A win..and learning the craft..

Sunday 16 Oct: A week off the local SKCC club crits led me in search for a race alternative – Glenvale crits hosted by Carnegie Caufield CC. The 25k commute was a nice warm up, especially with a strong tail-wind all the way out.

I rocked up nice and early, bid a few of my training mates g’day and proceeded to sign up at rego. I was a little nervous from not having raced that course before, though the pre-race recce sure helped as I start to become aware of the small, yet important course details as I mature through the sport.

I proceeded to sign up for Men’s D grade (knowing mates who ride faster than me in there), but was told I could not as the records showed that I had previously won a B grade men’s crit. What the??  This handicapping dilemma has happened a few times now. Not sure what all the clubs have going on with the cycling records. Enough said. A small negotiation followed, and I ended up settling to ride in Men’s C, which meant having to wait around for another hour plus.

The icy bay winds made for a long and teeth-chattering wait having not brought enough clothes. Warm up wasted, oh well. Settled down for a coffee, got chatting with a few friends and cheered my mates who were racing in B and D from the sidelines. Once they had finished, I immediately proceeded to warm up the cold muscles again. And the rain came – a massive downpour enough to soak you to the bones. Oh no. Had all fingers and toes crossed that they wouldn’t call the race off as we huddled under the shelter. It came, and it went. A 10min delay, Mr Sun came out and it was race time!

Focused (Photo by Michael Eaddy)

 A fairly big group with 35 starters. Again, with the wet course, I had no idea exactly how long we were racing for. As I looked around, I spotted 3 other women in the group – all with the bright pink headbands on their helmets - today’s goal will be a race against them – CCCC awarded the first 2 women home. And off we went.

With the wet course, everyone was a little cautious at the start, but things immediately got moving after the 2^nd lap. I set on to chase down any pink headband riders who were in front of me. 3 of us women were constantly jockeying for bunch position - often appearing one if front of the other. I spotted an early break by a few of the men go – but decided against attempting to follow with none of the girls on the break. The pace immediately pushed higher as the bunch worked to reel the break back in.

As the clock ticked down, it was only myself and 1 other girl racing it out. With the bunch getting tighter and tighter, and at times riding single file, things were really starting to hot up. About 5 laps to go – another surge in the pace. By this time, 2 men had already broken away and the men were racing for 3^rd place. I caught onto a swarm and really had no idea where I was in relation to the other women. Focus. Just focus on what was going on in front.

Digging hard (Photo by Michael Eaddy)

Bell lap. Riders were beginning to jostle for a front position on the last corner. Another surge in pace. Not long to go – hang on. Out of the last corner, I dug in hard and sprinted – trying to find whatever empty space there was to the line. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted another pink band sprinting and closing in fast on the other side of the road. We were head to head. Few more meters – come on! I was absolutely committed to the finish, gave it all I had – saw the line – and thrusted my bike forward. Yes!! I had won the women’s race!

1st woman across the line, finished somewhere in the top 10 – I was absolutely pumped. Racing amongst that bunch was a great eye-opener and a good learning experience. Despite the wet roads, this was my first race where everyone held their lines well in such a big bunch. It was also definitely great learning to be part of the peloton and watch the race-craft of the other stronger and more experienced sprinters.

Win #1 of the season – that sweet feeling and a great confidence booster! Thanks James for a new pair of BikeNow knicks, and Leon for a tub of Sukkie ‘lemon crush’ race fuel.  Keep racing, keep learning and keep riding.

1st envelope of the new season. (Photo by Nic Hamley) 

It's all in the saddle..

The more miles I've been putting into the bike - and the niggles were starting up again. First my back, then my knee, and the worse bit - saddle sores. Eek! Like any endurance sport, the more miles you put in, that's when you start noticing those annoying pain. Leave them for too long and pretty soon you'll realise you're down with an injury and have to take time off. With the summer racing season around the corner, I needed a solution - and a quick one too. 


Being a big believer of getting the right fit on the bike, I kept on asking my coach if I looked alright on the bike. Everything looked fine - stem length was right, seat height was right, fore/aft distance was right, cleats were in the right position- but those niggles were a constant nag. I didn't want to sound too whiney, but yet it was a constant bother. And with the increased number of miles on my new training program - it was a love hate relationship with my bike. 

"Specialized test saddles" (got mine from BikeNow)

Well the saddle sores were a sign - and I knew it had something to do with the saddle. I had read on the internet once how the wrong saddle could be a cause for back pain as well. With the new Specialized test saddles in store at BikeNow, manager James Storer soon got me onto an ass-o-meter to find the right width saddle. 


The cool thing about the test saddles were that they had the standard sizes printed up the top - 130cm, 143 cm and 155 cm.  And within each size, there were various different types of saddles too - some with longer noses, some with more gel padding, and some which were a lot more racier. Once I had the correct width sorted out, I started testing out the saddles one after another. The knee pain and back pain immediately went away!! Brilliant! Now it was about finding the most comfortable one. With my racing, I spend a lot of my time in the drops and hence the nose length and width mattered a lot too. After a couple of weeks of trying -I've finally found my perfect one!  And just like that, with a snap of the fingers, my longer rides were a lot more nicer and a lot more fun too. 


Finding the right saddle is like finding the perfect running shoe. My perfect running shoe may not be your perfect one. I've got really flat feet, whereas you might have a really high arch. Just like shoes, you can't really read reviews about saddles and randomly pick one. Ok, sometimes you might be lucky - especially if you're a guy as a lot of saddles are catered to the boys. The first thing that riders normally question is their bike fit, but very rarely is the correct fitting saddle a point of contention. If the saddle is somewhat comfortable, most riders would settle for it - and it isn't till the long rides that the niggles become an issue. 


Well, I certainly learnt a number of things throughout this process: did you know that a saddle too narrow can force you to lean onto one side and aggrevate one knee? or not support your pelvis and start pushing on pressure points that cause back pain? or a nose too wide that starts causing chafing around those important bits? 


Different brands would work for different riders and just like runners, every rider would have their favourite saddle brand and type. It's cool that Specialized do test saddles with the try before you buy approach. Just like walking into a shoe store and trying out a pair of runners. And certainly, the guys at BikeNow for being ever so patient in helping me get the right fit. So if you're going through that finding the right saddle for your bike, I'd certainly recommend trying out one of those test saddles. It's certainly made a world of difference for me - I used to dread those long training rides, but definitely looking forward to the 100-k-er this weekend! 

Muddy spray..

Sun 9 Oct: Woke up to overnight rain and wet roads. Rain had stopped. Good - that meant the crits were still on. 


Women's A Grade - 12 starters today. Though we did have Aus's 2008 ITT champ Bridie O'Donnell who had been riding in the pro peloton in Europe amongst the mix today. Cool! The wet roads meant the corners were a little sketchy and there was crap all over the ground.  


About a third way through a break managed to form. Soon 3 riders were in the 10s break. The peloton constantly kept them in sight and held pace, no one wanting to bridge just yet. Nevertheless, our bunch kept on shrinking with one after another dropping off from flat tyres. 


Just as we were settling into a rhythm to start chasing down the break, a crash happened in the other grade, and we were put on neutral for 1 lap. But the group of riders in the break did not slow down! Within half a lap, the gap had grown to 30s, and we lost sight of the riders in front. The race for a place was pretty much over then - and it was soon a race amongst ourselves. 


Last lap - I took the lead and pulled the bunch. Out of the final corner, did a semi-sprint to the finish line - a race for a place was no longer in contention and I was keen to save my legs for the next race. Finished 2nd in the bunch. Oh well, got to learn to spot the breaks next time. 

"Concentration..." (Photo by Marisa Farrell) 

"Working hard to bridge" (Photo by Marisa Farrell)

Men's D grade - must have been about 40 riders. It had started pissing down again, meaning the roads were now even wetter. They decided to let us ride around on neutral till it was safe to bring it up to race pace. 15 minutes of neutral riding - the rain eventually stopped - we were brought to a halt and real racing begun. 


From the go - the pace was high. It was almost like everyone had that inner kid in them wanting to break lose. With lots of water still on the road, everyone was braking before the corners. Argh - it was so annoying! Brake - chase - brake - chase. 


With the neutral riding, I had no idea how long we were racing for. The commisaire wasn't sure at the start either. As one point, one guy with a bike 4 sizes bigger tried to push me off the wheel I was on - his handlebars ended up hooking onto my arm. Bugger. I held firm and pushed back. I wasn't to let that wheel go. No bullying mate! 


Didn't see the 3 laps to go sign and before I knew it, the final lap bell rung. Oh crap, I had just lost a couple of spots with one rider blowing up in front of me. I tried as best as I could to make up the lost spots, but with the race pace gone up significantly, could not quite get near the front going into the final corner. Finished about 10 or so. 


With the wet roads, it made for a somewhat sketchy day of racing - though good fun nonetheless. Mud and spray all over - it certainly looked like I had just been back from mountain biking. A flat on my tubulars meant I had to walk the final k home. Eek! Some sealant by BikeNow mechanic did the trick and won't need new tyres just yet.  Cleaned my bike for the 2nd time in 2 days - hopefully this spring rain goes away soon! 

Aaaaaa...drenaline...

Sunday 2 Oct: First criterium race of the new summer season!! Been patiently waiting for the crits all winter  - and it's finally here. After a horrendous Melbourne weather week, we had nothing better but blue skies and sunshine to kick off the racing season. 

"My first race amongst the A grade women" (Photo by Marisa Farrell)

A recent win on the road meant it was finally time to make the move up to Women's A Grade. 45min + 3 laps. Went about my usual warm-up, a few words of advice from the coach, and pretty soon I was lined up amongst the fairly huge group of 20 starters. BikeForce, Prime Estate and SKCC Race Team were the few dominant teams there  - I was a little nervous just looking around the field. Breath. 

"Focus!" (Photo by Robbie Moore) 

The race kicked off and I was soon sitting amongst the peloton. 10 mins in - the attacks started being launched by those in the teams. Every couple of minutes someone would attempt a break. It was almost like sitting in a car of an L-plater - accelerate, slow, accelerate, slow. With some decent headwinds on the course, the attacks weren't going to last - just sit tight.  Today was about learning to recognise the riders of the peloton - picking out their strengths - learning who the sprinters were, who the domestiques were. Knowing who your competitors are definitely goes a long way. 


 Beep..beep. I heard my timer go off. 3 laps to go. The pace started picking up. 2 more attempted attacks. Patience. Patience. I started making my way up to the front of the field. 2 laps to go - swamped. Lost my position up the front. Bell lap. Managed to creep up to the front of the peloton. Round the last bend before the final corner, Prime Estate lead out went with sprinter Nicole Whitburn. BikeForce chick tailing them. (Note to self: Gotta start learning some names soon). Boxed in. Crap. They already had 2 bike lengths gap. Saw a space and jumped. Out of the final corner, I stood up and sprinted. Too late. Managed to close it down to 1 bike length settling in for 4th/5th position. (probably needed a photo finish but they only paid down to 3rd anyways.) Top 5 placing in my first race up a grade - stoked!!! 

"Racing amongst the men" (Photo by Marisa Farrell)

Adrenaline still pumping, a few lessons learnt from the earlier race - I was onto race number 2 for the day - men's D Grade. I hurriedly signed up, grabbed 2 snake lollies from the rego desk and was soon lined up ready to go. 37 starters. A much bigger field. 40 mins + 3 laps. The field was a little strung out at the start, with the riders not really sure what to do. Riders were jittery with that being the first crit of the season. We had riders trying to overtake on the inside of the corners. One guy who did that even screamed  - "Give me a chance!" Suicide attempt I call it. Nervy peloton - best stay up the front, and focus!! 


10mins + 3 laps. I was really starting to tire. My sinuses had started to play up again from the hayfever. Should have had some energy food during the break. Running out of fuel. 2 riders jumped and went for the break eventually managing to gain about 1/3 lap from us. I spotted fella BikeNow compatriot Tommy Weereratne coming on the outside and immediately jumped on his wheel to chase them down. He was pushing the pace really high - I dug hard, and hung on. We caught them. Great chasing Tommy!! "Keep left!" "Keep left!" We heard the dreaded sound of the marshals telling us to keep left and slow down to let the B-graders lap us. The bunch immediate caught on and swamped us. 


2 laps to go. Someone in front of me swerve. Sitting tight on his wheel I followed. Guy behind me clipped my wheel. Arggh. I stayed up. "No crossing wheels!!" someone shouted. "Thank you!!" No crashes. Phew. 1 lap to go. Not much left in the legs. Dug hard. 2 guys went off - I had nothing left in me to chase. Needed fuel. Out of the final corner - I tried a sprint. Finished somewhere in the top 10 - 7th I think. 


Great racing overall and I was happy with the season opener. Lot of learning - tonnes of adrenaline! Am already hungry for the next win. Time to train hard and build on the experience. 

Discovering..

Tues 27th Sept: A couple of weekends off racing - a little breather to focus on the training has been great. An awesome new coach, new training program - I'm just loving this sport more and more each day. Constantly learning new things, constantly being inspired by other great cyclists in the sport, constantly discovering more about myself as a cyclist, and constantly becoming more in-sync with my bike.  Off late, been discovering heaps of amazing rides across the other side of town too, which certainly is a nice change of scenery from good ol' Beach Road.

A Sunday morning ride to Sugarloaf Reservoir, Christmas Hills  - amazing scenery.

Oh..and finally I've my very own track bike! Finally time to say good-bye to the trusty old hired fixies.  Had my first spin last week and it certainly was a whole world of difference to be finally riding my own bike. Still working out a couple of adjustments and trying to get the perfect setup. A millimeter difference certainly makes a huge change to how comfortable I can get on the bike. Learning to be a track cyclist has been a whole new challenge too - from learning about gear ratios, to fixing chainrings, turning wheels over and changing sprockets to learning how to ride the track, where to dive down, when to stand up and finding the optimal cadence. 

Bumble Bee - my new track bike with a test saddle on.

 Each session be it on the road or on the track has been an exciting new discovery. It no longer is just about riding along or just training hard - but it's become a whole new discovery curve and am enjoying every session on the bike. Not just the riding, but the new cycling friends I meet each day, the old cycling war stories that never fail to amaze me, the cycling books, videos and websites that I've come to discover, the various advice I learn from the different riders with tonnes of experience in the sport - each one of it is a journey of discovery. And I'm certainly lovin' every minute of it. 

Well, training aside - definitely looking forward to getting back to racing this weekend. One full road racing season done - looking forward to my first full season of criterium racing - the SKCC summer crits are back in town!! 





 

That sweet feeling: Get out of da Saddle!

Saturday 10 Sept: Hawthorn Trophy Race at South Gisborne circuit. The last road race for the season on the calendar for me. I had yet to win a women's race. One more chance this season. Gotta give it my best shot.


Somehow, I was feeling relaxed and confident that day. A couple days of taper meant the legs were feeling fresh - really fresh. I had raced that circuit earlier in July after a holiday - ended up getting dropped a couple of laps into the race on the climb. Ah yes, that dreaded 1.1km 5.6% climb. Just seems to go on for ages. And multiple repeats. Nah - no negative thoughts today. I've stuck to the training throughout winter - I'm going to finish strong today. Going to get to the bunch sprint.  Just gotta focus. 

Rolling out of the startline on neutral lap (Photo by Shane Miller)

With the starting line filled mainly by the SKCC chicks and most of us knowing each other, it was a pretty fun atmosphere at the start line. The first 4ks including the climb were neutral  - and with a strong wind that day - everyone started rolling turns and working together. Having now  done a few road races, I used that opportunity to work out the best line to take on each section of the course. 


And so 7 laps of the 8.5km circuit. 7 hill climbs. The race started out at an easy pace, and as soon as everyone got into the rhythm, we started rolling turns. Nearly everyone played a part in keeping the turns smooth. 


The 1.5km 3.4% descend was one word - fun! I took off from the peloton on each descend - crouching fully into the aero position, no energy wasted - zooming down the road - feeling the rush of adrenaline from the cold wind on each one of them. And after each one, I sat up - had some drink or some food to eat and waited till the peloton rolled close. With the strong winds - today wasn't one to attempt a breakaway. I'd pull turns up the front, push the pace just a little higher each time I was up there - but held back on attacks that were going to deplete my energy.  I wanted that bunch sprint - really wanted to get to the end. 

Somehow the hill today wasn't as bad as it seemed a few months ago. In recent months, I had discovered a climbing technique that best suited my riding style - and found I could continuously spin the pedals over. Rather than thinking 'oh crap, not another climb' - I was relaxed today - and thought 'i've been training hard on climbs, it's just like riding a heavier gear.' Unlike previous races where I would be hanging out the back, with a cross-wind, I actually found it easier riding up the front and pulling the peloton on each climb. Funnily enough, it actually felt better setting the pace. 

Lap after lap after lap. These sorts of races are both physically and mentally draining. Doing the same loop over and over again was good in that I could tell where the best lines were - at the same time, it was long enough that I really had to be absolutely focused to stay in the race. 2 laps to go - time for some final fuel before the finish. I needed all the energy I could get for a power sprint finish. 


Final lap - legs were still feeling good. I tried to attack. Attack once, attack twice, and a third time. Could not quite get a break. 'Patience, patience - save it till the end!' 5ks to go - the last climb of the day before the finish. Someone else took the lead on the climb and started to push the pace up. I immediately jumped on - and was 3rd wheel down. We managed a small break. I was starting to breathe hard. HR was starting to race. Hmm...shouldn't have attacked too much earlier on.  'Just relax - don't tense up- put all that energy into the legs.' I tried as best to focus on spinning over the pedals, and relaxing my breathing - and held on to the break.


Just before the peak, I caught a glimpse of the finish line a few hundred metres ahaed. With every ounce of energy I had left, I got out of the saddle and jumped. I managed to just kick away from the 2 riders I was with and sprinted for the finish. The lactic acid had built up so quickly that I had to momentarily sit down. In between the hard breathing and my mates cheering on the sideline,  I could almost picture my track coach yell 'Get out of the saddle!!" I saw the line. With one last kick, I stood up again and gave it everything I had. 


And finally - the past few months of training - I have been waiting for this one moment.  That sweet feeling of victory of finally being the first across the line. Finally achieved the goal I'd set out for this season. Finally.


With the rest of the podium winners after the race

Setting goals are definitely important. Work, sport, life, study - whatever it is. Realistic goals, well-defined goals- yet ones that will push you that one bit further. Along the way there will be falls.  But yet, it is to stand up each time, learn from each one of them - and continue believing, continue thriving. And when you finally achieve them - there's nothing sweeter than that feeling of winning. And so a milestone finally set- a goal achieved. A new one's already lurking in the air. I'm already dreaming of that finish. It's time to start training - and continue believing.

Sprint!

Sat 20 Aug: Sun-filled weekends are starting to fill the air - spring and summer's nearly here - for club racing in Aus, well that means criterium season's just around the corner!! Mention crits - and there's almost a sparkle in my eye, a grin across my face. Big pelotons, tight corners, multiple laps, bunch sprints -it's fast, and there's heaps of adrenaline!!

As soon as I heard Blackburn Club was organising a Women's Grade crit out at Casey Fields, a purpose built criterium course, I jumped at the chance to race. Traffic was heavier than expected, and I only ended up managing a 1 lap warm-up. Corners were long on this course - meaning having to soft pedal through some, and the head wind out the back straight wasn't welcomed either. 

  

The race started out at a fairly decent pace - a few attacks were launched but the bunch always managed to pull them back. With everyone holding their lines well, it made for a good race. It was tempting to attempt a few attacks, but knowing I didn't have much of a warm up, the leg muscles probably wouldn't welcome those jumps. Ok, sit tight. 

35 mins. 2 more laps to go. Focus. HR was starting to race. The long laps were really testing my patience. Final lap. I got up near the front. Ready to go any moment. Out of the last corner, I stood up and sprinted. Oh no - way too late. I was already over-revving and didn't even have time to click into my sprint gear. 4th place. Not too bad for a first time on the course 

Being chased down (Photo by StillWatersPhotography)

The excitement had already started to build up, and I was keen to have another crack. The men were starting right after us - I quickly popped down a few lollies and off I was on another race. This time round, I was already well warmed-up and decided to throw in some attacks. And so attack after attack after attack. Someone would go off the front - I would chase and attempt a 2-man break. There was one break where I went off with a young kid - we ended up working together for about 2 laps before being brought back by the bunch. Good on those kids with restricted gears - gosh, they would be flying if they had the same gearing as we did.

Last lap - position - focus on the wheel in front. Out of the last corner, I was already in a full blown sprint. 50m from the line - didn't realise a rider had gone earlier. Battling for 2nd place. Someone swerved - my front wheel fliipped 30deg - lucky I managed to yank it back upright. Phew. Ended up 3rd place - and I was on a total adrenaline high.

2 races back to back - 2 places - maybe I would have needed 2 more races to place 2nd and 1st. =)

Been slowly building up the engine - and now it's about building up the experience. Different races, different tactics, different riders - each and every race has their moments, their excitement, their learning experience.

Can't wait for summer crit racing!! 

Winners are grinners (L-R: James Dunn (Canard), myself, Michael Holder (MelbUni))