Don't you love 'em crits?

28/29 January 2011: A big weekend of racing on the calendar  - the big girls were now back from the TDU – it was sure going to be a hot, fast and exciting weekend of racing.

28 Jan – Cykel Crit Round 2

It was hot, hot, hot! Having missed Round 1 of the series, I was now riding for my new team SKCC/Giant. The goal for the day – gather points to maintain our lead on the team leaderboard.

With the thermometer reading 38deg by the time I arrived, I must admit I wasn’t feeling all that wrapped about racing in that heat. Nevertheless, with the music already starting to pump from the speakers, the chitter-chatter of the other girls, the organisers looking as pumped as ever – that certainly put a smile across my face. The theme "Be Strong, Be Brave, Be Brilliant" was certainly the right one to keep us all going. 

First up – prologue round the 2.28km course. Riders would be split into Division 1 and 2 for the crit based on their timing from the prologue. I just needed to ride a good enough time to qualify for Division 1. 5,4,3,2,1..go! I kicked off – and just like how I would on the track, I tried to get on top of the gear as quickly as possible. Once in the drops, I tried to make myself as aero as possible on my bike. Legs were really really feeling like a sack of potatoes today and as much as I tried, I just could not push the big gears. I hadn’t done a proper recovery after Thursday’s Madison and was really feeling the effects of the lactic today. I quickly clicked into a smaller gear and focused on a high cadence to pull me through the course. Using my 30s women as my carrot, I managed a time of 3:23.669. That put me in 15^th place – qualifying for Div 1. Job done, time for a rest and some food to keep me awake before the crit. Well done to Liz Hall from Hawthorn CC who clocked the fastest time of the day of 3:08.409 – a fantastic effort!!

After cheering for team-mate Jodie, it was now time for our race. My computer was clocking close to 42 degrees at this time and despite attempts at trying to ice down my jersey – it was still blistering hot. With nods of agreement from the peloton, the race time was brought down to 40mins + 3 laps – phew!

A couple of early attacks from the girls were quickly brought back in. I was caught napping and it wasn’t long before the first break succeeded with Jo Hogan, Nicole Whitburn, Kate Finegan and Katherine O’shea and Claire Stevens amongst the mix. The gap was just a stone’s throw – almost within reach – almost. Team-mate Clare Morgan made several attempts to bridge the gap, but with the wind and one of the Torq riders on her wheel, it wasn’t to be. Claire Stevens soon dropped back to the main bunch now leaving a break of 4 riders.

With the gap now starting to grow, team-mate Alison Raaymakers drove up the front to have a crack. It was my turn next, and I tried giving whatever I had to make the bridge. With legs still feeling like lead and spinning the little gears, I was really struggling and pulled off to let the next rider through. Amy Bradley from Total Rush was on my wheel – sweet - surely we could bridge if we tried. It wasn’t until I had dropped back into peloton before I realised – Jo Hogan who was in a different kit was racing for Total Rush too! Oh crap, I'd completely forgotten about the team tactics – the gap was now really stretched and it was almost impossible to bridge.

With the 4 girls already up the front, the peloton decided not to contest the intermediate sprint as points were only awarded for the top 4 riders. A quick chat with my team-mates and we knew there was really not much we could do but just hang in. Plan was now to get as high a position as possible in the final sprint to gather points for the team. With the searing heat, riders soon started dropping off.

3 laps to go – an attack was launched by one of the Torq riders and the bunch was quickly strung out. Not being able to push the bigger gears, I soon found myself at the back desperately trying to spin. Lucky team-mate Jussy was just behind and signalled for me to jump on the wheel – pulling me back into the main bunch. Thanks Jussy!! That certainly was too close to being dropped. Not long to go now. “Come one legs, spin, spin.. just don’t get dropped!”

With 1 lap remaining, one of the Torq riders succeeded at making a break to hold off the bunch for 5^th place. The pace lifted in the final 700m of the race – with riders now going for the minor placings. Adrenaline had now completely taken over and jumping onto a wheel, I caught a draft into the finishing straight. 200m to go – gotta jump – oh no, I was completely boxed in sitting on 3^rd wheel, and the riders on my right were leaning onto me in the final corner. Too late now – I gave whatever I had left in the tank and drove for the finish taking 10^th position overall.

Team-racing certainly throws a whole new ball curve bringing out different tactics, strategies and riding styles from the riders.  Certainly a great team’s race played by Total Rush and Torq that day – with Torq winning the best team of the day. Kate Finegan was the winner of the day, though Nicole Whitburn still secured the CycleCover leaders jersey of the series. My team SKCC/Giant managed to hold on to our top position on the leader’s board as the leading team of the series, with Hawthorn CC Gold hot on our wheels. It was certainly great to see so many women racing out there that day – and Cykel doing a tremendous job at supporting us.

Will post some photos soon but definitely looking forward to the next race at Bendigo on 12^th February!! For now – it’s off to the track in preparation for the Vic Club Teams Premiership and a super duper freezing cold ice bath!!

29 Jan – Neometro/Beller Women’s Feature Race

With a late night at the track, the 10.15am start was certainly welcoming. Managed to get a nice spin in the morning to flush out the remainder of the lactic and get some caffeine into the system. SKCC was hosting the Neometro/Beller Women’s Feature Race today – and it certainly was an entirely different atmosphere at the crits that morning!

There was some good money up for grabs and a massive field of 31 starters dominated the start line. The likes of Belinda Goss, Jenny McPherson, Emma Mackie, Bridie O’Donnell and VIS girls Jo Hogan and Chloe McConville were amongst the mix – standing amongst them was certainly enough to send tingles of excitement through my veins.

Ready amongst the women at the start (Photo by RobM)

1 neutral lap and we were soon off racing. The social chat amongst the bunch was soon shut down by lap 3 with a few early attacks which quickly brought the pace right up. Somewhere early on, one of the 2 VIS girls, I think it was Jo Hogan, took off the front managing to hold off the bunch on a solo effort before being brought in. From there on it was just dig in, sit tight and hang on. With many of the stronger women taking full control of the race today, it was certainly a great opportunity to sit amongst them and learn. Being on smaller bike, it was difficult to see anywhere pass 3 bike lengths in front behind the much taller girls. In a race like that, it was all about positioning and being alert – super alert.

Another attack would go off the front – the girls would leave the carrot dangling for a bit, before jumping on. The constant attacks saw the bunch size shrink bit by bit. Jo Hogan attempted another solo attack halfway through but the bunch soon brought her back. The funnel effect of the bunch on the course also saw some girls ending up dodging cones with no room to go – and at one stage, I’d almost gotten myself pinned against the barriers – lucky I had had that caffeine that morning to keep me on my toes!

Pure focus by the girls in the peloton (Photo by RobM)

It was getting towards the tail end of the race when Bridie launched an attack, splitting the bunch to pieces. Knowing her time-trialling skills – there was no time to think – I had to bridge the small gap, pulling a couple of the other girls behind me. I had only just regained my breath when at 3 to go, a late attack by the VIS girls forming a small break of 4 in front split the bunch again. The high pace saw the gap quickly grow to 6 bike lengths. At this stage, it was all or nothing – working together with Nicole Whitburn, we managed to bring them back. Phew. Now to just hang on for the sprint.

Bell lap – I managed to gain a couple of spots. Going into the final corner, I heard team-mate Maddy Pape zoom past on the right yelling to jump onto her wheel. This saw the 4 riders on my left immediately dive underneath to take the inside lane. This left a space in the middle – and I sprinted with whatever I had left in the tank. I ended up finishing in 6^th place. Congrats to Jenny Macpherson who took out the win that day. Full results here. 

The final sprint with Jenny taking out the win (Photo by RobM)

It was certainly another great learning curve that day – especially watching and learning the different tactics the different girls employed. I certainly enjoyed both days of racing – and it’s great to see organisers like Cykel and SKCC supporting us women in cycling. 

In all smiles (Photo by RobM)

Australia Day - My first Madison!

26 Jan 2012:  Sunny 24C – brilliant day to kick off Australia Day. A day off work – took the opportunity to get a training ride in with the new SKCC Women’s team in the morning. It was our first training ride as a new team together – got to know some of my new team-mates a little better and even managed to get some efforts in. A quick brekkie and team briefing before I scurried off to the Blackburn track for the Australia Day Madison race.

I wasn’t sure which grade I was in for the earlier support races and ended up missing my start. Got to have a quick spin in D Grade for the Scratch Race, though wasn’t allowed to claim any place. Next up was the Elimination race – I was in C Grade - stayed in a couple of laps before I ended up getting boxed right in and was soon eliminated. Nevertheless, I couldn’t quite focus on those earlier races – it was the afternoon race that I was looking forward to – the Madison!

When Simon first suggested racing with my team-mate Chloe Baggs earlier this month, I was absolutely stoked. I’ve always been inspired by the Manx Missile – and it was at the 2008 World Championships where Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins became world madison champions. I was certainly eager – well, till I rocked up for my first training session the Monday before! It was my first time on an outdoor track, and though the bankings weren’t as steep as the velodrome at DISC, it was a longer track and somewhat tougher riding on the concrete. Came to the Madison slings – and in a bunch of 7 riders x2 – boy, was it scary! Imagine riding in a bunch – I had to focus on the riders in front and their team-mates being slung in, find my partner to sling in, keep my bike from wobbling with one hand on the bar whilst slinging my partner in – a total hand-eye-legs co-ordination extravaganza.  A dozen or so practice slings in – I got the gist – still somewhat nervous – and fast forward back to race day.

Quickcycle Team - All ready with team-mate Chloe before the race (Photo by Tracy Baggs) 

With Chloe and I being the only women who had entered, we were mixed in with the boys in C grade. A few laps behind the motorbike, and as soon as the bike pulled out, the pace was on! 2 of the teams (Trigon and Dever) picked the pace right up from the start which split the bunch apart. A couple of early attacks were brought in up till the first intermediate sprint at Lap 10. Chloe slung me in for the sprint though we just missed out on points coming in 4^th. Nevertheless, having gained some momentum, I put the hammer down and managed to break off from the field immediately after the sprint. With the bunch now totally strung out – we attempted to gain a lap on the field.

Dever and Trigon boys hot on my wheels after attempting  a break  (Photo by James Moffat) 

We managed to hold on for a couple of laps with the Trigon and Dever boys hot on our wheels. Nevertheless, with that headwind up the back straight, Chloe and I were both quickly running out of steam and it wasn’t long before the boys overtook us. With 2 teams in front of us working together, and 3 teams in the bunch behind us together, we were now stuck solo in between the 2 groups – each of us gritting our teeth trying to keep the pace up so as not to be caught. We were a stone’s throw from the Dever boys before we heard the bell for sprint 2. I got a massive sling and scream of support from Chloe – and took off chasing them down. Now or never, I was on fire and came in 3rd  in that sprint. We were now on the points table!  

Team-mate Chloe amongst the bunch (Photo by James Moffat)

Trigon attacked again and we found ourselves stuck in the middle – again. At this stage, we were both in the hurt box just fighting to hang on. Doing double laps was painful – I could feel the pasta I had for lunch coming up my throat – no, no – I’m not chucking this time. Chasing the boys on the 86 inch gear was sure tough – should have put on a slightly bigger gear. Seeing Chloe’s hand on each changeover was like seeing gold – I’d dig in hard each lap or 2 before I was almost out of breath – grab onto Chloe’s hand and with one last effort - sling her right in to take over. It was certainly a race of pure team-work.

Looking for Chloe's hand for the sling (Photo by James Moffat)

We both dug in hard and eventually caught onto the CycleLink boys who were now a lap down. We ended up working together for a while – that slight shelter from the wind was surely welcomed at this stage in the race. We eventually dropped them and were now coming into the pointy end of the race. 10 laps to go – intermediate sprint 3. Again the Trigon and Dever boys took off, and we came in 3^rd – one more point there. Not long to go now.

We were both now counting down the laps to the finish. 10 to go, 6 to go, 2 to go – I screamed at Chloe – last one, last one!! Gave her one final sling with everything I had – and she took off chasing the boys down – finishing 3^rd in the sprint and 3^rd overall!!

In all smiles with our prize for the day

On the podium (Photo by Michael Mac)

Albeit both physically and mentally exhausted, we were both happy with our efforts and were in all smiles stepping onto the podium. First race on an outdoor track – checked. First Madison – checked. A race of pure team-work – it was certainly exciting, thrilling, tough work, and heaps of fun. Thanks to Tracy (Chloe’s mum) for handing out our water bottles that day and the rest of the volunteers at Blackburn Cycling Club for hosting the race. Congrats to Trigon (James M & James T) and Dever (Callum P & Jonathan D) for coming in 1^st and 2^nd respectively. From excitement, to being freaked out, to now gaining a whole new level of confidence in a mere couple of days – certainly looking forward to racing the Madison again! More photos here and a great report by James Moffat here. 

2012 - First crit and fired up!

Sun 22 January 2012:

Time surely flies – can’t believe it’s almost the end of January! Caught the dreaded flu which completely wiped me out after my break and just only getting back into the swing of things.

Racing for the SKCCWomen’s Race Team on the road this season and with a full squad of 9 and a good mix of riders lined up, definitely looking forward to the team-work with the rest of the girls. Got my new team bike courtesy of Giant – certainly a great bike and the upgraded groupset from my previous one is surely a plus. The guys at BikeNow have been great at helping me get the setup right - finally got a Specialized BG fit done, and one word – amazing! With accuracy right to the millimetre, each pedal stroke has never felt that good before.  

New Giant team bike all ready to go.. 

A slightly quieter day at the SKCC crits this morning with 10 of us in A Grade. Most of the big guns were away at the TDU – though it was a good way to get back into the racing.

Race kicked off at tempo but pretty soon attacks were being launched. Despite the wind, the pace had really picked up. A few laps in before I realised I had not started my Garmin – argh, I wasn’t sure how long the racing would be now. Chased down a number of the attacks and did a fair bit of work early on. Surprisingly, legs were still feeling pretty good.

About 3/4s into the race, team-mate Jussy rode up and organised some team-work. We had 5 of us in the team racing today – certainly a great way to get some team practice in for the upcoming races. Without much pre-organization, it was a little bit of a scramble getting things lined up, though we did managed pull something together.

3 laps to go – we tried to push the pace up high with each of the girls taking turns up the front. Bell lap – not long to go. I had 2 others in between myself and my team-mates, though still in a really good position for the sprint. Into the final corner, one of the other girls on the outside swung right into my line – what the! The bike took a massive wobble, and I was less than a foot off the ground. I yanked hard and managed to keep the bike upright – just!   Heard one of my team-mates yell in support – that really fired up the adrenaline.

With that slight mishap, 2 of the other sprinters having already taken off - I had had a massive gap to close in that short distance. I revved as fast as I could – the gap was closing – it was going to be a really close one. Can’t let my team-mates down!  Gave it another kick – thrusted the bike forward – and alas, beaten to the line by a cm. Placed 2^nd today – my first one for the team. Happy with today’s effort – and definitely looking forward to more races with the team. That additional spark of adrenaline that team spirit brings surely fires you right up!  

One for the team  =D

National Omnium and onto 2012!

Happy New Year all!! 2011 sure has gone by pretty quickly - it almost feels like I've been riding on a bullet train in the past few months - it has been a steep learning curve gaining experience, building the ropes, learning the spot - but certainly lovin' each and every challenge.  Been having some time off - doing quite a bit of traveling, catching up with the family - though sure ready to get back on my bikes soon. The peak of my 2011 phase was competing the National Omnium back in mid-December. Busy few weeks without much internet access right after the Nationals meant I couldn't tell my tale - so albeit a bit late, here goes. 


15-16 Dec: The moment I stepped into the velodrome that morning, I could sense a whole new level of competition. Music was already starting to pump from the speakers, banners lined the railings, the warm-up centre was split according to the different state teams, BTs were hanging all over the railings....it was an entirely different setting. Dawning my new Victorian skinsuit - I was nervous, excited, pumped with adrenaline - over the next 2 days I'll be rubbing shoulders with world champions! Brilliant! 

With team-mate Laine Hammond in our new Vic skinsuits 

Day 1: 

Flying Lap: My 2nd go at a flying lap - well, just fang it. Got a push from the coach up to the blue line. Without much experience, I had memorised what I needed to do on each build up lap. I looked down at the sign. It said 3 laps to go..hmm..I hesitated for a moment - but knew they must have somehow mucked it up. Just go by instincts. Started the build up, albeit a tad late. No time to think - heard the bell, and off I went. 16.9s. Done. Just like that. That's what sprints are - quick, gone, in a blink of an eye. Could I have gone that bit quicker? Rev that little bit faster? Well - I'll leave those to ponder and work upon next year. For now, a new PB set. I was happy. And I wasn't last on the ladder of 20 either. 

20k Points Score: We lined up along the fence according to where we placed in the flying lap. I was up the back from the start. Right from the start - the pace was....crazy! It was certainly a whole new level. Pulled some turns up the front - but I knew this was going to be one tough race. 30 laps in, I got stuck on last wheel - a jump happened - I missed it, and eventually got dropped. Oh crap....I immediately tried to go over the top of the rider in front, but was quickly revving out on the 93.6 as I tried to close the gap. Running out of steam - I had no choice but to take a lap out. 20 points down - already. Bugger. The remainder of the race I stuck in as hard as I could. No way was I going to get dropped again. It was all or nothing. A small break happened again, and I ended up having to pull the few of us back. Bell lap - tank was absolutely empty but I knew I had to finish. With 3 of us losing a lap, I ended up finishing up last on the points standings. It sure was another level of racing out there! Was a tad disappointed at having dropped a lap - should have been a little more alert - but yet again, I was glad I managed to grit my teeth and hang on in the last 2/3 of the race. 

Elimination : Sprint every 2 laps - last rider across the line would be eliminated. I love the idea of this race - though again, this was only my 2nd ever elimination race. Another one to fang it..I just didn't want to be the first one out. Sprint 1 - I'm still in..good. Sprint 2.. still in. Oh crap - I'm getting washed to the back. Gotta make up ground...I'm running out of track..and just like that..sprint 3, and I was out. It's all about positioning in the race - definitely something to work on. Time to get some rest - a massive day tomorrow! 

More photos at Leanne Cole Photography

Day 2: 

3k Individual Pursuit: The race I had been looking forward to. I was really keen on taking off more time from my PB at the State titles. With a day's racing before, I was a tad nervous - I wasn't sure if I could pull it off, yet certainly wanted to give it my best. Today the focus would be.. cadence. My 3rd pursuit...today I walked up to the line much more confident. Yet my hands started to get sweaty as the timer started - I was breathing both fear and adrenaline. Bang. Off I went. First 2 laps - I was slightly down on schedule. Just relax - don't try to over-sprint. Next 5 laps, I managed to ride up on schedule..good. I could feel the slow fade coming. Next 3 - I was starting to fade more - I was down at this point. 2 laps to go - I tried to take it to the next level. Just focus on the cadence. I could feel myself getting quicker on each lap. It was almost like i was riding in that no man's land - the pain was no longer there. 4:08. Shaved 3s off my PB! I was stoked!! Today, those jelly legs weren't there - I probably had paced myself a little too much - or maybe it was the adrenaline. For now, I was happy with that effort - it was another self discovery - pushing myself that bit harder each time. 

10k Scratch: As I rolled up to line up against the fence, my stomach was doing knots. I felt a little nauseous, but with the adrenaline pumping, I was hoping that would shake it off. Bang - and just like the Points Score - it was fast. Real fast! A number of times I'd almost gotten dropped, but dug in hard to hang on. With 10 laps to go - the pace lifted another notch, and it was game over. I had dropped off, tried to TT back on...but to no avail. Done. Next stop - the bin. And all that Red Bull came spilling out....hmm....maybe a little vodka to that would have helped? I had had my last bite too close to the race - bad idea. 

500TT: Last race of the day!! I was glad - yet almost sad that it had all come to an end so quickly.  Body was feeling a little yuck after that chuck, but I had to give it out. Out of the starting gate, I lifted the back wheel, whoops! Tired and with Simon screaming at the side for me to lift, I almost burst out with laughter at my mistake. Held it back - and off I went. 42.5.. that was way off my mark. I had gone much slower than the states - but knew I had really buggered it up this time. Oh well - lots to work on that start. 

Overall, finished 18th out of the 20 women. I was happy I didn't come in last - and with some of the women eyeing for a spot in the 2012 Olympics, I knew that it was some tough competition, and was happy for the opportunity to race against some really big names. The experience in itself was amazing, and now knowing what the next benchmark is - new goals have been set, and looking forward to the next phase of training and racing. Thanks to all my mates who came to support - it was great to see you in the stands!! And to the Quickcycle team - Simon, riders, parents - it certainly has been a great 3 months on the track - thanks for the support and encouragement - lovin' it more each day - and certainly looking forward to kickin' some new goals in 2012! 

Drawing by Kevin Phang :)