2014 Mansfield Crit/ Mt Buller Road Race - Bugged out…

Since the SEA Games last December, the past few months have been about building up the basic blocks again. Back to the reality of a full-time job as a banker whilst juggling training on the bike and everything else in between.

January saw me racing the IP at the Aus track nationals, which was a bit of disaster. Lesson #1 – never fly in on the morning of a mid-day race. February was the Tour of East Gippsland, which again, didn’t turn out to plan with 2 faulty bikes. Lesson #2 – no matter what, always check your bike(s) before leaving home! Despite the setbacks, the past couple of months has been about training and learning – trying new methods, seeing what works and what doesn’t, understanding my body better and fitting the jigsaw pieces of training together to become a better, stronger cyclist. Fast forward to March.  

My third edition of the Mansfield Crit/Mt Buller road race weekend. This race brings back memories. 2012 saw me absolutely devastated in tears – I had bonked so badly with 3ks to go that just keeping the bike upright was an absolute struggle, and almost the entire field rode past. 2013, I came back with even more determination, and surprised myself making it onto the podium of B Grade women.  Despite being in the midst of a heavy strength-training block, things were looking on an upward trajectory this year with training times faster than race times the year before.

Managed a little smile just before the top (Photo courtesy of Cycling Victoria and Jo Upton Photography) 

Enjoying the last of the summer a fortnight ago with Jacob

The weekend kicked off with a Saturday afternoon criterium in the middle of Mansfield. A T-shaped course with right-hand turns - a tricky little course. With only 11 starters, the first couple of laps were pretty non-eventful. A couple of mini-attacks were quickly shut down – a break on a course like that can mean the end of a race. I found myself yo-yoing back and forth through the field –my legs had no zip whatsoever and I was really struggling. The next big attack by Lizzie Williams a third of the way through was the major break – with Lauretta Hanson, Shannon Malseed and Verita Stewart joining her. I saw it coming, but somehow, had absolutely nothing to respond. I spent the next few laps chasing to no avail. It was soon the 4 in front, myself hanging in the middle, and a couple of girls further behind. Race over. I finished off the race for good measures rolling into 5^th place. Lauretta Hanson sprinted to a convincing win, followed closely by Lizzie Williams and Shannon Malseed wrapping up the podium. That evening, my throat was absolutely killing – and I was downing whatever mouthwash I could find. Uh oh..not a good sign.

We were greeted by a chilly 10 degree morning, a huge contrast to the 30 degree weather a fortnight ago. A good pre-race spin-out to get the legs warmed up before I hit the start line. 26 out of the 31 entrants lined the field of Women’s A Grade – a relatively big field this year. With a number of big teams in Bicycle Superstore, Total Rush and Bike-bug dominating the field, the race was fairly controlled from Mansfield to the Mirrimbah tollgate, the base of the 16km climb. Any attacks were immediately shut down ensuring that no one got a head start on the climb.

Once we hit the base, the mad scramble began, and I managed to make the first selection of 18 riders. The girls were riding at a good steady tempo, but my legs were starting to give way. We weren’t going that quick, but something just didn’t feel right. I glanced down at my Garmin – power numbers were way less than threshold, but like the day before, I had absolutely nothing. I yo-yoed off the back a couple of times, digging hard each time to get back on. I was certainly well fueled-up, but had no energy whatsoever. Within 3ks, I soon popped off the back. My race was over. I spotted Emma Scott a few metres up the road, and paced her the rest of the way. The groups of men that kept going past were good motivation to keep going. I eventually finished the race, a little over 6 minutes down from the winner Lizzie Williams.

I was obviously a little disappointed with the results, but there was nothing much more I could do with the illness that had hit me – which turned out to be a bad flu bug I had picked up from a couple of sick colleagues at work. A year ago I would have totally stressed over the lost of form and non-performance at a race, but over time, I have learnt to better manage situations like these, and view the weekend from a different perspective. The flu was unfortunate, but nonetheless, I had a good weekend away and enjoyed the racing. Thanks to Cycling Victoria, Mansfield Cycling Club, volunteers and friends for the support. It’s back to the training blocks for now - looking forward to the road season ahead!

Let's ride!!