19 days and counting...

Only 19 more days to go till the opening ceremony of the 2013 South East Asian (SEA) Games!! Days are ticking past – can’t believe how fast time has flown by! This being my first ever Games representing the Malaysian contingent in cycling, I’m really looking forward to the opportunity. Amongst all that excitement, there’s that tinge of nervousness popping up ever so often – which I’m constantly trying to push aside.

Mascot for the 2013 SEA Games!

 Whilst back on a training stint in Malaysia in October, I received news of my selection onto the road squad for the Games. I was stoked! One of the six girls on the team, we’ll be headed over to Myanmar in early December. A definite start in the ITT on 15th  Dec, and 4 of the 6 of us will be riding the road race on 17^th Dec.

As with the majority of women in cycling, the reality of funding our passion for the sport is a challenge in many ways. It’s scary when all the costs start stacking up – equipment, clothing, nutrition, travel, racing – and every little bit of assistance goes a long way! I’d like to acknowledge the sponsorship of Powerbar Malaysia for my nutritional needs, Rudy Project Malaysia for the helmets and glasses and Key Power Sports Malaysia for the 2XU compression recovery clothing to support my dream of racing at the Games. Thanks heaps guys! And the team at Cycling Malaysia Magazine for their awesome support – check out my feature in the latest issue of the magazine!

Powerbar bars, gels and powder - racing fuel!! 

Rudy Project Helmets and Glasses - protection! 

Check out the latest Oct/Nov issue of Cycling Malaysia Magazine! 

So what’s been happening? It’s been a very busy period of late. After an intensive block in Malaysia in October, I’ve been back in Melbourne juggling my full time job at the bank with training. With ‘summer’ here in Melbourne (this rain has to stop!), track and criterium racing is in full swing. It’s a great way to start sharpening up those fast-twitch fibres again – and am certainly happy to back racing the  Thursday evening Northcote CC track races and the Sunday morning SKCC criteriums.  Been racing a couple of State Titles lately too – the Victorian Omnium, Road Championships and Track Cup.

With not much preparation, a silver and bronze medal at the track to add to the bag – bonus! I’m slightly disappointed to miss out on another edition of the Tour of Bright being the buzz of the town – well, hopefully it’ll fit into the calendar one day.

Silver at Vic Omnium with Lauretta and Marquessa - bonus! 

 Into my final training phase now before the Games – the legs are definitely feeling the intensity – but hey, no pain no gain! Not long to go now – wish me luck! :) 

Nothing like a great training day in Melbourne! :) 

Malaysia Round 2!

August-Sept 2013: The past couple of weeks have been exciting times. Having been recently called upon to be part of the Malaysian National Women’s Road Team, it’s been a busy period trying to organise dates for camps, leave, flights and training.

Malaysian National Team Colours!!

First up – a national camp with the girls in the Cameron Highlands in central Malaysia. Flying from the 3 deg Melbourne winter to the 35 deg humidity of Malaysia was tough. I was sure glad to have the support of my mates at the MSN to ease into the first few days of riding – legs screaming with lactic, clothing drenched in sweat, fighting to stay awake on the bike – nonetheless, I was glad that for the next few weeks, all I had to do was just ride my bike!  

3 days later, bikes packed again and I was off to training camp. For the first time, I met 9 of my other team-mates. Having been brought up in Malaysia, conversing in the local Malay language wasn’t too hard and it didn’t take long for me to settle in with the girls. With tough, hilly training rides on the agenda, we were each competing for a spot at the upcoming SEA Games in Myanmar in December – only 6 out of the 10 of us would make the cut. Adapting to the living conditions proved to be a challenge – came down with a cold, struggled with lack of sleep, a bad bout of food poisoning and a cracked rib and skin off from a crash on a descend to top it off. Talk about luck!! Nonetheless, I managed to pull out some pretty good form on the tough rides and climbs – the previous months of training and racing was starting to bear fruit!

On a training ride! 

Cold water recovery session  in the river.

At the end of the week, it was more packing again and a 3.5hr trip to Bentong for the Grand Prix bike race. First up – a 157km road race where the first 22km was a rolling start. I balked at the distance! Juggling a full-time job with training, I lacked the mileage compared with the likes of the full-time athletes I was up against. It was nice to have mum and dad who drove up from KL to support – that certainly took away a lot of the nerves about finishing the bike race! Right after the rolling start, a break-away of 3 riders got away early with the peloton riding tempo. 3 loops of an undulating course, 2 intermediate sprints. By the end of Lap 1, the break-away had 4 mins on us. At the sight of the next kilometre-long hill, Jupha attacked taking Maziyaton along with her. I waited, then bridged across to the duo before we hit the top. Our next mission – to chase down the earlier break of 3, with a peloton of riders hot on our heels. We caught them at about the 80km mark – a series of attacks were launched and not long after, it was just Jupha, Maziya and I left leading the break. As we approached intermediate sprint 2, I led out early with Jupha narrowly winning the sprint. By this stage, the heat was almost unbearable as we pushed on – pouring water down our backs and getting in as much fluid as we could. The earlier break of 3 riders caught back onto us at the 125km mark and it was now 6 of us. From here on, it was attack, lull, attack, lull, attack, lull as we each tried to get a break in the remaining kilometres. I attempted to get a break on the final climb but to no avail. With 10ks to go, it was inevitably going to come down to a bunch sprint. My job now – wind up the pace and lead out the sprinter. Jupha proved too quick and won the sprint easily, followed by Maziya. I was stoked to hang on for 3^rd place!

The team pre-race 

Glad to have finished the race

Winner are grinners! 

Next day – a 19.7km ITT. Having recently won the National ITT – the pressure was on – could I repeat my performance at the nationals? I pulled on my new skin-suit that morning. The training was done – all I had to do was ride my bike! I managed to borrow a disc wheel from the Selangor state team, worked with the mechanic to make sure the bike was in order before I went through my usual warm-up routine. I was 2^nd last off the blocks, and quickly got up to speed. Just as I had settled into my aero bars, a car tried to overtake from the opposite side and I swerved in the knick of time to avoid it – phew!! That certainly got my HR up! In no time, the lead police-bike came to ensure a clear and safe route and I soon settled into rhythm. A couple of uphill sections and my legs were screaming from yesterday’s race. Just focus. Breathe. Pedal. The km’s ticked down. An unexpected left hand turn just before the finish into a small road – I very nearly crashed into the marshal! I somehow managed to slam on the brakes on time, stayed upright into the corner, and had to get up to sprint for the line. Done. My heart was still pounding and it was quite hilarious having dad who was following in the car behind, already whipping out his iPhone to calculate my average speed! Since watching my first bike race at the Nationals, my parents have started gaining interest in cycling – even staying up to watch a couple of the stages of the TdF. It certainly is great having them there to support my love for the sport. The results were out – I’d just won the ITT!! This one’s for mum and dad!  

A win for mum and dad! :) 

 With the GP done, we stayed for another 2 days training in Bentong before the flurry of travels, packing and unpacking begun. Travelling to KL on the Tuesday afternoon, I managed to spend a night at my parent’s in KL before flying off to Jakarta with 4 of my other team-mates for a tour. We met some other State riders from Malaysia before a 15 hour bus journey to Purbalingga, a small little town in Central Java. I was absolutely stuffed by the time I arrived. Luckily the accommodation was pretty nice! Getting food was a little tricky in the small town with limited restaurants around, and I was rather hesitant on eating at the stalls on the street. Bread, instant noodles and tuna would have to do the job for the next couple of days!

The team at KL airport 

Our accommodation in Indonesia 

A local food store selling 'Bak So' - noodles with beef balls in soup 

First up, a 9.7km ITT, climbing approximately 300m. Things just didn’t quite work out that day.  I couldn’t get anyone to take me out to see the course till 30mins before the start and my nerves were already starting to get the better of me. With one set of rollers amongst the five of us, I had neglected a proper warm-up – definitely not ideal!  With the first part of the course being flat, I made a last minute change and opted for the TT bike with the disc wheel in the rear. Within the first km, my legs were already filled with lactic and I wasn’t able to capitalise on the flat section. As I hit the second part of the course, I watched in agony as the speed on my Garmin kept reducing. I kept pushing but was getting deeper and deeper into the red. The 3km long false flat section was 6-7% - a lot steeper than expected – and the disc felt like a full sack of bricks as I hauled it uphill. It didn’t get any better with some sharp 10% pinches at the end. I was absolutely stuffed by the time I’d cross the line. I was really disappointed. My nerves had gotten the better of me that day – nerves, equipment choice, lack of warm up. These things all add up.  Lesson well learnt.

Next day was a 120km road race, 3 laps of the course, with a small, sharp climb in the middle. The atmosphere was awesome – the small little township was filled with people who had come to watch the race, young and old – music was pumping and there were just people everywhere! Kids asking for our signatures, people wanting to take photos with us – my first real taste of being like the pros! It was good fun but it did get pretty tiring too! The start was delayed for 2 hours, and we didn’t kick off till 11.30am by which time, the heat was almost unbearable. The Indonesian team attacked us in the first few hundred metres, and my team-mate Wadah managed to jump on their wheel. The first few kms were rather technical and each time we turned a corner, there were motorbikes whizzing in and out in our lane, with on-coming traffic on the other side too! Talk about scary!! A break of 4 managed to get away – with 3 Indonesians and Wadah. By the time we got to an open bit of road, the break had already gained 1:30 on us - and just as we tried to get another Malaysian rider across, the wind had picked up significantly.  3 of us – Wana, Carol and myself would attack the field – one after another in our attempt to bridge across. Nonetheless, it was certainly kudos to the other Indonesian riders who were hot on our heels ensuring that the break stayed away. Once we had climbed the 3km long hill with a couple of sharp 18% pinches, the bunch had watered down leaving 5 of us chasing – myself and Wana, and 3 other riders. It was obvious that they weren’t keen on working with us to close the gap, and despite our efforts, we couldn’t get anything going. By the time we got to lap 3, we heard that Wadah was still with the break and received instructions to stop working and to just finish off the bike race. Wadah held on for 2^nd place - a podium position for the team – job done! Much to Wana’s and my disappointment though, we overheard news that the girls in the break were actually sitting on the Junior Men’s race all along!!

The next day was a 24 lap Points Score style crit – with sprints every 3 laps of a 1.2km course.  The closed roads were awesome – a few corners to juggle but nothing too technical. Wadah and myself managed to score some early points and eventually Wana got herself into a breakaway of 3 riders in the later half of the race. With Wadah on higher points, I worked to move her up the ladder – securing each remaining 1 point the peloton was contesting for. We eventually secured Wadah a 3^rd place position on the podium! Racing done, job done!!  Racing aside, it was awesome to have the opportunity to experience this part of the world – the people, the culture and the lifestyle. And to be able to travel and ride my bike at the same time – couldn’t ask for more!

The team post race

The things we get up to with too much sugar in our system 

Wana, myself and Wadah with Fairoz the coach 

Looking back now, the camp and races were a huge learning experience – understanding the body’s adaptation to different climates and dealing with the reality of travelling (sleep/food/lifestyle/time differences) – certainly points to take and improve on at future events. Like the pros say – it’s the aggregation of marginal gains that we are constantly looking for to up our game!! Back in Melbourne and back to reality now – juggling full-time work and training. Another camp to look forward to later next month!!  

2013 Eildon Tour

13-14 July 2013: Over the past two weeks, acclimatising to the cold winter again after a month in hot and humid conditions has been a real struggle. I was just starting to get the hang of layering up again – just in time for the Eildon tour! It was great to be back for the second time – and with more than double the number of women competitors, Blackburn’s continuous support for women’s cycling, more prize money on offer and iPads up for grabs, the racing was promised to be bigger, better and lots of fun!

Stage 1 ITT:

“Let’s see what you can pull off at this temperature. Make sure you’re well warmed up,” said my coach, Simon. The challenge was set. 11 degrees or 40 degrees - I was ready for it. From the gun, I kicked off and quickly found my rhythm. 12km, short, sharp, no room for error. Focus. Don’t fight the bike. Now just pedal and give everything you have!

At the turnaround, I was feeling pretty good. Time to lift the pace. With a slight incline on the return leg, it was going to be a little harder. I spotted some front markers and focused on reeling them in, bit by bit. Lift the cadence, put in just a little bit more. KM to go, time to go wild. And before I knew it, the time trial was over!

I glanced down at my Garmin. More than 1.5 minutes quicker than last year – I was stoked! The electronic timing meant results were up pretty quickly as I made my way to the hall. A few pats on the back – I had done better than I’d expected and was now leading the tour! (Many thanks to Alistair Donohue who very kindly lend me his schmick looking disc and front wheel!)

The Time Trial - thanks to Allistair for the wheels!

Stage 2 Road Race:

Still rapt from the morning’s results, I was keen for Stage 2 to get underway. From the gun, it was Attack after Attack after Attack.

The stronger girls of Sam De Ritter and Shannon Malseed from Holden Cycling and Carley Mckay from Kelly Cycle Coaching were surely on fire. The girls were keen to get a breakaway going and holding on to GC meant I was constantly under threat.  I attempted to get away on the little lumps, but again, was quickly closed down. Both Rachel Ward and Simone Alexander were also keen to not let any breakaways go and joined in the counter-attacks.

After 2 laps of the pondage loop of attacks and counter attacks, it soon became evident that it was going to come down to a hill sprint up the dam wall. The girls who were sitting behind started moving up to the front of the bunch for position. The pace started backing off. 600m to go at the start of the hill – Tessa launched an attack and got the jump on the rest of the bunch. Georgina followed closely behind going round the outside. With the top of the crest in sight, I knew it was too late – I’d miscalculated the jump. I kicked to get over the top and crossed the line in 3^rd place.

Stage 3 Hillclimb Road Race:

The next morning’s rain and wet roads did not dampen our spirits. “Please descend carefully:” was the commissaire’s advise to us with the slick roads and off-camber bends on the descend.

With 1 pondage loop before the climb, no one was keen on launching any attacks. The bunch soon started rolling turns and we got a good pace going. With not long to go before the hill, the rustle of gels, food wrappers and girls emptying their bottles were heard throughout the peloton. Time to get as much energy in – the Skyline climb was not be underestimated!

As soon as we reached the bottom of the 7km climb, Sam kicked and took off taking Tessa and Georgina along with her. The km long 9% pinch tore the field apart. As soon as it “flattened” out a little, Francesca managed to jumped across to the front 3. I could not quite find the jump but continued pushing on. I had Caroline and Shannon to work with for a while.

The front 4 were starting to get a gap on us. Soon Shannon kicked and took off, though just hanging off the back of the front 4. Caroline and I pushed to hold the 20s gap they had on us, conscious that we could not let the gap grow any bigger. Tessa who was a GC contender was in the break – and I knew I had to catch on no matter what. As soon as we reached the top, the girls had disappeared down the other side of the hill. Time to chase – and chase hard!

I took the descend as fast as I dared, constantly aware of the wet and twisty roads. Unfortunately, I could not take Caroline along. I spotted Francesca who had gotten dropped near the bottom, and knew the girls wouldn’t be too far off. At the bottom, I spotted them – just 12s ahead. Francesca managed to get onto my wheel. “When you’re this close, you’ve got to give everything to get back on, no matter what!” Simon’s advice to us whilst we were watching the Tour de France the night before. I clicked into the biggest gear I could push and time-trialled my way across, determined to bridge the gap.

I breathed a sigh of relieve as soon as I’d caught the girls, though it was short lived. With 6 of us now in the break, we were keen to stay away, knowing there was still a field of riders chasing behind. We managed to get a fast rolling pace going and worked the break. The kms ticked down quickly. After riding solo the year before from the top of the climb, I was sure glad to have a great bunch of girls to ride with!!

We worked out that my GC position was secured – and the contention for 3^rd  podium place would come down to the bunch sprint. Sam, Shannon and I managed to scramble a train together in the final kms launching Shannon for the stage win! I hung on for second with Tessa closely behind. 

Over Skyline... 

A nice surprise!

I certainly surprised myself this weekend and stoked to come away with the Tour win! It was a great boost of confidence psychologically. Thanks to all the girls that made it a great weekend of racing and congratulations to the other podium winners – Tessa, Shannon, Sam and Simone. Many thanks also to Blackburn CC together with CV, and all the volunteers for organising the race. And a huge thanks to my coach Simon for his tireless support at the race, his words of wisdom and for continuously pushing me to chase my dreams.

With the rest of the winners from the various age-groups

Trophy, jersey and envelope - winning! :) 

Malaysian Road and Track Nationals 2013 – ITT Champion

June 2013: I waited in anticipation for the results to be announced. My legs were still screaming from the ride. The new shirt I had just changed into was soaked with sweat again from the heat. It was a long wait.

Pre-time trial

35.2km. The longest Individual Time Trial I’d ever attempted. Dad had driven me out to have a look at the course the day before. The Kangar-Chuping Highway in Perlis (a northern state in Malaysia, next to the Thailand border) – flattish, wide open roads. Out and back, 2 flyovers each way.

I managed to borrow a rear disc from the Selangor state team. I’d yet to ride a road one before, though it wouldn’t be too dissimilar to the track. I kept focussed on the ride ahead – letting the coaches and support crew work out the logistics. I even had a support follow car too – sweet! From the gun, I quickly built up to speed. A minute in, before I realised I had yet to start my Garmin – grrr. Alright, time to stay focused.

I could feel the lactic acid slowly building as I kept ramping up the speed. Focus. Breathe. Keep spinning. Go harder. Shut up legs. I was in ‘the zone’. Every time there was a slight drop in pace, the guys in the car would yell. I pushed on. I had caught the last of the 7 head starters just after the turnaround – it was now time to face the headwind - alone. I was now the rabbit, with greyhounds hot on my heels. Keep going!! I’d somehow managed to roll over a couple of cat-eyes on the road, and that sure jolted me. Come one – stay focus. 10ks to go, 5ks to go. The guys in the follow car were going wild cheering me on!! My glutes were screaming, but I somehow managed a grin. “Pain is only temporary” - I was on fire! 1km to go – and with every bit of energy – I drove for the finish line! Done!

“You’ve just won the Malaysian 2013 National ITT! Congratulations!” I could hardy believe my ears – I was absolutely stoked!

With Azian - we were stuffed after the race

The Selangor support crew

 

Elite Women TT Podium

Stoked to win the gold!

The month of June sure has flown by fast as I sit here in the airplane on my way back to Melbourne. It’s been a busy, exciting and eventful month of racing and training in Malaysia. A few days of acclimatisation, before kicking off with the South East Asian Track Grand Prix. I walked into the Kuala Lumpur velodrome for the first time, a 333.3m outdoor track. My biggest challenge was the heat and humidity, nonetheless, I was keen to get into the racing. The GP kicked off with the Points Score. I managed to score a couple of points in the first half of the race, but a slight mistake halfway through, and I was starting to get caught out by the quicker sprinters. I was still trying to ‘know my competitors’ and the skills of using the banking that I’d learned in the indoor velodrome were not quite working here. A number of mistakes lost me valuable points. Nonetheless, the earlier sprints managed to pull me through and I secured the Bronze medal – my first one racing in Malaysia!! In the Scratch race later that arvo, I missed out on another medal by a tyre’s width. Nonetheless, a good day of racing, lots of lessons learned and a great experience.

The inaugural 2013 Malaysian Track Nationals kicked off 2 days later. The Individual Pursuit started off the events for me. Without much experience on the outdoor track, gear selection was a big guesstimate. I qualified in 2^nd place, with less than half a second from Jupha. Nonetheless, the Finals didn’t quite go as I’d expected - I couldn’t spin the smaller gear quick enough in the tailwind section – leaving me settling for the Silver medal. Later that afternoon, I managed a Bronze in the Scratch race. Thanks to one of Malaysia’s top sprinters Josiah Ng, we managed to get a bigger crowd on the last day, together with pumping music and an emcee. That sure got the adrenaline fired up for the Points Score that morning! Sitting down with Simon to go through the race recording of the mistakes in the GP race a few days prior was a great learning experience for today’s race. Together with Jupha, we took a total of 3 laps on the field!! I did try every trick under my sleeve to get over the top of Jupha, a former track sprinter, for sprint points. A good try, but I did end up settling for 2^nd place. I was happy nonetheless, and it was a great experience to be working with Jupha in taking the laps – hopefully in many more races to come. 2 Silvers and 1 Bronze – it has been a successful Nationals!

Jupha, Lauretta Eva and myself 

On the KL velodrome

Sprinting against Jupha in the Point Score (Photo by Baikbike.com)

Hand in hand with Jupha (Photo by Cycling Malaysia Magazine)

Track medal and winnings

Day after it was back onto the road bike – the Road Nationals were to be held a week after! It was great to have the opportunity to partake in the new Sentul Race Series ITT that weekend. Fully closed roads in the heart of KL city – 25km race – awesome! A great way to get the road legs fired up again and test out the TT gear in the lead up to the nationals the weekend after. The form and strength was building up nicely till the Wednesday, when unfortunately, a touch of wheels by a rider on a training ride sent a number of us tumbling down. I flew over the top and crashed hard on my face – taking lots of skin off – face, elbow and shoulder. The next day was agony with the road rash and swollen eye, and the pain-killers made me very sick in the guts. Nonetheless, I was lucky to bounce back quickly! My legs had somehow escaped unscathed. Together with my parents and coach Simon, we made the long drive up to the northern state of Perlis on the Friday. There were certainly lots of stares at rest-stops along the way – well, it did look liked I was punched in the face! But I was determined to start the race the next day.

Glasses were wrecked :(

Face plant!!

A little sluggish start to the 132km road race, a 6x 22km circuit, but I soon got the legs going after the first lap. There were many girls from the other states whom I’d never met before, and I wasn’t quite sure of their strengths. An early break of about 7 riders got away, but we managed to bring them back about halfway through. It was then that news spread – a solo rider had gotten a 2 minute break on the peloton! As the km’s ticked down, I joined my training partners to work the break back. A few small groups did get away, but they were all quickly swallowed by the peloton. There was clearly a lot of team tactics going on, and the pace would surge and back off, surge and back off. I attempted a couple of breaks, but to no avail. I was lacking that extra ‘zipp’ that day, and was clearly a very marked rider. With a lap to go, attacks and counter-attacks by Maziyaton and myself, and we managed to split the field to 10 riders. With a couple of km’s to go, we spotted the breakaway rider. We tried pulling the break back, but was constantly blocked by the breakaway’s team mates. No one really wanted to burn out too many biscuits! And the rider only had 10s ahead!! It eventually came down to a bunch sprint for second place, and I managed 5^th!!! From barely being sure whether I could start after the crash, I was happy with the result.

At the start line of the Road Race

With my parents and coach after the road race

It was certainly great to wrap up the month of racing against the top elite cyclists in the country with a National Title!! It’s been a successful month of racing – and I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to all that have helped and supported me along the way – my coach Simon Quick for all his guidance, coaching and tireless support at all the races over the past 1.5 years; parents for their support – it was their first time watching me race on the road, and it was awesome to have them there to share the moment; all the coaches, support crew and riders in Malaysia for the training rides with MSN, the Selangor team for looking after the race entries and logistics; coaches Darryl Perkins and Gary Hammond; SKCC for developing my passion in the sport; Northcote CC for the Thursday night racing environment to learn and race the track; Jason Nichols for the bike fits and inspiring words; Donatas Bludzis for keeping me in form; fellow cyclists, friends and family members for all your ongoing support.

Perseverance, drive and self-belief have paid off in my pursuit of my cycling goals. Nonetheless, this is only a small stepping stone in my journey as I continue to chase my ambitions and race at the international level. For now, it’s back to work and training.

ToSW - Yellow!

26-27 April 2013: The Tour of the South West. Word of advice from last year’s competitors – it’s windy. And it certainly was, in fact, way windier than I’d thought.

Surfing the wind in the TT (Photo by Jo Upton) 

 Stage 1 – 68km Road Race – Brekkie up my throat, trust your instincts  

It was a mad scramble to make it to the 8am race start – and the howling wind had already swallowed my number plate off the roof rack before we started. A smaller field of 15 women in B grade took the start line and from the gun, we were already battling the wind. The dominant HCC crew were leading out as we approached the first QOM – a 700m 3.8% climb. Both the known climbers – Verita (Total Rush) and Liz Douel (WCC) pushed the pace, but were taken aback by the unexpected head wind up the climb. Instinctively, I clicked into the big dog and did a seated effort, leaving the sprint to the very last minute. I had just managed to take the first QOM points – and boy, I could feel my breakfast already halfway up my throat!! The next section was a block head wind, followed by a strong cross-wind. Coming into the first sprint points, Maartje (SKCC) pulled out a monster sprint, and convincingly took out the first sprint points. 

The next 3 laps – attack, attack, attack. Both Meg Marsh (HCC) and Caroline Phillips (Southern Masters) put in some really strong attacks in the cross-winds sections, nonetheless, the field was quick to react, and nothing really stuck. I tried driving the pace in the gutter, same thing – nothing strong enough to break the field.  And it was getting windier and windier too! Same strategy up the QOM, and managed to take out the polka dot jersey – awesome! On each sprint point, Maartje seemed to be getting quicker and quicker, with each winning gap growing convincingly bigger.

Last lap. 5km to go. Meg was driving the pace up front. Finding shelter was almost impossible, and trying to hold our bikes upright with the cross winds was half the battle. A sudden gust of wind nearly took my front wheel out, and I’d just managed to hold it up. 500m to go as we approached the slight uphill to the finish line. 350m to go – it’s insane to go such a long way out – “trust your instincts” -  but this was the only way I could beat a faster sprinter – now or never.  I kicked hard into the wind. Drove as hard as I could for the line. I pumped my fist - I’d just won Stage 1!!

Meg driving the bunch on Stage 1 (Photo by Jo Upton) 

Pumped to win Stage 1 (Photo by Michael Mcritchie) 

 Stage 2 – 12.7km ITT – Don’t fight the bike

Yellow. I’ve let this slip away before – I wanted this bad. But this was all going to come down to the time trial. I’ve always seemed to hit a rut in races against the clock – pursuits, prologue, time trials – just couldn’t seem to get it. Further, I was up against some very well-known TT riders in the field.

I’d spent ages the night before messing around with the new bike. Getting the brakes to work, making sure the gears worked, trying to fit the wheel in, tightening up the lose headset. No mechanical support unfortunately. Lucky Kosdown TT gurus Shane Miller and Stephen Lane were in the room to offer advice! In my haste to get to the start line, I’d forgotten my TT helmet. Haven’t quite mastered the art of perfection yet.  Bugger. Luckily James Pane came to the rescue and offered me his.

Warm-up done. From the gun, it was a block cross-wind. I quickly revved up to speed. “Don’t go too hard at the start, don’t push too big a gear!” I focused on getting into my TT HR zone and settled into a nice cadence. The cross wind was strong, attempting to menacingly throw me off the bike.  I tucked my head lower. I could see the front-markers in the distance. “Don’t fight the bike!” And as I started to ‘relax’ the shoulders a little, going with the wind, focusing every bit of energy into the legs – it started to fall into place.  The speed on the Garmin kept increasing – I was surfing the wind!!

Unlike previous TT’s where I would be so consumed about trying to catch the riders in front, today it didn’t matter. It was just me, and the bike, and the road ahead. Nothing else. Every time I felt myself tensing, I’d loosen up and bring the focus to just keeping the cadence up. I’d made a big mistake in the block headwind section up the hill. The gear was way too big. I should have changed into the small ring earlier on. Hill done, lucky I didn’t blow the legs, I was nearly home.

The results didn’t come out till the next morning. I wasn’t sure how I had gone. 19.57. I had pulled something out way beyond expectations – I had cracked the TT rut! A win – and I was absolutely stoked!! 

Focus.. (Photo by Michael McRitchie)

Stage 3 – Hang on

Still buzzing from the day before’s result, all I had to do was hold on to the time lead. Racing a crit around a cemetery was kinda spooky. The wet roads from the morning’s rain made for a very fast course, and a nasty 7.5% hill in the middle was going to make for some interesting racing.

A couple of mini attacks up the hill, though a block headwind up the top meant nothing really stuck. I was content with holding on to GC position, and with the fast descent, tried to stay near the front to avoid any mishaps. Intermediate sprint #1 and Maartje won that easy. It was easy to settle into a rhythm – exactly like the hill reps at training – and the 30mins flew by real quick. Before I realised, it was bell lap!

Liz Douel put in a very strong attack up the climb, with Maartje straight onto her wheel. I followed suit, pulling Nina along with me. We managed to get a break before the fast descend, and Liz was still on the front, determined to pull all the way through. Maartje got the jump out of the last corner, and was way too quick for any of us, taking the win with a convincing sprint! I rolled in 2^nd place, with Nina in 3^rd.

I was absolutely stoked to finally wear a Yellow jersey! And a Polka Dot jersey – totally unexpected! After a long run of second places last year – I’ve been training hard on both climbing and time-trialling – the two weaknesses that’s now finally started to reap results at a tour. A great confidence booster to keep training and improving – it’s still a long road ahead to continue achieving my dreams.

GC podium with Carolyn and Liz. 

Yellow Jersey!

Went with the 1 jersey I own, came back with 4 , and a whole heap of nail polish too! :) 

 Huge congratulations to the other podium winners Carolyn Phillips, Liz Doueal, Meg Marsh and Manuela Marasco, and Sprint Jersey winner Maartje Munsterman,  who all raced very strongly throughout the weekend. And to the other women who each made it a great weekend of racing. I was certainly impressed at the organisation of the tour – and to have the sponsors themselves presenting to the winners. The success on the weekend wouldn’t have been without the help of many who helped me focus on racing namely – Gavin Bryant who drove me to and from the race, Ben Pascall and Emma Pane for their support on the weekend, and James Pane for coming to the rescue with his TT helmet. Thanks to Cycling Victoria and the volunteers for the organisation, photographers Jo Upton and Michael McRitchie for capturing the moments (check out Jo’s photo’s here and Michael's site here), and my coach, Simon Quick for all his patience in training to get me here.

A couple more weeks of training, and it’s back to Malaysia to race for the first time! Can’t wait!!!