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!

                                                                                           

Wangaratta 2 Day Tour: Country racing fun

2-3 June 2012: Winter road tour racing is here! With a van and trailer packed to the brim with riders, bikes and luggage, we headed up to Wangaratta on Friday night to race the 2 day tour hosted by Wangaratta CC.

With 10 women entered, we had our very own Women’s grade. The JM15 and Men’s D Grade riders ended up racing with us, and it certainly made the racing a whole lot more interesting with 3 separate categories in a single bunch racing for separate prizes!

My trusty lil' Giant prepped up for the race!  

Day 1

Stage 1 – 36km Road Race  

Stage 1 kicked off with a 36km out and back road race with a hill climb over Taminick’s Gap. Winter was certainly making its presence felt with a chilly 3 degrees greeting us at the start line. Brrr. The racing soon got underway as we rolled out of the start line with casual rolling turns to start of the race. The first little climb over a Glenrowan saw a few attempted attacks – each keen to test out one another’s legs. Nevertheless, nothing really stuck and the group was soon brought back together.

As we were approaching the first intermediate sprint, riding buddy Von Micich pointed it out – halfway up the road from the corner – get ready. I found a position in the bunch, making sure I had enough room to sprint without crossing the white lines on the narrow country road. The pace lifted as we approached the sprint – but I waited, timed my kick, and took the first sprint points.

Chloe and Von tried to attack immediately after the sprint, but the group managed to hang on. 2 other girls soon took the front and held a solid pace on the steady incline towards Taminick Gap. “Caution – Carpet Pythons!” Despite the pace, everyone burst into laughter as we rode past the sign. As soon as we hit the hill, one of the JM15 boys jumped – still trying to find my legs beneath me, I missed the break as Chloe took off with them. A couple of the other girls in front of me started slowing down as the gradient increased – I couldn’t sit back now, I had to chase solo, or the race would be lost. With the break a few hundred metres up the road, I dug in to close the gap. The 2 girls on my wheel were quite content sitting on, and I could not get them to pull a turn. As soon as we hit the KOM, I descended as fast as I could, dropping the other 2 girls, with the break within sight.

8ks to the finish – I just had to chase solo. The gap was closing, but with the tail wind, it was going to be hard to bridge across to the group of 4. 2 other men soon caught onto my wheel, I sat in for a bit, but the pace wasn’t quite high enough to chase the break down. 5ks to go – I just had to get the diesel fired up. Both of them were racing each other, and as hard as I tried to get them to, neither wanted to pull a hard turn. “You’ve got to tow us through – I don’t have quite enough.” And each time I looked back, both were super-glued on my wheel, both saving it for the sprint. I had no choice – the bunch was fast chasing us down, and Chloe was in the break. I crossed the finish line in 2^nd place, legs feeling pretty stuffed. 

Geared up for the TT

Stage 2 – 10km ITT

Fuelled up after a lunch break, I was sure glad to hear that our TT had been cut back from 18k to 10km. I had certainly done a fair bit of time-trialling in that morning’s race! From the gun, I kicked off and immediately tried to get into the TT pace. However, with the headwind at the start, I found it difficult to get into the threshold zone and it wasn’t until 2.5 km at the first left hander where I could get my HR high enough. I caught my minute woman just before the turn around, and another one not long after. With a slight tail-wind on the final 2.5km stretch, I tried to make the most out of that section. Nevertheless, I found myself pushing too big a gear and was swerving all over the road. Finished in 16:11 in 2^nd place – just +2secs from winner Chloe. So close! Nonetheless, I was fairly happy with my effort that afternoon – I managed to pinpoint my weaknesses on that time-trial and will certainly be focusing on those at my next TT race!

Day 2

Stage 3 – 25km Hill Climb

The weather was a little warmer this morning, and with the 3 separate categories now racing for points/places, the racing was going to be a lot more exciting! Chloe was now leading on GC, and I was up on the Points Classification. Von couldn’t race the last stage that afternoon (she had a flight to catch to France that night – lucky girl!!), and offered to help me out that race. With Chloe and I now up on points/placings, we were shooting targets and the rest of the women were now working together to race against us. The race kicked off with a lot more surges, but nothing really stuck. At the 10km mark, one of the women launched a solo break, but was brought back by the peloton within a few hundred metres. As we approached the intermediate sprint, I had a lead out from Chloe. As Chloe left me for the last 200m, Melinda got over the top, but I managed to kick just before the line and took out the intermediate sprint.

Everyone was now keen to save their legs for the hill and just rode tempo to the base. Von maintained a good pace for us to hold on. Just before the base, I managed to get Chloe to the front of the bunch, before she took off with the JM15 boys once we hit the climb. Halfway up, I heard Melinda coming up alongside me and Chloe was just a stone’s throw ahead of us. I surged a couple of times and managed to shake off Melinda, caught on to Chloe just before the finish line rolling across in 2nd place.

Stage 3 Hill Climb - we were both hurting! (Photo by David Stannus) 

Stage 4 – 24km Kermesse

A 4x6km race with 1 intermediate sprint on Lap 2. The narrow roads meant we had to maintain a good position for the sprints. The race started off at a fairly high pace with constant attacks being launched to test everyone legs. It was a fairly long stretch from the final corner before the sprint – and timing would be crucial if it came down to a bunch sprint. Coming into the intermediate sprint, I was just behind Melinda after we took the corner. I waited, kicked, ended up behind one of the men who sat up, found a gap, kicked again and managed to take out the intermediate sprint points. Only 1 more sprint left for the stage. Bell lap – and everyone was starting to jostle for places in the bunch. The wind had started to pick up by now. As the km’s ticked down, riders were trying to come around left and right to get a good position. Chloe launched an attack just out of the final corner, and I managed to get onto her wheel. I saw the line, kicked again, whoops…I had too small a gear, and revved as fast as I could for the line - ended up winning the final bunch sprint.

I managed to win the Sprint Queen category whilst Chloe took the QOM category. Chloe won GC, followed by myself in 2^nd, Melinda 3^rd, Erica 4^th and Nicci 5^th. It was certainly a great weekend of racing and we all did have a lot of fun. Thanks to Wangaratta CC for hosting the tour (and for putting on a Women’s Grade too!) – organisation was certainly  sensational for a small little country club and everyone enjoyed themselves. We will definitely be back in the near future for more racing.

Women's GC winners (Photo from Wangaratta Cycling)

Chloe and I in all smiles - we'll be both doing some shopping this week!! :) 

Feels great to be recovered after the flu bug and back into the racing again. Next up – Northern Combine 3 day tour! 

Metros: Bugged out...

Sat 26 May 2012: Woke up that morning feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. Geez. Legs were fine – that’s all that mattered (or not!). A light drizzle at Harcourt as we arrived for the Metro Champs. I was really looking forward to this race – this was where I’d done one of my very first road races last year, and I was certainly keen to measure my improvement from that of last year’s.

A wee bit nervous, though with a bit more experience this year, I was certainly a lot more calmer. I must admit I wasn’t in the ‘bestest’ of moods that morning – preparing my bike seemed to take forever and I couldn’t really get my act together. Oh well – I just shook it off and went for a warm-up with training/trackie partner Laine.

18 women lined the start line this year, definitely a great reflection of the growth in women’s cycling from last year’s 8. More competitors, deeper playing field - good. Due to some roadworks that were going around in the area, the course had changed to a 2x out and back loop.

The race kicked off and it was only a couple of k’s in when we got to the first hill drag. Miranda Griffiths tried putting the pressure on – and poof!!. Just like that I was shot to the back of the field. It was almost like I had my gear in Reverse! And no matter how hard I tried, I just could not get my Heart Rate high enough, nor get enough power into the cranks. That certainly caught me by surprise as the field rode past leaving me struggling to drag myself up. From being competitive last weekend, to having nothing this… something was just not quite right. 

Not one happy camper (Photo by jxpphotography.com)

I soon managed to haul myself up the hill, caught onto Laine and Claire who were dropped and started working turns with them to chase the bunch down. 3 vs 15 was never going to be an easy feat. Each time we rolled downhill we seemed to get closer and closer, though never quite enough to close the gap. It was raining hard by this time, and we were all soaked to the bone. My legs were feeling pretty ok but somehow I just could not get my body going. I knew we had to try to catch them before the u-turn, otherwise, once they saw us, they’d put the pressure on again.

Once we got to turnaround at the 10k mark, we had dropped Claire it was just Laine and I working turns now. The bunch were soon out of sight. We spent the next 10ks working together but the race was slowly but surely slipping away. As we rolled onto the next section on the course, I was dreading this moment, but knew it had to be done – “I don’t feel well at all – I think I’m going to have to pull the pin on this one– sorry!” I was freezing and shaking, my body was feeling like crap and there was just no way I was in a reasonable shape to continue to race. We both sat up and rolled round the next section, taking time to catch up on things and enjoy the countryside before pulling off the course.

Well, it turned out that it was the start to the dreaded winter flu bug that kept me away from the bike and work for the next few days. Quitting is certainly not my thing -  but I don’t regret my choice that day. Sometimes when things go a little haywire, you’ve just got to take 1 step back, before taking 2 steps forward! Now it’s time to recover and get better - 2 tours lined up for the next 2 weekends!