NRS Mersey Valley Tour: At the mercy of mother nature

21-21 Apr 2012: 

The much anticipated weekend was finally here! Together with 4 of my SKCC/Giant team-mates, Heidi, Maddy, Marlena and Jussy; and team-manager Gaelene, we headed down to Davenport, Tasmania for the tour. Racing my first national road tour, and this race being my second tour since the northern combine club tour back in June last year – of course I was nervous. The week leading up to the tour, I had done as much homework as I could – studying the course profiles, asking questions of others who had raced there before, getting advice from my coach and DS, and of course, with the help of BikeNow, making sure that my bikes were race-ready and in tip-top condition.

Once settled into our accommodation on Friday, I headed out with team-mate Maddy to do a recce of the TT course and the first hill of Stage 2. We couldn’t help but realise how pretty the countryside and rolling hills of Tassie were – well, at least we had the opportunity to enjoy the sights today – it would be a whole different world of vision come race day!

The view of the bay from our balcony.  :) 

Love the country roads out in Tassie!

Day 1: 21 Apr 2012

Time Trial -15.3km  

The morning kicked off with Stage 1 of the tour – the Time Trial. It was an out and back course, and having done the recce the day before, I was feeling a little more at ease. From the word go, I quickly revved up the gears and tried to settle into a rhythm. With the slight headwind heading out, I was a little distracted and could not quite find the correct gear ratio with the climbing cassette I had on. Click up, click down, click up, click down… ah bugger it….just focus on the effort. Once I hit the turnaround point, I knew it was going to be a real tight one and made sure I didn’t end up in the gravel. The tail-wind coming back gave a little relief and this time I just focused on my cadence. The last 2 humps just before the finish were a pain, and I was surely glad to cross the line. I was fairly happy with my effort that day – there were certainly improvements from the TT at Kew Blvd the week prior. I knew there’s still heaps to improve on and will continue working on that 2:43 gap I had lost. Congrats to Rebecca Wiasak who won the stage in 22:21, managing to hit a max speed of 64.4kmh!!

Stage 2 – 58.3km

A persistent drizzle had started for the afternoon’s stage, though we were certainly lucky that it wasn’t too cold. Today’s stage was a 58km race from Forth to Moina, ending up a steep climb. We were constantly reminded to take extra care especially with the steep descend in the wet towards the later part of the race. After the first few neutral kilometres, riders began jostling for position up front as the first climb was 10ks in. I did not realise that we were allowed to use both sides of the road behind the lead vehicle – certainly something to take note for future races. As soon as we hit the first steep section, it was a flurry of gear changes, riders dodging other riders, and not to mention cusses flying around. It wasn’t long after before I had dropped off from the main peloton – thus spending the next couple of k’s puffing up the climb till the KOM. 

I was stuck in no man’s land, with 1 rider about 200m behind, and another 2 riders, one being my team-mate, about 100m ahead. Chase. I spent the next 6ks or so trying to chase down the 2 riders in front. The 100m seemed so close, yet, 1 vs 2 over the rolling hills in the rain made it pretty difficult, and the gap stayed constant. We eventually hit a flat section, and the 2 riders in front made a wrong turn to the right. Phew. As I rolled up to them, another 5 riders from the front bunch had made a wrong turn too and joined us, thus making 8 of us. We soon started working together rolling turns – though messy at times – it was certainly better than riding alone!

A sharp little pincher just before the downhill – and from there it was every rider for themselves. I took the downhill bit as fast as I could, passing a few riders on the way, in hope of gaining any time I would lose on the climb. The final 5.5km 8.8% climb was…..tough. By this stage, my legs were groaning – probably should have tried to stomach a little more fuel before the climb. As I slowly grinded my way up, I poured out any excess water I had carried for the stage in hopes of making my bike a little lighter. It was certainly a mental game on the climb. As riders passed me, my legs were numb unable to push the gear. And whenever I saw a rider in front within reach, I’d get totally fired up and my revs would increase as I overtook them. 3km to go…2 km to go…..and finally with 1km to go…something clicked, and the pain was no longer there. Instead of the slow grinding I was doing before, I could now spin the gear. Must have been the magnet of the finish line!!! I rolled in to the finish, glad to have completed the stage. It was certainly welcoming to see the rest of my team-mates there and Gaelene in all smiles, welcoming us in and glad to see that all of us had finished safely. I had no idea what had happened up the front, but congrats to Miranda Griffiths for winning the stage that day!

Day 2: 22 Apr 2012

Pre-race warm-up with team-mate Heidi (Photo by Nadine le Mescam) 

   

Before Stage 3 (Photo by Nadine le Mescam) 

Stage 3 – 92.6km

We awoke to a constant drizzle that morning. A quick check of the radar – and we would be expecting between 10-20mm of rain for the race!!! It was sure going to be one wet day on the bike. This morning’s stage was a 92.6km out and back course from Sheffield, with 2x of a 24km loop out at Kimberley. The course distance was also much longer than what I was used to. The first 21kms of the race was mostly flat, had short hills and filled with downhills. Perfect. Knowing that we were allowed to use both sides of the road, I tried to maintain my bunch position. Despite the rain, I was actually having fun and enjoying the race. The moment we turned right at Kimberley, the first sharp climb hit. With the wet roads, my back wheel slipped a couple of times. “Is my wheel punctured?” I heard someone asking. “Man, this hurts!” another one exclaimed. And like the day before, the race was broken up on the climb. A group of 12 or so riders soon formed up the front, and I was left in between with a number of riders trying to chase them down on the flatter sections. We soon got a group of about 6 riders working together – nevertheless a steep section just before the KOM tore us apart. 

It hurts... (Photo by  Nadine le Mescam ) 

After the KOM, I ended up working with one other U19 SA rider to chase the front group down. I had worked with her in the chasing bunch the day before and knew we would form a good duo. As we approached a sharp left hander after a descent, she unfortunately took the corner way too fast, screamed and came down hard. I managed to swerve just in the knick of time. Phew. With an event organiser on a motorbike and a van following us, I knew she would be in save hands and carried on, albeit a little shaken. I was now riding alone. I glanced back a few times to see if any of the others had caught on, but there was totally no one in sight. Only option – ride on. A number of k’s of chasing, taking extra care on the slippery corners, I soon caught up with one other rider. With her team car helping her out, we were paced for a few hundred metres. Nevertheless, I was starting to bonk and could not quite hang on. I eventually dropped back as I saw her make her way to the convoy at the back of the 2^nd chase bunch.  It was probably my biggest mistake that day not digging in that bit deeper where it mattered.

As the bunch started moving further and further, my chances were slipping slowly and painfully away. My only option now was to get some food into the system. I looked down on my computer – another 50km alone in no man’s land – it’s going to be a long day. I eventually made my way back to Kimberley for the 2^nd loop, and a corner marshall motioned for me to stop. “The bunch is about 8mins up the road, would you still like to ride or pull out?” he said. I saw a couple of boys who had pulled out standing beside him, but just the thought of a DNF wasn’t nice. “I’ll ride on unless the sag wagon comes along” I pipped. And so I made my way up the climb for the 2^nd time. Knowing what to expect this time round made things a whole lot better. Ended up having to stop twice to adjust my brakes which had started to rub, other than that, I just pushed on. Hills, rain, wind – nothing really bothered me at this point. Finally I made my way across the finish line – a little tired nonetheless, yet, glad that I had finished the race. Congrats to Lisa Jacobs for winning the stage and the tour overall!! 

Overall, I was glad to have finished my first NRS Tour. Racing against some of the strongest women currently racing on the road in Australia was an eye-opener and a great learning experience, and certainly provides the drive and motivation to train to be a stronger rider. Without doubt, this experience would not have been possible without the support of my team, sponsors and friends. Firstly, my team sponsors SKCC and Giant for providing the opportunity to race. And certainly BikeNow for always looking after all my bicycle needs and getting my bikes into top condition! And my coach, Simon Quick, who’s always there to provide the advice and support after each and every stage of the race. And last but not least, our team manager, Gaelene, who chauffeured us around, cooked for us, and looked after each one of us – having the support of a team manager at a race certainly made a difference!!  

One of the many awesome meals Gaelene cooked for us. :) 

For now, it’s time to set some new goals, and back to training!! :) 

A long delayed update!

27 March 2012: It’s been a physical and emotional rollercoaster month since the Vic Track Titles. Starting a road program has been…difficult to say the least. Trying to build up saddle time in between a full-time job, moving houses, studying for exams……certainly lots going on..

End of February – Some good form

Saw some pretty yuck cycling weather this week, though the training was starting to pay off with some form starting to show. I was training up for my first hill-climb race at Mt Buller mid-March, and was certainly looking forward to it.

Early March – Crashed!

A wet Sunday morning at the local SKCC crits. Didn’t feel like racing, but did what had to be done. Started off the crit – and with the wet roads and puddles all over the course, everyone was a little cautious. It must have been from a day off just resting, but was surprisingly feeling pretty good in the legs that morning. Ok, so maybe racing wasn’t such a bad idea. 3 laps to go…team-mate Jussy jumped…and I followed. We had 3 bike lengths on the field…and were going to try to Team Time Trial. 2^nd corner, Jussy took the corner too hard and slipped. Oh f@*$!!!! I was already in the corner and bang…flew straight over the top…and crashed hard. Collar-bone intact, some skin off the elbows and knees…

Next morning was…..one word…horrible. Got some xrays done…bruised ribs…shoulder bursa inflamed… 6 weeks to full recovery, sore all over. Legs were ok and the first thing I wanted to do was ride. Though REST was all I could do. Managed to get back on the bike 2 days later, though feeling every bump on the road in the ribs wasn’t nice.

First training ride up some hills the following weekend – that wasn’t going well either. The more I thought about the k’s I had to do, the sorrier I felt – and the more I was starting to have 2^nd thoughts about cycling.

Just before the crash...

17-18 March – Mansfield/Mt Buller

Mansfield Criterium and Mt Buller road race. Had re-commenced training the week before, got the ok from the physio to race though certainly needed the painkillers. Was surprising at how much form I had lost. It really makes me wonder how the pros at the TdF ride continue riding after they crash – those guys must be made of steel!

Crit was a technical hot-dog circuit – certainly a first. 3 u-turns, all right-handed turns. Was caught behind early in the race – a break went and I couldn’t quite manoeuvre my way through the bunch with the tight circuit. One by one, riders were dropping wheels…nooo….It was a break of 6 that got off the front – did a solo effort chasing them down. Just as I was about to catch them – the front 4 broke away. Already gasping for air I caught the 2 that were left behind – team-mate Marlena and fella HCC ride Liz Hall.

We worked hard together trying to chase the break down. The stronger group of 4 were making things real difficult. The gap eventually got to about 25s. Pretty soon, the more experienced Nic Whitburn and Amy Bradley broke away from the 2, leaving Lauretta Hanson and Claire Stevens for us to chase. Mark Hutchinson was yelling out the gap from the sidelines. 25s, 22s, 23s….18s. So near..yet so far. Each of us were starting to tire, yet I was soon getting the hang of the ‘in the saddle, out of the saddle’ course.  15s...come on!! That sparked a surge in adrenaline…..I dug even harder. 2 laps to go. Way too close…could we bring it together for a 3^rd place sprint?? Bell lap….I dug even deeper. We closed it down to a mere 4s….but alas, it was too late. Nic Whitburn sealed a comfortable win followed by Amy Bradley and Lauretta Hanson outsprinting Claire Stevens for 3^rd. It was certainly a great experience learning to ride on a technical circuit. I ended up with the pursuiters cough that night and spent the rest of the night unable to quite fall asleep.

Chasing the break... (Photo by Peta Stewart)

Final minutes of the race - working with Marlena and Liz to chase the break (Photo by Peta Stewart)

Woke up early the next morning – slightly nervous for my first mountain climb race. Having to line-up for an hour for my race number in the cold didn’t help either. It surely has been a while since my last road race. Not knowing quite what to expect, I had entered into the B grade field. Worked with some girls early on to drive the pace – though some negative racing was certainly felt by us up the front with a number of riders refusing to roll through.  

As soon as we hit the bottom of Mt Buller, the peloton split with 5 riders going off the front. I hung on for as long as I could, though the time-off the bike was certainly starting to show and it wasn’t long before I was dropped. One of the men from another grade was about 30m up the road – and I used that as a carrot to pull me up the mountain. About 7ks into the 20k climb, I was really starting to tire. Had a slight headache and legs weren’t feeling good either. Just push on..just push on. 13ks in, some friends who I had dropped earlier on rode past. We had now reached the flat section of the climb and I dug hard trying to catch them. The harder I dug, the worse I felt.

4ks to go..not long more. By this time, I was starting to pedal in squares – slowly making my way up. More riders rode pass. Ok, this doesn’t feel right. No matter what I tried, I just could not push hard. I was slowly but surely fading. 1k to go…more rider stomp pass. I just couldn’t pedal..I nearly cried.  My vision was starting to blur, my head was hurting…my legs…I couldn’t feel them.  Just don’t stop, don’t fall off the bike. I eventually made my way to the finish line. Saw the van, rolled over…barely making it, before I just collapsed on the ground. Head was spinning. I had completely bonked – absolutely emptied the tank. Certainly wasn’t a nice feeling. All that for a first mountain climb road race. I had forgotten about eating on the bike and didn’t quite drink enough. Well, that certainly was one experience I won’t be forgetting in a while.

24-25 March ­– Cykel and NAB Showmans Crit

A weekend of Criteriums. Saturday was the Finale of the Cykel Women’s Grand Prix series. My team SKCC/Giant was leading the points series, and we were looking for the win that day. Total Rush had fielded a strong team looking to take the series away from us.

First up, it was the prologue to split the riders into divisions. 1.75km loop around National Boulevard. I jumped off hard and quickly tried to rev the gear up. Hit the wind in the back straight – just push through. By the time I hit the front straight – I didn’t quite have much left and really struggled through the long straight. Each metre seemed to take ages. Results were soon announced – and I ended up just missing out on Division 1 with the rest of my team-mates. Certainly a reflection of the form I had at the moment. “Well, you have to win it now. Go for the intermediate sprint. And final sprint. No pressure mate!” said team director Stu Mckenzie. With Stu’s words ringing in my head, and having already blundered on the prologue, I certainly didn’t want to let him or the rest of the team down!

It was the Kosdown girls and the SKCC Red girls who drove the pace of the peloton that day. Each launching attacks and chasing each other down. It was about half way through when a crash happened at the back of the peloton – taking fella SKCC rider Caitlin Schneller down. Riding pass the crash site and seeing someone on the ground lap after lap certainly wasn’t nice at all. The whistle blew for intermediate sprint. Kosdown rider Beth Canny drove us through the front straight trying to set up their sprinter. Just wait, just wait. The pace was just backing off a tiny bit – I saw the spot I had had marked earlier and jumped. Head down, I drove for line…managing to get about 4-5 bike lengths and took home the intermediate sprint. That’s one for team! A little confidence booster and I was surely pumped with adrenaline now. Immediately after the sprint, the race was put on hold for the ambulance to clear the crash site. I immediately jumped on the rollers to spin out any lactic left in the legs.      

We were let off again with 6 laps to go. With 2 individual riders just controlling the pace up the front – I was starting to get jittery. Patience. Patience. No one really wanted to attack – it would have taken a really strong rider to break solo with the wind that day – and everyone was trying to get a spot up the front. Bell lap – I was in 6^th wheel – not quite where I wanted to be, but it was the best position I could get. Riders were really bunched up the front controlling the pace – each team wanting to set their sprinters up. Down the final straight, 2 riders in front, 1 on my right. I was getting jittery – starting to get boxed in. A gap in the gutter – just enough to get through. I jumped – a bit too early, had completely forgotten to click down into my sprint gear. I had committed – no turning back, just revved as fast as I could. Managed to seal the win – just in the knick of time, with Von Micich from Team Kosdown a mere 0.4s behind. Phew….that was lucky!! Maximum points I could get – job done. Now to wait for the rest of the team in Div 1.

Team-mates Madeleine Pape and Heid Buntrock managed 8^th and 9^th respectively in Div 1. Total Rush ended up winning the best team of the day. Nevertheless, we  managed to gather enough points to take out the overall series win! We were certainly in all smiles.

SKCC/Giant team after winning the Cykel Crit Series 

Early Sunday morning – it was off to Castlemaine for the NAB Showmans Crit. With the Victorian junior and masters titles on the same morning, I took the opportunity to watch some of my mates race and cheer them on. An easy road ride out to Harcourt certainly brought back some good old memories of my first road race a year ago – one which certainly was an eye-opener to road racing - looking forward to racing that course again end of May – hopefully much better this time round.

Seeing 2 professional Belgian riders on the start list of the afternoon crit was enough to get me all nervy as I patiently waited for my crit to start. It was pretty cool to have your name called out as we each individually rolled up to the start line.

The circuit proved to be a tricky one with a hill on one side and a long downhill on the other. Not long in, a break of 5 riders formed leaving about 8 of us in the bunch. With the much stronger riders off the front, we were left chasing them down. With lap after lap of the hill, riders in our bunch started dropping off as they begun to tire. The pace was gradually dropping and the break of 5 was slowly closing in to gain a lap on us. I attempted to lift the pace with a number breaks but could not quite get the bunch to work together. With not much form, I couldn’t quite go out solo either. 35 minutes in, the front beak soon lapped us and we were pulled off the course. The 5 in the break were then left battling for a position with the 2 Belgian girls eventually stealing the show.

Next up…

The past month has been a crazy rollercoaster ride. The ups and downs of being a cyclist, with a zillion other things going on off the bike, was certainly felt. The disappointments of losing, satisfaction of winning, standing up again after falling over – that’s just part and parcel of the sport. It’s getting colder and crit racing is almost over as we move into road racing now. Will be heading off to Bright this weekend – certainly looking forward to just focusing on cycling for the week!!  

Bright!!! =)

2012 Vic Club Teams Championships

Sunday 19^th Feb 2012: Victorian Club Teams Championships. With SKCC finally entering a squad for the first year thanks to both Ray and Marita Box’s hard work and perseverance, it was an exciting day for the club’s new trackies.

Having now done a few track championships, I was pretty relaxed going into the velodrome now knowing the routine. The look of excitement and nervousness on a couple of my team-mates’ faces who were racing their first championship certainly brought back good memories of my first race just a few months back - same like them – I was extremely nervous back then too. It certainly is amazing how that extra bit of experience goes a long way in building confidence.

Getting the bike ready... (Photo by Ray Box)  

The day kicked off with the team sprints. My first team sprint with my partner Kerrie Baumgartner, we were up against Carnegie Team 2. As first rider, I was leading us out from the gates. Right from the gun, I took off – and before I knew it I heard a crash behind me. Unable to adjust to the new race wheels, Kerrie misjudged the corner and came down. Lucky for us, it was nothing too major other than a little sore hip and a couple of scratches. We both immediately jumped back on our rollers to spin off for our second attempt.

Not being able to hear the MC from where I was, the next thing I knew, Kerrie was already being held up for our second attempt. I immediately grabbed my track bike and ran over to the start gate trying not to trip over my cleats on the way. With the earlier crash and the mad rush, I was certainly pumping with adrenaline then. I took off hard from the gates unintentionally dropping Kerrie behind in the first half of the lap. Nevertheless, she managed to chase me down before I saw Daryl Perkins screaming at me to swing up. Filled with excitement, I’d almost forgotten that I was only riding one lap – I’d just manage to swerve off in the knick of time! Kerrie took us home with our new PB of 40.43s – we had qualified second fastest out of the 4 teams for the gold-medal ride-off.

Kicking out of the gates with Daryl Perkins hot on our backs (Photo by Ray Box)

The gold medal ride-off against the state champions pair of Ziggy Callan and Adele Sylvester was never going to be an easy affair. Sprinting was their domain, but we were certainly keen to give it a crack. We managed to shave over another 200 hundreds of a second from our qualifying time, though the Carnegie pair did take home the championship comfortably beating us by 3.82s.

It certainly was great to wrap up the 2010/2011 track session with another silver medal in the bags. Overall, SKCC managed to take home 3 silvers and 2 gold medals –  indeed a pretty good effort for a young club on the track. For now, it’s time for the track bike to gather some dust and build on those road k’s. With the road season fast approaching, it’s certainly going to be an exciting couple of months ahead! 

On the podium (Photo from Cycling Victoria)

The SKCC track team in smiles with our medals

Don't you love 'em crits?

28/29 January 2011: A big weekend of racing on the calendar  - the big girls were now back from the TDU – it was sure going to be a hot, fast and exciting weekend of racing.

28 Jan – Cykel Crit Round 2

It was hot, hot, hot! Having missed Round 1 of the series, I was now riding for my new team SKCC/Giant. The goal for the day – gather points to maintain our lead on the team leaderboard.

With the thermometer reading 38deg by the time I arrived, I must admit I wasn’t feeling all that wrapped about racing in that heat. Nevertheless, with the music already starting to pump from the speakers, the chitter-chatter of the other girls, the organisers looking as pumped as ever – that certainly put a smile across my face. The theme "Be Strong, Be Brave, Be Brilliant" was certainly the right one to keep us all going. 

First up – prologue round the 2.28km course. Riders would be split into Division 1 and 2 for the crit based on their timing from the prologue. I just needed to ride a good enough time to qualify for Division 1. 5,4,3,2,1..go! I kicked off – and just like how I would on the track, I tried to get on top of the gear as quickly as possible. Once in the drops, I tried to make myself as aero as possible on my bike. Legs were really really feeling like a sack of potatoes today and as much as I tried, I just could not push the big gears. I hadn’t done a proper recovery after Thursday’s Madison and was really feeling the effects of the lactic today. I quickly clicked into a smaller gear and focused on a high cadence to pull me through the course. Using my 30s women as my carrot, I managed a time of 3:23.669. That put me in 15^th place – qualifying for Div 1. Job done, time for a rest and some food to keep me awake before the crit. Well done to Liz Hall from Hawthorn CC who clocked the fastest time of the day of 3:08.409 – a fantastic effort!!

After cheering for team-mate Jodie, it was now time for our race. My computer was clocking close to 42 degrees at this time and despite attempts at trying to ice down my jersey – it was still blistering hot. With nods of agreement from the peloton, the race time was brought down to 40mins + 3 laps – phew!

A couple of early attacks from the girls were quickly brought back in. I was caught napping and it wasn’t long before the first break succeeded with Jo Hogan, Nicole Whitburn, Kate Finegan and Katherine O’shea and Claire Stevens amongst the mix. The gap was just a stone’s throw – almost within reach – almost. Team-mate Clare Morgan made several attempts to bridge the gap, but with the wind and one of the Torq riders on her wheel, it wasn’t to be. Claire Stevens soon dropped back to the main bunch now leaving a break of 4 riders.

With the gap now starting to grow, team-mate Alison Raaymakers drove up the front to have a crack. It was my turn next, and I tried giving whatever I had to make the bridge. With legs still feeling like lead and spinning the little gears, I was really struggling and pulled off to let the next rider through. Amy Bradley from Total Rush was on my wheel – sweet - surely we could bridge if we tried. It wasn’t until I had dropped back into peloton before I realised – Jo Hogan who was in a different kit was racing for Total Rush too! Oh crap, I'd completely forgotten about the team tactics – the gap was now really stretched and it was almost impossible to bridge.

With the 4 girls already up the front, the peloton decided not to contest the intermediate sprint as points were only awarded for the top 4 riders. A quick chat with my team-mates and we knew there was really not much we could do but just hang in. Plan was now to get as high a position as possible in the final sprint to gather points for the team. With the searing heat, riders soon started dropping off.

3 laps to go – an attack was launched by one of the Torq riders and the bunch was quickly strung out. Not being able to push the bigger gears, I soon found myself at the back desperately trying to spin. Lucky team-mate Jussy was just behind and signalled for me to jump on the wheel – pulling me back into the main bunch. Thanks Jussy!! That certainly was too close to being dropped. Not long to go now. “Come one legs, spin, spin.. just don’t get dropped!”

With 1 lap remaining, one of the Torq riders succeeded at making a break to hold off the bunch for 5^th place. The pace lifted in the final 700m of the race – with riders now going for the minor placings. Adrenaline had now completely taken over and jumping onto a wheel, I caught a draft into the finishing straight. 200m to go – gotta jump – oh no, I was completely boxed in sitting on 3^rd wheel, and the riders on my right were leaning onto me in the final corner. Too late now – I gave whatever I had left in the tank and drove for the finish taking 10^th position overall.

Team-racing certainly throws a whole new ball curve bringing out different tactics, strategies and riding styles from the riders.  Certainly a great team’s race played by Total Rush and Torq that day – with Torq winning the best team of the day. Kate Finegan was the winner of the day, though Nicole Whitburn still secured the CycleCover leaders jersey of the series. My team SKCC/Giant managed to hold on to our top position on the leader’s board as the leading team of the series, with Hawthorn CC Gold hot on our wheels. It was certainly great to see so many women racing out there that day – and Cykel doing a tremendous job at supporting us.

Will post some photos soon but definitely looking forward to the next race at Bendigo on 12^th February!! For now – it’s off to the track in preparation for the Vic Club Teams Premiership and a super duper freezing cold ice bath!!

29 Jan – Neometro/Beller Women’s Feature Race

With a late night at the track, the 10.15am start was certainly welcoming. Managed to get a nice spin in the morning to flush out the remainder of the lactic and get some caffeine into the system. SKCC was hosting the Neometro/Beller Women’s Feature Race today – and it certainly was an entirely different atmosphere at the crits that morning!

There was some good money up for grabs and a massive field of 31 starters dominated the start line. The likes of Belinda Goss, Jenny McPherson, Emma Mackie, Bridie O’Donnell and VIS girls Jo Hogan and Chloe McConville were amongst the mix – standing amongst them was certainly enough to send tingles of excitement through my veins.

Ready amongst the women at the start (Photo by RobM)

1 neutral lap and we were soon off racing. The social chat amongst the bunch was soon shut down by lap 3 with a few early attacks which quickly brought the pace right up. Somewhere early on, one of the 2 VIS girls, I think it was Jo Hogan, took off the front managing to hold off the bunch on a solo effort before being brought in. From there on it was just dig in, sit tight and hang on. With many of the stronger women taking full control of the race today, it was certainly a great opportunity to sit amongst them and learn. Being on smaller bike, it was difficult to see anywhere pass 3 bike lengths in front behind the much taller girls. In a race like that, it was all about positioning and being alert – super alert.

Another attack would go off the front – the girls would leave the carrot dangling for a bit, before jumping on. The constant attacks saw the bunch size shrink bit by bit. Jo Hogan attempted another solo attack halfway through but the bunch soon brought her back. The funnel effect of the bunch on the course also saw some girls ending up dodging cones with no room to go – and at one stage, I’d almost gotten myself pinned against the barriers – lucky I had had that caffeine that morning to keep me on my toes!

Pure focus by the girls in the peloton (Photo by RobM)

It was getting towards the tail end of the race when Bridie launched an attack, splitting the bunch to pieces. Knowing her time-trialling skills – there was no time to think – I had to bridge the small gap, pulling a couple of the other girls behind me. I had only just regained my breath when at 3 to go, a late attack by the VIS girls forming a small break of 4 in front split the bunch again. The high pace saw the gap quickly grow to 6 bike lengths. At this stage, it was all or nothing – working together with Nicole Whitburn, we managed to bring them back. Phew. Now to just hang on for the sprint.

Bell lap – I managed to gain a couple of spots. Going into the final corner, I heard team-mate Maddy Pape zoom past on the right yelling to jump onto her wheel. This saw the 4 riders on my left immediately dive underneath to take the inside lane. This left a space in the middle – and I sprinted with whatever I had left in the tank. I ended up finishing in 6^th place. Congrats to Jenny Macpherson who took out the win that day. Full results here. 

The final sprint with Jenny taking out the win (Photo by RobM)

It was certainly another great learning curve that day – especially watching and learning the different tactics the different girls employed. I certainly enjoyed both days of racing – and it’s great to see organisers like Cykel and SKCC supporting us women in cycling. 

In all smiles (Photo by RobM)

Australia Day - My first Madison!

26 Jan 2012:  Sunny 24C – brilliant day to kick off Australia Day. A day off work – took the opportunity to get a training ride in with the new SKCC Women’s team in the morning. It was our first training ride as a new team together – got to know some of my new team-mates a little better and even managed to get some efforts in. A quick brekkie and team briefing before I scurried off to the Blackburn track for the Australia Day Madison race.

I wasn’t sure which grade I was in for the earlier support races and ended up missing my start. Got to have a quick spin in D Grade for the Scratch Race, though wasn’t allowed to claim any place. Next up was the Elimination race – I was in C Grade - stayed in a couple of laps before I ended up getting boxed right in and was soon eliminated. Nevertheless, I couldn’t quite focus on those earlier races – it was the afternoon race that I was looking forward to – the Madison!

When Simon first suggested racing with my team-mate Chloe Baggs earlier this month, I was absolutely stoked. I’ve always been inspired by the Manx Missile – and it was at the 2008 World Championships where Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins became world madison champions. I was certainly eager – well, till I rocked up for my first training session the Monday before! It was my first time on an outdoor track, and though the bankings weren’t as steep as the velodrome at DISC, it was a longer track and somewhat tougher riding on the concrete. Came to the Madison slings – and in a bunch of 7 riders x2 – boy, was it scary! Imagine riding in a bunch – I had to focus on the riders in front and their team-mates being slung in, find my partner to sling in, keep my bike from wobbling with one hand on the bar whilst slinging my partner in – a total hand-eye-legs co-ordination extravaganza.  A dozen or so practice slings in – I got the gist – still somewhat nervous – and fast forward back to race day.

Quickcycle Team - All ready with team-mate Chloe before the race (Photo by Tracy Baggs) 

With Chloe and I being the only women who had entered, we were mixed in with the boys in C grade. A few laps behind the motorbike, and as soon as the bike pulled out, the pace was on! 2 of the teams (Trigon and Dever) picked the pace right up from the start which split the bunch apart. A couple of early attacks were brought in up till the first intermediate sprint at Lap 10. Chloe slung me in for the sprint though we just missed out on points coming in 4^th. Nevertheless, having gained some momentum, I put the hammer down and managed to break off from the field immediately after the sprint. With the bunch now totally strung out – we attempted to gain a lap on the field.

Dever and Trigon boys hot on my wheels after attempting  a break  (Photo by James Moffat) 

We managed to hold on for a couple of laps with the Trigon and Dever boys hot on our wheels. Nevertheless, with that headwind up the back straight, Chloe and I were both quickly running out of steam and it wasn’t long before the boys overtook us. With 2 teams in front of us working together, and 3 teams in the bunch behind us together, we were now stuck solo in between the 2 groups – each of us gritting our teeth trying to keep the pace up so as not to be caught. We were a stone’s throw from the Dever boys before we heard the bell for sprint 2. I got a massive sling and scream of support from Chloe – and took off chasing them down. Now or never, I was on fire and came in 3rd  in that sprint. We were now on the points table!  

Team-mate Chloe amongst the bunch (Photo by James Moffat)

Trigon attacked again and we found ourselves stuck in the middle – again. At this stage, we were both in the hurt box just fighting to hang on. Doing double laps was painful – I could feel the pasta I had for lunch coming up my throat – no, no – I’m not chucking this time. Chasing the boys on the 86 inch gear was sure tough – should have put on a slightly bigger gear. Seeing Chloe’s hand on each changeover was like seeing gold – I’d dig in hard each lap or 2 before I was almost out of breath – grab onto Chloe’s hand and with one last effort - sling her right in to take over. It was certainly a race of pure team-work.

Looking for Chloe's hand for the sling (Photo by James Moffat)

We both dug in hard and eventually caught onto the CycleLink boys who were now a lap down. We ended up working together for a while – that slight shelter from the wind was surely welcomed at this stage in the race. We eventually dropped them and were now coming into the pointy end of the race. 10 laps to go – intermediate sprint 3. Again the Trigon and Dever boys took off, and we came in 3^rd – one more point there. Not long to go now.

We were both now counting down the laps to the finish. 10 to go, 6 to go, 2 to go – I screamed at Chloe – last one, last one!! Gave her one final sling with everything I had – and she took off chasing the boys down – finishing 3^rd in the sprint and 3^rd overall!!

In all smiles with our prize for the day

On the podium (Photo by Michael Mac)

Albeit both physically and mentally exhausted, we were both happy with our efforts and were in all smiles stepping onto the podium. First race on an outdoor track – checked. First Madison – checked. A race of pure team-work – it was certainly exciting, thrilling, tough work, and heaps of fun. Thanks to Tracy (Chloe’s mum) for handing out our water bottles that day and the rest of the volunteers at Blackburn Cycling Club for hosting the race. Congrats to Trigon (James M & James T) and Dever (Callum P & Jonathan D) for coming in 1^st and 2^nd respectively. From excitement, to being freaked out, to now gaining a whole new level of confidence in a mere couple of days – certainly looking forward to racing the Madison again! More photos here and a great report by James Moffat here. 

2012 - First crit and fired up!

Sun 22 January 2012:

Time surely flies – can’t believe it’s almost the end of January! Caught the dreaded flu which completely wiped me out after my break and just only getting back into the swing of things.

Racing for the SKCCWomen’s Race Team on the road this season and with a full squad of 9 and a good mix of riders lined up, definitely looking forward to the team-work with the rest of the girls. Got my new team bike courtesy of Giant – certainly a great bike and the upgraded groupset from my previous one is surely a plus. The guys at BikeNow have been great at helping me get the setup right - finally got a Specialized BG fit done, and one word – amazing! With accuracy right to the millimetre, each pedal stroke has never felt that good before.  

New Giant team bike all ready to go.. 

A slightly quieter day at the SKCC crits this morning with 10 of us in A Grade. Most of the big guns were away at the TDU – though it was a good way to get back into the racing.

Race kicked off at tempo but pretty soon attacks were being launched. Despite the wind, the pace had really picked up. A few laps in before I realised I had not started my Garmin – argh, I wasn’t sure how long the racing would be now. Chased down a number of the attacks and did a fair bit of work early on. Surprisingly, legs were still feeling pretty good.

About 3/4s into the race, team-mate Jussy rode up and organised some team-work. We had 5 of us in the team racing today – certainly a great way to get some team practice in for the upcoming races. Without much pre-organization, it was a little bit of a scramble getting things lined up, though we did managed pull something together.

3 laps to go – we tried to push the pace up high with each of the girls taking turns up the front. Bell lap – not long to go. I had 2 others in between myself and my team-mates, though still in a really good position for the sprint. Into the final corner, one of the other girls on the outside swung right into my line – what the! The bike took a massive wobble, and I was less than a foot off the ground. I yanked hard and managed to keep the bike upright – just!   Heard one of my team-mates yell in support – that really fired up the adrenaline.

With that slight mishap, 2 of the other sprinters having already taken off - I had had a massive gap to close in that short distance. I revved as fast as I could – the gap was closing – it was going to be a really close one. Can’t let my team-mates down!  Gave it another kick – thrusted the bike forward – and alas, beaten to the line by a cm. Placed 2^nd today – my first one for the team. Happy with today’s effort – and definitely looking forward to more races with the team. That additional spark of adrenaline that team spirit brings surely fires you right up!  

One for the team  =D

National Omnium and onto 2012!

Happy New Year all!! 2011 sure has gone by pretty quickly - it almost feels like I've been riding on a bullet train in the past few months - it has been a steep learning curve gaining experience, building the ropes, learning the spot - but certainly lovin' each and every challenge.  Been having some time off - doing quite a bit of traveling, catching up with the family - though sure ready to get back on my bikes soon. The peak of my 2011 phase was competing the National Omnium back in mid-December. Busy few weeks without much internet access right after the Nationals meant I couldn't tell my tale - so albeit a bit late, here goes. 


15-16 Dec: The moment I stepped into the velodrome that morning, I could sense a whole new level of competition. Music was already starting to pump from the speakers, banners lined the railings, the warm-up centre was split according to the different state teams, BTs were hanging all over the railings....it was an entirely different setting. Dawning my new Victorian skinsuit - I was nervous, excited, pumped with adrenaline - over the next 2 days I'll be rubbing shoulders with world champions! Brilliant! 

With team-mate Laine Hammond in our new Vic skinsuits 

Day 1: 

Flying Lap: My 2nd go at a flying lap - well, just fang it. Got a push from the coach up to the blue line. Without much experience, I had memorised what I needed to do on each build up lap. I looked down at the sign. It said 3 laps to go..hmm..I hesitated for a moment - but knew they must have somehow mucked it up. Just go by instincts. Started the build up, albeit a tad late. No time to think - heard the bell, and off I went. 16.9s. Done. Just like that. That's what sprints are - quick, gone, in a blink of an eye. Could I have gone that bit quicker? Rev that little bit faster? Well - I'll leave those to ponder and work upon next year. For now, a new PB set. I was happy. And I wasn't last on the ladder of 20 either. 

20k Points Score: We lined up along the fence according to where we placed in the flying lap. I was up the back from the start. Right from the start - the pace was....crazy! It was certainly a whole new level. Pulled some turns up the front - but I knew this was going to be one tough race. 30 laps in, I got stuck on last wheel - a jump happened - I missed it, and eventually got dropped. Oh crap....I immediately tried to go over the top of the rider in front, but was quickly revving out on the 93.6 as I tried to close the gap. Running out of steam - I had no choice but to take a lap out. 20 points down - already. Bugger. The remainder of the race I stuck in as hard as I could. No way was I going to get dropped again. It was all or nothing. A small break happened again, and I ended up having to pull the few of us back. Bell lap - tank was absolutely empty but I knew I had to finish. With 3 of us losing a lap, I ended up finishing up last on the points standings. It sure was another level of racing out there! Was a tad disappointed at having dropped a lap - should have been a little more alert - but yet again, I was glad I managed to grit my teeth and hang on in the last 2/3 of the race. 

Elimination : Sprint every 2 laps - last rider across the line would be eliminated. I love the idea of this race - though again, this was only my 2nd ever elimination race. Another one to fang it..I just didn't want to be the first one out. Sprint 1 - I'm still in..good. Sprint 2.. still in. Oh crap - I'm getting washed to the back. Gotta make up ground...I'm running out of track..and just like that..sprint 3, and I was out. It's all about positioning in the race - definitely something to work on. Time to get some rest - a massive day tomorrow! 

More photos at Leanne Cole Photography

Day 2: 

3k Individual Pursuit: The race I had been looking forward to. I was really keen on taking off more time from my PB at the State titles. With a day's racing before, I was a tad nervous - I wasn't sure if I could pull it off, yet certainly wanted to give it my best. Today the focus would be.. cadence. My 3rd pursuit...today I walked up to the line much more confident. Yet my hands started to get sweaty as the timer started - I was breathing both fear and adrenaline. Bang. Off I went. First 2 laps - I was slightly down on schedule. Just relax - don't try to over-sprint. Next 5 laps, I managed to ride up on schedule..good. I could feel the slow fade coming. Next 3 - I was starting to fade more - I was down at this point. 2 laps to go - I tried to take it to the next level. Just focus on the cadence. I could feel myself getting quicker on each lap. It was almost like i was riding in that no man's land - the pain was no longer there. 4:08. Shaved 3s off my PB! I was stoked!! Today, those jelly legs weren't there - I probably had paced myself a little too much - or maybe it was the adrenaline. For now, I was happy with that effort - it was another self discovery - pushing myself that bit harder each time. 

10k Scratch: As I rolled up to line up against the fence, my stomach was doing knots. I felt a little nauseous, but with the adrenaline pumping, I was hoping that would shake it off. Bang - and just like the Points Score - it was fast. Real fast! A number of times I'd almost gotten dropped, but dug in hard to hang on. With 10 laps to go - the pace lifted another notch, and it was game over. I had dropped off, tried to TT back on...but to no avail. Done. Next stop - the bin. And all that Red Bull came spilling out....hmm....maybe a little vodka to that would have helped? I had had my last bite too close to the race - bad idea. 

500TT: Last race of the day!! I was glad - yet almost sad that it had all come to an end so quickly.  Body was feeling a little yuck after that chuck, but I had to give it out. Out of the starting gate, I lifted the back wheel, whoops! Tired and with Simon screaming at the side for me to lift, I almost burst out with laughter at my mistake. Held it back - and off I went. 42.5.. that was way off my mark. I had gone much slower than the states - but knew I had really buggered it up this time. Oh well - lots to work on that start. 

Overall, finished 18th out of the 20 women. I was happy I didn't come in last - and with some of the women eyeing for a spot in the 2012 Olympics, I knew that it was some tough competition, and was happy for the opportunity to race against some really big names. The experience in itself was amazing, and now knowing what the next benchmark is - new goals have been set, and looking forward to the next phase of training and racing. Thanks to all my mates who came to support - it was great to see you in the stands!! And to the Quickcycle team - Simon, riders, parents - it certainly has been a great 3 months on the track - thanks for the support and encouragement - lovin' it more each day - and certainly looking forward to kickin' some new goals in 2012! 

Drawing by Kevin Phang :)