Mansfield Crit

10:45 pm Unknown 0 Comments

I like to consider Mansfield Mt Buller Road Race the start of the road season. 2 years ago I was champing at the bit for my first real road race and I signed up for this. A rude awakening after only racing crits for what seems like months and longer weekend rides. I remember forgetting to bring enough food and bonking on the climb - worst ride back to town afterwards.
2011 - SKCC Ladies on the start line of B-Grade Mansfield Mt Buller Road Race. Lets RIDE! — Von with Michelle Mcmahon, Fiona Neuwirth and Nicole Ternel.

Last year I made it to the top but cracked on the climb. Bonked on the way back to town - even holding Shane's wheel and swore I'd never do that race again. This year, no sag wagon back to town and I couldn't mentally commit to the mountain.

2012 - Mansfield Crit
I do love a good challenge though, so I entered the Mansfield Crit in Women's A-Grade. I entered early and went about my training realising that it fell the same weekend as the Oceania Championships so some of the top riders would be in Canberra racing that event. Then the Cycling Victoria Gradings came out a few weeks later and I was in Women's-B Grade.So with my grading, I thought they would put me right into B-Grade for the Mansfield Crit when they shuffled the entries. The Friday before the event I checked the lists and I was still in A-Grade. I wasn't too phased by the lack of change as I finished with the A-Grade bunch at St Kilda, but I didn't get a chance to email them on the Friday to change it either. I thought I'd see how I go.

The long awaited Kit update had finally come around. I had worked on a few designs with the team boss and the designers took a few of my ideas and wrapped them into the final design. A new manufacturer, and a women's cut and I was excited to wear it for the first time.

When I arrived in Mansfield it was raining, it had rained the last hour of the drive... I was hoping it would either dry up quick smart or it would get called off early and they'd give me an entry to the road race instead. I went back to the accommodation, kicked Shane off the ergo and started a warm up.
New kit fit like a glove, and I was sweating buckets while the roads started drying out. I rolled down to the start line totally PUMPED and ran through a few laps. It was funny when it took a few seconds recognition when I said Hi to the ladies on course - new KIT!

2013 - New kit on show in central Mansfield

I remembered the course pretty well from last year, it is a moderately technical hot dog or lower case t-shape. I got to the start right on the line so that I could get around the hairpin a few meters away in a good position.
BANG! We were away and through the first corner before you knew it. Sprinting down the short arm of the T I hit the inside line of the next corner without any problems, around the car-park hairpin and down to the headwind back section to the bottom hairpin. With enough speed you don't need to pedal through this as all.  The long drag up the main straight that has a slight up-hill across the finish line and you're back at the top hairpin over the speed hump.  2-3 laps in and we're only about 5mins into the 40min race, someone cuts across from the outside line across to the inside line on the hairpin corner. We're going slow, I hear a crunch of wheels, I look back and there is a pile of carbon and look up to see the leaders sprinting away.
Scrambling along to latch back on, I realise that there is no way we're going to be allowed to race on. Yet the bunch hits each corner hard and fast, trying to unhitch me.
We pass the start/finish and the commissaries are flagging us to neutralise and slow down as there is a rider down on the course - maybe the leaders didn't know there was a bad crash? They know now rolling past but kick again out of the corner and keep hitting each corner hard. About 5 mins later the riders that were caught up in the crash rejoin, while the rider is still down.
I drop off the back while the other riders are yo-yoing and chase back on. I fight my way back to the front and we're back racing full steam with a clear course again.
Sprinting out of the top hairpin with Lisa Hanley.
About 25mins in a good attack is launched from the bunch and it splits the field. I'm chasing on for a few laps and realise I'm not making any ground anymore. They ring the bell for B-Grade to finish and I watch Grace Phang launch from about 5 wheels back in the final corner to sprint up for the win. Manuela pulls off a 2nd place and I miss who comes in 3rd as I notice the leaders of A-Grade have picked up the pace again and I'm about to get lapped!  DAMNIT! 2laps to go and I'm caught in no-mans land. They pull me out of the race on bell lap and I get to watch Nicole Whitburn rip up the final straight for the win. Well maybe B-Grade would have been a better race for me next time.

I went for a cool down ride, got changed and went to watch the other racing. There was some excellent racing and some good showmanship on display. The weather being a little more wet and cold, there was not so many people hanging around to watch the show as last year.

Best wishes to Fi Carden (the rider caught up in the crash) for a speedy recovery.

The next morning was the road race. It felt like I had barely slept a wink overnight and was glad I was not racing up the hill. It was COLD in the morning, the boys I was staying with did not pack like a woman and I shared out my 3 undershirts of varying thickness. I got to the start line and loaned out my arm warmers, and supplied a water bottle to another rider who had forgotten theirs. Coffee in hand I a took a few pics on the side line and jumped in the car to head to the base of the climb.

On the side of the mountain waiting for the boys to stomp past.
Unpacking the bike at the toll booth I didn't get much of a warm up. Straight up the hill, I was trying to estimate where on the climb the Masters-A group was going to catch me. B-Grade came through in drips and drabs, I took off my glove and ate some fruit cake and prepared for taking some photos of the Masters field when they were going to roll through. Higher and higher I climbed, when finally the lead car came past. I pulled over and took a few pics. Shane was sitting 2nd on the road looking frustrated, but strong. I made it under Horsehill chairlift when the group caught up with Slane driving the train.
Layers - it's all about the layers!
I ticked it up to the top watching my breath frost over, caught a few pics of the podium and descended while I was still vaguely warm. We packed the car full of people and bikes to drive back to town. Heater blasting to warm back up. We survived the mountain this time, I am sure there will be many more climbs to come.
A little grasshopper that hitched a ride on my sunroof back from the mountain!

2012 - Finish in B-Grade I came in 4th

Mid Month Madness

1:31 pm Unknown 0 Comments

Melbourne is having a bit of a heatwave and I'm enjoying having endless days and nights to ride my bike. A new training plan is in action and it's mixed up my usual weeks and usual rides.

Wednesday was another hot day, and my legs were toasted after a hard Tuesday training session... so an easy spin was looking good. A late meeting at work and my easy spin turned into a dark dash on the path back to Richmond to meet up with the ladies for a gossip and spin in the warm night (followed by dinner out on Bridge Rd). One unlucky commuter cyclist had come off badly in what looked like a head on collision on the floating path. I can only assume this happens more frequently than we think based on the number of near misses I've had along these paths.


Up before dawn on Thursday, it was so nice and cool! I haven't been getting up super early over summer to train so it was a rude awakening to the system to be moving when I'm normally sleeping. Though I have to admit it wasn't the heat making me sleep lightly, I was excited about going mountain biking!!! It didn't really occur to me that it would still be dark at 6am - a timely reminder that daylight savings is just around the corner and not many reasons to stay out late training when you can't see anymore.
It's still night time. Let's go back to bed!

Its DAWN - I can see the light!

A few things about mtb that I have gathered so far. It takes longer than you think to get somewhere. Trails are either scarier or easier in the dark (never the same as the day).

I was late to the start point and glad I had a guide in Claire Homsey to find where the trails started and went. All the small little goat tracks I had never noticed before riding on the paths lead to cool out of the way trails that dart around trees and flow along the river. There were a crazy number of spider webs covering the paths and as trail-breakers we were the ones that copped it the worst. More than once I stopped to wipe my face, arms, legs from trailing silk (and hopefully NO SPIDERS!).

Next minute we had covered the route and were back in Kew and ready to try find our way back to coffee and civilisation in time for work. I remembered a vague conversation I'd had with Lisa Jacobs at the Cycling Victoria Awards night about local beginner trails. I think I got it all mixed up because somehow I was on a rocky goat track with a sheer drop into the Yarra River.

Claire and I pushed on, past a mini snake baking on the hot trail rocks and ended up with the bats and back at home! If you have never seen the fruit bat colony that used to live in the Botanical Gardens, they are now living on the Kew Boulevard and there is a lovely park with BBQ facilities you can enjoy. A little bit of country and nature right in the city :D

I have been trying to find some discipline in stretching and scheduled in a lunch time Yoga class to help me out. This week we were moved from the usual room to "the dome" which was used as a gallery space. The vaulted ceiling and artwork was definitely mind expanding and worth a panorama shot.



That night after work I met up with my mate Deb and we had a granita at Pellegrino's and attended the  Liv/Giant International Women's Day Celebration.



It was inspiring to hear the great stories of the ladies presenting, catch up and share race stories and see the 2013 bikes. 
Carol Cooke's Gold Medal from 2012 Paralympics
Liv/Giant have a feature mountain bike ride on Saturday, 16th March and a regular Saturday morning ride in Melbourne that you can find out more details on their Facebook Page.

Friday was another consecutive hot day. I had completed a indoor workout and headed straight out for a cool down ride to get some real evening breeze. Before I knew it I had run out of water and it was still another 30mins home in the heat. The 3 petrol stations I rode past did not have a tap outside to refill, then an oasis by the beach!

Lovely fast filtered water!
Saturday Shane and I ventured out to Mt Donna Buang. We did a flat loop before heading up the hill and it was lovely and cool 22°C climbing.

Flat loop in the cool.
Donna and I have had a long history.

When I got my first road bike I came out with Shane and I wanted to "ride some hills". We got to the 2nd lookout over the Yarra Valley when the weather turned sour and had by first experience of "DESCENDING". I made it down with some tips on cornering but was literally traumatised and had nightmares that night of crashing and falling off my bike.

I've come up with Jonathan Lovelock and Shane on horrible rainy conditions where in the time it took for me to do one ascent, Jono had done it twice and Shane had enough time to descend, get changed and drive up to pick me up at the top. It was beautiful watching the lyre birds pop out and dance on the road, but nothing beat getting to the top.

I've driven out for the Hawthorn Cycling Club's double Donna days where I climbed, descended and driven Andrew McGrath back down the hill while his collar bone was still mending (he could climb ok!).

We met Justin Wornes there one crazy day when I was chasing times and climbs and he ascended and descended on a fixed gear bike and one front break!

One night when it was  40°C in Melbourne Shane and I drove to the top of Donna on dusk. Dropping down it was lovely zooming down the face of the mountain in the cooler evening air. At the bottom we turned on our lights just as it started to get dark and climbed into the darkness at the top. A magical mountain.

Last year Shane and I drove in the sunshine to SA for their state Masters TT champs, won each of our categories, drove back the next day to Vic and climbed Donna for the Vic TT series on a very wet rainy day. Needless to say it was not our best performance, but it was another memorable Donna moment.

On the weekend I saw a few cyclists that I knew out there training for Mt Buller next weekend. I've started the road race for the last 2 years and each time it has been - EPIC. This time I will only be doing the Criterium but will support my team mates at Kosdown Performance Cycling.


It's been since late November that I was last at St Kilda Crits. I was surprised that racing and holidays and family and work had gotten so busy that I have not had a full weekend at home with all the racing, wedding, work and craziness going on!

Another hot day planned by the weather gods and I was glad to roll out early for an 8am start. I met Manuela on the road out to Port Melbourne by chance and started chatting the rest of the way out there.
It was the final of another series and Jenny Macpherson had already cleaned up the points so all that was on offer was placings for the day - if you could beat her to the line for them.


Working hard to hang on.  Photo:Rich Longmire.
A few rolling laps to reacquaint myself with the corners and it was time to start. We had a neutral first lap and it was the first time since I've raced there where that was honoured. Then the attacks, counter attacks, stop-start madness begun. The speed was a little slower than I was expecting from the other crits I had done previously, but that was made up for by the sharpness of the attacks. A good percentage I was able to respond to, but there were definitely some that left me scrambling and sliding backward down the pack. I never felt "fit enough" racing against these ladies - some of the best in the state rock up to this weekly crit and you never know how it will play out.
My 1 Attack! Photo:Rich Longmire.

This time no break aways could escape so it was all together for the final sprint. Things were a bit twitchy with one chick almost getting her front wheel taken completely out. I was 1 rider back from the mid-race incident and was certain that I was going to run into the back of a pileup when the chick wrenched her front wheel back on course and chased down the rest of the bunch breaking away.
The final corner I was too far back in the bunch, there was some touching of wheels and I backed off. Everyone stayed upright but at the end of the sprint I think I came in 10th and the winners would have already been around the corner off the course!

It was good to be back racing, but another reminder to keep training - hard.
Post race Kew Boulie Laps - who's idea was that?! ouch.

The long weekend has given me an opportunity to do a few extra jobs around the bike room. New tyres on the new rims, new bottle cages on the race bike, TT bike converted back to its awesome form and ready to roll.

Today I also met up with Karen Hill and she showed me the mtb trails near Westerfolds Park and gave me some much needed tips. This was the first time I've come so close to a whole mob of kangaroos as we started for the day. I felt a bit intimidated and rude waking them up from their morning graze and stirring them out from between the trees.

So hot and humid - sunnies not needed!
It was another beautiful morning where it was so nice to get started before the traffic and madness in the heat of the day. We left the paved paths and headed straight for the single track.

Rider out enjoying the paved paths.
We did two laps that were only 5km each and it took over 40mins a lap. The Mont24 mtb race is approximately 20km a lap and probably more technical. I still have a lot more practice to go. The great thing was to follow the line of someone experienced and to get some feedback on my position (not good on the small bike) and tight cornering (it got better as the day went on).

Karen my instructor for the day - Thanks!!
I am so grateful for the assistance and guidance that everyone has given me in regards to this challenge. For me it is a massive personal challenge that extends not only my bike handing skills, ability to read terrain, fear of crashing, but my princess attitude to camping. It is going to be a Maaaasive adventure.

Brunswick Crit, Roadtrip, Cykel Women's GP Crit Round 3

10:44 pm Unknown 0 Comments

So I had this bright idea that I could make it across town to do a crit after work during the week all the way out at National Boulevard at Campbellfield. I could take the train right near work and the Upfield station is right around the corner from the circuit. Unfortunately with Melbourne public transport dramas, it didn't turn out to be the best idea.

I hate that anxious powerless wait that you can do nothing about when you're on the train and you are late. It took me back to when I used to have anxiety attacks going to work when my boss would rip through me that my train/tram 1.5hr commute ran late or infreqent to my first job across Melbourne. I had another bright idea to notify the race organisers that I was on my way and I'd be a late entry so I could just pickup a number and RACE. A long shot but it put me at some ease.

I mostly went out there for more leg speed and to see if hanging in with the guys the previous Saturday was a fluke. Made it to the rego desk 5mins before race start, pinned the number on and started to spin around the small loop of the course. No warm-up, let's get stuck into it!

I was surprised how big the field was in Men's B-Grade. We rolled out and settled into a rhythm - it was windy on the downhill finish and that meant the usual rest section was a struggle. A few attacks and an established breakaway of about 6 riders was away 25mins in. At one point I tried to bridge, but the wind was too much and the pack swallowed me up in no time.



Before you knew it was 3 laps to go and I was congratulating myself for making it so far. Just hang on! Concentrating on every move up the road it was show time. The pace picked up for the third last lap, dropped the pace on the second last lap when the bunch realised it was not going to reel in the breakaway then hit the roof. I was hanging on for dear life but got dropped on the rise into the last corner again. Rod Upton gave a word of encouragement as he came around me to join the bunch as they gathered together for a very neat bunch sprint. I was willing my legs to just jump onto the back of the group to cross the finish line but the sprint shattered the group and I rolled in with the mid-pack across the line.

Lots of smiles and grimaces at the end. It was a good race, had to be on your game with the wheels moving around in the wind, but it was fun.

Friday night we got in late to Horsham and I was up early Saturday morning to get the kms in with the local bunches and fit in some family time.

Enjoying the sunshine & tailwind
Only a 40km loop, but again the conditions and skill of the riders made it an interesting morning. I didn't know the route exactly, but felt confident to hang in with the group. Said a few friendly hellos at the start and then we were on from there. Part of the start of the course was the same as the Rifle Butts route from the previous trip, but then we went further out and I started to get a little turned around where everything started looking like where we'd already been. I just relied on calls for turns and kept going. A few riders dropped off, a few riders sat on, and a few riders drove the pace. A rolling hill kick into the sun where you couldn't see was won by a local trackie over the whole bunch. I had to be reminded to roll the right way into the wind as the road snaked around on the way back toward town. Within the last 5kms the pace kicked up towards the 45km/h mark and back into the headwind the bunch was echeloning across the road. I think I rolled one turn and then dropped back to the group and couldn't make my way back in to the group rolling turns. Trying to hide out of the wind was impossible, forced into the gravel. I gave up and rolled back into town with the guy that got popped about 1 minute before me.

Rear of a llama.
After a coffee to restore all that is good in the world, Shane woke up from a sleep in and met me at Cafe Jazz, where we caught up with Mark Pumpa who organised the Horsham Tri. Afterwards Shane and I rolled out for another 40km.  It was dry paddocks and blue skies for us. I LOVE a headwind ;) but this time my gorgeous husband was saving my legs for tomorrow's crit. After what seemed like forever, we finally got the tailwind! Past the Longrenong College then out to the radio towers, Shane decided to show me how fast he was averaging for the National TT in Jan and I was hanging on for dear life!

We turned down another road back towards town and there was a white road.

Shane's tribute to Strade Bianche 2013
Something went all wrong because when I was taking selfies, he came back with some spaghetti!

Oh no! What's wrong?!
SRAM is not supposed to make spaghetti!
Rolled back home and had a great dinner and time with the family in Horsham. A BIG happy 60th to Julie! We drove back to Melbourne that night and were ready for race day.


The next morning Shane got up early and went racing TT's and I got a slight sleep in and chauffeured to Casey fields with a massive carload of stuff by Manuella Marasco. I have no idea how we fit everything in her car or why we needed so much stuff for a day trip. We DID use it all though for the Kosdown Performance Cycling women's team at Cykel Women's Grand Prix.

I had a full team of 5 ladies ready to race in the divisions and Stacey ready to go in the Novice category.

Stacey had her third race as part of the series and finished with the bunch in the final sprint. It was awesome to watch the race and to see the massive improvement over the series. It was heaps of fun to cheer her on with family joining in too!

Stacey  finishing the prologue
After a prologue that was not quite fast enough, I was in division 2. It was an interesting mix of ladies and I had two team mates in Nonie Carr and Anna Fogarty with me. Nonie set the pace for the first few laps and Anna chased down any breaks while we waited for the bunch to settle and to see how things would play out. There were women who were there just to collect laps leader points who would do no work and just sprint each lap for the finish. There were a good bunch of ladies in Hawthorn pushing the pace and chasing down breaks. There were also a few riders that seemed to be new to B grade or crit racing. While there were no incidents and the ladies in the bunch were mostly giving them a wide berth, hopefully they will gain more experience and confidence.

One of the best skills sessions I have done and will continue to do again (never to old or experienced to brush up on your skills) is SKCC Latte Laps. It's free and you get real time feedback and a COFFEE!! YEAH!

Nonie, 3rd on the laps leader for the day
I had a brilliant lead out for the intermediate sprint where I jumped early before the last corner and ripped past the leaders, held it around the corner and JUST made it to the line. I'm now second in the Core Carbon Intermediate Sprint points to Jenny MacPherson. I could ride myself onto a sweeeeeet set of wheels!

Right after the intermediate sprint after the headwind section there was an aggressive attack as the bunch came past me and I was struggling to get my legs working. I slipped into the second half of the bunch and the wheel in front of me split the bunch in two. It took me a minute to realise what had really happened and that nobody was interested in doing anything about it. So I jumped across and was sitting  in "no mans land" for the chase. At one point Danielle Ahern jumped across solo and just as I was starting to fade within reach of the back of the front bunch she helped me bridge.

I was watching the front group start to get agro and vocal and thinking that my team mates were sitting up and waiting for me to cross. What actually happened was nobody wanted to work as the ladies that were trying to score lap leader points were still just fighting it out amongst themselves across the finish line each time and not focussing on staying away. Before I knew it the rest of the bunch was back with us and I had to recover as I was sure we'd get the 3 laps to go soon. Sure enough the next time it was already 2 laps to go... ooooops!

KPC tent city!

Moving up the side of the bunch again and popping in 4th wheel I was interested to sit someone else on the front for the last headwind section. Well, everyone rolled off quick and smart and I was back on the front. Not ideal, Anna came to the front and picked up the pace, then Nonie took over to just about finish off the back straight. Everyone was bunching up and we still had 2 more corners to go. Just before the last corner Anna hits the gas again and distracts the bunch as they take off after her. I keep pace with the front markers and sit on the inside of Carly McCombe out of the wind but she gets a little more kick out of the last corner and takes off for the finish line as I see Emma Jackson on her outside. I can see one more rider come into view as the line finally rolls under my front wheel. 3rd place for division 2.

3rd overall!
Emma Pane represented in Division 1 and did so much work in the race to pull back breaks and attack off the front and hang on into the front group before it all came back together for the final sprint. She finished in with the bunch and had a great day out.

I have really enjoyed the Cykel Crits this year. The final round is only a few weeks away right in Richmond. The circuit will be an uphill hotdog on the boulevard and sure to be spectacular.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)