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!