^nd respectively – standing on the podium with the stunning mountains in the backdrop with them was a bonus!

A big thanks to all the volunteers at BBN and event sponsors for the fantastic organisation of the race – there was even a village atmosphere at the finish fully propped up with marquees and banners – and the much needed massage table too! A fantastic weekend of racing - and big thanks to: my team sponsors SKCC/Giant for their support, the guys at BikeNow for getting my bikes ready in time for this weekend’s racing, and Simon for his constant support of us Quickcycle riders. Just counting down the weeks to the start of the criterium season now!   

Link to race: http://damianmcdonaldmemorial.blogspot.com.au/
(More photos soon...)  

Stoked with the 3rd place finish!

Golf - the new recovery sport after racing! =) 

There's something special about spring

21 Sept 2012:

Been a while since my last post. The last bout of winter flu did hit pretty badly and wiped me out for more than a month – so slowly regaining strength and fitness again.

The air’s getting a whole lot warmer now. 

Those shiny new bikes out in the market leaves me constantly drooling, the sparkle in another rider’s eyes as they tell you of their latest adventure brings a smile to my face. 

The track bike's been getting a lot more k's. Flying around the velodrome at maximum speed, spinning the pedals till your legs go wobbly - chasing riders, chasing motorbikes, chasing speed, chasing dreams – the adrenaline rush, the motivation to train harder.

A couple of road races left on the calendar but criterium and track racing’s just round the corner. It’s getting exciting!

There’s just something special about spring. Something special.

Back to the racing this weekend – stay tune! 

Eildon Women's Tour - another 2nd!

For the first time this year, Blackburn club hosted a Women’s Grade at the Eildon Tour.  2 days, 3 stages, and $1000 in prize money just for the women, it was hard to resist! I’d caught a nasty cold in the days leading up to the tour, nonetheless, I was still keen to race.

Day 1: 12km TT

Love the artwork by Michael. Check out his new site here. (Photo by Michael Mcritchie)

With the accommodation nearby the start line, it was a bonus as we could warm up there. Despite the predicted showers, the skies were clear for the start. I was 2^nd last of the mark, but with TT gun Lauretta (Kosdown) only 2 riders ahead, she was going to be hard to catch. I caught my minute person within a few k’s and the rest of the ride out felt good. I found myself pushing just that little harder, taking it to the next level as the km’s ticked by. Nonetheless, as I took off from the turnaround point, my cold had started to get the better of me. With one airway blocked, breathing through my mouth only wasn’t going to cut it – I simply could not dig any deeper! I could feel myself wriggling on the bike trying, which simply made things worse. With about 3km to go, Rachel caught and passed me. All I could do was try as best to focus on position and spun to the finish. Congrats to Lauretta who took home the win in 18:03. I just scrapped through for 3^rd on GC 1:25 down, behind Rachel (in2sport).

Day 1: 53km Road Race

The afternoon’s race was a 53km stage - 2 flattish pond loops with a power hill climb finish up the Eildon Dam Wall. The bunch of 9 were happy to roll turns till we got to the first little hill out of Thornton. Unfortunately, Ruby had a puncture (with no neutral spares vehicle) and we had dropped one of the other girls, leaving 7 us. We continued to roll turns, keeping the pace fairly high – no one was too keen on launching any attacks. As we came around the second time to the Thornton hill, I tried to maintain a solid tempo from the front. Just as we crested over the top, Laine came flying past – “Come on! We’ve dropped some of them!” We immediately put the pressure on, and it was now 4 of us in the break – Rachel, Jamie, Laine and I. We continued pulling some solid turns for the next 10ks before the turnoff to the Eildon Dam Wall. Just as we turned, the skies opened and it sure was spitting hard on us! From here, the race was on – neither of us wanting to do too much at the front – each waiting for that next move. As we hit the first kick up the climb, Rachel attacked but I managed to jump onto her wheel, with Laine and Jamie just behind. She was certainly putting the pressure on throughout the next section of the climb. My back brakes had started to rub from the grit and rain and it certainly did bother the other riders more than myself! I waited, and waited.  Just as we approached the next kicker, I clicked into gear and jumped, managing to get a descent gap before the bridge. From there on, I spun as fast as I could, unable to shift into the big chain ring, as I heard them getting closer and closer from behind trying to close the gap. I kicked again for the finish – and, I had just won my first road race this year!! Still gasping for air, I was absolutely stoked!

The jump just before the finish of Stage 2 ( Photo by Michael Mcritchie) 

Up the top of the Eildon Dam Wall (taken a few days earlier) 

Day 2: 75km Road Race

Today’s race was a 75km stage – with 1 pond loop, followed by a climb up Skyline before looping back down to Eildon. With 8 starters today, everyone was content with the easier pace before we hit the climb. As soon as we hit the first steep section, Rachel took off with the entire bunch strung out. And just like the TT, I was struggling with my blocked airways.  I could not quite keep up with Rachel, and hung around for a bit to wait for the next rider. Nonetheless, the gap had certainly begun to string out and Rachel was starting to disappear around the corners. By now, I was starting to get nervous. If I hung around for too long, I wasn’t sure if I would catch Rachel – and decided to go after her solo. Once I hit the top of the climb, I got my first time check, I was 1:30 down. Knowing Rachel’s TT abilities – I had to close the gap on the descend – or my GC chances would be lost. If Rachel won today’s stage, we would be equal on GC points, but she would win the tour overall as it would be a count-back on time to the TT stage. 

Managed a grin up the top of Skyline ( Photo by Michael Mcritchie)  

I took off on the descend as fast as I dared. I eventually caught a follow car – brilliant – but to my dismay – it was a junior rider from a different race.  Not too long later, I got my next time check – I was still 1:30 down, there were 2 riders 1:00 behind and the rest were about 4mins further behind. I had no choice but to continue chasing – constantly hoping that the riders just behind would catch me so we could work turns. The painful chase, and I eventually got to Thornton. With 8ks to go, I got my next check – I was now 2:30 down from Rachel – and the bunch were 1:00 behind. Knowing there was no way I could close down the gap, my chances of winning the tour was over. I no longer needed the points for 2^nd place and with Laine needing the points to move up on GC, I sat up and waited for the bunch – just keeping every finger crossed that she would be in it. The bunch eventually caught up with Laine, Lauretta and Ruby in it and we continued rolling towards the finish. Laine won the bunch sprint ahead of Lauretta and myself. Huge congrats to Rachel who won the stage today – it was certainly painful riding those 40ks solo!

Laine on her way to winning the bunch sprint ( Photo by Michael Mcritchie)   

Overall, Rachel won the tour, followed by myself, Laine, Lauretta and Jamie. Thanks to the Blackburn Club for hosting the tour, the sponsors for their support, and all the officials and volunteers for their time. And my team SKCC/Giant for supporting me at this race. Also, big thanks to Simon for his advice and help at the tour – and it was certainly great to see the rest of the Quickcycle riders securing podium places in other categories too!! Another 2nd place finish (the sixth one this season!), a little annoying being bridesmaid, yet a constant drive to train that little bit harder each time. Everyone enjoyed the weekend  - nonetheless, after 11 days of racing and training, I was certainly glad to be home! 

Open Women's Podium - Lauretta, myself, Rachel, Laine and Jamie

Laine and I with our trophies with the RACV tour sponsor's banner

DBR Canberra Tour - one step further!

Phew…10 days, 2 tours, plus hell week in between – it sure has gone by quick! Been hit badly by the winter flu bug, so a little late on the updates.

13-15 July 2012 – DBR Canberra Tour

My second NRS tour for the year – my goal was to do better than the last one in Tassie. With 4 of us from the SKCC/Giant team, Maddy, Heidi, Jussie and myself, together with Sam from LivGiant, we were lucky to have the support of team manager Gaelene and DS Stuart supporting us at the tour. The road trip up was long – countryside and more countryside (some little pranks did keep us occupied for a while)– nonetheless, we were sure glad to arrive in Canberra!

Day 1: 15.5km TT

Gritting my teeth on the TT

A morning recce at the course – and boy, I didn’t realise it was that hilly! And out and back meant that whatever we went up came down so some good news there. Managed to score a back wheel Zipp 808 from Sam who had a spare wheel – thanks heaps buddy! My usual warm-up and I rolled down to the start line. They were checking bike measurements and helmet stickers. Turned out that my TT helmet didn’t have an Australian sticker in it – and I wasn’t allowed to ride! I was fuming, cussing, whatever you name it. Bought from my local bike shop, how could this have happened?? Lucky Stu was at the start line, and he quickly ran to pick up road helmet from the van - I eventually made it to the start – just! It might have been a good thing after all as I certainly was well warmed-up with my heart rate pumping from anger as I took off. The first couple of rollers, a little too excited, and my legs nearly blew off from the lactate. Just spin! I pretty soon found a rhythm and the rest of the ride out felt pretty good. Come to the turnaround, and as the kilometres ticked down, I was starting to lose concentration…again. These periods of mind-lapsing are certainly something I’ll need to work on. Hill after hill, I eventually made it to the final downhill and crossed the finish line. I ended up finishing in 26:56, +3.52 from TT gun Beck Wiasak. Nonetheless, I was pretty happy with the improvement from Tassie. As Stu was tidying up the van – guess what he found in the rubbish bag? My helmet sticker!!! It had gotten stuck to the plastic bag I had put my helmet in. Who knew those new stickers were easily removable. Grrr!!!!!!!

Day 2: 80 km RR

The start of the 2^nd day was fast!! 2 loops out to Uriarra Crossing, with 4 climbs in total. I managed to hang on to the main group to the base of the first climb, and dropped off just as we hit the KOM. Nonetheless, I managed to bridge to a chasing group, and it wasn’t long before we caught the main bunch again. The second major descend came a little sooner than expected and cross-winds strung the bunch out. As I tried to manoeuvre my way through, one after another rider started wobbling in front of me and were pulling off the course from punctured tyres! That certainly did throw me off my nerves a little and by the time I hit the base of the next climb –the bunch had disappeared up it! Turned out some pranksters had thrown tacks on the road! I had burned up more biscuits than expected and I was stuffed by this point of the race. It wasn’t too long before I dropped off from the group I was with, and was soon caught by another group. A refuel at the start of Lap 2, and I was good to go again. The group’s pace was certainly much slower than race pace, but nonetheless, it was certainly better than riding alone. We picked up a couple more girls on the way and with the race no longer in contention, all we wanted was to just finish the race.

Glad to have finished the road race! (Photo by Sulla Schilt)

Day 3: 40km RR and 40min+3 Crit

The only morning start to the tour, and it certainly was a little chilly! Nonetheless, the legs were surprisingly feeling ok this morning and I was keen to get going. Today’s road race was a reverse of the day before’s – but just 1 loop. Phew! A little embarrassing start as I struggled to clip in to my pedals – and just like that I’d gone from a place upfront to mid-field (and they caught it on TV too!). Come to the roundabout, and I’d lost a couple more spots. Everyone was trying to get to the front before the road-works section. It’s these little things that you learn along the way that adds to the learning experience as a rider. The group were soon back together and it was mostly downhill for the first section. The first steep climb of the day, I hung on for as long as I could before the main field attacked leading into the KOM. From there on, I managed to pick up a few riders along to way as we worked together in the chase. We soon caught another group just in front and I was glad to spot team-mate Heidi amongst the group. From here on we worked, and managed to stick together till the end.

The afternoon criterium proved to be fast from the gun. With the winding course and huge group, positioning was the key for the race. I tried going around the outside to get up front in the first few laps, but was swept to the back each time we hit the first left hander. The Boss Construction/ Nutrixion and Suzuki/Trek teams were certainly doing a great job and keeping the pace real high for their sprinters! It wasn’t after a couple of laps before I realised that the best place to move up was through the centre, but by this stage the pace had really picked up. The bell lap came around pretty quickly and once we hit the last corner, I knew it was too late – if you weren’t in the top 6 spots, it was game over – and I rolled through to the finish.

These work boots sure kept me warm and cosy on those chilly Canberra mornings! 

With team-mate Maddy and Heidi and team van Jens - all glad to  finish the tour in 1 piece! :) 

Overall the tour was another great learning experience and I was certainly happy with the steep improvement from the Mersey Valley Tour in Tasmania 2 months prior. It’s one step at a time. I’m already looking forward to next year’s tours – hopefully with a lot more kms and a lot more experience under the belt. Huge thanks to the SKCC/Giant team for providing the opportunity to compete against a high-level playing field, both Stuart and Gaelene for their amazing support at the tour, and my team-mates Heidi, Maddy, Jussy and Sam for the experience!

NCC ITT and Preston Mt Classic: Start Ramps and Handicap Racing!

23 June 12: Northern Combine ITT Championships. A couple of road closures, diversion signs and google maps pointing us to the middle of the road left us going in circles hunting around for the start of the bike race. A little too keen, we had arrived a bit earlier than expected but pretty soon the volunteers started showing up and we eventually found the start. The predicted gloomy and wet weather never showed up – instead, we had great countryside sunshine and some pretty crazy winds.

24km TT - I was off +7mins out of the 9 starters. Great – some ‘chocolates’ to chase down! I was more excited about the start than anything else that day – we had a start ramp!! I’ve always wondered what taking off on one felt like, and was stoked at the chance. The usual countdown – and off I was. “Whee!!” I felt like a kid down a slide as I took off down that ramp. I’d almost wanted to turn back and go back on again. Riteo, time to focus on the race.

A short tailwind section before the left-hander onto the main course.  Smack – the headwind from earlier on had certainly picked up and it wasn’t long before I  was sitting in the hurt box. Some twist and turns – headwind, tailwind, crosswind – it certainly made it difficult to find a rhythm. Not long in, I caught my minute woman followed by another one closely after. At around the 8km mark, it was just pure headwind till the turnaround at the 12km mark. “Just another km, just another km – suffer now, get rewarded later!” I kept convincing myself to push on. I eventually caught another 2 riders. I spotted Pip Read, who was 5 mins ahead smashing it on the other side of the road.  All the chocolates caught - now it was just me against the clock.

Love this shot by MMcRitchie

“Big gear, use that tailwind!!” the guys shouted at the turnaround. As I dug in, the cross-wind nearly took the bike off under me. “Woa!” Hold the bike steady, focus on the cadence. The beautiful countryside, awesome sunshine, sheep running around – I was starting to daydream, heart-rate was dropping. “Come on now – just focus!” As I hit another head-wind section, I tried to focus all my energy into riding the bike. Not long to go. With the finish looming in sight, and Michael’s cheers ringing on, I dug in hard to finish off the bike race. And just like that, all that pain – gone.

A little distracted with the beautiful sunshine over the countryside

Hurt zone.... (Photo by Michael McRitchie)

I ended up finishing 2^nd in 40:34 - +1:33 behind TT champ Pip Read. Congrats Pip! I was stoked with the result and the SKCC chicks swept up the women’s podium. Another TT done and there was certainly a lot to take away from that race – the sections where I could have done better, the pacing strategy I could have used, the focus I needed to improve on (perhaps hanging a chocolate piece in front of my helmet?? J) – only one way to find that improvement – racing more TTs! Thanks Michael for the great photos - check out his website here and here. Thanks to Brunswick for hosting the bike race and certainly for the milk-crate start ramp!

Women's Podium - Myself,Pip and Alison

24 June 12: Ouch – I groaned as I crawled out of bed that morning. Both my glutes felt like someone had just kicked me in the butt. Not used to racing time-trials, being in the TT position for longer than usual the day before left me pretty sore that morning. Just brush it off – I was to race the Preston Mountain Classic that day – and riding from Scratch meant I had to focus every single bit of energy into the bike race.  

The start at Strath Creek was buzzing with riders when I arrived. Certainly a great atmosphere! Once the men had gone off – the focus was now turned to the women. 7 of the girls took off in the 8minute bunch, which left us counting down the minutes till we were off from Scratch. Racing my first Handicap bike race – I was keen to learn as much as I could. A couple of words of advice from my coach Simon, and I was soon off with the chasing bunch of 8 women. It was great to have SKCC/Giant team-mate Clare Morgan and the familiar faces of Sarah Riley and Lisa Barry to work with.

From the go – the girls worked hard together, each pulling their share of turns. Easy up the pinches – got to keep the bunch together. The first 13kms into Flowerdale flew like a breeze – we were all certainly hungry wolves trying to chase down the girls in front. Despite the ‘mountain classic’ name, everyone knew that time had to be made up in the first 20km of the 70km bike race – from there on, the race was mostly downhill before the last 2.5km climb. From Flowerdale, the first drag over Break O Day started. Not too steep, nevertheless, certainly more than enough to keep us gasping for air as we hung onto the climbers in the group. Rachel Ward, Melissa Mckinlay and Lisa Barry each rode strongly to pull us up towards Junction Hill. We were now down to 7 riders. 

The scratch bunch at the start (Photo by Tony Reeckman) 

The girls working hard together (Photo by Tony Reeckman) 

The big downhill section into Yea – and we tried to get a steam-train rolling. We got our first time check from a bystander – 5 mins. “Oh no!”– only another 40kms left of the bike race we certainly had some work to do! We caught onto the first of the 8min group just before Yea and rolled past. Unfortunately, Rachel had a slow flat in her back wheel and was just only managing to hang on. We managed to pick up another 2 riders from the 8min group along the way but it was becoming evident that the Scratch girls were starting to tire. We soon dropped both the 8minriders, and from the 15km to go mark – we were back down to the 7 Scratch riders and still 3 mins off the limit bunch!

It was going to be really tough now and at points it did feel like the bunch had given up with the chase. Nonetheless, the stronger girls managed to hold the bunch together. My legs were grimacing by this point in the race – my glutes had been a pain in the butt – and I had been riding with my quads which were begging me to stop. I tried my best to contribute with what I could.  

Once we hit Strath Creek, the bunch knew that it was going to be pretty impossible to catch the 8min bunch – the uphill section was certainly not long enough. It was now a race for the fastest time. 5 of us hit the first uphill section together, an increase in pace soon saw Sarah and myself hanging off the back. Eventually Lisa, Clare and Melissa got away. Screaming legs and not much left in the tank, I eventually hauled myself up the hill and was certainly glad to have finished the bike race!

Glad to have finished!! (Photo by Tony Reeckman) 

Certainly a very well-deserved win by Lisa who won the Fastest Time and 5^th overall – she had ridden strongly all day! I ended finishing 9^th overall and was pretty happy with my efforts. Despite the tough work of racing handicaps, I certainly enjoyed the bike race – to the girls in the Scratch bunch – Clare, Sarah, Lisa, Rachel, Noni and Melissa – thanks for working together and making it a great race. Thanks to Preston cycling club for organising the race – all the riders were certainly well looked after with a feast put on at the Strath Creek Hotel after! Check out some awesome photos by Tony Reeckman here and full results can be found here. A Handicap experience under the belt – certainly looking forward to racing this again next year. Next up - NRS Canberra Tour – can’t wait to heading off interstate with the team again! 

NCC 3DT: A weekend of pain and fun!

9-11 June 2012: Boy….time sure flies! The Northern Combine 3day Tour is here again – I still remember how much fun it was racing my first tour there last year. A quick look at the start list – there would be 24 women racing in A grade and lots of good names in there - it was going to be a tough weekend of racing!

11 June: Stage 1 – Lancefield – 64km

The tour kicked off with a cold and wet first stage. 2 laps of the Lancefield circuit for us. Nevertheless, it certainly didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. Chitter chatter throughout the first couple of ks – and it wasn’t till the first gradual climb that a few attacks tried to go. Nothing really stuck and the bunch remained together right till the first KOM at Rochford. Flick (Torq) took the first KOM points whilst I gritted my teeth to hang on to the bunch before the long descend into Lancefield. I soon found myself about 7^th wheel a few kms from the final corner before the intermediate sprint. Not the best position – but we were now strung single file. Amy (Total Rush) launched an attack and drove the bunch through the corner. I somehow managed to get a jump. Not quite sure how much of the road we had for the sprint, I hesitated for a second  - made sure there were no white lines – before kicking for the line. Managed a close 2^nd, with just a hair splitting Flick and I. Once the bunch regrouped for the 2^nd lap, the pace increased. We passed the D grade men along the way, and once the climbs came, more and more attacks were being launched. Amy took out the second KOM and from there the bunch split leaving just 12 of us heading into the Lancefield. Flick launched a last minute solo attack, leaving the bunch looking at each other before Maddy (SKCC/Giant) led the chase. I was on last wheel at this point, and with the bunch strung single file at the high pace, I could not move up. Out of the last corner, I knew I had to go early – and revved up before sprinting for the line. With all the confusion and girls in the same kit, I had thought we had caught Flick but she had had stolen a solo win to the line. I managed 4^th, behind Tanya (Total Rush) and Clare (Torq). Pretty happy with the improvement from the SKCC Trophy Race a few weeks back where I was dropped on the last climb, it was now time to rest up for Day 2.

12 June: Stage 2 – Kyneton TT/Prologue – 6km

The sun was breaking out this morning but the temperature gauge was showing a freezing 0degrees!!  This morning’s race was a short TT – a funny sort of distance – one where a pacing strategy was certainly the key. No TT bikes were allowed, though the ‘only equipment used in a mass start race’ rule did see some riders with TT helmets and disc wheels. From the gun I kicked off and revved up to speed. With no aero bars, I tried mimicking the aero position. Nonetheless, I resorted to the drops after a few bumps nearly threw me off the bike. I managed to keep Amy in sight till about the 5km mark, before she disappeared over the top of a small crest. 1.5ks to go – just hold before kicking to the next level. I heard Tanya (Total Rush) coming from behind, who managed to pass me. As we got over the top of the crest, I was shocked to see the finished line! It had come 800m sooner than I thought! I went flat out for the line, passing Tanya again. Nevertheless, I had left it way too late. I finished in 8:17, putting me in 13^th place, +48s down from winner Flick. I was now sitting 10^th on GC. A little disappointed that I had had energy left in the tank, nonetheless it was certainly another learning experience.  

Working on that TT (Photo by MMcritchie)

 Stage 3 – Kyneton-Sutton Grange-Kyneton – 72km

 With the sun now out, everyone’s spirits were certainly lifted going into Stage 3. First intermediate sprint was 7km in we were told. With team-mate Heidi (SKCC/Giant) sitting 6^th on GC, we were now working to get her up the ladder. The narrow country roads heading out meant there wasn’t much room to manoeuvre. 2km to go – we had to move up. I was caught in between the 2 trains we had formed – left and right. Torq and Total Rush were controlling the centre. Too late – we could not get Heidi up. Nonetheless, team-mate Maddy (SKCC/Giant) managed to seal the sprint points. Brilliant! From there on, it was mostly downhill into Metcalfe before the KOM at 20km. Once the climb started, the surges saw one rider after another getting dropped. Pretty soon, the main group of 10 got away – leaving Lisa Hanley just up the road and myself in no man’s land with a group way behind. Chase. With the undulations, the gap was slowly but surely widening and I was starting to lose sight of the bunch. 5kms later, team-mate Clare Morgan (SKCC/Giant) caught on and signalled for me jump on. We worked together for a while but I was running out of fuel, and could not quite hang on. She was certainly going like a diesel engine!! I soon dropped off the wheel, got some food in and continued the solo chase again. My mind was starting to play games by now, and it was certainly a sigh of relief when the chasing bunch of 5 girls caught on. Phew. We worked turns and it wasn’t long before we caught the bunch and everyone was together again. Finally – some rest!! The bunch was neutralised at the turnaround point, and not long after, a group of D grade men passed us. Nonetheless, they slowed down after going pass, effectively neutralising our race. With the headwind going home, it was welcoming after all that chasing earlier on. Once the men had gotten a clear gap, the attacks started again. At the 45 km mark, I was caught in a really bad position, missed the jump and could not get back on. I ended up in a chasing group of 4 with trackie partner Laine and team-mates Jodie and Marlena. The headwind was certainly seeping a lot of energy out of us – and Laine and I worked hard together to pull the 4 of us back on. We could see Clare just up the road, but she was certainly motoring! Once we got to the hill after Metcalfe, Laine had had trouble, and unable to get any help from the rest, I took off in pursuit of Clare just up the road. Nonetheless, she was powering it home and it was now another solo 12k chase to the finish. 2km to go, a bunch of D grade men whom I had passed caught on, and as much as I’d wish I could just hang off the back of the train, I rode alongside them instead. Finished in 14^th place – 3:07 down from the bunch. It was certainly a really tough day on the bike, and I was sure glad to have finished the race. A positioning mistake had caused me a lot of time today – certainly one to note for future races.

With trackie partner Laine (Photo by MMcritchie)

13 June: Stage 4 – Kyneton-Pastoria Loop – 84km

Final day of the tour! With sore legs and tired bodies and 4 climbs of Bald Hill to get through – today’s was going to be a race of attrition. A couple of ks in after we started, Carly Williams (Total Rush) launched a solo attack on the bunch. Nevertheless, Carly wasn’t a threat to the GC positions and no one gave chase. Pretty soon, Carly was off riding solo collecting points and time bonuses along the way. We got to the first KOM, and Amy (Total Rush) stole the points. I dropped off on the attack, but managed to get back on just after the crest. Spotted Maddy (SKCC/Giant) amongst the bunch, signalled her to jump on my wheel, before leading her out for the intermediate sprint points. Maddy sealed the sprint points – job done. Lap 2  - 1 less rider though it was pretty uneventful till we got to the Bald Hill KOM – where the climbers attacked again. Arghh!! I was starting to feel the burn now. Tanya (Total Rush) who was just behind on the hill managed to help me get back on – phew. 2 more riders gone. Carly (Total Rush) now had a 4 min gap on us and the Torq girls who had Flick in GC were certainly working to bring back the time gap. Lap 3: Team-mate Jussy (SKCC/Giant) rolled alongside and signalled for me to help pull the paceline. We didn’t have much chances for GC now, and were going to help Torq close down the time gap. Working with Jussy and the Torq girls, we managed to bring the pace up before Bald Hill. Maddy attacked on the hill again, hoping to get a break from the bunch but was followed closely by Sam (Liv Giant) and Amy. My legs were screaming by now, and I was left behind trying to chase the 2 groups in front. 1 more rider down. Head down, I dug in hard – trying to cross my fingers and toes that the 2 groups would slow down just a tad. Fat hopes! The spares car soon went pass and I used that as a bait. I eventually managed to catch on, waited till there was room to go pass, and caught the chasing group. Phew! Once I had caught my breath, we worked turns and pretty soon caught the break. Only 12 riders left. Jussy and I had done all we could for the team in GC, and the goal now was to finish the bike race. The last climb up Bald Hill – the climbers attacked for the final time. Carly ended up finishing 2 mins up from the bunch, whilst team-mate Maddy managed a 3^rd place. I rolled in 30s later, did a cheeky sprint for the finish line, and was sure glad to finish the tour!

A cheeky grin - glad to have finished (Photo by MMcritchie)

I ended up finishing 12^th on GC, 5mins down. The Stage 3 blunder costed me a lot of time, a key learning to take away for future tours. Nonetheless, I was happy to finish and certainly stoked with the improvement from previous races. Congratulations to Flick (Torq) who won the Yellow jersey, followed by Clare Dallat (Torq), Amy (Total Rush), Nadine O’ Connor and Tanya (Total Rush).

The Northern Combine certainly put on a very well organised and great weekend of racing - huge thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors. A big thanks also to the Hammonds for their warm hospitality throughout the tour – I was certainly lucky to have Gary Hammond chauffeuring me to the races each day, cleaning and getting my bike ready and even making lunch for us too!! Thanks to team sponsors SKCC/Giant for the support, and the guys at BikeNow for getting my bike and wheels ever ready – thanks for the constant support! Michael Mcritchie aka happy snapper/cheerleader – thanks for the cheers and all the great photos (check out Michael’s gallery here). Last but not least, thanks to my coach Simon whom I was constantly haggering on the phone for advice throughout the tour. A great way to spend the long weekend – and I’m already looking forward to racing the tour next year.

Oh – in other news, track racing’s back on Thursday nights with Northcote CC again. Time to find that leg speed back again!