TriSciclist

New kids on the block

2011-03-14T08:40:00.001-07:00

Watch out - there's a new team in WA, La famiglia bambola. You guessed it - my family. Here's mum modelling her kit before a mountain bike ride around her back yard. Glad to hear mum might finally be having some luck sorting her asthma out. She'll be pushing dad in sprints before he knows it I'm sure.
I've started to commute on the bike a bit which has been good for the legs and the soul. Seems such a waste to live in a beautiful city and not get to enjoy the views. The draft of my second last paper is practically done and I'm starting to sort out the pieces of the last one! Won't be long now before I can get some use out of the new kit. I'm in training for a TT in May! Won't be aiming for a PB that's for sure but would like to know where I stand based on minimal training. Here's to the body holding up - all has been well for a few days and I would like to get some fresh air and sunshine.

Self restraint

2011-02-21T23:34:00.000-08:00

This week I started the Michelle Bridges 12 week body transformation.

She has got a great website that takes you through all the necessary steps to sort out your demons for the best chance to lose weight. Saying that my body decided to pack it in the week of starting and hence my exercise is still not taking off.

For two days after exercising I am extremely fatigued, my muscles are stiff and ache. And not the good ache, my muscles actually refuse to work whilst doing simple things like cooking, getting dressed, cleaning, walking.

Luckily my home office set up is quite comfortable and I can continue with my thesis whilst feeling like my body is made of concrete. To meet my work pressures I was resorting to chocolate and take out food for convenience. I am now dealing with the consequences and it's an interesting world to live in. I have now made a conscious effort not to eat chocolate and include fresh fruit and veges in every meal - following the 12WBT plan. Experiencing a few hiccups already as a forgetful mind, tight budget and family emergency meant a few substitutions have been made. Thankfully it all seems to be working - there was a 4 week preseason period where I made changes to diet and started to exercise. 4 kg down already! I'm impressed because I was struggling to stop the gain. My comfort eating has now been replaced by bottles of water which I am happy to do as I have a wedding to look great at!

Perth crits day 2

2011-02-13T03:03:00.001-08:00

These photos were taken on my iphone and processed using the Instagram app (one of my favs)

Despite her best efforts, Emma Pooley could not shake the bunch. Various break attempts lasted a few laps but were chased down, leading to a final sprint. TIS outpowered the bunch to take 1st and 2nd, Pooley 5th.

Out of hiding

2011-01-22T23:56:00.000-08:00

For the past year, I have been hidden under piles of papers. Lists of jobs to complete and the burden of finishing my thesis.

I would love to say that it is finished. But after slogging through illness for 9 months I needed a break.

Had the most relaxing few weeks over the break - despite the last minute shopping efforts, house hopping and party going. It was great to catch up with the family and friends that I have been so badly neglecting for a long time.

It allowed for reflection back on a tough year. And the time to recharge the batteries for a strong TT like effort home.

So whilst hidden behind the slog of writing a thesis my sloth-like personality developed and lets say I'm itching to ditch it. Have joined up to @MishBridges 12WBT (http://www.12wbt.com/) and am looking forward to the Challenge which starts late Feb. Here's to getting my life back in order... Looking fwd to sharing some success stories this year!!
x

Happy Festivus

2010-12-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

The joys of Christmas begin - I got the lights up late this year as I have been in the midst of thesis writing. Due to a number of unforeseeable circumstances, I did not meet my planned due date and will be finishing everything off in the new year. I'm onto the last section of the last results chapter so everything should roll smoothly once that is done.From B, Jeb and I have a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope to be able to catch up with friends more often in the New Year. Wish me luck with the job hunt and fingers crossed the dream job calls for an interview.

getting the teeth out

2010-10-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

Ever since my dad started time-trialling I looked fwd to the day we would race together.

I've been making steady progress in the last 6 months. Work has been insane, but exciting. My PhD is 75% of the way there. 6 months ago it was 20% there so I have a real sprint to the finish line, but it's do-able.

So a quick update before I put my head back in the books.

The 2up TT held by ATTA late in October was the perfect opportunity for me to stretch the legs and challenge myself. Two months away from the event I was hardly riding, as riding results in my body shutting down and an inability to work without pain.

Two n a bit weeks out from the event - all those planned weekend sessions failing to happen - panic sets in and i set out to train.

Squeezed a few TT sessions with coach Lorraine and recovery with Bec just in time for the pre dawn wakeup call.

Managed to lose a sock before the ride, so I got stuck with dad's daggy sock - never mind booties covered it. We took off and held a good pace - staying lead bunny for nearly the whole lap. Went faster than we thought and I gave dad a taste of what suffering is about. Look fwd to seeing him slogging it in King's park soon.

Stay tuned for the latest outing with a famous Australian speedy sidekick! Have to wait for pic - glad to get the teeth out again

Ready for winter?

2010-06-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

So not in the mood for writing - photos it is.

Hit another speedbump in recovery last week with the infection by another virus that leaves me achy, tired and weak.

Some good news - new gloves! they should keep me warm and fashionable if i ever make it out.

UWA at dawn

Mother's Day Part II

2010-05-09T03:41:00.000-07:00

A quick trip home to drop off Jebine and then back out again to visit the other half of the family. This arvo we were heading down to watch some basketball; Rockingham vs Stirling.

It was a nail-biter, Stirling (the blue team/our team) were down 20 points at quarter time. They were still down 1 point at 3/4 time but continued dominating the last half to win by about 7 points.

Mother's Day Part I

2010-05-09T03:11:00.001-07:00

Dad was doing the ATTA Season Close TT @ Champion Lakes. I'd planned on meeting him pre-race for a warm up spin but only just made it in time to see him take off. I'm a bit hooked on the iphone app 'Hipstomatic' and tested out a few different settings today. There not the best for action photography but I'm still impressed.

Jeb was looking forward to the walk around Champion Lakes

Mouse working hard - as always keeping things running smoothly

The rowers were out this morning which meant the start/finish line was near the bridge today creating quite a cozy atmosphere with everything so close together

Dad crossed the line a few seconds away from his PB. Not a bad effort considering his just come back from 3 weeks in Europe!

Dad and I enjoying the 'post-race wave of goodness' - "Are jelly legs normal?"
Starting to look like a pro

Takin a break from the grumps

2010-05-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

This is my view 9 to 5, mon to fri

My view waiting for the rest of the crew to show up Sat morn

The greeting I received from my naughty puppy who dug up my garden whilst out ridin'

Got the grumps

2010-04-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Probably shouldn't write today - my cold is taking over. Work is like a hills ride when you're overweight and have flat tyres.

grump mumble mumble

early to bed me thinks!

Maybe i can ride next week!

Looking forward to getting my hands on the latest RIDE magazine as I even managed to get a grumble posted in their. And - they sent me a shirt for writing in!

Look who keeps me company though - can't complain!

Jeb - after rampaging my garden

Why writing a thesis is like racing a 6 week tour

2010-04-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Thesis writing has many things in common with racing

The preparation - endless hours and it never feels like enough hours. Both include several pre-*big*race mini-races; (presentations and publications would be like club/state races)

The food - race time is when you get to eat all the high cal stuff and guess what happens when you work on a computer 10 hours a day.

The stress. Almost impossible to think or talk about anything else. *Beware* this can get you in trouble if it appears you aren't listening to those around you.

The daily rituals are very similar come race time wake up, dawdle, eat, dress, dawdle, check equipment, dawdle, warm up, get going, sprint, worry you aren't going to make it, slug it out, cross the finish line, shower, eat, relax, sleep. Then you repeat * 42

The major difference between the two being fitness - one goes up, the other goes down.

Better cross the line soon so I can get back out there!

Photo courtesy of Peter Mah

Am I ready to come back?

2010-04-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

It dawned on me (in the shower) that my health has improved hugely in the last two weeks. We'll never know exactly what it was that helped with the improvement. Was it simply time, or the handfuls of multi-vitamins, probiotics, good food, fish oil, good rest, sleep herbs, chinese herbs, oil tinctures and catnip, caffeine or riding my bike. Maybe the latest Ride will have some answers - I posed a question to them and am looking forward to seeing how they respond!

Then I realised that even if I wanted to train 20 hours a week I simply don't have those 20 hours to spare! Phew ! Coz I'm enjoying 'life' at the moment and am not ready to go back into race mode.

Back to why I *can't* train 20 hours a week -I'm in a different race, not on the road, on paper. yikes! I've got less than 2 months to finish the dreaded thesis. We're getting there! Progress has been made. Looking forward to sending it off though. Better get back to it then.

Ticy Ticky Boom

2010-04-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

Perth band Boys Boys Boys! launched their video clip for Ticky Ticky Boom last Friday. I love it.

Great for a sidetrack or boost early morning...

What the others say about GF

2010-04-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

There really isn't much scientific literature out there about glandular fever or mononucleosis. I've gotten a bit disheartened by this and by the length of my recovery - when so many others have taken a few weeks not 4 months.

There is light! I'm managing full-time work now (just) and I'm hoping to start doing some cycling soon. It'll be short and with lots of reflection as to how my body is coping. The food elimination may be helping, but it's really hard to say.

I'm on the hunt for some evidence - and not really having much luck.

I did find a couple of things interesting about the mono article from Peak Performance. Firstly, stress is a very recurrent theme when talking about illness and immunity. I guess the PhD isn't really helping there - but now it seems like the stress of the PhD is larger because I don't get to go for a ride before/after work. It *will* be finished soon.

The other part of the article that caught my eye were the 'smoke signals'. Did I have any smoke signals? Maybe. I was running around like a headless chook last year. I had some other stressors and I definitely struggled for a lot of the time. and after returning from a productive work trip overseas had my training cut short one day when I truly just couldn't get on the bike.

Maybe I should go meditate now...

Is it working?

2010-04-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

Not cycling is not all bad.

Every journey begins with a single step (or pedal stroke)

2010-03-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

I rode my bike!!

Yay for me. It wasn't a long ride, long enough for me to test my legs, enjoy the fresh air and get out of the house!

Saturday morning I managed to catch up with SPR to pick up my new kit. I couldn't wait to try it on when I got home - and you can see that once I got it on I was back to bed - major headaches and fatigue. Luckily, it fits - I have a new body thanks to glandular fever - I wasn't sure how *big* to get the new kit. Would love to be smaller and well the only way that is going to happen is with exercise.

Which reminds me of Shaun McManus' advice to a young NOVA listener one day. A girl had rung up asking advice on diet- would a low carb atkin's style diet be a good diet to follow? Shaun replied with something like - every time my wife brings up dieting and changing our food I say "E, X, E, R, C, I, S, E, EXERCISE." So very true in my mind, you can change your diet but if you don't exercise you won't get the results. But saying that, I used to exercise 15 hours a week and couldn't lose weight. Maybe if I could have lost my addiction to chocolate!!

Saying that I need to lose weight but I can't overdo the exercise. I'm way too tired to function properly as it is. I'm getting there slowly, I've altered my diet in a million ways and aim one was to reduce the kJs that were mainly comfort kJs. I've started going back to the chiropractor which is helping immensely.

PS- I still eat chocolate.

Speaking of diet - I have made additional changes to my diet in hope that cutting out certain foods will alleviate some of the pain and fatigue that is holding me back.

Increased:
A million supplements, extra vegies, gluten free products (crumbly pasta), sleep

Lost:
gluten products e.g. 'normal' bread/pasta,

Reduced:
Chocolate, Caffeine (from 6 cups/day to 2), refined sugars

Next to go:
Milk!

Take care of yourself

2010-03-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

Two days worth of supplements equals quite a hefty handful.

Armed with confusion and frustration, I have taken to trying every remedy besides witchery. I took this photo when making a pack of supplements to take to work with me. Bianca is sure there are more and I think she's right. I'm confident in the fish oil and multivitamins, and everything else is there just in case. Can't forget my mood supplements - choc + icecream. The other vitamins include; Thompson's Immunofort, Rose-Hip Vital, CoQ10, vitamin C and magnesium.

I can't say this week has been the most progressive recovery week. Energy wise - the mornings are always the hardest and the toughest. Quite a few mornings weren't very pretty but I made it to work every day and I'm a few baby steps closer to finishing my thesis.

Coffee is my next best friend right now and I truly do not function without it in the morning. I have to be careful though - I'm banned from having more than 2 cups a day - if I have too much caffeine I tend to overdo it with 'fake' energy and eventually become more unstuck.

Flying the McClellan flag

2010-03-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

My dad took up Bike Riding and then time-trialling last year. We managed to do one TT together before I got too sick to sit on a bike.

Despite living 200km away he's managed to compete in 8 time trials and is doing a great job of meeting his aim of collecting PBs. Last weekend he took almost 3 mins off his previous best time for Champion Lakes and is now in the 30km/hr club.

Go DAD!!

Stuck in the cave

2010-03-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

Several hundred dollars later I am full to the brim with tonics, teas, powders, capsules, tablets, fresh fruit, fresh vegies, red meat, gluten-free goodies....

Into the bin have gone the chocolates, wheat-filled lovelies, double shot coffees, and late nights.

Not that I had a lot of late nights.

I'm a bit worried about the sanity of those around me as I deal with the sugar and caffeine withdrawal symptoms.

When will I be allowed out?

When will I start a week feeling good rather than shattered? soon, please be soon.

To pass or fail

2010-03-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

Or to accept small graces and improvements.

Still tired, still grumpy. I have trouble holding my head up or walking stairs.

Boo - I just want to ride my bike.

The improvements are slow but sure. I wake up before the alarm. I am back at work. I am about to send off the next paper to be published.

New challenges

2010-03-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I'm not exercising at the moment. It's also no secret that I'm not enoying being sick - who would?

At the moment I feel like I'm on the start line of a race that is constantly being postponed because the roads are clogged and unsafe to race on.

So - the challenge. I'm not entirely sure how smart it is to embark on a challenge that I can't fully immerse myself in like I usually would but it's a challenge that needs to be undertaken.

Waffle waffle.

I need to lose quite a few kgs to be a healthy size and weight. To make my task slightly easier I'm going to break it down in stages. Stage 1 is 10kg, my first goal is to stop the increase! Argh, my love for food and lack of exercise has got me in a bit of trouble! Here goes...

I'm publicising my challenge to stay accountable and focused. Feel free to post your favourite weight loss recipes, tips, tricks and hints!! They will be much appreciated.

Appreciating the small things

2010-03-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

I am so frustrated with being sick, again, still. Boo.

My body aches. I'm tired and I'm grumpy. I have 2 months to finish my thesis and end the marathon that I have been running for the last 4 years. So, here I go, wish me luck. I'm starting another day feeling like I should be finishing a tough week.

But, I thought I would share something that I enjoyed on a night I would usually be training.

A couple of weeks ago I went to a fancy dress party where the theme was marriage and I got to wear a wedding dress. I never dreamed of my 'perfect wedding dress' as a child and I guess I was surprised at how much fun I had doing it and how much I loved my $10 dress.

Can you believe Bianca made the bustle in one afternoon? Of course, Jeb our dog, was there every step of the way!!

Back on the bike

2010-03-11T20:45:00.001-08:00

Well, some of you may be ready to say "Where the bloody hell are you?" Whilst others may have said it so long ago they've stopped thinking it.

Enough already.

I have re-entered the world, one step at a time (literally), since getting sick over 4 months ago!

Recovery is a bitch. But without your health, you really don't have much I have found. So, whilst I have been watching my biking colleagues travel around the world, I am rejoicing leaving the house!

Priorities have changed as 4 months of my life were literally smooshed. Right now, I'm focusing on finishing my PhD, starting my career in the lab and getting my little house together. In my free time I'm planning a wedding (late next year), riding my bike, and recovering some more. My body still aches and aches after any sort of effort which is a little disheartening. Slowly, slowly. Looking forward to my SPR kit coming soon as I am out of bike gear after a few debacles, *food* being one of them!!!

Good luck to my dad who is competing in his first 40km TT this Sunday. Go DAD!@!

Can't expect to change the result if you keep trying the same treatment

2010-02-08T01:57:00.000-08:00

There are small cracks in the system now, and if we keep patching them up and ignoring them the wall may tumble.

In other news, Glenn O'Shea and Mark Renshaw both have glandular fever. It will be interesting to see how we all recover. I'm envious because those guys are able to ride at the moment and I'm stuck in bed!!

Tomorrow is another day.

P.S I'm sorry

2010-01-30T00:16:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry if I have recently offended you. In some ways, I've turned into an old woman. I'm impatient and I'll tell you what I want, what I can do, what I can't do, and unfortunately, I might tell you what *you* should do. Don't worry, the fatigue affects my tongue as well.

To all those silly drivers that make me work harder to avoid smashing into them, I'm not sorry for beeping my horn, you annoy me.

To all the people writing documents, websites, announcements etc, the red squiggly line that appears underneath the word you've just typed indicates there could be a spelling mistake. OK?

To the people that tell me I need to do the dishes - says who?

To the people I have not seen, including my boss :( it's not by choice.

To the people that pick up my spelling mistakes, sshhhh!

Back to work - Partially

2010-01-29T23:57:00.000-08:00

Yep - I'm getting sick of being sick.

A quick update - early November I was knocked down with glandular fever. Since then I haven't been able to get off the rollercoaster that keeps toying with me. I have good days and bad, and at the moment I don't trust a good day as the sign I'm hoping for that I can resume normal life.

Some cool things I have found out whilst being stuck in bed with a body that feels like it should be able to work, until I get out of bed;

1. Some things don't matter that much
Like a clean house. I love a clean house and like most, I hate cleaning. I hate even more, not being able to clean. I know I should do the dishes. I also know I will need to sit down while doing them and then rest afterwards.

2. Some things in life matter
I have gotten over the guilt of not doing things and have now started to enjoy my time off and getting to know the people that I have missed whilst running around like a headless chook. Enforced rest is not always bad.

3. Caffeine is my friend
I love it.

4. The internets are my friend (and yours too)
The ability to shop online means that I can now eat and play without leaving the house - groceries, clothes, jewellry, stock for the business, work plus all the other good time wasting things. I also managed to buy some new track wheels!!

5. The iPhone saved my life.
Love it, love it, love it. I thought the battery had karked it this morning - yikes - it's ok now tho :)

6. Things happen for a reason
Don't always like to believe in fate, kharma or luck. Sometimes you gotta roll with it though. I have learnt a lot about life, love and friendship and some very good things in my life might not have returned or would have taken a lot longer to happen if I hadn't taken a second look.

Lil j, one of my girls that keeps me sane

7. You have to listen to your body.
I could say a lot about managing fatigue, blah blah, but obviously I haven't quite figure that out fully. I do know what caffeine withdrawal, pain, fatigue, hunger etc do to my mood, my brain and me.

So, let's see what I can do and fingers crossed I'll have made some improvement with the next update.

Back to work - Part II

2009-11-29T18:14:00.000-08:00

I can't blog properly at the moment because a) I don't have any exciting races to report, and b) my brain isn't working properly since acquiring glandular fever. It started with what I thought was a strained neck muscle and normal fatigue from training. But then the fatigue, aches and pains got worse and my glands started to swell.

Sure enough, a blood test confirmed glandular fever and rest was ordered. The only problem with this treatment is that it works. You rest and you feel better. When I sit on the couch all day I feel ok. I feel like I can start doing things. But things, like taking a shower, cooking dinner or reading don't take long to tire me out. I'm on a see-saw at the moment, trying to balance my activities with rest.

I got it wrong initially. I was feeling good and it was my birthday. So we had an extended birthday dinner or two, with a quick chat to some high school students the morning in between. It was a bit of a mistake, doing too much too quickly, and I went downhill fast. My glands swelled to the point where swallowing was excruciatingly painful and I could do nothing but sleep and complain. It took almost a week to recover from the swollen glands but a short course of steroids did wonders making my life instantly more enjoyable.

So now I'm back on the see-saw. I am so sick of the couch and watching TV and the little outings I am able to go on are gold. I am making progress and can't wait for the day when I am able to go for a short spin, then a long spin and finally get into training again. Some people will use setbacks as a sign to give up or stop but to me they show me how much I do enjoy training, competing and even working!

Back to work

2009-11-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

My time away was awesome in many ways. I had some really succesful meetings, presentations, interactions, excursions, meals and of course shopping expeditions.

Not every presentation went to plan and the last talk I gave really tested me as my computer completely froze. I had 15 minutes left and was left to talk from memory, using my hands to demonstrate what would have been on the screen. Most people that know me will appreciate how unusual talk this long is for me. But it worked, so much so that the French women harassed me at every point to answer questions, even whilst I was washing my hands in the bathroom!!

I've been home for 2 weeks now. The PhD is approaching the finish line, I ensure you the sprint is about to start (and it's long and uphill). Cycling is giving me a nice distraction, I just wish Bec wasn't so strong because she's wasting no time getting me back into shape.

Sunday morning I was back out at Champion Lakes. In some ways I wanted to do the TT so sson after getting back so I would start to appreciate pain again and see how bad my fitness is. The times can only get quicker!!

The conditions were crazy! People with discs were forced to ride at 45 degrees. I don't know how so many people rode them. Good practice!! I was on my trusty training wheels, with aero bars my only source of aero equipment, it wasn't going to be fast. In the end I was happy with the ride, even if it was my slowest TT ever.

Good to see so many women out, The Tour de Perth must be providing some motivation for tough training. I hear if you register by Nov 4th you'll get your name in the program.

Look out for some pics of me with ET...

shecaaago

2009-10-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

Chicago is one of my favourite cities because it's a fun place to be. It's huge, there is always something on and there is heaps to look at. This time through we didn't have much time and were in the city for less than 48 hours. Our lectures all went well, there were no computer problems this time and feedback was extremely positive.

We had almost 24 hours spare once the symposium was over. We headed out to the Hancock tower and visited the 94th and 95th floors for the awesome view. Learnt a little about the history of the city whilst we were up there. Chicago is freezing compared to San Diego and today the weather turned whilst we were in a mall, so we were greeted by a lot of rain when we finally made it out of the shops. Shopping here is crazy, anything you want and the price range is huge. I picked up some nice shirts and jewelry for under $10 each.

Anyway... have to run for the airport, we are off to Switzerland!!

ciao

Happy but exhausted

2009-10-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

I have just finished my first conference of the tour, which has started in San Diego, CA. The weather is amazing - sunny, but not too hot. The conference has gone well, even though we have encountered a few minor speed bumps along the way.

The flight over from Australia is long, in all, it's about 24 hours from bed to bed. I was tempted by the movies on the long flight and probably watched too many rather than sleep. And then, all of the exciting things happened whilst I was asleep. Turns out that the guy sitting next to us had been down the back of the plane drinking with one of the other passengers. He was allegedly encouraging her to drink more than she probably should have and she ended up throwing up and requiring oxygen. I saw her when we landed and she didn't look too good. Hopefully she made it where she was meant to.

Our first day was pretty laid back, we did some shopping, relaxing and went out for some authentic mexican. The conference started on the second day and unfortunately jet lag had really kicked in by then and I hadn't gotten more than an hours sleep the night before. So it was tough and I felt like I was slurring my words but I got some encouraging feedback.

I had to run back to my room after lunch to nap because I was worried about falling off my chair during the other lectures. Needless to say, I slept well that night.

Today was the final day of the conference and I felt much more prepared to give a decent talk. My computer on the other hand, was not feeling as compliant and played up the whole way through. The audience handled it ok and again I got some good questions and feedback.

Tomorrow we're off to explore the city, do some shopping and try not to eat too much. Monday we're off to Chicago - one of my favourite cities!!

New ventures

2009-09-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

The news of my departure from the Fleet Elite team has slowly been circulating. I would like it known that this decision was made by Davina Summers and myself, and that I took into account a number of factors whilst making my decision.

I look forward to seeing what Fleet Elite are capable of with new management and wish them luck.

I am looking forward to riding my bike to the best of my ability, bring it on.

Dazed and confused

2009-09-20T23:43:00.001-07:00

Some days things go well and other days, well...

State Team Time Trial, Pinjarra.
Weird weather rain clearing at the start and wind picking up at the end.

Warming up was a bit of a task in itself, I had parked in the middle of a swampland, the heavens had opened up and like usual, was running behind schedule.

I made the most of the little time I did have. Recovered from a few near disasters, got myself to the start line, had my helmet checked, replaced helmet on head and had 40s to spare.

I was riding with Anna Kauffmann and Claire McLean. Anna has been consistently performing well in Time Trials and Claire had just returned from winning two bronze medals (TT and RR) at the Paracycling World Championships. I knew I had a tough job ahead of me but I was also excited about what we were capable of.

It was a tough ride. Anna was on fire and stompin. So much so that I was really struggling 10km in. But that's how you're meant to feel, right?

I know we're not the first one's it has happened to, and I'm sure we won't be the last, but 15km in, instead of sending us right the corner marshall made us U-turn to go home. Four confirmation requests later we complied, following the lead car and returning home. I'm sure we gave all the other girls a fright as they wouldn't have expected to see us just yet.

I don't know how or why or what happened afterwards, but we were the only team to return early. We knew the course, but we had to comply with the marshall. We were offered a restart to complete the full distance, but with our hearts already poured out on the road and energy stores depleted we didn't go again.

So not the result I hoped for but a bloody hard ride anyway.

Congratulations to Plan B (1st), EHBS (2nd) and a special congrats to the SPR girls (3rd) for winning their first medal at a State Championship.

It's always a fight with your headspace, sometimes you want to win

2009-09-14T00:19:00.000-07:00

ATTA Shenton Park TT 17km - Sunday 13th September

It seemed so long since I'd done a Time Trial, but at the same time, I didn't feel ready to do my next one. I've been losing the TT headspace battle recently so I saw Shenton Park as an opportunity to go out and have fun. If you know the course you may think that I'm losing a different battle - sanity. Shenton Park is difficult because it is half uphill and the worst climb is the shortest. The straights are short and one of the turns has a nice bump in it that can get the adrenalin pumping if you hit it wrong. Since Geelong I've been finding my bike love again and I'm finally feeling a bit of fitness.

The weather Sunday wasn't exactly motivating but luckily the skies cleared as riders were starting. Most people that know me, or have seen the back of my car, will know that I am not a very organised person and leave most things to the last minute. This saw me changing brake pads in the middle of my warm up and the usual running around like a headless chook. Unlike my last TT though, I was at the start line on time.

The roads were still wet on my way to the start line, but after getting over the initial shock of cold water in the socks it was fine. The roads were even starting to dry up by the time I was finishing.

I managed to find a rhythm fairly quickly this time and was attacking the climbs rather than being attacked by them. I was playing cat and mouse with Roger Hales for a lap, he passed me on the second climb but I caught him at the corner, only for him to take off on the last climb. I then caught him at the next corner only to say goodbye to him in the straight up Brookdale. It was good to have a little rabbit to encourage me to push harder. Whatever it was, it worked and my time was a PB by almost a minute. I was happy and am now feeling a little more confident going into the State Team Time Trial this weekend.

Full results here

Tour of Geelong

2009-08-20T03:07:00.000-07:00

There were plenty of reminders that prevented me from forgetting that I had been preparing for the Tour of Geelong since learning about it in March this year. Time trialling has been a majr focus for me this year and so the pressure was on to perform in Stage 1 of the Tour, from there some fun and learning were to be had.

Stage 1. Time Trial

Conditions were near perfect for our time trial and the wind may have picked up from a slight breeze to slight tailwind towards the end of the rollout of the women. The first 23 km of the course suited me perfectly. Rolling undulations with nothing steep to worry about.

Sucking up air on the start ramp. Photo: Brett Looney

I was riding with some heavy duty wheels and thankful that the wind hadn’t picked up as I was barely moved across the road at all.

My toys for the weekend, Zipp 1080 front and Sub9 rear disc. Photo: Brett Looney

I had passed my minute marker before the first turn 8km in and then seemed to run out of bunnies. Needless to say, I soon became Carly Light’s bunny and she passed me just before the 16km mark. This was a little disheartening, especially as I had calculated from our numbers that she started 4 minutes after me. This is where I learnt lesson number 1. Don’t lose focus on your own task and don’t assume start times! Carly had started 2 minutes behind me, not 4, so I whilst I wasn’t doing well, I wasn’t doing abysmally like I had originally thought. Carly continued to power on and I soon lost sight of her. Finally the last 2 climbs of the day came. The local primary school had sent a class out to spectate and cheer us on. I got a bit of motivation from this and soon paid for it! I finally made it over the line in 18th place, unfortunately with some TT lessons still to master.

Stage 2. Criterium

A flat course on paper, when ridden you definetly can feel the two part bump out the back of the course and the slight rise over the finish line. The course wasn’t technical at all, there was one wide turn and a set of traffic islands to worry about but apart from that it was a nice wide loop through Eastern Park Gardens. Tensions were up before the start and finally my headache had eased and we were off. The pace was on for the first 15 minutes, but without any decent corners or climbs the bunch pretty much stayed together. There were primes every second lap which kept the pace up and encouraged attacks, however, nothing was going to get away, especially with Jenny Macpherson’s team controlling things.

Keeping touch with the sprinters. Photo: Brett Looney

With 5 laps to go I decided that I needed someone to come with me to shake the bunch up. Unfortunately brain forgot that and when I did attack I was alone and quickly fading. I stayed near the front ready to go again and managed to jump on the wheel of another attack, again short lived. Davina went with 3 laps to go, again being quickly reeled in by the bunch. During the bell lap I struggled to get back to Davina and Bec, but knowing Davina’s experience left them to it. I had found myself a wheel that was quickly moving up the right side of the bunch, and with a clear line thought I had a chance of something. With 300m to go all good plans were thrown in the air with a clash of wheels or pedals (depending on what you read). There was the horrible sound of bikes crashing combined with massive sparks and someone flying through the air. Luckily, I managed to escape by taking a side escape up the grass but at least 10 others did not. At least 4 girls visited hospital at some stage and Fleet lost Bec with a broken collarbone : ( Davina managed to hold onto 3rd place with her lead out sprint.

Stage 3. Road Race

I have never been renowned for my climbing ability. With some special hill climbing training thanks to Bec and Lorraine, I was looking forward to testing my legs on the hill climb in the road race. This was not to be, Mother Nature was throwing everything she had at Port Arlington. Waiting in the van for news of the race status was rocky, and I had to check several times that we had the park brake on in case we were pushed away. Needless to say, there was plenty of disappointment around the camp.

Monday, Anna and I stalked the NTID crew out at the Nationals course at Ballarat. Hilly! I’ll keep working on my hill climbing love.

If memory serves me correctly...

2009-06-28T22:33:00.001-07:00

I was looking forward to the Winter Track Grand Prix held on Sunday. I'd never been in better form on the track, and despite not racing on the track for quite a few months I thought now was my chance to have a real crack.

We had a 20 lap scratch race first up and when I hit the track, the bike felt funny but I had no time to worry about it because we were flying from the gun. I had forgotten how much dynamics change during a big race. Wheels chopped here and there, a few hairy moments, but mainly, track racing just hurts. I think Josie Tomic won the race from Sarah Kent, Amanda O'Connor 3rd, Bec Halliday 4th.

Photo: Peter Mah

Elimination next up, I was eliminated after thinking I had already been eliminated. This time Sarah Kent won over Josie and Mel Hoskins .

The Wheelrace - 6 laps to run from Anna Meares as we were joined by the AIS sprinters in this race. Bec was starting on 85m and I was on 90m. Sprinters were on scratch with Sarah K and Josie off 20m and Mel Hoskins off 40m. 1 lap down still hadn't caught anyone in front. 2 laps down and the sprinters joined by Plan B had caught us. They were going fast. I couldn't get on the back of the train and that was the end of my race. But, this did allow me to see Mel challenge Anna for the win. It was close, the crowd were trying to help get Mel over the line first but Anna took the win.

I have no idea what happened in the points. I tried to go with Josie in the first sprint but have never gone backwards so fast.

Next time I will remember not to kill myself the day before with some torturous climbs.

Every second counts

2009-06-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

WA State Individual Time Trial Championships - Dardanup

Since I started doing TTs in October last year, this event has been a goal of mine. I knew that I was a bit excited about this event when I realised that I'd arrived in Dardanup before half the juniors (who were starting 2 hours in front of Snrs).

I'd had great preparation coming into the TT, which I have to thank my coach, Lorraine Schutz for, even though I haven't always been thankful for her taking me to my limits. I'd also hired some zipps from hirespeedwheels.com and was really looking forward to testing them out.

To the start line and then off... Well, we had a slight tail wind for the start of the course and I tried to hold back a little as I have a tendency to go out hard and crawl home. I was on target at the 7 km mark but the last hill before the turn around threw me as I didn't pick the best gear to attack it with. I knew the hills weren't as steep on the way back and hit them hard, trying to stay out of the saddle as long as possible.

My parents were out on the course and informed me (by screaming and waving) that I'd lost time to Anna. I knew it must be pretty significant by their level of excitement/desperation. Well it worked, and spurred me on because whilst the home straight was more downhill than uphill and technically easy, it was deceptively hard. I thought that I would easily be able to hold 40+ in the last few kms, but squeezing it out was much harder than anticipated.

Once over the finish line, I knew I'd given everything. My HR was higher than any other TT and there was only one place where I thought I could have gone faster (that damn hill on the way out). I never made up all of the time lost to Anna, being beaten by 4s, but was still very happy to get my third bronze medal at a State Championship. Sarah Kent, like Luke Durbridge, is still proving to be unbeatable and took out the championship by well over a minute.

Full results here

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional

2009-05-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

State Long Distance Road Championships
The Roleystone Circuit, used for the State Champs and previously the Tour dE Perth,is becoming quite familiar for me and was where I rode my first elite women's road race 2 years ago. The course is simple, out Brookton Hwy for 50km and then back to Roleystone to complete two 5km loops around the high school. Brookton Hwy is undulating and there are only a few climbs that can do much damage.

The pic shows the gradient for the loop and whilst it isn't a huge climb it does pinch at the top - just before the finish line.
The race was pretty quiet for the first 50km. There were no real attacks and everyone was happy to roll through keeping the pace steady. Sarah-Jeanne Fraser turned the heat up at the turn-around point and only Rebecca Halliday, Sarah Fraser and Melissa Hoskins were able to go with her. I was with them for about a minute but couldn't quite keep up the pace and dropped off the group. I was scared that I wasn't going to be able to get onto the passing wheels and had to make a real effort to get going again after going deep into the red zone.

After that I got to conserve some energy as I wasn't interested in helping the bunch chase down my team mate. The group got very close to getting back on and the support cars had pulled out in anticipation. Maybe they were a bit too complacent or tired but the gap didn't close. Sarah Kent got her group to hustle and they weren't seen again by the chasers.

Once Bec's group was clear I got to play a bit and attacked up one of the shorter steeper climbs about 30km out of town. I stayed away for close to 15 minutes, but the bunch weren't keen for another rider to stay away and chased me down. I wasn't backing my climbing legs in the last two laps and was keen to have another go to get away but my second attack didn't last long.

I was happy to see Karagullen, which meant were close to home, but was a little anxious about the last climb before turning into the circuit. Clare McLean didn't want a big bunch sprint and powered up the climb. A gap started to form between her and Lorraine Hartland and once it grew out to 10m I jumped across to Clare and tried but failed to come around her and push on to open the gap further. By the time we turned into Chevin Road Lorraine and Merissa Cunningham were making their way back to us and had caught us before the downhill. We stayed together keeping a steady pace up the hill and into Peet. I was happy to lead the bunch into Raeburn as I was concerned someone would jump when the road pinched up. Knowing what the turn is like I checked that my gear wasn't too hard, losing my sunnies in the process. Unfortunately for Lorraine, she was not as lucky with her gear changes and did a nice job of tangling the chain, forcing her to pull over.

Clare pushed the pace up Raeburn Rd and I was not letting go of her wheel. At the bottom of Raeburn Rd on the bell lap, Merissa attacked, I gave it everything to go with her but couldn't hold her wheel and her move split the three of us apart. I started to assume that Merissa had 5th place and was starting to concede 5th place because she had a huge gap on me before the final rise up to the finish line. Cars were starting to back up behind riders from A grade and I wasn't sure if there was room on the inside to pass them but found some. In my final climb I did a bit of grinding and somehow managed to gain enough speed to catch Merissa before the line. I was seeing black by the end of it though!

Sarah Kent had managed to get away on her own before getting back into town and stayed away to take the win. Bec lead her group for the bell lap. Melissa opened up the sprint, but was beaten to the line by a very close finish between Sarah F and Bec.

Full results have been published with bunch times here.

Snap, crackle, pop

2009-05-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

I wish the popping sound was a breakfast bowl of rice bubbles but it wasn't, it was the sound of the elastic band holding me together snapping.

Sunday 17th May - Dardanup Open and State 60km Championship.

Linda Evans was right - when the distances are short it's going to be hilly. Last year I faired ok on this course, and although slightly modified I thought I would be ok this year. Except that the modifications to the course were either uphill or downhill and I didn't realise how much they would drag.

Fleet pre-race discussion and fuelling. The last time I smiled that day?
Photo: Lorraine Hartland

Sarah Kent is consistently demonstrating fine form and similar to Collie; put her foot down a third of the way in the race splitting the field into several groups. Again, I got to do some time-trial practice and overall didn't have the best day on the bike.

Sarah stayed away and had several minutes on the chase crew. Mel Hoskins won the sprint and Sarah-Jeanne Fraser took out third place. It was great to see SPR's Lorraine Hartland so close to the podium in fourth place.

Measuring your effort

2009-05-11T23:36:00.001-07:00

Every time I do a time trial I learn how much more I need to learn. Last Sunday was ATTA's Season Closer at the popular Champion Lakes course. This course is a flat 5 km loop and we were completing 4 laps. For a change, there was almost no wind making this course different once again.

I was excited and looking forward to seeing what I could do. I may have been a little too excited, flying off fast, however, it didn't take long for me to pay the price. Without my trusty heart rate monitor I have no idea how hard I did go out and what effect it had afterwards. I thought I had brought it home strong but really my last 3 laps were all similar. Needless to say, I was in a lot of pain.

A PB was recorded but I've slipped down the placings. Davina was out to show how much living at altitude helps, smashing the previous Course Record.

To top off our day, the Fleet girls headed into the hills to do some recon of the State Championship course.

Death Valley Time Trial??

2009-05-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

Tom Lowry Memorial - Collie

It's amazing how much racing dynamics can change depending on the number of riders that turn up, the riders that turn up, the side of bed that the riders get out of, the legs, the day, the weather, etc...

The start of Sunday's race in Collie was frustrating. Despite the U19's being away in QLD for Nationals, we had a large field of 17 women, with several new faces fronting up, inlcuding SPR's Nicole Sloan. Jo Moore, Nathalie Laurendau, Linda Evans and Sue Johnstone were making their return to racing and as Sarah Kent is in between international gigs she was able to join us for the day. The field was made up by WA's regulars, Bec Halliday, Anna Kauffmann, Sarah Fraser, Danielle Longworth, Cherie Bonasera, Kelly Gray, Lorraine Hartland. I have to apologise for missing the others as I've lost my start list.

With a large field and great weather, I was starting to expect a great day. This explains the frustration as I was expecting the field would last a few more km's before the brakes were put on. But it wasn't to be and there are always a number of reasons why riders do not want to work at the front but I guess this only frustrates me more when I hear people complain about it and they aren't willing to change it, but seeing 10km/hr on a speedo in a "Premier" race is an interesting sight. Off the soapbox....

Towards the end of the first lap the two Sarah's put their foot down and really got the race going. Unfortunately, I've lost my list of excuses and can not tell you why I was not able to go with the move considering I was expecting it and 4th wheel, it's one reason why you shouldn't do anything at the start of the race.

I picked up Sue Johnstone and Kelly Gray in the chase to get back on the bunch. We worked together quite well and let me warn you, Sue Johnstone is a powerhouse. Unfortunately we lost Sue before the end of the 2nd lap and as Kelly Gray is unwell she pulled out at the end of the second lap. The other bummer was that for at least half lap I was dangling within a few hundred metres of the bunch, unable to shorten the gap.

So I finished the race on my own. I chased a few 'bunnies' which I was hoping were women that had dropped but they weren't. I finished 10th and apparently not too far behind the bunch. Some good time trial training I guess!!

Sarah Kent stayed away on her own. There were a few other attacks and bunches throughout the race, but in the end the eight women in the chase group stayed together. The SouthWest girls, Jo Moore and Linda Evans, did a good job in the sprint with Jo taking it out over Sarah Fraser.

Results
1. Sarah Kent
2. Jo Moore
3. Sarah Jeanne Fraser
4. Linda Evans
5. Bec Halliday
6. Nicole Sloan

Death Valley Time Trial

2009-04-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday's crit had left a bad taste in my mouth. I had stuffed up the sprint and was off the podium. Sunday I was backing up the crit with a time trial in the hills. It's a well known fact that it has taken a while for me to make friends with the hills and I was nervous. I woke before my alarm and was packed an in the car in record time. I had checked the list 3 times and knew I had everything I need to ride the time trial. Everything except the money to pay for the entry fee!! Thanks to Liz Leyden I was able to scrounge together the entry fee and was now locked in to race.

After a brief warm up I headed off to the start line, or should I say up to the start line. The hills were already hurting, it was going to be a long day at the office. Sitting at the start line we could see the first hill of the day, except I couldn't remember seeing it on the profile because you only see the big ones on the profile. It was a tough day but I stayed upright and enjoyed the downhills. There were a few hills towards the end of O'Brien Rd that had a real bite to them but I coped ok with most of them.

As the times started to get posted I was nervous as to how my hill climbing buddies had gone. Bec got me this time by 21 s and I was happy that I had managed to minimise the damage. My only problem then was the second lap I had to do with the girls.

Results
1. Rebecca Halliday 1.19.20
2. Holly McClellan @ 0.21
3. Anna Kauffmann @ 1.18
4. Lorraine Schutz @ 3.01
5. Liz Leyden @ 5.19

Full results here

Bring on recovery week!

Stan Gurney Memorial

2009-04-25T01:32:00.000-07:00

If I had to pick my least favourite course to race in Perth, unfortunately, this would be it. Today's criterium course was basically a hotdog with an S bend in the middle of it. Both U-bolts were tight but it was the roundabout that took today's one and only casualty, with Clare Mclean sliding out shortly into the race. The race was tough and because of the tight u-turns it was very difficult for anyone to get away. Sarah Kent was the only one to really get away from the bunch but her attack was short lived. Jess Allen was also very active within the group, keen to get away. I tried to be active early on but failed to get away. I was then in defensive mode as Sarah and Jess kept the pace high for most of the race.

Photo by Troy Coulthard

The real race dramas came with 2 laps to go, when a very strung-out B grade began to pass us. On an already tight course there was some interesting passing going on. Whilst everyone managed to get past and away just after we got the bell, we soon started to gain on them as the pace picked up for the sprint. Sarah Kent took charge early with Jess Allen on her wheel. I was following Bec and in fourth wheel, not exactly where I'd planned to be going into the final straight. I lost some distance on them coming out of the roundabout and wasn't able to make it up. It didn't help that we were catching B grade. Hopefully next year the U-turn will be past the finish line and not on it. It's an interesting experience braking before you hit the finish line to avoid T-boning someone.

Results
1. Sarah Kent
2. Jessica Allen
3. Rebecca Halliday
4. Holly McClellan
5. Liz Leyden

Psyching up for the Superhilly time trial

2009-04-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

Wandi 20km TT

2009-04-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

I've only just started to appreciate backing up. Basically, this involves smashing yourself one day and then smashing yourself again the next day with no recovery in between. It looks like a few coaches have used the Easter long weekend to get their athletes to hurt themselves as much as possible before going back to work, to rest.

We were out at Wandi for Easter monday. Luckily, it is not in my best interest to do an 80km TT at the moment, so rather than compete in the ATTA championship, we were lucky enough to be able to complete just 2 laps of the course. Played around a bit with gear ratios and pedalling styles today to see what would happen. It's hard to say exactly what the difference or benefits were because I think I would have been in pain no matter what gear was chosen.

I felt like I was on the verge of cracking for the last 15km of the course. The only reason I felt good for the start was because of the massive tailwind down Wandi Rd which meant that even in my hardest gear I was spinning. The aim was to come home hard, try to blow up but hold on and I think I succeeded. There were a few points on the course that I was a bit concerned about overdoing it but I think that's how I need to race otherwise I conserve too much.

Coming out of the last bend I really wanted to power home and got out of the saddle. About two strokes later, sunglasses falling off, drool dripping down my face and just not looking pretty in general I was snapped by a very eager looking photographer. Not looking forward to seeing those snaps! I know, I know, TTs are not about looking pretty. Anyway, shortly after the start of my power surge I realised how far there was to the finish. Yikes - I quickly reassessed and made sure I didn't take it to a full sprint because I definetly would have died before the line. Luckily there were no photographers on the line, I'm sure Mouse had a bit of a chuckle.

After a short recovery Bec and I crawled home. I showered, ate and then proceeded to sleep until dinner time. My brain has still not recovered.

Jess Allen managed the fastest female time for the 20km, this time by 20s. I came out on top of the Fleet girls and it's good to see we've got a bit of friendly rivalry going on at the moment, and we're all hungry to beat each other.

Full results here

Bibra Lake 16

2009-04-10T23:11:00.000-07:00

To me, the Bibra Lake 16 seems like one of the most popular races in the ATTA calendar. It was another opportunity for me to try and break the 40km/hr mark and with the right conditions was definitely possible. I'd checked out Sarah Kent's record the night before and was aiming to hit her split times. After the first half lap I was a bit concerned that I'd gone out too hard. I held on during the second lap but the wind in the second half of the lap was a killer. I stayed focus for 95% of the race which seems like a record for me. I was hungry for a win today.

A win was not to be. Two girls were travelling faster, Michaela Anderson (7s) and Clare McLean (4s). None of us managed to break 40km/hr, I missed out by 12s!

Full results here

I feel like my aero position has slightly improved after some last minute changes but still could be better. A huge thanks to Liz King for the booties, whilst they're not everyone's cup of tea, I love them!

Have just picked myself up off the floor after being put in a coma after my hills ride with the girls and now I'm off to finish my Easter shopping. Enjoy your Easter, ride safe.

Peter Clark Classic

2009-04-05T18:59:00.001-07:00

I wish I could tell you about how awesome the race was yesterday but I am struggling to focus on the screen.

We had a great turn out of strong women to race A grade on a new course in great weather. The race was tough and, apart from slowing down for the boys in the middle of the race, was fast.

The race winning break-away was made by Sarah-Jeanne Fraser (Eddy Holland's Bicycle Services), with Mel Hoskins (Plan B), Liz Leyden (Hub Racing) and Jess Griffiths (Cyclemania). Jess couldn't stay with the group and came back to the peloton.

Sarah won the sprint over Mel (2nd) and Liz (3rd). The bunch sprint was won by Jess (4th) over Bec Halliday (5th, Fleet Elite). Sam Woods (Budget) had started the bunch sprint with about 300m to go and was fading fast in the last 50m, I was gaining on her but I don't think I caught her by the line in the fight for 6th place.

Champion Lakes

2009-03-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

A new Champion was crowned on Sunday, when Bella King smashed the previous record (my record!) for the 20km TT course out at Champion Lakes. This course used to be my favourite but I'm starting to think I've lost my love for it, don't worry, it'll come back! The wind was definitely out, but unlike the previous days we'd been out here, the wind was gusty and strong on the long back straight. Every lap it felt like the wind had picked up, to the point where I felt like I was crawling on the last lap. Luke Durbridge came flying past me in the third lap and as he'd started 3 minutes behind me I was happy I lasted that long in front of him. He continued to gain time though and finished about 6 minutes faster than me! Whilst I might be aiming for a 40km/hr average (Bella was soo close!) it seems like the boys are aiming for a 50km/hr average. Full results here. I ended up finishing 3rd behind Bella and Mel Hoskins.

In non-cycling news, I had a very flattering comment published recently regarding a paper that I wrote with my supervisor. I guess it is also cycling news because we illustrated some of our points by referring to cycling and in particular, Lance Armstrong, which has provoked some further interest and comments.

Friends with big heads

2009-03-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

For the last half of last week I had the pleasure of attending a Time Trial Specific training camp in Melbourne with some of the AIS crew Bridie "Levi" O'Donnell, Carlee "Indi" Tayler, Peta "Mouth" Mullens, Amber "Amy Gillet Scholarship holder" Halliday; all of the Fleet Girls; Bec, Anna and Davina and NTID talent from across the country Jessamy "mountain runner" Hosking, Imogen "bicycle ballerina" Vize, Jo "ironwoman" King , Bronwyn "star spotter" Ryan and Carly "powerpack" Light.

We had the pleasure of being measured from head to toe. Guess who had the biggest head? For clues see below. We then proceeded to be tortured by some sports scientists, thanks Andy, with some 2 and 10 minute all out efforts. I wanted to run for the hills. It wasn't that bad in the end! The pain stops when it's gone.

Friday we were lucky enough to be blown away by Monash University's Wind Tunnel. I unfortunately, am not very aerodynamic and have affectionately been termed a brick! I think it's a good excuse to get massaged more regularly and get on my own bike so that I can get in a better, more aerodynamic position. FYI, all of the other Fleet girls are BLADES - so watch out as they come slicing past you.

Saturday and Sunday were the real highlights, hanging out with the AIS and NTID girls, Martin Barrass and other National coaches; getting to ride the potential World Championship course and shopping (I wish!). Other unforgettable moments were hearing about Anna Wilson's climb to the top and her experiences on the world circuit and seeing how many bikes/people could fit in a very small, slow lift.

Had to pass the time somehow....

BRW Corporate Triathlon

2009-03-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

If you search the results of the BRW Corporate Tri Sprint event held in Perth on the weekend you won't find my name. That's because I was replacing the best man and I tried to take that literally. "One wheel Matt" was off playing weddings and I got to enter my first triathlon with the Plant Energy Biology team! It was a sprint event, I was doing 10km on the bike but I knew the run to and from the bike leg that was going to kill me.

Despite the very early rise time it was nice to be up and about to watch the sunrise. The team were super organised and excited about the day.

First up for my team was the crazy Frenchman Olivier in the 400m swim
He was not joking around after the swim leg though and made a very quick return to the transition area with a time of 9 min 16s
I got to run with my bike, a new experience and not far down the road felt the effects of it. Luckily the wind was behind me allowing me to recover a little
The ride was awesome although 10km can still hurt. The run back in to transition was the toughest as you can see I'm not as happy on the way back. Time of 18 min 48s (fastest sprint time)
Michelle took over from me to do the 4km run. Time 19 min 53s
Overall, our team came 5th in the Corporate Mixed Division, not bad! Lisa Wood's team came in third just ahead of us.

Back from Pemby

2009-03-02T20:46:00.000-08:00

We had a great start to this year's racing calendar with almost 20 women fronting up to race the Pemberton Classic. I did not have the best race weekend but am grateful for the reintroduction of hills to my program. ha!

Tumbling

2009-02-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting at work, bored, pondering. It's amazing how your concept of time changes in relation to what is going on. Like now, I can't wait for it to hit 5 so that I can go home. I should be making the most of it and catching up on all of the tasks that have been forgotten over the last couple of months.

Despite this year flying by I can't wait for next weeks news and I feel like a child waiting for Christmas at the moment, counting down the sleeps.

In other news I had a tumble on the track last night, silly really. I'm blaming it on Bec and Bella even though they were nowhere near me. Surely they planned it! It didn't get me out of the smash fest point scores DB had us doing though, despite my protests and tears.

Feeling terrible

2009-02-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

Renae's Race - 22/2/09

A stacked field had come out to play, it looked like almost 20 female riders had entered. We had Olympic Silver medallist, Emma Pooley. Recently crowned Australian Champs Josie Tomic, Sarah Kent, Melissa Hoskins and Clare McLean. Fleet Elite girls Bec Halliday, Anna Kauffmann and myself. SPR riders Lisa Wood, Lorraine Hartland. Jess Griffiths from NSW. WAIS rider Bella King. Sally Robbins, Kelly Gray, Sue Johnstone, Sarah-Jeanne Fraser, Rebecca Wheadon, Jillian Scanlan. It seemed like an endless list.

I knew it was going to be a tough day. Riding down to the crit my legs didn't seem as sore as expected after Saturdays power efforts, but apparently Bec's were! I would like to say that Fleet's plan was for me to cover early attacks to save Bec for a late race winning attack with Anna to help cover things in between and chase when needed. Coz that's kinda what happened and would have looked cool if it came off. Unfortunately, like most plans, something is bound to go wrong.

Plan B really wanted to dominate today. Sally Robbins was keeping the pace up from the gun and Josie and Sarah Kent were taking turns to attack the field. I was struggling early on but kept covering the attacks. Recovering and making my way up the field to try again. I wanted to get in a break and away from the fluctuating pace which was really hurting me today. Unfortunately it didn't happen and in the middle of one of my sad sack sessions at the back of the bunch Josie got away. Luckily (as planned :) Bec made it into the break, which also contained Sarah F and Jess G.

It was then wait and see time as Emma Pooley hadn't made it into the break. I forget the exact happenings after this as I was still doing my best to cover attacks. Bella got away but for some reason didn't finish the race. Then again whilst I was moping at the back Sarah Kent and Emma Pooley got away. I tried to help the bunch chase her but I just didn't have it. With 3 laps to go Mel put it in a big surge and I went with it but was suffering. She was brought back and then I saw Bec on the side of the road with a flat. I can help I thought! We swapped wheels and she raced back to the Commissaire only to be told she was too late - being bell lap couldn't rejoin. We should have known but when the blood is in your legs your brain doesn't work. So neither Bec, nor I finished the race which was won in fine form by Josie who had a large gap on Sarah F. Jess G outsprinted Sarah K and Emma Pooley for third place.

A hard race! I hope those new to racing aren't too discouraged. Today they got to see where the bar is at. It's not easy to bridge across but if you want it you'll go for it and keep training.

Even when you do badly you have to write it up

2009-02-10T18:29:00.002-08:00

We all have our own motivations to race. It can be easy to forget those reasons when fear takes over. Going to Track Nationals was exciting and scary. I was racing against Anna Meares! If you just look at the results you'll see I got various last places and a couple second last. But - they were all PBs in my eyes. heheh.. As a roadie turned track sprinter, it was always going to be a tough gig and I'm happy with the outcomes, tangible or not. I've gained a lot of experience, confidence and hopefully friendships. Watching everyone else race made me really proud to be wearing my team shirt. Cameron Meyer was a super team captain and showed that he is not just a superstar on a bike but a great leader as well.

Some memorable performances:

Men's Team Pursuit:
WA went in to the gold medal ride off after qualifying a very close second. They changed their order slightly, went in with a great plan and rode it to perfection, almost. The race was neck and neck with the lead swapping every couple of laps. WA were in the lead when the Vics lost third wheel but surprisingly, at the next time check the Vics were ahead. What we couldn't see was a clip of the wheels and a slight easing of pace. WA gained the lead with 1km to go and just smashed it home. It was an awesome ride! During a race, the riders can try and communicate with each other, ease, 3 riders, go etc, but in reality under aero helmets all of the words sound the same so you can imagine what would happen when one rider yells ease but the other hears go. It's amazing that they do stay together.

Women's Team Pursuit
Winner, Belinda Goss cemented her position as the points race expert but I couldn't tell you what she did in the race. I was lucky enough to be watching the race with Bec Halliday's mum, Bec was going into the race for experience and to have a play. Unfortunately very early in the race Bec had a mechanical, her chain had broke (the second time on the trip). Luckily, our super team mechanic, Bobby Barnes fixed it in no time and Bec was able to resume racing. Unfortunately, DB was pushing her out and back into the race during a sprint lap which left Bec chasing. A super effort got her back on and before we knew it she was in an attack. This lasted long enough for Bec to place in two sprints and suddenly she was in 4th place. A bit of excitement towards the end of the race resulted in a crash taking out WA's Davina Summers and third place getter Tess Downing. Bec was unable to gain any more points but did a fantastic job to finish 6th.

Men's Points Race
Frieburg was on fire in this race. Sitting patiently he waited until about half way to take a lap. After a quick recovery he took another lap! We didn't see DB asking him to take another lap but if he did it would have been up there with ride of the series! Burger had to finish in front of the American to hold on to 3rd place and it was a fight to the finish, but he held on.

U19 Women's Keirin
Mel Hoskins was WA's only finalist in this race and rode very smartly. She got straight onto the wheel of the seemingly unbeatable sprinter, Annette Edmonson. Again, another patient rider, Mel went with all of the accelerations but had me worried she wasn't go to try and take the win. Coming out of the last bend she went for it and stormed past Nettie. Hopefully someone has a photo because the look on Mel's face was priceless.

A very big thankyou

2009-01-29T03:08:00.000-08:00

I'm afraid that I may have taken my coach, Lorraine Schutz for granted. Not only does Lorraine put in a lot of time and effort writing programs for us, but she listens to our whinging, sets us straight and had us well and truly prepared for the crits. Like I've said many times before, last year I was lapped on all bar one of the courses at the perth crits and this year with the help of Lorraine things were very different.

So, thankyou Lorraine, for taking me to my limits, teaching me how to jump in and relocating my head when necessary.

Nothing to lose and everything to gain

2009-01-26T20:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many people heard Gary Suckling giving the girls a pep talk before the final stage of the Perth Crits but he seemed determined to make the race interesting. Several opinions had been thrown around about the women's racing on the weekend. But, look at how far women's racing has come - we now have one team that competes nationally and another that is ready to take that next step.

The racing dynamics in Perth hasn't always been the best and has been the subject of many discussions and at the beginning of last year a small number of people attended a forum on this subject. Racing can be quite negative especially when there are 1 or 2 very dominant cyclists in the field who become marked continuously. Teams racing and increased numbers as well as positive community support are going to make women's racing better in WA. With two established teams, one team in the making (rumours of Eddy Hollands Bike Services) and the potential for many more teams (SPR, Southwest, Broad, Budget, Cyclemania) we are well on the way for some exciting racing.

Last year I was recruited by Davina to ride for Fleet in the Perth Crit Series, and whilst I only finished one race it was great to be part of a team. From a development perspective, I've gone from not being able to help out the team to being able to lead a team in a year. I am very grateful for the foresight and commitment shown by Davina in encouraging new riders like myself to keep going.

Signing up for your first race can be quite intimidating as in the past the racing community may have appeared quite closed. Fortunately there are now many approachable groups out there, Fleet Elite are very willing to offer advice to cyclists new to racing and there are many friendly groups out there for your development in your pre-racing career (such as South Perth Rouleurs, CycloSportif, TrackCycling WA)

Perth Crits Stage 4 - City of Perth
To make the race interesting several sponsors had offered primes. It seemed like Primes were being offered for every lap or two making it feel a bit like an elimination race on the track. Team Fleet were going for the win and therefore conserving energy where ever possible and coping with the frustration of not fighting for a prime. Sam Wood really cleaned up and showed her strengths as a sprinter winning quite a few of the primes.

Anna did a great job for the team by keeping the pace high at the start. Lisa also did a great job keeping an eye on Davina and blocking her when possible.

Halfway through the race Michaela Anderson launched an impressive attack, catching Fleet by surprise. Unfortunately Davina was straight on to it and whilst Bec and I did our best to get on they quickly formed a gap. The gap stayed consistent but seemed graspable. The chasing came down to Bec and I, with Felicity from Broad attacking to attempt to bridge on her own. I caught her within a lap or so and kept the charge up to catch the two ahead. Today was all or nothing for Fleet - we were out for the win, we needed to beat Davina to win the series. We just had to beat Davina.

Turns out that beating Davina isn't always an easy task! She worked well with Michaela and they stayed away. We probably got within 100m but we did our best. I really enjoyed the race. Bec and I were shattered by the end but ecstatic with our results, gaining 2nd and 3rd for the series. Again, thanks to my team who worked so well together and gave everything; Adrian, Iain, Jack and co at Fleet; Alex, Matt, Brett and Bianca; the mums, dads and family supporters; Trievents and the councils that put on such a great event; Riders Choice and other event sponsors.

Stage 4 Podium

Results Stage 4:
1. Davina Summers (Plan B)
2. Michaela Anderson (WAIS)
3. Kelly Gray (KD Cycles)
4. Holly McClellan (Fleet)
5. Bec Halliday (Fleet)

Perth Crit Overall Results
1. Davina Summers (Plan B)
2. Holly McClellan (Fleet)
3. Bec Halliday (Fleet)
4. Kelly Gray (KD Cycles)
5. Liz Leyden (Broad)

Team work

2009-01-26T17:11:00.000-08:00

Perth Crits Stage 3 - Victoria Park
The heat, nerves and exhaustion were testing my preparations for the third stage of the crits. We had to make a choice - go for overall or go for the series win. We knew Plan B would be marking me heavily for this course and with the nice hill in the course I was a little bit worried. Watching the support men steadily get dropped and lapped all I could think about was my race here last year when the same thing happened to me very early on in the race.

Fleet's great support crew kept us cool and calm and I got to the start line feeling good despite the headache and nausea I'd been experiencing that morning. Fleet had to keep an eye on Plan B's Davina and Bella and that we did. Sally Robbins set the pace for most of the race with very few attacks going and those that did go were short lived. Sally, Liz, Bec and I all tried to get off the front. Half way through the race we noticed that Bella was in trouble and upped the pace again. Soon it was Fleet vs Plan B with Sally taking charge in the final laps. With half a lap to go I moved to the front with the plan of leading Bec out for the sprint. Davina managed to get between us but in the end, Bec chose wisely when deciding which side to sprint on and being protected from the wind stormed home with a late acceleration to just beat Davina. I held on for third.

Stage 3 Podium

Stage 3 Results:
1. Bec Halliday (Fleet)
2. Davina Summers
3. Holly McClellan (Fleet)
4. Liz Leyden
5. Sally Robbins

Faith

2009-01-24T05:02:00.000-08:00

Perth Crits - Stage 2 Leederville
Well, it's a little nerve racking wearing the Leader's jersey! However, I was pretty excited because it meant I was back in PINK!

Bec Halliday attacks the bunch

Our team had a quick tactic check before the race, with the most important tactic being be adaptable. It didn't take Sally long to get off the front although the bunch never let her get too far away. Plan B were working very well to cover any attacks to get across to her and were also doing a good job of keeping the pace down in between attacks. When I realised there was less than 5 minutes left to go I knew I had to do something. Bec had been working hard covering Plan B as well as chasing Sally, and feeling like a bit of a princess in pink, I knew it was time to snap back into action. I did a bit to increase the pace before Bec took over to take us home. A little bit of inexperience on our team's part meant that Bella forced me off Bec's wheel. Unsure of what to do I waited patiently as Bec was gaining on Sally. Davina attacked way earlier than I had anticipated but luckily I was able to go with her.

Lucky I did because the attack was meant to drag Bella to the front. We caught up with Sally on the corner who did a marvelous job of sweeping for Davina, however, after spending so long out the front couldn't match my sprint. Great result for Team Fleet and a special thanks to the girls again for having faith and working so hard to protect our position in the series. Unfortunately Davina will wear pink in Vic Park. Will history repeat?

Leederville Criterium Open Women
1. Davina Summers
2. Holly McClellan (Fleet Elite)
3. Sally Robbins
4. Bella King
5. Bec Halliday (Fleet Elite)

Stage 2 Podium

GC after Stage 2 (unofficial, on countback)
1. Davina Summers 20 points
2. Holly McClellan 20 points
3. Bec Halliday 12 points

4.Bella King 11 points
5. Sally Robbins 8 points
6. Sam Wood 8 points

Channeling Jens

2009-01-23T16:36:00.001-08:00

Perth Crits - City of Joondalup Criterium
I only realised the other day, from flicking through cyclingnews photos that Jens Voigt is at the Tour Down Under. That characteristic look he has when pulling on the front is unmistakable. I felt a bit like Jens last night, first of all when I attacked. Which happened without thinking really. A few attacks had already been attempted; I thought Liz Leyden was going to go from the gun (which would have been cool coz I was with her), Davina tried a couple of times but was marked and then I found myself going.

It was only 5 minutes or so into the race. Holy Moly. Sally Robbins soon bridged across (a bit too easy for my liking) and we worked together for a few laps. Sally then rejoined the field and the commentator Gary Suckling reminded me that Plan B now had a reason to chase. But I held on for what seemed like the longest 30 minutes of my life.

A big thankyou to my team-mates; Bec Halliday, Anna Kauffmann and Lisa Wood for helping out in the pack. My coach Lorraine Schutz, watched me get lapped early on on the same course last year and started coaching me soon after the series ended. Lorraine has not only set me up with training but made me see that winning is achievable. And a big thanks to Adrian, Fleet Cycles for giving us a chance and supporting us (Jack you are so patient). And to the supporters, my family, SPR crew, Fleet support crew, thankyou thankyou thankyou. It seemed like every lap there were more people cheering. It was awesome. And thanks Alex for putting fear into me and keeping my legs turning.

It doesn't matter what you say

2009-01-21T16:57:00.000-08:00

Cheer Fleet Elite this weekend. It doesn't matter what you say - we're not picky - just say it loud. It's easy to get caught up in your own head and your own pain, so the more people there trying to snap us out of it the better. Of course, time differences, tactics, signals and commands to work harder, pedal faster and win are very helpful.

Where will we be? For detailed information and maps, click here.

Friday night - City of Joondalup Criterium
Best viewing location would be Grand Promenade, otherwise sit yourself on one of the corners. The women start at 6:45 pm, racing is 30 minutes plus 2 laps.

Saturday - Leederville Criterium presented by the Town of Vincent
A technical course that should be fun to watch. A lot of action down at the Leedy end of Oxford St the course. Women start at 4:15 pm

Sunday - Victoria Park Criterium presented by the Town of Victoria Park
The hill when the race comes back on to Albany Hwy could separate the field and make things interesting. Women start at 4:15 pm

Monday - Perth Criterium
A hot dog course along Riverside Dr that allows most of the action to be seen from any vantage point. Stick around for the fireworks afterwards. Women start at 1:30 pm. Bring your blow up pool it could be hot.

The accidental mind

2009-01-19T17:32:00.000-08:00

I wish I understood my brain. But, I do understand that my brain controls my body and my feelings change my thoughts that then control my actions. Yes, I need to learn to clear my mind pre-race.

Friday night Track Racing: I got off to a good start in the scratch race but I missed the final move and had to work hard from the back of the bunch. Came home strong but 4th.
After 1 slightly good race everything seemed to go downhill. In the keirin I had a plan which didn't work because the motorbike took off much slower than I exected. To be a good bike racer I need to be adaptable, and I am, just not in the right way. My change in plans had me sitting in the wind for the entire race trying to hold position near the front. I decided not to go with the move (why I don't know) and was buggered when I actually did try to go. Apparently I am not the only one to do this kind of thing. The elimination wasn't any better I felt knackered and didn't have anything. Sprinting every lap is pure evil.

Sunday Crit Day
My legs were shattered on Saturday (too much real life Friday) and so I was apprehensive about how they would go in the crit. I had 2 aims for this last crit before the Perth Crits; a) stay in the front half of the pack, b) get in a break. I had Lorraine in the back of my head telling me to race harder and a few other mottos about decision making. Very early in the race I had made my way to the front of the pack. I was careful not to be on the front but I was 3rd/4th wheel for a while. I went with a few attacks but nothing really stuck. With such a large bunch on such a flat course it was unlikely that a break would stay away. But I was here for the training and not the glory so it was good to test my legs with the accelerations and cornering. I trust myself so much more when cornering - others not so much. After a few attacks had been attempted my legs were suffering from the accelerations, soon I was going backwards. I got back into the bunch, well onto the back of the bunch. Not where I wanted to be. After recovering for a while I had another play at the front before again being spat out towards the back. This week I tried to move closer to the front earlier for the finish but again, some scary cornering in front and around of me limited my progress. The final turn was hairy as well and I finished behind the main sprint.

Real life activities

2009-01-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

Real life is exhausting! Not that I'm complaining about having a few days off the bike but I seem to be more tired now than before.

My real life escapades involved a trip to Busselton for Southbound a 2 day camping music festival. My goal was not to get fried or dehydrated and have some fun.

It was good cross-training!! If Patience, the lead singer from The Grates, hadn't slipped and hurt her ankle during her set I would have suggested she try cycling. She has so much energy and didn't stop jumping the whole time she was on stage (until she fell, yikes)

Tegan & Sara were the highlight for me but Architecture in Helsinki, Santogold, Blue King Brown, Sharon Jones and The Grates were also favourites.

Hope you manage to experience real life as well.

What not to eat

2009-01-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

ATTA - The Lakes/Inkpen (Hilly) TT 46km

I was not looking forward to this time trial. Compared to my favourite courses (Champion Lakes, Freeway) The Lakes is hilly, although they are mainly gentle undulations there is one long climb (3km) to start. Luckily, because it was out and back it meant that the home straight was going to be fast. A mental challenge for me - because I'd not been riding crash hot and I have a fear of hills.

Come race day I was excited. The only problem was that I'd knocked out the plug to my alarm in the middle of the night and so in the morning when I was wondering why I felt so awake before the alarm had gone off it was because I'd actually slept in. Aggghhh. So my pre-race plan and timetable was thrown out the window. Clothes were chucked on and the bike and food was thrown in the car. I still had a red bull in the fridge and felt like I needed it. I also prepared a new concoction of protein and carbs in milk to consume in the car.

I left the house at a reasonable time but it felt like forever before I got to the course. After getting a hitchhikers hopes up at the The Lakes I found the rest of the TTers and warmed up. I'd drunk my red bull and choc milk in the car and wasn't feeling too good on the bike. Spoke to D about my crook guts but thought it could be nerves as I wanted to do well.

Once again, before I knew it my warm up time was over, except this time I missed my start time! I started 30s late and a little under-psyched. Oh well, maybe it was for the best because it didn't take long (metres) before the first climb started. I'd done a recon on the course and thought I had some idea of what to expect but I was wrong. The climb was long but I was coping well. I was struggling to get my HR above 160, despite the fact that 3 mins in I'd vomited. Glamourous sport really. The vomit continued but settled by the turn-around. My family were out taking photos and I've learnt a little bit about pacing because of it. When I noticed them watching I wanted to go faster but as soon as I passed them I realised what a mistake it was and suffered. I didn't do it on the way back.

The return was nicer in that there was more down hill than up but still a few little surprises. I watched the record tick away but was happy to be within reach of it. I ended up with a time of 1:20:17 (Ave HR 172, Max 186) and am unsure of whether or not that is adjusted for my late start. Scarily, Davina's crank detached itself from her bike halfway through the race leaving her stranded until the knight in shiny lycra, Andrew Mackie, came along and reattached it. She lost a few minutes because of this but still romped it home to take the win ahead of Kate Bevilaqua and then myself.

I've learnt not to mix red bull and milk pre race. Sounds stupid in print I know. I think Rebecca learnt that real life (a day at the races) and TTs don't really mix.

Female Results:
1. Davina Summers 1:19:26
2. Kate Bevilaqua 1:19:29
3. Holly McClellan 1:20:17
4. Sally Robbins 1:20:49
5. Rebecca Halliday 1:26:56

"Suffering is optional" Haruki Murakami

2008-12-22T04:15:00.000-08:00

Where to start? I can't believe that the year is almost over, but we say that every year, right? Because the year has gone so fast I've started to think I'm already in the next one! But, as I'm about to embark on the next stage in my journey and have appeared to stall somewhat I thought I would review the year...

January: Australia Day Criteriums:
A racer is born. The Australia Day Crits were a rude awakening for me. I went in to the series with high expectations but in the end the aim was to finish with the bunch.

February:
Birth of a coach. After getting smashed in the crits, it seemed the smartest thing to do was to move away from doing training through group rides and get a coach! So February marked the start of a structured training program.

March: Pemberton Classic.
Birth of belief? I was feeling strong after starting my training program. Stronger than I 'd ever been before. Then the race started! The pemberton classic leaves town up the main drag which is a drag. The girls were pulling a steady pace on the front that had me worried from the start. I coped ok on the power climbs but after a mix up on the highway left me chasing the group I didn't have much left when the group hit the killer climb. Needless to say I finished the race after spending a lap and a half on my own slightly devastated.

April: Tour de Perth
Birth of a blog!! I was starting to understand and appreciate what many cyclists talk about. "Pain is inevitable - suffering is optional" Murakami.

May:
State Championships. I learnt a huge lesson in this race. Relocate head and stick it back on!

June:
A holiday! No racing.

July:
Back to work.

August:
Reassessment of priorities and commitments.

September:
Learning to ride Carbon. My first competition after a long break was the State Team Time Trial - all those that competed are happy to be alive as the conditions were horrendous. I was just glad that my new bike, which felt awesome, stayed upright.

October:
Back on Track! Nerves had been getting there better of me with regards to racing on the track. But after remembering that it's not the olympics and learning how to clear my head things went much smoother.

November:
A team is born. Fleet Elite made their first team appearance at the State Criterium Championships and Bec took away the win! I also stepped up in Time Trialling and had a few wins.

Melville Summer Crit #3

December:
One word - exhausting! Racing stepped up during December, with weekly TTs, Track championships and club crits, I was often racing 3 times a week. I made my first appearance on the podium for a state championship but I still feel like I'm on a see-saw with my form. It doesn't take long to figure out that your head affects your racing much more than your legs do. There are a few phrases I hate to hear. One being - it's in your head. What to do? Find that place. I think I've gotten through all of my distractions bar one, and I know I can do it.

Excuses are gone now, and so is the option to avoid suffering.

A weekend of hotly contested racing

2008-12-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

The weekend's racing started with the State Keirin Championships. In the U/19 female division, Teegan Morton grabbed the motorbike and swung off shortly after the motorbike did. There was a little bit of stalling and with just over a lap to go Holly Williams caught the bunch by surprise diving down the track to take the win. For me, it was my second ever Keirin race. The senior field wasn't as large as it has been for the last couple of championships which I was grateful for. Starting at the bottom of the track I had a good chance to grab the motorbike and did so. Sarah Kent was on my wheel followed by Danielle Longworth, Anna Kauffmann and finally Bec Halliday. Anna had a bit too much speed when she joined the train and swung up losing her position to Bec. I was a little bit unsure of what to do tactics wise as I didn't feel confident that I could overtake Sarah Kent and thought my best option was to try and keep in front of her. With just over a lap to go she kicked and I went with it but it didn't take her long to overtake me. I went with her acceleration and then lost her wheel. Bec passed me with half a lap to go but I held on for third.

Results State Keirin Championship

U/19 Women
1. Holly Williams (WAIS)
2. Teegan Morton (JETS)
3. Mel Hoskins (WAIS/Plan B)

Senior Women
1. Sarah Kent (WAIS/Plan B)
2. Bec Halliday (Fleet Elite)
3. Holly McClellan (Fleet Elite)

Joondalup City Classic (NDCC)

A Grade Women
A huge field of racers turned out to contest the last road race of the year. A grade women had 17 starters listed and the new B grade women division had 11 listed.
It may have been our first hot summer day - It felt like it was 35 degrees before we even started.

A Grade women were racing 8 laps of a 9km circuit that included 2 short steeper climbs and several gradual climbs. The pace was reasonable from the start with Sarah Fraser, Sue Johnstone and some others keeping it high. It didn't take long for the attacks to start with Sarah Kent having a decent crack before Josie Tomic and Sarah Fraser made it away.

Shortly after their attack the bunch was starting to get organised when a split second of inattention resulted in a touching of wheels and several girls coming down. Mel Hoskins and Clare McLean had some decent cuts and bruises. Sue Johnstone and Micheala Anderson must have also acquired injuries as well as they did not rejoin the race. It took half a lap for the chase group to rejoin fully and start working to catch the break. Working to chase were Anna, Sally, Sharon Suckling, Bec and myself.

The heat was getting unbearable for me and as I've been unwell I decided to pull the pin on the race after 3 laps. Several other riders had the same idea leaving less than 10 women in the race after the crash. Sarah Kent attacked the chase group and made a good job of bridging the gap during the fourth lap. I'm unsure of whether she made it across because Josie was still out the front but on her own after the fourth lap, followed by Sarah K then Sarah F. Sally Robbins then attacked and attempted to bridge across. She passed Sarah F but never got across to the front markers. Bec H and Liz Leyden worked together and passed Sarah F and looked like they may catch Sally. In the end the order stayed the same and Bec out sprinted Liz for fourth.

B Grade Women
The B grade women's race was just as exciting as A grade and it was great to see such a large field of new faces. The bunch mainly stayed together until the second lap when Lorraine Hartland attacked, which may have seemed early to the rest of the group but proved to be the winning move. A few laps later Emma Giles and Jillan Scanlan attacked, unfortunately another touching of wheels and Jillian was down. Emma stayed away to take 2nd and there was a bunch sprint for third. It was great to see Jillian complete the race after coming down.

Results - Joondalup City Classic

A Grade Women -
1. Josie Tomic (WAIS/Plan B)
2. Sarah Kent (WAIS/Plan B)
3. Sally Robbins (WAIS/Plan B)
4. Bec Halliday (Fleet Elite)
5. Liz Leyden (Hub Racing)

B Grade Women -
1. Lorraine Hartland (South Perth Roulers)
2. Emma Giles

New kids on the block

2008-12-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we've been around for a while but check out our new kits!! Yesterday the Fleet Women made their debut at ATTA's Early Birds TT in Champion Lakes. This course has been a favourite of mine and the shorter distance made it even more favourable.

It didn't take long to figure out that the wind was strong with the occasional gust. It took me a few kms to get into a good rhythm but the home straight with the tailwind really helped break up the effort. Overall, I was a little slower than last time and almost a minute back from Davina. Cameron Meyer must have been chasing the 50km/hr barrier because he came pretty close, averaging 49.1 km/hr for the 15km course!

Female results:
1. Davina Summers (Fleet) 0:23:02 (39.1 km/hr)
2. Holly McClellan (Fleet) 0:23:58
3. Rebecca Halliday (Fleet) 0:24:11
4. Anna Kauffmann (Fleet) 0:24:24
5. Shannon Arnott 0:26:33

No time to think

2008-12-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

Track Summer Series Round 9 - 28th Nov
23 riders started the C grade 10 lap scratch and I was 2nd last off the fence. Bugger. It reminded me of the first C grade race I did with all the juniors and newbies. Scary. I decided that the back of the pack was not where I wanted to be and gathered a few people to take to the front. 3 laps later and I was in a good position however my legs were stuffed and I think I was at least 5th in the sprint.

In the Sprint Challenge I got to try out a few tactics - firstly, hold the wheel of a good sprinter. This was tough as the pace was up and down and we were going up and down the track. I lost the wheel and couldn't make up any places after that. In the second round I was up against 2 sprinters. Whilst they were eyeing each other off I took off from the top of the track (2 laps to go). I must have had a small gap at the start but because I took off so early they caught me
with half a lap to go.

NDCC Criterium - WA Newspapers circuit - 30th Nov
A circuit designed for me. Flat with long straights. We had a strong headwind coming into the home straight which may have died down a little towards the end.

Halfway through the race I had decided to get near the front and see if I could get in a breakaway. There were a few hairy moments - on my way to the front someone clipped me but we both got out of it ok. With such a large group the attacks that did go didn't last long, the wind probably didn't help that. Halfway through the race I followed Mel Hoskins as she chased an attack, shortly after the peloton rejoined there was a crash that took out a large chunk of the group. Sounds like at least one rider had a serious injury but most rejoined the race. The pace settled and before I knew it we had the bell lap. I was conscious of my position but lost a few places coming into the home straight. I picked up a few riders in the sprint and should have finished top 10.

Life out of Lycra

2008-11-23T20:48:00.001-08:00

Keeping everything in moderation usually means a limited social life and turning into a pumpkin around 10pm. However, exceptions are made and it was good to have a night off to celebrate my birthday. There were a few special appearances:

Team Fleet:

French St Central Support Crew:
And... the flying screaming monkey:

2008 State Criterium Championships, Armadale

2008-11-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

It seemed like ages since I'd done a road race - was it really almost 6 months? A little out of practice. Needless to say, I was ready to race and looking forward to testing out my legs on a criterium circuit. The course was nice, but there was a small bump with a bit of a pinch which we would be tackling into the wind. We had 12 women starting - a great turnout, but with some of the top girls away at Oceanias (Davina Summers, Josie Tomic and Sarah Kent) anything could happen.

Clare McLean and Liz Leyden kept the pace high for the start of the race. However things did quiten down and somehow I found myself off the front without trying. As the pace had been slow I decided to see who was playing and pushed. The hill out the back was enough to slow me down and the group had caught me within a lap. Not long after Sarah Fraser and Bec Halliday were off the front. Not sure if it was a big attack or whether the wheel behind them couldn't hold the pace but it was enough for them to get away and proved to be the winning move. With my team-mate Bec in form out the front I wanted her to have the best chance at winning so I kept an eye on the chase group.

Big thankyou to Peter Mah for taking some great shots that tell the story much better than me (many more photos can be found here).

The break, Bec Halliday and Sarah Fraser, developing their winning gap.

The chase group:

The chase group starting to hurt, L to R; Bella King, Mel Hoskins, myself and Liz Leyden.

The sprint for the win:

The sprint for 3rd place:

Final Results:
1. Bec Halliday (Fleet Cycles)
2. Sarah-Jeanne Fraser (Eddy Holland's Bicycle Services)
3. Melissa Hoskins (Plan B)
4. Bella King (JETS)
5. Holly McClellan (Fleet Cycles)
6. Liz Leyden (TBE)

D for Determination

2008-11-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

Woops - sorry for the delay in the text for this post. Saturday night I had the pleasure of racing in the International Track Grand Prix. Joining us were the Dutch women Ellen van Dijk, Yvonne Hijgenaar, and Willy Kanis; Malaysia's Fatehah Mustapa, Australian champ Kaarle McCulloch and plenty of West Australian stars (Josie Tomic, Davina Summers, Sarah Kent, Melissa Hoskins...)

There was a mixture of Sprint and Endurance events. The Dutch dominated the sprint events and Josie Tomic dominated the Endurance events. However, my choice for ride of the night would have to be Davina Summers who rode with a broken arm. She managed to take out 3rd in the State Scratch Race (seated) and then led out and won the Derny, which just goes to show what you can do with some courage and determination.

I didn't place in any of the events and some I couldn't hold on to the pack but it was exciting to be out on the track with so much talent.

Fleet mechanic Jack captured some awesome pics.

Check out Davina's close win over Bella to take 3rd in the State Scratch Race

Davina in the Derny

World Scratch Race Champion Ellen van Dijk

Fleet Girls warming up, 1, 2, and in the points race 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

3 is the magic number - ATTA TT Season Opener, Freeway Joondalup

2008-11-02T04:11:00.001-08:00

I had plenty to be excited about today although I had a bit of a hectic preparation. Today's Time Trial that was being held on the new extension of the freeway in Joondalup. Bike maintenance has never been my forte but I am quickly learning, so after arriving late last night from Sydney I got straight to work. Putting on time trial bars and changing tyres are referred to as being relatively easy, given you follow a few simple rules. Nothing is simple and I all I can say is I'm glad my housemate was not home to witness the tanty that accompanied my bike maintenance.

It was a beautiful day and there was only a hint of wind. For once I felt like I had a good warm up and my family joined me just before I took off to start. The course was fairly simple go North a few kms, do a hairpin turn and come back with another hairpin turn at the south end. It was a 7km loop that we were doing 5 laps of. Psyche.

I had been reading up on my mental training on the plane ride home so my power words were all set and ready for use. I went well mentally this time, however, I think I let the 2nd lap blues get to me a little bit too much (either that or I went out way too hot). I only lost concentration a few times (my mind can easily wander) but I quickly got myself together. Needless to say, I kept turning the wheel.

Afterwards I heard several people say it wasn't as easy as they thought it was going to be. My first reaction was - it's a time trial, surely you should make it as hard as you possibly can. But what they meant was, we were all hoping for a nice smooth flat road with a really wide turn around and no wind. When I heard about the course I thought I may have a chance of breaking that 40km+ barrier. Well, the course wasn't hilly by definition but there were some nice long uphill drags which could quickly take it out of your legs. I slowed down quite a bit at both turns (going off road once) and things were made just a little bit harder with one of the turns being at the bottom of a hill (slam on brakes, snail pace turn, climb ow ow ow). Seriously though the gradient was miniscule and I shouldn't complain so much.

Today was my third ATTA time trial, I was going for a third 'win' and a third 'course record'. Although for this course a record isn't really applicable as we won't be riding it again.

Needless to say - I was very happy with the results, taking out fastest female. But take a look at the numbers - ie general place, bib and standard place. Freaky considering my own milestones.

The rest of the results can be found on ATTA's website.

Relocate head

2008-10-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

Motto for the moment - relocate head and stick it back on!!

I ventured back on to the track to race the women's omnium Friday night with a star studded field. We had almost 20 women racing and calculated that there weren't many missing. Davina is out with a broken arm and two others were MIA. I was taught quite a few lessons during my races. First race points scratch, sprint every other lap. Then we had Keirin, 30 lap points and finally elimination. My nerves were getting the better of me and I wasn't racing very smart. My legs were hurting but I wasn't taking them to their limits. I had a great position in the keirin, 2nd wheel (no nudging required) but started the sprint too early and really raced like a novice.

On the plus side I am reminded of how big the gap is between me and the top which is good motivation for training. I just have to remember that.

Grand Prix des 'Gents'

2008-10-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

After experiencing my first serious solo TT last weekend I was psyched up for the 2up Time Trial run by ATTA down at Mundijong. i learned before the race that Davina had broken her arm the day before and would not be competing. I am really sorry for her and Bec and was looking forward to the challenge of racing them.

Again, before I knew it we were off. I took the lead at the start but when Bella pulled through I got a little bit worried that I wouldn't be able to hold her wheel. The mental games were tough. I found it difficult to find a rhythm tand only really felt good on the back straight. The wind felt pretty dreadful on the home straight but was ok. There were also a few interesting moments bouncing around on the bumpy road. The finish line didn't seem to come quick enough and I was totally wrecked at the end. Anna and Sally came back beaming from their effort after a few hiccups before the race resulting in Anna having to borrow a rear wheel. It was a close call but Bella and I took the win from Anna and Sally with both teams breaking the previous record.

Two time trials and two course records to defend? I have never done well under pressure so I guess I have to work on that after I make friends with the hills.

What wind?

2008-10-12T03:23:00.001-07:00

At the moment I am celebrating any small win on the bike. Today I celebrate a full week of training, I'm getting back on track. My form has been in question since getting back from holiday. Today I got to test to my form in the 20km time trial at Champion Lakes. This is a new course and it's excellent. The first half of the course was a little bit tricky with a few bends and a headwind. However, this meant that the back straight was heaps of fun with a tailwind. I was a little unsure of etiquette with passing etc and lost a little of bit time at the end of one lap when I got caught up behind someone. I have very little experience with time trials so I still have a lot to learn. A couple of strategies though
- keep the heart rate up
- make sure every pedal stroke hurts
- don't slow down

A few problems though - speedo is not wired up just yet and either my HR monitor is broken or I have a new max HR of 225. Again strategies to maintain the pain weren't in place. It's always impressed me when people maintain a constant speed throughout the TT. Today was 4 laps of a 5km course and after half a lap I'd already had a little vomit and was questioning whether I'd cooked myself a little too early. This is where you have to remember that your mind will play tricks on you. Mine especially. I kept going (of course). After the second lap I realised that I was averaging close to 40km/hr (no speedo remember). I got excited but my legs were killing me. The wind had picked up. I felt like I was losing heaps of time. During the fourth lap I got my second wind and really was chasing the 30 minute mark, ambitious I know. I didn't quite get there, but considering I was aiming for 8 minute laps I was really happy with the ride.

Seeing the results is really interesting considering how I felt during each lap. I was certain that I had lost so much more time during the third lap and I felt like I flew in the last lap. But there was only 14s difference between the laps.

Despite the drool and the pain it was heaps of fun, mainly because of the feeling you get when you're finished. ATTA are a really organised club and super friendly, I look forward to supporting their future events.

Congratulations Mr Keenan

2008-09-29T22:49:00.000-07:00

My long weekend started with celebrations for my best friend, Adrian, who is now a teacher. Saturday was therefore, a day off the bike which worked out well :)

For the first time in a long time I was excited about a hills ride. Sunday morning I met up again with SPR who always manage a good turnout. We headed down Albany Hwy to revisit Carawatha, last time I thought I was going to have to get off the bike and this time I was actually looking forward to testing my legs. I managed much better. After that we headed up Carradine - the neverending dead road which still gets to me. I think I had the most fun on Churchman's Brook Rd, where there are quite a few fast downhill sections. I had fun on the power climbs and even managed to steal the win for first to the top, just.

The rest of the ride was a little bit of a blur. Pete took us around Pickering Brook for a few bonus climbs on our way to coffee and swapped Mundairing Weir Rd for something a little steeper. I tried to stay with Davina on her efforts but didn't quite manage it.

After coffee we made our way down Welshpool Rd. I tested my power at the top and was almost immediately sorry for doing so, made my best recovery and was sitting on Blake's wheel when Pete made his move. I couldn't go with Blake and he took the win.

It was a good day - you know you've worked hard when you experience the post flog glazed eyes, slurred speech and brain drain (also described very well by Davina on her blog).

Me likey

2008-09-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

I have been watching way too much sex and the city...

My re-introduction to racing was going to be the State Team Time Trial Championships. My training has been a bit hit-and-miss lately so I was a little concerned about staying with the team. The weather was not the sunshine and blue skies that I was hoping for but the rain did hold off for most of the race.

My warm up time seemed to disappear way too quickly and before I knew it I was on the start line. A quick tactic check; short turns, use the road for the best drafting ability and have fun. We were off.

Well, the wind almost knocked my socks off from the start, it was unbelievable. I had warmed up on the trainer and didn't realise how bad it was. I had been training in the wind all week but this was horrendo. If it wasn't in your face it was across you. If you thought you'd got a handle on it, whoosh, a huge gust would remind you exactly who was boss. Plans and strategies were slowly going out the door as we just wanted to stay alive. I half expected the race to be cancelled with the conditions at the turn around point. It wasn't until we turned around that we gained any advantage from the wind. Even then because the course had us turning every 7 kms the advantage didn't last long. I had a great time coming back with the wind. I really got to wind the bike up and felt like I could have powered along all day. I don't know if I was delirious at this point but it was the first time I'd felt like I really loved the new bike and I couldn't help but tell the other guys. I was having fun.

We made it home as a team and in one piece. I hear quite a few of the other teams were blown off the road during the race with a few people having to pull out. Unfortunately for the juniors the wind was at it's worst just as they were starting.

For my first longer TT it was a good learning experience. We weren't on the podium but I felt like I had won in my own way. Looking forward to next time!

All the gear and no idea...

2008-09-14T00:26:00.000-07:00

Today I tested my new ride. I was excited, nervous and hopeful that I would be able to feel the difference so that I wouldn't feel guilty about my bank balance. Straight away I could feel the difference in the handling. Much more responsive, which is dangerous if you are unco like me.

It was another windy day which meant that I got to really test my handling skills. My cornering skills are lacking and I was a little bit concerned about turning into the wind.

I did what any good beginner would do. Unclip. Except I couldn't unclip. Shit. The last time I couldn't unclip I was lucky because I was on grass and escaped injury. The time before that I had stopped unexpectedly at an intersection for a truck and a car and toppled over with the bike on top of me. Everyone was super concerned for me, they probably thought I'd had a heart attack rather than a lack of skill. Both times I jumped straight back up, embarrassed, so I don't really know why I'm spilling these stories to the world. In my defense, I am yet to meet someone who doesn't have an embarrassing story about an unclipping accident.

Luckily I had tried to unclip before I had come to a complete stop. I was on my new bike, with new shoes and new pedals. So, a tip for beginners: test out your gear before you test out your gear on the road. I didn't even think about checking the tension required to unclip. A few options went through my mind. Keep riding. Try and find a wall or a tree or something to lean against. Undo my shoes while riding. I kept trying my shoes and eventually unclipped my left shoe. I thought if I can do it once I can do it again. So I clipped in again and kept going.

The other aim of the ride was to try out my time trial bars. I couldn't believe the difference they made. Huge! Apart from getting used to the position and steering, my main problem is I am slightly allergic to the pads - my arms turn red and itch. I''ll have to find a solution to this problem so that I'm not driven crazy by itching next weekend.

My right shoe is still attached to the bike.

PS. I borrowed the title from the Triwa forum.

UPDATE:
It was not entirely my fault although maybe I could have figured it out a little earlier. I got the shop to put my cleats on the new shoes and being speedplays, they aren't seen very often in the shop. Turns out the left cleat was put on the right shoe and vice versa. This meant that the shoe could be unclipped relatively easy by turning the foot inward and not in the usual fashion. Doh!

Goodbye old faithful

2008-09-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

A special request for a blog on today's efforts from anonymous - you'll have to introduce yourself next time...

I was dreading the morning training ride that I had booked with my Time Trial team mates. I was restless all night and could hear the storm. My legs ached. I was not looking forward to it. The alarm went off much earlier than I have been accustomed to but my preparations for the day went smoothly.

I drove up to Duncraig to meet Bryce and the Symmetry Cycle Coaching crew and the weather wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. We headed down towards the coast to do some time trial efforts of a short loop. I then remembered that my pedal was basically hanging together by a thread. I had bought new pedals but was reluctant to put them on my bike because my shoes needed replacing as well. And I forgot!

Here we take a side step back in time...

This weekend I kinda said thankyou and goodbye to another girl in my life this week - La bambola.
She will still be out and about but I have welcomed another girl into my life. The last time I bought a new bike it was because I had got a flat tyre and didn't have any tubes. This time my pedal broke, my stem was loose and I needed a pick me up. She's black and white, maybe a lil silver but about half the weight. Yes folks, I have managed to get some more carbon in my diet!! I won't be competing with the other guys at the coffee shop for honours on bike glam. I have bought a TBE Amiata, which was an incredible bargain and the only carbon bike remotely in my budget. I also needed new shoes, I've managed to crack my current pair and well, I need some TT bars for the race next weekend. I have learnt recently (ha!) how to shop. Boy, have I learnt how to shop!

So - look out for me on the road with my new ride coz I'm going to need some pics to put up!!

Back to this morning, it was incredibly windy. Cherie was playing with her zips, and was not having a fun time. I think most of her day was spent ensuring that she stayed on the road. Me and bambola were coping ok. I was enjoying the efforts, well except for the one into the wind when I really thought I was going to crack. It was good to practice because cornering and rolling through can easily loose you time.

After the training I enjoyed a lovely afternoon with some friends at Little Creatures. We discussed fluff and mastered winking. Creatures make some really awesome pizzas and salads - I highly recommend, sadly no tiger prawns today but they are great as well.

Will let you know how I go in the hills, fingers crossed!

Defeating self-sabotage

2008-09-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Guilt for not training properly is terrible. Haven't had the best start to the week. Monday I headed out for Darryl's track session again. I lasted longer behind the motorbike and I think when I change my gear ratio could last til the end. Afterwards I was completely wrecked. I guess it could have been the lack of sleep on the weekend and bad food intake but I cut the session short and drove myself home.

Tuesday sucked as well with my hills session in the morning not going so well. I decided to "save myself" for the track that night but a combination of teaching going late and the car battery going flat kept me away from the track.

It took some psyching up and some bad morning television to get me on the bike this morning. The session went well despite the sprinkling from the skies. I like TT efforts and the refreshing feeling that you are left with when you're finished.

Get on the bike!!

Be careful what you wish for

2008-09-07T21:20:00.001-07:00

Make a wish.

What did you wish for? I was presented with this opportunity this morning and the series of answers that popped through my head were very interesting. I have to admit the cycling-related wishes took a lil longer to come to mind than everything else. It brought me back to previous posts and my struggles to stay motivated on the bike long enough to really hurt myself.

In some ways this week has been easier than the last and in other ways harder. I have had a much better week on the bike, a full week of training completed with a focus on sprinting. Monday night I attended my first track session with Darryl and D's "handsome girls." The girls were very welcoming and made me work hard. Saturday I caught up with my old group one more time before I venture with the fast paced SPR next week.

Sunday hills ride - my hardest and most dreaded ride. I got up early and had enough time for some long needed bike maintenance before I headed out. We were to go up Greenmount, through Parkerville and across to Mundairing Weir. All the way out to Midland my legs were aching. I wasn't really feeling the love for the bike this morning. I didn't snap out of this thought pattern and my climbing really suffered. A couple of the girls managed to do SE efforts up Greenmount which encouraged me to get out of granny gear. Just before Parkerville, Bec told me about her knee niggles and wasn't sure if she should continue on the ride. We had been going for a while now and I had wanted to go home from the bottom of Greenmount. So I kindly offered (hahaha) to join Bec on the way home. Almost immediately I regretted wimping out but I was happy that I had completed the time scheduled any extra would have been a training bonus. I know I need the hills but I also have to sort out the clouds in my head.

Captured in my fatty gear

2008-09-01T18:51:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Pete for taking a pic of me in my fat cyclist gear. It was just after we'd climbed Kahuna and I was wishing that I had a fat cyclist pint glass.

A challenging end to a challenging week...

2008-08-31T16:37:00.000-07:00

I have not had one of the best weeks on the bike. It's been a pretty tough week all round - but it's another week down.

I felt like some company and some flogging - I really had to get on the bike and do some k's - so I got myself out of bed just in time to meet the South Perth Rouleurs. I have only been living in Tuart Hill for a week now and I still haven't perfected the leave with 5s to spare routine. Luckily for me, SPR are not like my old group and were still chin-wagging when I had got my breath back from the sprint to get there.

We were to be riding several challenging hills today and I had been actively avoiding at least 2 of them during my climbing career. Melvyn set a cracking pace down Albany Hwy and pulled off just when I was about to have a heart attack. I don't know how I managed to do it, but everytime I pulled off the front I ended up in second or third wheel, which meant I was on the front for way too long. Straight to the back next time!

Clare met us at the bottom of Kahuna (1st hill avoided), apparently having waited so long she thought she'd missed us. I reassured her that we hadn't been slacking on the way there, but getting every red light didn't seem to help. Psyche - I was ready. Kahuna wasn't too bad but I very quickly found myself at the back of the group. About half way up I started to pull in a few people in front of me. One down.

Then we headed across to the highschool, down Urch and up Peet (2nd hill avoided). I think I started this climb well but faded towards the end. I have ridden Raeburn Rd so many times that I knew how to tackle it. I was also challenging Bec a bit and I don't think she was expecting the pace I managed to pull off at the end. Needless to say, heart attack number 2 occured at the top.

We then had a pleasant spin down Brookton Hwy to come up Canning Mills Rd. I had never ridden or heard much about this hill. horrible. What got me on this hill (which I rename the neverending story) was the decieving twists. Every time there was a curve in the road my heart wished it was over but it wasn't. It never ended. Well it did but not for a long time. Obviously one I need to practice a few more times. I really did finish this one last.

We were to head over to Kalamunda for coffee - one last series of climbs ending with Mundairing Weir Rd. I had decided that I was dead and was going to avoid the climbs by going the long way. Pete announced my decision to the group and there went my chance to slack off. Bec wouldn't let me go so I climbed. No taxi required just a tissue. Still some work to do...

A surprising honour...

2008-08-25T00:40:00.000-07:00

As a PhD student it is an honour to speak at a conference, let alone be invited. So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I realised I was advertised as a Keynote speaker for the conference.

Anything can happen

2008-08-24T01:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life moves at warp speed - so fast you can't see the path you are travelling until you arrive at your destination. Well I have arrived at my short-term destination and it is cozy. Anything can happen tomorrow and I look forward to the challenge...

the challenges continued...

Recent events have shaken me up a little so for a while I may be philosophical and ramble to help myself get through each day. It seems good timing that my aunt sent me some "Instructions for Life," and I want to share the first three instructions...

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R's:
-respect for self,
-respect for others, and
-responsibility for all your actions.

And I have to add, trust your instincts.

Win

2008-08-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched the first episode of America's Next Top Model Cycle 10. Hilarious. But apart from the usual goofiness, bitching and fashion tips (ha!), I was reminded...

"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything,"
Robin, ANTM Cycle 1.

This is very true in more ways than one. Most of my training is done in the morning on the way to work. So my first problem is getting out of bed. My brain likes to play tricks on me, 'no, you don't need to go now,' 'you can do it tomorrow,' 'it's too cold/wet/dark.' So my point is, if I lose contact with my goals i will fall for (and have fallen for) any tricks my brain plays on me. BTW. I am not the only one who can sleep through a fire alarm.

I'm sure Robin's statement applies to all kinds of situations and it first made me think of tactics, innuendo, gossip, politics etc that people have fallen for while stumbling through a race/life. But on the positive side - how awesome were Sally McLellan, Emma Pooley and Anna Meares - girls with their eyes on the prize.

WIN SUSAN

Touching the void

2008-08-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

The south perth rouleurs were going to be riding pretty close to my front door for their Sunday hills ride so there would be no excuses for me missing the ride, although getting to bed at 1am made things a lil harder. Last week I had a terrible hills ride, but I am proud to say I made it up Carawatha without getting off my bike!

This week the temp must have been at least 10° warmer and I had timed my exit much better so I wasn't a frozen icicle like last week. After trying to jump onto the wrong group I found SPR and we headed up Welshpool Rd. I started the climb well but I am still suffering at the petrol station, but I managed to pick up Heiko and was working with Bec to stay strong until the top. We then went down Glen Isla and up Walnut Rd- a road that feels like a rollercoaster on the way down and looks like a wall to go up. I had never even contemplated riding up this road. I thought pete was a bit crazy but looked forward to the challenge. Bec chose to do Walnut as an SE effort - in the big chain ring - and then thought better of it. I didn't manage to catch Heiko this time but came close. I was feeling good about my climbing when we started to head towards Mundairing Weir Rd. Bec came flying past me at the bottom of the climb. I went with her for a few metres before I lost it. I think when i realised I was suddenly the last climber in the group pride got the better of me and I came home strong.

Luckily for me Pete cut the ride short (something about Collie-Donneybrook) and I didn't have to admit that I was about to go home and could enjoy a coffee with the group instead. Clare missed the start of the ride and arrived at the coffee shop just in time to spot our slackness - she went and road Kalamunda on her own.

Going down Welshpool I decided that I wasn't going to be scared this time. Having a larger group around me eased some of my visibility worries as well. I lost touch of the front markers at the start of the descent but it didn't take me long to realise that I had a slight weight advantage. I had caught everyone by the time we got to the bottom and pushed to the lights - my finish line. An enjoyable ride, let's hope this sunshine hangs around!

How much is too much?

2008-07-25T01:19:00.000-07:00

I have just finished reading about how Kim Kirchen commemorated wearing the yellow jersey and it's amazing how quick Giant put together a new bike for him complete with yellow decals everywhere. But you may remember Alberto Contador's style at the Giro which I think really has set the bar for jersey winners.

Did you know that SRAM even provided him with pink brake hoods? I personally thought this was really cool and did my own little search to find out what I could get. Collectors have to set rules for themselves otherwise their garages would be full and their pockets empty. My rules are quite simple, it has to be the right pink and the right price (Hey, I'm a student and I'm not that insane!) So far, I've spray painted my bike hot pink (ok, Dad did) and have the shirts, sunnies, helmet, socks to match. I also have a bag full of pink gear ready to go on my next bike: bar tape, nipples (not what you're thinking!! They're for the spokes apparently), bottle cages, pedals but how much is too much?

Inspired by the Tour

2008-07-23T00:53:00.000-07:00

Like everyone, watching the Tour de France fires me up and inspires me to do greater things. I have to make one small admission here though, I am usually asleep before the Tour starts! I am a sleeper and suffer without it so I really have trouble keeping my eyes open late at night. I do wake up for the crashes - not the most inspiring moments! I guess for me, the most memorable moments have been watching Jens Voigt smash all of the climbers on the Tourmalet in the Hautacam stage, and gives hope to the rest of us, "non-climbers." Watching the Tour has brought back memories of my experiences of seeing a Tour live - last year at the Tour Down Under in Adelaide.

Clare with last nights Stage winner, Cyril Dessel, who shared some climbing tips with us...

After gaining hill climbing expertise, Clare wanted some race-winning tactics, so she spoke to Bjarne Riis.

He may not have been that impressed by my photography skills but was keen to let us in on some secrets.

We thought we better double check what we had learnt with the two people who have probably seen more cycling than anyone else I know, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin.

The crowd favorite was definitely Robbie McEwen and we saw him suffer a bit on Old Willunga Hill
he then went on to win the final stage
Adelaide was heaps of fun and given that I can never get my timing right for Classics or Tours when overseas, I would love to go back and watch the Tour Down Under again.

More cycling-related pics

2008-07-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

My new bike
(I wish...)

Coastal California

2008-07-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

I can't say I'm a huge fan of LA but I guess I could be biased. We stayed in Venice Beach and the local boardwalk was referred to as a freak show by our Lonely Planet. They weren't wrong. Sorry no pics.

The main aim of California was to enjoy the scenery, swim and drive up the coast to San Francisco. It was amazing even if the driving was stressful, thanks Clare.

Obviously the beaches were no where near as beautiful as here in Perth. We visited the beach ready to swim after exploring the beautiful Hearst Castle (below);
We were really keen to go swimming until we went in. I think I would have died had I gone in deeper than 10cm. It was freezing, painfully freezing.
The elephant seals were mesmorising. There were so many of them just laying on the beach like driftwood. After watching for a minute we noticed some of the boys fighting and the other lazy ones would flick sand on themselves to keep cool.
Chillin....

A bridge famous for being really tall

We hired bikes in Monterey, on what seemed to be another beautiful sunny day. The photo below is of the Lone tree near Carmel.
On the way back the weather quickly turned to s**t as you can see. The bike hire guys were pretty surprised to see me when I got back. I had been sitting on Clare's wheel the entire time it was raining (my excuse was she was on a road bike and I was on a hybrid). Anyway, I was spotted black the whole way down. No pics thank god.

Chicago highlights

2008-07-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

I'll keep it brief again, but in 3 days we managed to:

Get central seats in the second row of the Broadway show, Wicked, for $25; eat a deep dish pizza; meet Darth Vadar and his friends at the Lego shop;
Explore Millenium Park (My fav The Bean);
Ride a tandem by the river;
Drink cocktails on the 95th floor of the Hancock Tower at sunset;

eat a fantastic Mexican meal;
and squeeze some shopping before heading to California.

Ready to rumble

2008-06-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

No, I did not watch any pro-wrestling in the States. But I am ready to get back into training.

It is nice to be home and Clare commented as she walked through the door, "This is a nice hotel." Something that couldn't be said for every hotel we came across. After detonating the bombs that were our suitcases, we hit the road for the track to see the CS Grand Prix. Big names like Josie Tomic, Travis Meyer, Graeme Brown, the New Zealand National Team, and of course some very talented locals, meant that we were in for some exciting racing. Watching TM and GB was quite nerve wracking as they squeezed through what seemed like non-existent gaps, skated on the green and I don't know how they stayed upright. The big news was the unveiling of WA's new WAIS Plan B team which includes WA's top riders and the Olympic rower, Sally Robbins. It will be interesting to watch how these guys go nationally and should give WA more of a chance to get results. Hopefully they won't use to many local races for trying out team tactics as Plan B contains half of the women's field.

Also, whilst I was away two new jerseys arrived; "The State Road Series Leader" (the title was unfortuantely lost whilst I was away) and "The fat cyclist jersey" will post pics soon.

I'm arranging pics this week to upload - try not to get too jealous :)

a quick update

2008-06-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I think it is about time I came home and got back on the bite - I mean bike. Bike! I have been biting my way across USA and Canada for the last 4 1/2 weeks and really need a decent workout.

Tomorrow Clare and I fly to Tokyo for our last adventure before heading back to work. Will update on our shopping, walking and eating expeditions next week from home.

Hope all is well, bye from San Francisco...

a very long weekend...

2008-05-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Who said travel was fun?

My very long weekend started with packing, planning and getting organised for the State
Champs and then flying out. My legs had not been their usual happy chappys and my mind was all over the place.

Going into the Road race I was a little bit skeptical of making the distance. This is the worst mindset to have for a race especially when you have 114km to ride. One of the main reasons I am writing this blog is to be accountable and start to become more conscious (long story but Ellen Degeneres knows what I'm talking about). Aim 1: Get rid of negative thoughts. Aim 2: Aim to win. Aim 3: Win and win again.

Anyway back to the race, I tried to ignore my leg pains but on the surges I felt like I could not push as hard as I have been and I was limiting myself because my legs didn't feel right. This has emphasised a few training lessons Lorraine has been trying to teach me so I'll have to look forward to testing out my legs when I get back. It seems i have done something to my leg as I am still in pain when I do certain movements - walking, lunges, riding, sitting!

So back to the race, I got dropped straight after we turned around (SF attacked in the overtaking lane - should have expected it) I got back on because apparently not everyone was working in 'the break' which I am thankful for. Nadine was also in the chasing group with me and found some energy to attack and get away soon after we rejoined the group - gutsy. Thereafter the attacks were constant until Bec Armstrong also got off the front. This meant that Sarah and Mel had someone out the front and no reason to work. Again I took turns but didn't like to because it seemed Mel or Sarah would attack during my turn. My legs were not up to the surging. I finally blew up with 20km to go and you know - it didn't even take an attack that was trying to shake the non-workers. I dropped seconds befor Linda Evans and Sue Johnstone but was pretty shattered physically and mentally and couldn't bridge to them.

Overall, it was not a fun race. There is some nastiness in the air at the moment and starting the race grumpy and hurt doesn't help you deal with or ignore this. I hate the phrase "that's racing" but unfortunately it is exactly that - racing - and I need to start wanting the win as much as everyone else. This is not the first time that I have felt like I expect too much. I really need to make some decisions and reality checks.

I apologise for this messy and grumpy post but I have had a very hectic couple of days. I flew Perth to Tokyo and was delayed leaving Tokyo which meant I missed my connecting flight from LA to Sacramento. After an unexpected night in LA I am safe now in Roseville, CA. Less can be said about my mobile phone :( hopefully I have happy updates about that soon!

Comment or email me your love I need it.

So long, farewell...

2008-05-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

Well I'm packed up and out of here - almost! I don't know how often I'll have internet access when I'm away but I will post updates when I can.

I'm looking forward to the State Road Race Champs this weekend, it was my second race last year and I spent the last 30km on my own. It looks like we'll have a big turn out which is exciting for women's racing, hopefully we can keep the numbers up.

Brought back down to Earth...

2008-05-20T02:19:00.000-07:00

It could almost break your heart reading the blog written by an American amateur cyclist, Fat Cyclist. I haven't been following the story for long, but the basics are Fat Cyclist's wife has been battling cancer for a long time, she was in remission but was very recently diagnosed with a brain tumour. It really does remind you of the big picture and not to take things for granted.

I am glad to say that we have been able to get behind Fat Cyclist and have purchased jerseys, the funds of which will go towards Susan's win fund "Fatty uses this fund for Susan's medical expenses, covering travel costs for family taking care of Susan, and for buying Susan anything she wants."

Also, I got a new jersey on the weekend! Whilst it may not have been the one I was really hoping for you may be surprised when you see it!! (Hint: it's not pink!)

And lastly, I am now a published author.

The hills are alive....

2008-05-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

I had been dreading the Dardanup Open as I heard that there were quite a few hills to get over including the infamous Gnomesville. I don't know if the course was changed but the hills weren't as bad as I thought they were going to be - although I did get dropped on the long climb during the second lap.

The women started with C grade despite having 10 women registered - is this a new record? The usual suspects raced; Sarah, Bec Armstrong, Mel Hoskins, Davina, Cherie, Tracy Ober, Danielle, Linda Evans, Clare and I. The pace was reasonable but not as high as I thought it might have been. Bec attacked early in the race and stayed away for at least one lap. The girls took control and increased the pace in the second lap - on the climbs, which is when I got dropped. I didn't panic and worked with Linda Evans, Clare and a couple of guys from C grade. We got back on to the main bunch on the home straight - less than 10km from the finish. Just before we got onto the main bunch Sarah got away, one of the guys bridged acrossed to her and that was it. I took a few turns to help D catch her but had just worked to get on the bunch and was a little reluctant, with none of the other girls willing to play.

I wasn't sure i was going to make the sprint, there were a couple of really strong surges that almost got me. In the sprint I knew not to go too early. I was lucky to get on Keith Gills wheel, he finished strongly in Albany and I thought could be a good lead out guy. I went when Mel Hoskins went but she had great acceleration. For some reason I clicked to a harder gear but with the wind it was too much and I never got over the top of it. Luckily for me, Linda Evans was blocked in and I held on for third.

2008-05-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

Check this out now before I leave and lose the lead....

2008-05-15T02:31:00.000-07:00

A week of lessons

2008-05-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

I guess i shouldn't complain about the speed that Cycling WA updates their website when I myself am reluctant to post an update. I've been told "You can't always blog about the good stuff!"

Sunday had us racing in York and I was to be on my own today as Clare's injury was requiring some R & R - not sure it got it! The race was a mass start - all grades together. The pace was quite high, but I was coping well. There was a steady stream of attacks and I was starting to struggle just before the halfway point. I don't know who was pulling on the front but I was struggling to push hard enough to stay on going downhill! And yes, I've learnt my lesson about using the big chain ring - I was in the hardest gear I could push but someone big and strong must have been on the front of the group. The turn around point was a very tight U-turn. We didn't have any witches hats to go around and I think it was causing chaos. People were unclipping because of the traffic jam and I was 2nd last coming out of the corner. Of course, they raced out of the turn and up a slight hill, I tried to sprint but was put off by my back wheel jumping all over the place. I must have had my weight distributed wrong on the bike because it was fine after that. But i didn't get back to the bunch. Clare was driving as support - she had already picked up davina who pulled out. She motorpaced me which i thought might get me back to the bunch. They were zooming. Sarah was the only girl in front of me and there were 3 behind, I was effectively in no-man's-land. Despite being 2nd, I effectively pulled out of the race at this point and made the most of a motor-pace training session for a good few km's. Apparently I was getting up to speeds of 50km/ hr but I had no idea because I've never been able to figure out what's wrong with my bike computer. My computer spat the dummy the day before and is refusing to tell me anything but the time since. Which is probably a good thing. I may have had a heart attack if I had seen what my heart rate actually was. There was a break in the communication chain and the judges rubbed out Danielle instead of me so during the presentations I had to explain to everyone what happened. Agghh.

Apart from racing, I've also learnt that riding on a wind-trainer can kill you. We have a nice cosy set up in the garage now, complete with tv for our indoor training sessions. Compared to riding on the road the biggest change being on a wind trainer is sweating. I could fill a bucket with the amount of sweat that pours off me. You might think that I would have put 2 and 2 together and drunk a few extra litres of water. I didn't and last week paid the price with some terrible sessions during my recovery from dehydration. Some people may have thought that the biggest difference about riding a wind trainer is that you don't fall off. Well, I assure you - you can.

Speaking of falling off, this morning whilst stirring up the Rider's Choice ride (see below), one of the guys tried his best to bring me down (he may have been a tag-along just like me). Going down the hill at Point Walter is always tricky as the turn is off-camber. So this morning, I'm taking it easy because it's wet when I feel quite a bit of pressure on my back wheel. Clare started yelling and I wondered what was going on because it felt like a bike was locked with mine. It turns out, one of the guys had taken this moment to check on his water bottle (what the?) and touched my back wheel. Thanks to my 'Don't panic, hold your line' attitude I stayed up and he went down. All is well, the wet road surface meant he didn't get any grazes.

And finally, if the train your on is not going fast enough - overtake it. "It's always a race!" If you are out on the road you need to be aware that you are automatically in a race, and overtaking is a sure sign that you've entered. Last year an article was posted on the TriWA forum describing a points system for scoring your efforts. It is hilariously accurate for describing our inability to refrain from showing off. My point is, if you want the group to go faster, don't shout "Hurry up fatties," just overtake them. They won't be able to help themselves and soon enough they will be passing you (this scores you extra points) you can then jump back on the bunch, hopefully, now going at a pace that isn't above your level!