AVCC National Championships - Road Race 29 Sept 2014

Last day of the AVCC National Championships today - the road race out at Chidlow. It was another rainy start to the day - raining all morning and the further east I went the wetter it got! It rained quite hard at the start of my race, but then the sun came out and it was fine for the rest of my race.

Only five of the women in our peloton turned up to ride the road race today, due to varying reasons. There were two fast ladies - Erin Kinnealy and Amanda Nabi. Plus myself, Margot and Leila. We had four laps of the course, a total of 71km. We mostly stayed together for the first lap, although Leila struggled on the hills. I think she gave everything she had yesterday at the crit! She was dropped early then came back, but then was dropped again before the end of lap 1.

On the second lap, Erin attached early - on the first short sharp hill. Amanda followed and I did my best to go with them. But Erin picked a really good place to attack - not only was it a hill, but the road was bumpy and slippery from the rain. I jumped out of the saddle to sprint up the hill after Erin, and my back wheel started slipping and sliding on the road like a bucking bronco! So I sat back down and powered up from a seated position, but that short pause was enough for Erin and Amanda to get a gap on me. I pushed hard for the next 3km, but couldn't quite catch them.

I looked behind me, and I had dropped Margot. She was at least 100m behind me. I decided to push on. I figured I could probably time trial better than Margot, and if I kept in front of her, I would win third place for the race. I only had another 50km to go - not much more than a 40km time trial!

So the second lap I pushed hard, at time trial pace. I figured once I got out of sight of Margot it would be harder for her to chase me. Without having a visual on her "rabbit" to chase, I thought I could probably get away.

Laps 3 and 4 I continued to try to push hard, but I was getting tired. The dead roads didn't help, my arms were sore from trying to tuck in and get aero on the descents on rough roads! However, I had the thought always that Margot would suddenly appear behind me, so that kept my pace up at a reasonable level. I kept checking behind me, and it wasn't until I was about 10km from the finish that I thought "ok, I've got this".

The last 15km I was counting down the distance to the finish. Tired arms, tired legs, sore back. But I still managed to put out a pretty respectable sprint to the finish line for the spectators!

I finished third overall, I've no idea how far behind Erin (first place) and Amanda (second place). I'm told they stayed together for the race and sprinted it out at the finish. Margot finished a few minutes behind me, and Leila was about 10min behind me. I got silver in my age group (Amanda was in my age group).

So, a weekend of three different styles of races, but I essentially did three time trials! Very happy with my one Gold National Champion medal and two silvers. Thanks to Sam Davis from Hall Cycle Training for my coaching, and to our sponsors Nicheliving, Puravida Energy, GoodEarth Hotel, Hays recruiting, The Vic Hotel and ThyssenKrupp.

A very special mention to Leila Spurgeon who won the Bill Long shield for the most meritorious performance across the whole championships. This is a huge honour as it is selected from all 165 riders who participated in the event. Leila was a well-deserved winner. In the time trial she rode so hard that we dropped her on the recovery ride back to the registration area. In the crit, she rode out of her skin to hang on for 40min with A-grade women, and then backed up to ride in the hilly road race today. Leila struggled on the hills today and was dropped on the first lap, but she continued on and finished the race. The referees followed her for the last lap, asking if she was ok - her response was yes, she would finish the race, but she was just going a bit slowly!

Leila is also a regular racer in the Perth racing scene, she races the UCI qualifying event, she races the West Coast Masters CC races often, and enjoys mixing it up with the old boys in D Grade :)

What a terrific example of a woman who enjoys the racing opportunities in Perth and works to the best of her ability with a positive attitude.

AVCC National Champs - Criterium 28 Sept 2014

The second of three races in the AVCC National Champs today. It was a Criterium on a nice flowing circuit in Rockingham. The sun even stayed out for most of the race, although when it did rain it felt like needles on my bare arms!

My race ... Didn't quite go the way I had hoped. As there were only a few women in each age group, they combined the 30-45 year olds. And the fast ladies in my race took off right from the start line. I'm looking at you Melissa Robinson, Erin Kinnealy and Amanda Nabi! I don't think I ever really got on the bunch, so I'm not sure if I can say I was dropped. I could see them riding away from me and I just couldn't do anything about it! I was trying but apparently not hard enough.

So, the first 10 min or so of the 40 min + 2 laps race was a solo time trial. I could see Shannon Arnott ahead of me, and I think I was gaining on her about 2m per lap - very gradually! Then eventually Shannon sat up and waited for me so that we could work together. She knew that if I finished the race I would get the silver medal for my age category, but because there were more women in her age group she was already out of medal contention.

We worked together well, swapping off turns about once a lap and getting lots of cheers from the crowd as we went past the start/finish line. That continued until about 5 min before the end of the race, when we were lapped first by Erin Kinnealy (who had about 30 sec lead over the pack), then by the rest of the field.

Shannon and I passed a couple of other riders over the next few laps as they got dropped from the bunch. Kudos to Leila Spurgeon and Margot Biggs who stayed with the bunch until almost the end of the race. Also Cathi Dixon rode very well (from the brief glimpses I got), coming back from injury.

Shannon and I finished together. The race was won by Erin Kinnealy, with Amanda Nabi second and Mel Robinson a close third place.

On the plus side, I was really happy with my cornering and it is nice to get a chance to practice cornering on a safe circuit. Oh and I got a very nice silver medal to go with my gold one :) Looks like I'll need to do some more sprinting practice before the crit season starts ...

Road race is tomorrow ... I expect it will be another hard day in the saddle!

AVCC National Championships, Perth - Individual Time Trial 27 Sept 2014

It was crazy weather for a bike race. Heavy rain and strong winds. The rain was so heavy on the drive out to the start at Chidlow that I had to pull over at one point.

My warmup was only 15min, but then I headed down the road in the wrong direction to the start line and ended up at Great Eastern Highway! So I had another 15min flat out to make sure I got to the start line on time! This actually worked out well because I had a good warmup and less time standing around getting cold before my start.

There were only two women in my age category - myself and Amanda Nabi, who is significantly faster than me. So I figured I only had to finish and I'd get silver, and how hard I rode wouldn't matter. But I have been training hard and feeling good, so I wanted to ride to the best of my ability.

Amanda started 1 min behind me, and passed me at the 5km mark. At this rate I figured she would be at least 5 min faster than me overall, how depressing. I continued on, trying to keep pushing down the hills as well as up, and Amanda quickly moved out of sight.

The course was 12.5km out, then a U-turn and back to the start. As I headed back after my U-turn, Amanda was stopped and trying to fix some problems with her wheel. I felt bad for her, but there wasn't anything I could do to help. I also thought - if I can stay 1 min in front of her then I might win the gold medal!

There was a head wind on the way back, which also drove the rain into my eyes. So I hunkered down as low and aero as I could and half-closed my eyes to protect them. And I powered on. I couldn't see much ahead, let alone the numbers on my Garmin, so I just went hard. I kept thinking Amanda would be coming up behind me any minute, and I didn't want to get to the finish and be slower than her, and think "gosh if only I'd gone a little bit harder".

When I got to 3km to go I was counting down the kilometres. I kept powering on. At 500m to go I picked up the pace. It turned out the race was 25.3km so I actually still had 800m to go! Keep going, don't ease up until you cross the finish line! Phew. My power data shows that I averaged 10watts higher on the way back than I did on the way out, which goes to show how hard I can go with the right motivation!

I crossed the finish line and waited to see how far back Amanda was, but it turned out her mechanical issues were serious enough that she couldn't ride so she didn't finish the race. Which means I got the gold medal and National Champion jersey!

I'm really excited to be a National Champion. Even though in the end how hard I raced was irrelevant to the race result, I know I raced damn hard so I feel like I've earned it!

Well done to everyone who raced today in very ordinary conditions. And a HUGE thanks to the organisers and volunteers from West Coast Masters Cycling Club and AVCC who stood around getting cold and wet while marshaling and manning the start and finish lines.

Great to see some of the old guys still out and racing - the oldest age category was 80-85. The 70-75 year olds looked positively sprightly! Inspiring. 

Also a special mention to Deb Kempe who trains with Hall Cycle Training and was the FASTEST WOMAN on the day. What an honour for a lovely humble lady.

Amy's Gran Fondo - 14 Sept 2014

It has been a long time between cycling adventures but this one was a terrific event and a wonderful weekend away with cycling friends.

Amy's Gran Fondo is held on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria on FULLY CLOSED ROADS! I did the full Gran Fondo, which was 110km. It is a community participation event as well as a qualifying event for the amateur international UCI championships.

The race started in Lorne on a day with prefect conditions. No wind, sunny skies and not too cold. We set off in our age categories, youngest to oldest, with one minute between groups. I was in the third group to go (35-39 year olds). We set off fast! Males and females were in the same group, so of course the pace was a bit quick with boys setting the pace. I think I stayed on the back of my age group for about 5km. 

I should point out that the first 36km was along the Great Ocean Road towards Apollo Bay. Beautiful scenery if you had time to look, but very undulating. Up and down and around corners. The hardest bits were the long uphills. Maybe only 500m, but long enough that I couldn't sprint up them. Which meant I got dropped off the back of the group. 

However, it wasn't long until the boys from the next age group came past. A big fast peloton, I managed to get a good spot about halfway down the bunch. I stayed with that group for another 5-10km. It was fine except for the uphills ... Then we came to a longish hill and I just had to go up at my pace. Goodbye peloton. 

But that was okay, cos coming up behind was the next age group 45-49 year olds. I got in their peloton and continued on. And so it went for the first 36km, getting in with groups and getting dropped. 

At 36km, we hit the start of the big hill on the course. It starts in the little town of Skenes Creek, and this is where we turn inland to the Otways. The climb is 10km long. It is not terribly steep, mostly around 6-8% with some flatter sections and some maybe a bit steeper. I knew I had to just take the climb at my own pace, so I rode along at a steady pace. Playing leapfrog with other riders - I would pass them, then one minute or maybe five minutes later they would pass me. 

I was pretty happy with my efforts on the climb but I was tiring towards the top. After the official end of the climb the road keeps undulating for another 5-10 km before the actual descent. I was pushing on at my own pace, trying to eat and recover a bit. Then a group of about four riders came past with a woman amongst them, she said "jump on with us, come on, you can do it". So I did. That little bit of encouragement got me going strong again. 

Then came the descent, which was terrific fun. Closed roads, no fear of traffic. Sweeping corners and a gradient that was not too steep but steep enough. Steep enough to pick up a bit of speed. Pedal hard, get aero, sweep through the corner. Check behind that there is no one coming, onto the right hand side of the road to get the best line for the corner. Look through the corner, lean the bike over, weight hard on the outside pedal to improve grip and balance. I was lucky I wasn't in a group at this point as I could pick my own line through the corners and really enjoy it. 

After the descent I was fired up and I was tackling the undulations. Hard up, fast down. Then the road got a bit flatter and a small group caught up to me. I was a bit annoyed when the guys pulled in front of me and slowed down. I was faster than them on the descents and on the climbs, I was sure. I keep coming out and around them. Then we got swallowed by an even bigger group, and although I was free-wheeling in their peloton, I realised that I couldn't out ride them. So I sat in and conserved some energy. At this point we were at the one flat section of the ride, so it actually worked well to be in a group. 

The flatter section lasted for around 10-20km. Somewhere in amongst this group I exchanged words with the guy I was riding next to. Something along the lines of "gosh this road is rough" and other typical things you say in the midst of a Gran Fondo. I was also having a bit of trouble with my gears, which he commented on. 

Then we must've gone up a hill and both got dropped from the group. He said to get in his slipstream for a bit to save some energy for the last climb, and take in some food. Then another group came up from behind and we joined in with them.  

Then we went up a hill and I dropped my chain going into the small chain ring. I had to pull off the side of the road to fix it, and watch the peloton ride away. The guy I'd chatted to was such a gentleman that he stopped with me. He said he couldn't leave me by myself. I got my chain on after a couple of tries, then I had trouble getting clipped into my cleats. I have new cleats and they are very stiff. I got one side in, then my new friend pushed me up the hill as I clipped in the other side. What a nice guy! 

The next 10km we chatted to distract ourselves from the upcoming climb at the finish and enjoyed the views. At 10km to go the road went up again, and pretty much stayed that way. We stopped chatting. But we did keep pace together. I was riding at the pace I wanted to, hard but not too hard, and it seemed that it was the same pace he wanted to ride at. Also finally I was passing some people! I had spent the whole ride getting passed by others, and now the riders I was amongst where more tired than me or worse climbers than me. 

The last 1km I'd been told was quite steep for 500m then flattened a bit but was still uphill to the finish. At this point Jayson, the guy I'd been riding with, said "off you go, don't let me hold you back". So I did. I heard him yell encouragement as I picked up my climbing speed. I passed a few riders, and eyed off two riders ahead of me with green labels on their bikes (in my age category). The 500m sign came quickly, then 200m to go, then I was out of the saddle and sprinting past the two riders in my age group. Yes! 

Past the finish line I found a place to stop and wait. It seemed to take a long time but finally I saw Jayson riding up. He came up and we thanked each other for the company on the ride and parted ways. 

This is one thing I love about epic events like Amy's Gran Fondo, other UCI qualifier events, Three Peaks. There is that bond that you feel with fellow riders because you are all attempting this challenge. You are all pushing yourself and dealing with what the event, the road, the weather or your body is throwing at you. 

The best bit about finishing at the top of a hill was the descent back down into Lorne. So much fun! Like the previous descent, I had some road space so I could pick my line and enjoy the corners and the speed. 

Then back into Lorne to relax in the sunny warm afternoon with my cycling friends, new and old, who had challenged themselves and were all winners. 

For those who like the stats, I came 9th in my age category, which was one place too low to qualify for the UCI finals, with 32 ladies in my age group. Eighth place was only three minutes in front of me. Maybe I could have beaten her if I hadn't dropped my chain, if I'd tried harder, if I hadn't thought I was so far back in the field it didn't matter. Or maybe not. I could qualify in Perth. But I don't want to race the UCI finals again until I can be somewhat competitive. Just scraping through in qualifying is not it. 

I'll be back to Amy's Gran Fondo. It may just be my favourite event so far. And I'll be looking to beat my time of 3:45. And have fun doing it! 

Thanks so much to the crew from Hall Cycle Training who I shared this cycling adventure with. It was a really great group with a mix of abilities - our finishing times ranged from under 3 hours to 5:58! But we all challenged ourselves and had fun. The trip was even better than I hoped and I look forward to making it an annual event on my cycling calendar. 

Adventures in Western New South Wales

I have spent the past three weeks based in Broken Hill, doing some secondment with with the NSW Mines department. The work has involved doing site inspections of closed mines, to see if any further rehabilitation work is required. Some photos from my adventures ate included in this post. 

I have travelled around the western half of NSW to do this work, from almost the Queensland border to across the border and into Victoria. The places I have visited include Silverton, Mount Robe, Cobar, Bourke, Wilcannia, Menindee,  Ivanhoe, Hay, Goolgowi, Balranald, Moulamein, Touleybuc, Robinvale, Mildura and Wentworth. I have racked up more than 3200km in travel, which has been interesting to see places I've never been before but it has been tiring and not conducive to riding my bike!

As I was away for three weeks, I did bring my bike with me because I didn't want to go that long without riding. However, due to the long days and the amount of travel I've been doing, I think I've only ridden six times in the past three weeks. Usually I would ride six times in one week!

I have discovered that the social part of riding is important to me. It is much more fun to ride with someone. It is not so much fun to ride on straight flat roads by yourself, particularly when you don't realise there is a tailwind until you turn around after 40km and you are struggling at less than 20kph into a head wind ....

I have also discovered that doing more physical work makes me less inclined to ride, as I'm already tired. Also that sitting in a car for hours saps me of energy. Cycling and being active gives me more energy. I also eat much better when I'm riding. I eat because I'm hungry and I need to refuel, not just because I haven't eaten for a couple of hours.

I have really enjoyed my time in Broken Hill, it is a nice sized town and everyone is very friendly. I've enjoyed living in a country town again. But I'm happy to be heading back to Perth, back to my own place, and to catchup with family and friends.

Goldfields Cyclassic - 31 May to 1 June 2014

This weekend I participated in the Goldfields Cyclassic. It is a handicap road race with two days of racing. The first day is from Kalgoorlie to Menzies, which is 132km. The second day is from Menzies to Leonora, which is 105km. The race originated in 1928 so it has a long and distinguished history. It is also the richest handicap race in Australia, with $40,000 in prize money across the two days.

In a handicap race, the lower (slower) grades start first and the higher grades start with a time delay. If the handicapper gets it right, the higher grades will catch up the lower grades close to the finish of the race, and the whole field will come together. In the races this weekend, there was 8-12 min between each grade off the start line. On Saturday, all the grades came together and there was a bunch of around 50 people sprinting for places at the finish. On Sunday, C grade caught D Grade, but A and B grade didn't catch them.

Another feature of the race was the sprint points. There were 3-4 sprint points each race, where the riders in the lead group could compete for sprint prizes and a sprint jersey.

I was racing in D Grade. On Saturday, I stayed with the D Grade peloton until the first sprint point, which was 16km into the 132km race. I had been feeling not that great, probably not fully warmed up as it was a bloody cold morning. I saw a few people going for the sprint and I thought "oh really? No thanks". But the problem was that most of the bunch picked up the pace, and those of us that didn't - got dropped. There were a couple of other guys with me, so we worked quite hard together to try to get back on, but without success. As the kilometres went on, we picked up a few other riders who had dropped off D Grade, and we grew to a large bunch of around 12 riders.

It was great to have a group to ride with, as there was a cross head wind on Saturday which would've been miserable by yourself. Actually I was pretty miserable even with a group. At the start when we were riding hard, I wasn't enjoying the pace because I didn't know if I'd be able to keep up. Then, after I got dropped and our group grew in size, it became easier. People were doing longer turns on the front at a slower pace and there were more people to do turns. Then I had too much time to contemplate everything that hurt - my bum, my feet and toes, my hands. The roads were made of coarse bitumen so they were quite rough and unforgiving to ride on. And the scenery didn't help - unchanging woodlands under a dull grey sky the whole way. The most exciting things we saw were a mine site and an abandoned house. That was it for 132km. Saturday was definitely a day where I struggled mentally and didn't enjoy myself. 

After my race on Saturday, I had no expectations or plans for Sunday. In my warmup I felt like crap, my quads were quite sore. But at least the sun was shining and it was warm. D Grade started off quite quick. There were a couple of little hills in the first few kilometres, and a few gaps formed in the peloton. Then the gaps became a split. I managed to bridge over to the front half with a couple of other guys, and that was the last time we saw the other half of D Grade until after the race. In the front half of D Grade we were left with about 25 riders, so it was still a big group and it was a strong group. We were doing rolling turns and I was working hard but coping. There was a head wind, so it was hard at the front for a minute or so, but then you would get a good recovery until your next turn. This continued on quite well until the wind changed direction and became a cross head wind. Then I found I was working hard on the front, plus working hard in the "recovery" lane of the pace line, and only getting half as much recovery time. I was working hard but coping. I didn't know how long I would be able to keep going at that pace, but I figured I would just keep going until I couldn't anymore.

When gaps started to open in front of me in the paceline and I couldn't close them, I knew I had reached the point where I needed a break. I pulled out of the paceline the next time I got to the back and sat on the back of the group with another guy to recover. It is still hard to keep on the back of a paceline, particularly in a crosswind, but not as hard as doing a turn on the front. I managed to have something to eat and drink and my heart rate gradually lowered. When the moment presented itself, I felt up to joining in the paceline for a few more turns. This continued for some time, I would do a few turns, then rest for a bit. I managed to stay with the group past the first sprint point at 40km. Then we got word from the support vehicles that C Grade was only 2km behind us. We kept working together but we were all mentally preparing ourselves plus getting in some more food while we could.

When C Grade passed us, I got on the back of the group okay. I stayed there for a couple of minutes, maybe. Enough time for me to think "yep this is fast but this is okay so far". Then I dropped the wheel in front, or maybe we went up a slight rise. All I know is that suddenly there were two bike lengths between me and the peloton. I was trying hard to get back on but just not getting there. I looked around and there were a couple of guys behind me. One of them came to the front but he went past so fast I just couldn't get on. Then that was it, it was me and one other guy, with 50km more to go.

We worked together well, swapping off turns and working at a similar pace. Then we met up with another guy, then two more, and we had a nice little group. We worked hard on the front and had a good recovery period before our next turn. We picked up a few more riders, and had up to eight. Coming in to the last 5km our pace picked up and we dropped a few people. Then we had a sprint for the finish line through the streets of Leonora, with crowds of people cheering us on.

My ride on Sunday was less miserable than Saturday, I think because I was working harder. It still wasn't exactly fun. It was satisfying to see that my endurance training has established a really good base fitness and I felt better as the race went on. I also managed my food and hydration throughout the races really well. This was an event that I really wanted to do, so I'm glad I did it, but I have no intention of doing it again!

Well done to the organisers as it was a very well run event. And thanks to South Perth Rouleurs for an excellent weekend. The buses, bike transport, accommodation and meals were all well organised and it was a great, friendly, easy going group of people. Plus it was great to have people to commiserate with a debrief after the races.

Reflections on Women's Cycling

A few different events recently have caused me to reflect on the state of women's cycling at all levels.

Firstly, I have recently been to a triathlon to watch some friends race. There were many women participating in this event, from beginners getting out on a rusty old bike to elite racers with high tech gear. This is in contrast to most cycling events, whether races or community events, where the women's field consists of a handful of entrants and is dwarfed by the size of the men's field. I started wondering why this is. Why do women participate in triathlons but not cycling events?

One possible reason became apparent at a cycling event I did on Sunday. I completed the 100km City of Armadale Grand Fondo, which was organised by the Perth Integrated Health cycling group. It was a good event, lots of excellent organisation had gone into it. The course was clearly marked with arrows and corner marshals in tricky areas. It was a timed participation event, not a race, but there was one section where we were encouraged to race for the "King of the Mountain" (KOM) prize. This was a section of really steep climbing, which I attacked as hard as I could in the hopes of winning prizes prizes prizes :)

I rode most of the ride by myself, and had a good time in spite of the patches of rain. I had started the ride about 10 min after most of the 100km riders and I was pleased that I gradually caught and passed many of them.

After the ride, I went to the presentation ceremony as I thought I may have a chance of being in the podium finishers for the women's KOM (QOM). However, the organisers had neglected to consider arranging a women's category for the prizes. The top ten men were recognised and presented with a jersey, and the top three men were given cash prizes. As a last-minute attempt to recognise the women, the organisers found a spare Jersey and presented this to the fastest woman. A small gesture.

I would be so interested to understand how the organisers totally overlooked arranging a women's category for the prizes.

For the record, the fastest woman up the climb was the 13th fastest overall up the climb. And the fastest woman for the 100km ride as a whole was the 7th fastest overall. So awesome! I was the fourth fastest woman up the climb and 15th fastest woman for the 100km.

The good news is that after receiving feedback about this, the organisers have promised to do better next year. This may be an opportunity for someone to step up and sponsor the women's prize ..... :)

UWCT Perth Qualifier - Road Race - 29 March 2014

We were racing within our age categories for the UWCT Qualifier and the State Road Race championships. However, the women 19-49 all set off in one peloton. In my age category were two other women, the same who did the time trial. So I knew if I finished, I would get a podium for the UWCT, which is a qualification for the world championships final, and I would win the State Road Race championship (as the two competitors in my category don't have WA State racing licenses).

The race was 81km long, 10 laps in total around a course that included Perry Lakes, Oceanic drive, West Coast Highway and past Challenge Stadium. The last 5 laps deviated from Oceanic drive up the entrance to the Quarry Amphitheater and down Reabold Hill. It was a nasty steep climb, up to 14% gradient which was seriously hard work! Out of the saddle, even with my compact chain ring and 32 cassette! Even before we reached the big climb, the road along Oceanic Dr was quite undulating.

The starting list for the women's road race was a who's who of women's A grade racing in Perth, plus some interstate riders who were state champions and National champions. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay with the fast ladies for the whole race, and particularly not when we got to the last 5 laps with the hard hill each lap. My race plan was to ride as hard and smart as I could to stay with the peloton for as long as I could. Then I would continue to ride relatively hard to the end of the race to do justice to a podium finish!

I managed to stay with the peloton for two laps. The third lap along undulating Oceanic Dr, I couldn't keep with them. The fast ladies were also good climbers and every time the road went up, they pushed the pace. I pushed the first two laps but couldn't stick with them the third time. It was good timing for me though, as two of my Hall Cycling Training team mates also dropped off the peloton at the same time. Leila and Sophia and I formed a little group and we worked together for the rest of the race.

We pushed reasonably hard for the next lap, but we were still losing ground on the peloton and we lost sight of them in less than a lap. The rest of the race, we worked together very well. We were well matched in strength/fitness so we took turns on the front and worked within our limits. The three of us were happy to be riding in a little group, rather than by ourselves. We knew we were the last of the riders from our initial start group, so there was no point racing at full pace. We rode around 80% pace, so we weren't exactly dawdling either!

About 3 laps from the end, we picked up one of the other ladies who had been dropped. She was pretty happy to join us, and after some rest on the back she ended up doing quite a bit of work on the front of our group.

I felt pretty good, and towards the end of the race I was feeling relatively better than the rest of my group. I was getting up the big climb in front of the rest of the group by a good 5-10 metres! I think my climbing and endurance training for 3 Peaks was helping.

For the last 2km I picked up the pace, then Leila came through and did a strong turn on the front. Tracy, who we had picked up 3 laps from the end, came past for a sprint finish. I decided not to contest the sprint as I wanted to finish with Leila and Sophia in respect for the work we had done together. I also didn't think there was much point in sprinting for third last position!

It was good to work with my teammates through the race, having some protection from the wind, riding in a little echelon in the cross wind, and riding at a pace we could all maintain. Thanks ladies, great work!

Presentations will be in Kalamunda tomorrow after the finish of the Grand Fondo, but published results indicate I was third in my age category in the UWCT and State Road Race champion in my age category. Another good day on the bike!

UWCT Time Trial - 28 March 2014

The day dawned still and fine for our time trial at Rottnest. Perfect conditions, no wind until the last couple of km of the course.

I did a warmup lap of the course, which was much nicer than the lap we did last night in 35kph winds! Then I made my way to the start line, getting there about 20 min before my start. I felt so much more relaxed and organised than last year. I actually missed my start last year so getting there early was much less stressful!

The first rider set off, and then my nerves kicked in. I started 8 min after the first rider. Soon it was my turn to walk up the stairs to the top of the start ramp. A lovely gentleman holds your bike so that you can clip both feet into the pedals. Ten seconds to go. Start the Garmin. Five seconds .... and I'm off.

For the first 5km I focused on sitting at the right power level, not going out too hard. I was feeling good. The next 5km are the most interesting part of the course, we go out around Parker Point, which has a few fast corners, then some of the longer hills. On the hills, I was focusing on keeping my power within a manageable level going up, and pushing hard to pick up speed going down.

I saw the 10km to go sign (halfway point) and thought "Oh good that's the hardest part over". I was wrong. The hardest part of the course may have been behind me, but the section from 10km to go to 5km to go was tough mentally. Tough to keep working at the same power level.

At the 5km to go point, we turned into a rather narrow path with lots of tree roots. But from that point, it is a little easier to push through the pain, as you know it is not far to go. And mostly downhill. Sadly it was also mostly into a headwind.

2km to go. Across the causeway. Crosswind, try to tuck down and get more aero. 1km to go, push harder. 500m to go, go legs, you can see the finishing chute, come on, keep going, all out now. Up the finishing chute and over the finish line. Done.

I was relatively happy with how I'd ridden. Until I looked at my time and compared it to last year. I was 34 seconds slower this year. With an extra year of training and experience behind me, plus this year I had a time trial bike and fast race wheels. Last year I did it on a road bike. My reasoning is that last year I really wanted to qualify. I also didn't have as much data to guide me during the ride last year, so I just pushed as hard as I could the whole way, with my competitive edge driving me on.

What did I learn from today? That I'm not pushing myself hard enough!

The day wasn't all bad though. There were only three women in my age category, so I was guaranteed a podium finish even though I was 4min slower than 2nd place. But it was also the State time trial championships, and only women with a WA State race license qualify in the state Champs. Neither of the other two women in my category had the right license - so I got a surprise gold medal for my age category! Pretty chuffed.

Road Race tomorrow, it will be a hard day.

3 Peaks Challenge - Sunday 10 March 2014

This is an epic post to describe an epic ride!

That wasn't the hardest thing I've done, but in some ways it was harder than I expected. My training paid off. All of my logistics preparations went well. The organization and support by the Bicycle Network and their mountains of volunteers was fantastic. And my experience with similar events helped me prepare and know what to expect. But it was a very long and hard day on the bike!

It was a mild morning as we assembled in the darkness in preparation for the start at 6:45am. But as dawn approached, the temperature dropped to a chilly 7 degrees. We started in waves, I was about 3/4 of the way through the field and I started around 7am. I was pretty happy not to be right at the front with the fast riders as I haven't been doing a lot of technical descending lately and I didn't want to get freaked out by riders cutting me off.

My descending was pretty crap. I quickly lost sight of all the riders I'd started with. I think I only passed about 4 people on the descent, whilst I was passed by many. I blame the bumpy unfamiliar road and the cold. Plus of course my lack of practice. I definitely lost at least half an hour on the 25km descent.

We then passed through the town of Mount Beauty, where it was time to remove the warm layers before turned left into the first mountain climb of the day, Tawonga Gap. I figured now was my chance to start making up some lost time.

Tawonga Gap was a relatively short mountain climb, only 12km with 7km @ 7% gradient. It was a nice climb, sweeping hairpins so I took the outside line to keep the gradient low. I passed loads of people :)

Across the three mountain climbs, I think literally only a handful of people passed me in total, so I was stoked with that. Of course I was in the back half of the field, I'm sure the guys at the front would've passed me quick smart, but it is still nice to be strong on the climbs.

I stopped briefly at the rest stop at the top of Tawonga to refill my bottles and scoff some food. A gel. Then zip up the wind jacket and a fun descent down the other side. I was more relaxed for this descent and the road was not so bumpy, so I was more confident and a bit faster.

After the descent was a 20km flat section to Harrietville. Lots of groups formed along this section, and I managed to tag along with some guys who were going at a good pace for me, a pace that didn't require me to work hard to keep up.

I stopped at Harrietville, which was the first of three valet food stops. We packed our own food into bags, which were delivered to the valet food stops along the route. It was a great system and ran smoothly. I grabbed my food bag, refilled my water bottles, and went to the toilet. Then repacking of my pockets and organising all my food and gear ready for the 30km climb up Mt Hotham, which started less than 1km from the rest stop. I unpacked my sandwich and quickly ate it as I rolled slowly to the start of the climb. My rest stop was as fast as I could make it, and it was still 15 min long! I was only 45 min ahead of the Lantern Rouge when I left Harrietville.

The Lantern Rouge is the time cutoff, a Bicycle Network rider who starts at 7:15am and finishes at 8:15pm. There are specific time cutoffs for each section of the ride.

So, onward to My Hotham. I was feeling pretty good and again figured I could make up some time on the climb.

My Hotham is a 30km climb, which was longer than anything I'd done previously. But I'd been told by a guy on the start line that about 10km of the climb was 'false flat' where I'd be able to get into the big chain ring, so I hoped it would be manageable.

The first 5km or so were pretty steady climbing. The next 10-15km were mixed with some false flat and even downhill sections and the rest steady climbing. I passed TONS of people, particularly on the flatter sections as I changed straight into my big chain ring and kept the power on, whereas most people slow-pedalled and took it as a chance to recover.

There was a rest stop about 2/3 of the way up, where I stopped briefly just to refill one water bottle.

In the top third of the climb, the climbing got serious. You know it's serious when there are road traffic signs saying "steep ascent, change into low gear". I took their advice! I was so happy with my gearing combination, compact chain ring and 32 tooth cassette. It meant that for most of the climbing, up to around 9%, I was able to maintain a cadence of about 80rpm.

The top part of Mt Hotham had three sections in excess of 10%, which was pretty hard after already climbing for 20km! But I just decreased my cadence to maintain my power within a reasonable level and continued on.

The top of Mt Hotham appeared unexpectedly and was marked only by a town sign. No rest stop or " congratulations you made it" signs. I wanted to take a photo of the view I had worked so hard to reach, but there was nowhere good to stop. So I continued onto the descent. It was only 12km down to the Dinner Plain rest stop. It was named after the town, but a very appropriate name as this is where lunch was served. It was a little after noon when I arrived here. I was approximately at 11:30 pace, so I'd made up about 30 min on the climb.

Dinner Plain was the second food valet stop. I grabbed my bag and was mindful of having a quick stop. First, sit down and eat my sandwich. I also checked my phone and was stoked to have a few messages of encouragement :)

Dinner Plain was also the only return valet stop. We could put things in a bag, which would be returned to the finish line at Falls Creek. So, the logistics of what to keep with me ... I got rid of my rain jacket but kept my vest. Got rid of my clear glasses. Also a bunch of extra food and drink powder.

However, this is where I made one mistake. I thought I had a bottle with drink mix in it, so I got rid of most of my drink mix. But because I'd filled up only with water at the stop on the way up Mt Hotham, I ended up with two drink bottles with only water. Not ideal. I still had a pocket with lots of lollies, so I had enough carbs. But on the way from Dinner Plain to the next stop I struggled. I got hungry. Not a good sign. I ate a gel. I ate a bar. I figured I should've eaten more for lunch. But I had struggled to choke down my sandwich as it was. I had been scoffing (in my head) at the people picnicking at Dinner Plain, but in retrospect I think I should've stopped for longer so that I could eat and digest more food. Or rolled out slowly and continued to eat a lot on the bike.

It was 45km from Dinner Plain to the next rest stop. No mountains. But this is the hard thing about this ride. The bits that don't involve riding up and down mountains are still harder than a hills ride in Perth! The climbs are longer and/or steeper and even the flat sections are mostly false flat (ie uphill by 1-2%). There were some SUPER FUN descents in here though, and I must've gained some confidence throughout the day as a little group caught up with me but I passed all of them on the descents. Pleased to see that I can still aero-descend better than the average bear, in spite of being relatively light.

Then the road went uphill again and I didn't want to push my legs too hard just to stay with the group. So I continued on my own, counting the kilometers to the next rest stop where I could refuel and recover.

Finally I arrived at the Omeo rest stop, which was a lovely grassy location with some trees. Park bike, fill up water bottles, go to toilet them collapse on grass under tree. A bunch of other sorry-looking riders were there, some in a worse state than me with cramps and a diabetic who looked in much better shape than me.

I ate my turkish delight bar and put drink mix in my water. I also tried to stretch my back out as it was getting sore. After some time, I felt more human again and figured I should carry on or I may not move again! This rest stop was about half an hour. I had lost all the time I'd gained on the Mt Hotham climb, and I was back around 12:30 pace, only 45 min in front of the Lantern Rouge (I started 15 min ahead of the Lantern Rouge, so technically I could finish and do a time of 13:15).

The next section was only marginally better. Less actual climbing but it was all winding roads around the edge of a mountain @ +/- 2% gradient. I couldn't push very hard. I also knew that after the next rest stop was the last climb - which starts at WTF corner (named because this is what you say when you see the gradient of the road) and continues with around 10km at an average gradient close to 10%. My argument was that I was saving myself for the last climb. I was also still trying to catchup on my carb intake, I was still a bit hungry. But I knew I had caffeine gels in my food valet bags at the next rest stop, and I'd been abstaining from caffeine for a week just for this moment!

The next rest stop was Anglers Rest, where I collected my final food valet bag. I took one bite of my sandwich and could hardly choke it down. A lovely girl gave me one of her spare jam tarts, which was great. And I bought a can of coke from the pub. Caffeine and sugar. Plus two caffeine gels. Woohoo! I was obviously feeling better after this as I started to joke with the local blokes who were hanging out drinking beer at the pub, dumbfounded at what we were doing. Anglers Rest was my longest stop. I lay on the grass and stretched my back some more. By the time I left I was only 30 min ahead of the Lantern Rouge, so I was on schedule for a ride of 12:45.

There were two "bike eating bridges" on the ride that we had to walk our bikes across, with good reason (see photo, which shows the bridge just after Anglers Rest). I loved the sign!  My other favorite sign was "rest stop 500m ahead"!

It was 11km from Anglers Rest to WTF corner. This was much the same as the last section, winding roads gently up and down around the side of a mountain. Rock wall on one side, trees and views on the other side. I was heartened as my power output was around 20 watts higher than it had been on the last section.

At 199km, I encountered WTF corner. I knew exactly what kilometre mark it would come, so I was expecting it. It was still nasty. The road had been heading slightly downhill, around -4%. We turned sharp left towards Falls Creek and suddenly the gradient was 13% and rising. The first section of the climb got up to 17%. It was basically as steep as Mount St in Perth, probably twice as long. And then we had another 12km of mountain to climb.

The steep section was ok as I was still relatively fresh. The next 8km or so were  unrelentless. Big chunks at 12-13%. Then it would ease down to 7-8%. Gradients as steep as 7% felt flat, and 5% felt like I was going downhill! I couldn't keep my cadence high because the gradient was too steep and I couldn't maintain the power. So I ground up the climb with a cadence of 40-50 rpm, thinking "this is just an S & E (strength and endurance) training session". My dogged determination and sheer stubborn pigheadedness kept me going. There were more people walking bikes up the climb than there were riding.

I'm sure there was some kind of scenery going up the climb. I had a vague impression of trees. Mostly I was looking out for other riders who were weaving on the road, either actively trying to flatten the gradient or just too tired to hold a line. I kept going. Everything happened in slow motion. I would see a rider 5m up the road (I wasn't game to look much further) and over the course a few minutes I would gradually gain on them, then pass them. Sometimes one of us would offer a word of encouragement but mostly I was too tired to think of anything to say. My mouth was occupied by breathing. And short sips of sports drink.

After 9km the road went downhill and I thought the worst was over, but it was only a short reprieve before another kilometre of steep stuff. The total climb was 12km. The "rest stop ahead" sign was unexpected and a relief. A quick stop. Empty drink bottles of sports drink, I couldn't stand another mouthful and I'd even been using two different kinds. One more caffeine gel to get me through the last 23km. I almost gagged on that too. Put on wind vest, as the sun was setting and there had been a few spots of rain. Turn on lights. And away we go.

Although the last mountain was behind me, there were still some undulations to deal with. But I had driven this road and ridden the last 15km on my easy ride a few days ago, so I knew the landmarks for where the last of the hills would be. Now I had the reverse problem from what I'd had on the Falls Creek climb. My legs were so tired that even a 2% gradient seemed onerous.

The scenery was beautiful, low lying Alpine vegetation, sun seeing behind the clouds, and a rainbow to offer hope that I was nearly at the finish! I had to stop and take a photo. I also had to stop as my power metre stopped working. A quick check to see if it was an easy magnet problem I could fix. Nope, the magnet looked fine so I figured the battery had died. Note to self: next time replace the battery before an epic ride.

The final 10km were great fun. Rolling undulations, I rode alongside a fellow cyclist. Bugs in my eyes as I'd had to take off my sunnies. Then up a short hill and down into Falls Creek to the finish chute.

There was a huge crowd. All clapping and cheering, really loudly. An announcer called my name. Said that they were as excited about me finishing as they were about every other rider before me. Several flashes as my photo was taken as I rolled through the finish. Extremely well done, Bicycle Network.

I stopped my Garmin. Note: 40% of battery remaining! Two new records: longest distance 235km and most ascent 4500 and something metres. Not sure how accurate the ascent measurement is, but I will totally take it!

It was an epic and spectacular day. Excellent organization by the Bicycle Network and it was great to share the journey with so many other riders.

The weather was perfect. Mild morning, sunshine before lunch. After lunch some serious-looking clouds gathered but no rain was forthcoming. It was a little humid but cooler because the clouds blocked the sun. The sun came out again later in the afternoon, then a rainbow and sunset that touched the clouds in pink. There was a slight breeze all day but not enough to increase the adversity of the ride!

I'm really happy to have finished in a time under 13 hours. I'm really happy I rode the whole course and I put in my best effort I could at the time. My total riding time was under 11 hours, so all those stops added a lot to my time, but they were necessary for me to refuel, rest my body and allow me to keep going.

Will I do it again? Not sure. Maybe when everything in my body doesn't hurt I'll give it some more thought .... Who knew that you could get sore hands and fingers from riding a bike?

I certainly plan to return to this part of the world for some more riding. Spectacular scenery, great weather (at least it was this week!) and altitude training without having to fly to Europe. Now if only we had the population density to support the cafés and restaurants that Europe has .....

3 Peaks - Final Prep

I have lined up with loads of other cyclists, almost all men, and had my bike checked and registered. I drove to the last climb and did a short 15 minute recon ride. I am snacking throughout the day to keep my carb stores topped up. I have charged all my electronics.

Now I just need to pack my food valet bags, which will be delivered at three spots along the ride. And attend the rider briefing this evening. Then I shall be ready to ride!

The weather forecast is as good as we could hope for. Ten degrees overnight, so it will be a chilly first descent. Then 26 degrees in the valleys and 18 degrees on the peaks, and sunny!

I will be starting around 6:45am Sunday morning (3:45am Perth time!). I hope to finish in around 11 hours, plus or minus 30 min. So I should be done around 7:45pm! (4:45pm Perth time)

I am looking forward to the start!

Pemberton Classic Road Race - 2 March

The day dawned cool and cloudy for Part 2 of the Pemberton Classic, the road race. I was racing in Women's B Grade, and for the road race we were grouped in a peloton with boys under 15s and girls under 17s. Because of the younger categories, we had a neutralised start up to the top of Pump Hill for the first time. So, we started on the edge of town near the Caravan Park, rode west out of town up Pump Hill, stopped at the top, regrouped, and then started our race.

We did one short lap, which was only about 8km, and we all stayed together for that. We had about a dozen women in B Grade, plus about 3 under 17 girls and 2 under 15 boys. We then went through the start-finish line again and back up Pump Hill, this time at race pace.

I started the hill at the back of the group, but I could see that a few of the women near the front were taking off pretty quick, so I got out of the saddle and quickly made my way up to about 4th wheel. It was a pretty hard hill, probably less than 5 min but pushing as hard as I could the whole way. When I got to the top, there was a small group of about 3-4 riders who had broken away down the road ahead of me. This included the super lightweight under 15 boys, and a couple of ladies. I couldn't tell if they were in the women's grade or under 17s - it turned out only one of them was in the women's grade.

I found myself with a nice little posse of three riders: Margo, Jane and myself. We have raced and trained together so we were all happy to work together. However, after I had done about 2-3 turns on the front I realised that I was going to struggle to keep the pace. Margo and Jane were good enough to ease back a bit and keep pulling turns, and let me rest on the back. This was going ok, then another rider or two joined us and sat on the back. I decided it wasn't fair to let Margo and Jane keep doing all the work, so I pulled through and did another turn, and the rest of the group came through and worked as well. Unfortunately for me, I just couldn't keep the pace. I stopped doing turns and sat on the back, but even that was a bit too much. Gaps kept opening between me and the group, and eventually the gap became two bike lengths, and then I was off the group.

I still had more than half the race to go, I think I'd only done about 15km of the 42km race by this point. I figured the rest of the race was going to be on my own, so I just hunkered down in the drops and pushed on at just below time trial pace.

After a while, I heard Nat behind me, telling me to jump on the wheel. She had three other women with her, but after I sat on the back for a minute I could see that the other three women were either not capable or not willing to work. By this stage I was feeling pretty ok, so I came through to the front and worked with Nat.

This was my favourite part of the race, Nat and I were working hard, working together, swapping off turns on the front. It was great to be working with a teammate, even if we weren't in contention for podium positions.

We worked well together, then there was a tough slightly steeper and longer 'undulation'/hill that we had to contend with, and one of the ladies who had been sitting on the back the whole time decided she wanted to breakaway up the hill. We clawed her back and caught our breath, then prepared to start our little group working together again. Nat went to the front and pulled a strong turn. Unfortunately, a bit to strong for me, I just couldn't hold on, so I found myself on my own again.

I was about 12km from the finish at this point, because I remember thinking "its just a commute distance to go". So I just pushed on at almost time trial pace again, not going flat out, but still working hard. I continued in this fashion by myself for the rest of the race, with the obligatory out of the saddle effort to the finish line to please the crowd.

I was happy with my race. I had no expectations prior to the weekend. I decided I just wanted to go down and race, have fun, and what happened. I was really happy to be near the front of the race at the top of Pump Hill. Now if I can only stay at the front until the end of the race .......

The Pemberton Classic was a great event. The road race route was quite scenic, karri trees on the way up Pump Hill, and cows and wineries through the rest of the course. The locals really get on board - there were tons of old painted bikes hanging up outside cafés in town, and there were hay bales with big signs on the course "viva la Pemberton Classic". There were even hay bales arranged in the shape of a teddy bear!

Well done to the organizers and all the sponsors - there were many of them!

Pemberton Classic Criterium - 1 March

The Pemberton Classic started with a criterium up the main street of Pemberton, in the late afternoon on Saturday of the long weekend. It was a hot day, but cooled down to a pleasant temperature by race time.

I raced in women's B Grade, we had a good sized field of about 9 women. The race organizers started 3 different race groups together: B women, C men and under 17 boys. We started all together as one peloton, but spilt up quickly and were quite spread out even after one lap.

Each lap started with a downhill into a right hand corner, then a flat back straight with a tailwind but on a bumpy pot-holed road, then a nasty little climb back up to the start line.

I was riding in touch with a small group with two other women and a couple of under 17 guys. However, with the downhill and uphill each lap the gradient controlled each person's pace and we weren't really able to work together in a bunch.

I finished fifth in Women's B Grade, not far behind 3rd and 4th, who I'd been in touch with for most of the race. I was very happy with this result, as I have not raced many crits lately and I've been training long distances for Three Peaks, which is next weekend!

It was a great atmosphere, terrific watching all the grades racing at dusk through Pemberton. We had a big group of guys and girls from Hall Cycle Training so it was a fun social afternoon.

Yanchep Crit Race Report - 2 February 2014

The ride up to the crit was pretty good, nice tailwind the whole way and I rode up with Katie Joyce so I had company and someone to share the work with. However, I didn't do a specific warmup, which may not have helped my race outcome.

The Commissaires were concerned about the final corner into the sprint finish, so immediately before the race we did a group recon lap of the course. I got dropped on the hill on the recon lap, which I figured wasn't a good start!

We then re-assembled for the race start proper. I made sure I was in the first third of the pack as we hit the hill - and I quickly went backwards through the pack and was spat out the back before the top of the hill. Nasty! That was basically it, I continued racing by myself, not at 100% pace but still working hard to get something out of the event. The corners on the course were great, nice to do something different from Tech Park. After about 15-20min, I caught up with one of the other women who was off the back, she had slowed down a bit, so I slowed my pace a bit to ride with her. We pulled off with 2 laps to go, as we had been lapped and we knew there were four B-grade women in front of us, so we were not competing for the podiums and we didn't want to interfere with the race for the front contenders.

The ride back from the crit was hell. I had been eating and drinking throughout the morning after my race, but by the time they finished the presentations it was 1:30pm and we hadn't had any lunch. So I was running low on energy. And there was a killer south-westerly cross-head wind. Thank goodness Katie was still with me, I got some protection riding basically next to her in the wind shadow, but there were not many places to hide. And I could maintain only about 150 watts, so it was slow going. We averaged 23kph to Jindalee, where we stopped to get some food and replenish our energy stores. I was practically shaking by this stage. We were both hating the wind, the sun, being sand-blasted and the fact that we wouldn't get home until after 4pm. So we phoned a friend and got a lift the rest of the way home!

It was a well-organised event by Northern Beaches Cycling Club, and a great but challenging circuit. Also loads of spot prizes from the sponsors so it was worth hanging around for the presentations! Sponsors included Just Ride It (fixie bike), Goodearth Hotel and Bike Force Joondalup.

Race report - Smashfest Crit Sunday 12 Jan 2014

I got to the race in plenty of time to register, warmup, etc for the B Grade women's race, which had been at 10am the previous week.  Unfortunately, this week the B Grade race was at the same time as the C grade race ... which was about 15 min after I arrived. I registered and went for a quick warmup, but my 5 min warmup wasn't quick enough - the race had started by the time I got back.

After all the effort of getting to the race and mentally and physically preparing, I wanted to race. So, I figured I would do A grade. I had raced C grade the first crit, then B grade for my second race, and now A grade.

It was stinking hot, about 40 degrees, so it was hard to know the best thing to do for a warmup. I needed to warmup my muscles ready to work hard straight off the line, but I didn't want to overheat too much. So my warmup was shorter than normal and I didn't feel that great after warning up. This time I made sure I did my warmup with plenty of time to get to the start line before my race.

There were about 12 women in the A grade race, including two of my fellow Hall Cycling Training riders. Due to the heat, our race duration was reduced to 25 min. Thank goodness. Unsurprisingly, it was a fast hard race, with sprints and attacks several times each lap. I had a good awareness of the race and was able to respond quickly to each sprint. But with the pace and the heat, I didn't know how long I would be able to do that for.

The first five minutes were quiet hard, then I felt okay for the next five minutes or so. I was really glad to still be with the pack after ten minutes. My next goal was to stay with them for 15 min. I almost made it .... But after a couple of attacks in quick succession, it was taking me longer to get back on each time. Then there was an attack while I was still off the back, and that was it.

I lasted 14 min with the bunch. The rest of the race I was on my own, working hard on the start-finish straight into the headwind and trying to recover on the downhill and back straight. The heat was oppressive, my heart rate was really elevated. Thank goodness I had some water with me that I could spray on myself to cool down. It was also easier going at my own pace, without the sprints off the front of the bunch, and taking my own line into corners. I discovered that I was more confident cornering by myself than in the bunch.

I did the last 10 min of the race, counting down until the finish and trying to work hard to stay ahead of the bunch. The group passed me on the last lap, halfway around, and I had a great view of them preparing for the sprint finish.

It was great to do an A grade race, to see the difference between A and B grades, and to realise that I could actually stay with them for half the race. This time last year, I did my first crit ever, women's B Grade, and I had the same result as today - I stayed with them for about 10-15 min. It's really pleasing to see the progress that I've made in a year, which I attribute to the training that I've been doing with Hall Cycle Training and the race experience I've had in the past year. It bodes well for ongoing development for next year!

This was the last race in the Smashfest Crit series. Thanks to Hall Cycle Training and Vic Hotel for sponsoring the women's races, we had A, B and C grade women's events for each race which was a great opportunity for women of every ability to race in their own grade - or to try out every grade like I did!

Smashfest Tech Park Crit - Women's B Grade

I was feeling good on the warmup on the way to the race, but then sat around for two hours before my race started. I was quite nervous about moving up to B Grade and I realised when I got onto the start line that I had too much nervous energy and I really should've done a quick pre-race warmup to settle the nerves. Not a great start to the race, I missed cleating-in and then the pack (of five other riders) got away from me off the start line. Once I got my cleats sorted out it didn't take me too long to catchup with them though.

It was a very surgey race, lots of little sprints off the front and having to sprint to catch up, but then lots of times no-one wanted to work on the front so the pace dropped back down. Having a group of only six people racing there were not a lot of places to hide. Moving up from C grade, I found that my cornering was not as good as it needed to be (more practice required!). Also I had to work hard to chase down the little sprints - I did not have the instant power response that I needed.

However, that didn't hurt me too much in the sprint finish. I started the sprint at the back of the pack, but quickly passed two riders, then one more rider, and I was catching up to the second place rider as we crossed the finish line. Very happy with third place in B grade. The sprint training with Brad Hall on our Wednesday group session this week definitely paid off. Next time I will be more confident and I will continue to work on my cornering and sprinting to do even better.

Thanks to Hall Cycle Training and Vic Hotel for sponsoring the women's race series. Great to see another great turnout of women riders, and special mention to some of the up-and-coming Hall ladies - Conchita with a convincing win in C Grade and Roberta fourth place in C Grade. Kicking ass!