Festive 500, Nationals, and the heat wave

A little bit of off road
Over Christmas I have often struggled to find focus on the bike and usually go on a training camp up in the hills or just lie around in air conditioning eating all the left over food! However, since it's inception in 2012, the Rapha Festive 500 cycling challenge on Strava has been helping all cyclists around the world.

This year I didn't make it to the hilly training camp, but through catching up with family we managed our own "Tour de Wimmera", I clocked up 660 kms in Ballarat and Horsham, coming in 44th female in the world.

We started in Ballarat with a ride and finished up with some long flat kms in Horsham. My most memorable rides:
  • 88 dead flat kms from Horsham to Jeparit with a headwind all the way
  • 2 beautiful days in the Grampians riding all the lookouts and meeting the Horsham riders
  • The climb up Boroka Lookout

Topically, the roads I covered through the Grampians have all been burnt this last week, which is really disappointing as the quality of the surface was awesome. I hope that it all recovers ok.

The 1 turn in the ride to Jeparit

What else to do on long flat boring days? Test out a new Evade helmet!

Visiting local towns every day!


When I had a bit of time last month, I made it across town to Carnegie Caulfied Cycling Club's Summer crits at Calder Park Raceway after work.  They had scheduled a women's criterium and had a good field of B-grade racers and only a handful for a separate A-grade, so they combined the two groups.

I just managed to make it on time by taking the train out and rode around the front on the main road. After 2 reconnoissance laps around the course, I tested the speed through the corners and probably needed a little more warmup.

It was a good steady race at the start and in the end a few attacks blew the race apart and Karen Hill won the evening! I had pre-arranged Shane to come pick me up and was glad because it was tough to get home afterwards.

Ladies on circuit


The National Road Championships is an event I look forward to in my home town of Ballarat each year. This was my last week before going back to work and I was super excited to watch the showdown with pro riders and a few local racers. In each race that I went to see there was something that inspired me, left me entertained or in just plain awe of what these riders have achieved.



The start/finish for the Time Trial

Steele Von Hoff winning the elite men's criterium

While up in town we thought we might run a casual Kosdown Performance Cycling ride out around the back hills where only the locals know the roads. As it was a non-racing day, we had more time and set a 90km course out to Snake Valley, Devil's Kitchen and back in through Sebastopol to the Lake for a well earned lunch/hydration spot at Racers (owned by a local cyclist!).

We had a really good turnout that we managed with no problems with traffic on the back roads. Some riders came for the first part of the ride and others continued on for the full route. Feedback we received was great. Next time we will have both short and long rides on different days to mix it up for all riders, but a good experiment and great to meet some riders that have been following us online.

Some of the back roads near Sebastopol

Tailwind out near Burrumbeet


The Heatwave in Melbourne has cancelled all racing this week (sensibly) but in the mean time if you get out early you can beat the high temps and make it back in time for work.




This week I'm up in Adelaide watching the Tour Down Under and hanging out with Thule Team Australia. My top picks for activities:

  • Watching every stage LIVE on course or back in comfort at the Tour Village,
  • Cheering on the Pro Women at the Santos Women's Cup,
  • Rapha Women's ride Friday (and Willunga Hill on the Sat for the boys too),
  • Norwood Cycling Club - check out their page for local racing,
  • Specialized & Lululemon ride and yoga Sunday,
  • Glenelg Beach in the evenings to cool down on the hot nights.
I'll try post up a few pics on Twitter and Facebook. Stay tuned for the next update with the next part of the adventure :)

2013 in Review

So I started this blog as a way to share my cycling adventures with you all - what a year 2013 has turned out to be!

The corkscrew - Adelaide TDU
  • I've raced in ACT, NSW, VIC and SA
  • Covered over 11,600km on and off-road by bike over 513hrs in the saddle!
  • Found and enjoyed the alternative universe of Veterans Cycling 
  • New toys - Specialized Amira, Quarq power meter, Garmin 810, Wahoo Kickr, Thule wheel carriers and roller duffel, Dyma Disc wheel cover!
  • Been on TV for le tour prologue
  • Working with a new coach - Mark "Fenz" Fenner
  • A broken collar bone, surgery and a month off the bike to rest, recover and regroup
  • Over 50 races at club, state and national level with 25 podium placings - it has been a successful year if you measure it in medals!
  • Over 8,900 page views of the blog - thanks for reading :)
MTB fun - I said it would never happen and I raced 2 separate 24hr races!
Thanks to the sponsors that have come on board in 2013 to help me achieve my goals:
  • Kosdown Printing and Spicers Paper for the comfy kit and race entry
  • Specialized for my gorgeous Amira road bike
  • Bike n Bean for my bike bits and servicing
  • Thule for all the racks, luggage, travel and Mountain Bike Adventures
  • Sukkie Hydration

There are also awesome supporters who help me out that are the BEST in the business:
  • Torq
  • FTP Coaching
  • Aussie Butt Cream
Amira - we're inseperable!
What's coming up for 2014? 

A whole new set of goal races, travel to new and old parts of Australia for cycling, (maybe) a new car for all the bikes and travelling. New team members and new battles on the road. To keep things sharp, a few training camps and some cross training in the snow! Also, stay tuned for more opportunities for women to race casually in team events over 2014 and a unique opportunity below:




If you're up for a challenge and to kick-start your 2014 of racing - apply now for the Kosdown Performance Cycling Scholarship (male u23 and female open age).  You set your goals, and together with KPC they help you achieve them! It really is a great partnership to launch your cycling into the next level. Entries are open until Jan 31st 2014.

Pics from 2013

Weekend Fun Days

Now that my scheduled races are completed for the year, it's time to enjoy the fun things in life on the bike.
This week I've changed the climbing cassette off my wheels and back to flat land gearing. That might have been a little premature as I went out for a a ride with the Bicycle Networks group who are running training rides for the Three Peaks Challenge.

Riders getting organised

On Saturday they ran a training ride out to Kinglake and back from Kew. I was looking forward to riding out there with some ladies I had met out training and racing for the Tour of Bright.

It was the most superb day out on Saturday. The morning was cool and we had about 30 riders in total  roll out. It was great to be out riding the hills with the group, the crisp air was great and the day was going to warm up to a clear day with light breezes.

The other team of riders changing tyres in the background

All was going well until I hit a pothole in the bunch that gave me an instant pinch flat along with another two riders. We had a mini competition to fix the flat the fastest - I won! I'd like to thank the CO2 gas canister for the instant pump action that fills so well!

Our little group of riders then had to catch the bunch, but it was too late, they were already up the climb and having coffee.

The Kinglake climb was beautiful steady as the day warmed up, I needed to pull my arm warmers off before the top! Thanks to Alison McCormack who rode part of the way with me. It was lovely to roll into the bakery to enjoy a tasty morsel - but no time for coffee. I got a call from Shane just before I went to roll back home with the group.

A couple of alpacas in the background

We met up after the descent and left the group to have a coffee at Smiths Gully. I saw Deb Richards and we had a great chat while the coffee was brewing. Shane and I descended down Clintons Road and went to check out Sugar Loaf Reservoir. All of the long hot dry rides I've done out there I've always wondered what the reservoir looked like. It was amazing! There is a nice little climb to burn the legs up to the gate and then it's like an oasis. This would be a great place to picnic.

An oasis after the long hot roads


There was a feature race at St Kilda Criterium on Sunday and I met up with Fi Neuwirth. The wind was blowing quite strong northerly so it was nice and warm, but the usual warmup before the crits along beach road was cut off by the Sussan Women's Half Marathon. I watched part of the run and it was so great to see the runners (majority were women) belting it out into the head wind and scooting along with a tail wind.

Fi and I went to do some hot-laps of Albert Park and then rolled over to the crits. We had just missed the B-Grade women finish their race and there were still a few little kids around on their balance bikes from the feature children's race when we arrived.

Post by Kirsty Baxter Photography.


It was awesome to see so many familiar faces and a few ladies stayed behind from B and C-Grade to watch the A-grade ladies.  There was a delicious BBQ of chicken, free physio massages and of course the flowing coffee of Soul Kitchen.

Hot day at the crits - lucky it was overcast (physio in the back)

I had a great time catching up off the bike while watching the ladies battle it out. They were doing all the hard work and I was getting my legs massaged by 2 ladies at the free physio tent! Sometimes recovery is goooood. Stay tuned to the SKCC Crits this weekend in Port Melbourne where the SUPERCRIT will be in full swing. Come on down and see all the action - it is going to be HUGE!

2013 Tour of Bright

All the weather forecasting and worrying people were tweeting over the week leading up to the race was for nothing. We had three beautiful sunny days for the Tour of Bright where I was racing Women's B grade.

Stage 1 - Time Trial 14km


The first stage for the Time Trial was warm with a good steady breeze by my start time of 1:12:20pm. I was on the start ramp and ready to roll with nervous energy. I was over the first hill then settled into the rhythm of keeping my cool and not over cooking before the roundabout. I was not far off my 20sec rider in front of me when I reached the roundabout.

TT Time Photo: JXP Photography

My nose was running like a tap even after the warmup, but that was the least of my worries, I came around the left turn a little wide almost kissing the tape and was face first into one of the A-Grade BSS ladies taking the corner wide to hit the home stretch! Over the first flatter section I ramped up the pace up the hill and was passed by a rider (oh dear - not a good sign) the negative thoughts started in, but the power numbers were still looking good, so I pushed to the turn around. I could still see the rider in front as the fast descent came on and it was such a relief. It was great not having to check for traffic before turning onto the last left hand turn home. At this point everything felt like a head wind, but I pushed the pace higher as it got harder, took a moment just before the final hill and give it everything to get over the top and to the line.

My poor lungs were screaming as I cooled down. I don't think I could have gone much faster, but it was about 5 sec faster than the club TT I'd completed earlier in the month. Great power, but nowhere near fast enough for the leaders that came in 1:28 earlier than me. Wow! Great rides and a strong field.


Stage 2 - Rosewhite Gap Loop 92 km


We rolled out as a good group with not too many nervous wheels on the open road. When the neutral flag went into the car, the pace picked up and there was a good group of ladies rolling turns and a the rest were sitting on. About 30 mins into the ride I had some fruit cake and put the rest away, but it slipped between my number and pocket and onto the road! Oh No, there goes my lunch!
There were a few attacks after the right hand turn at Ovens and the pace kept up towards the base of the climb.

It was pretty sedate up the first section and I was feeling pretty good. Slowly the group whittled down as riders started to slip from the front back into the group, each time the road climbed up the pace went up and then backed off on the flatter sections to recover. I was pretty happy sitting about 6th wheel once we hit the long straight drag before the finish. I didn't look behind to see how many riders there were - next minute a rider a problem and signalled that she was pulling over.  I backed off the wheel just in time to avoid a stack and tried to re-kickstart the legs to get back onto the group. No-luck, the group sailed up the road and I was about 1.5kms from the top! I kept going while knowing that they were long gone by the looks of those at the KOM. As I descended down I caught a group of three riders in the valley and we could see the group ahead on the road. The main group of about 12 riders were rolling turns and making great pace.

Climbing in the sun - hot day out Photo: Fi Neuwirth

We picked up a few more riders that had dropped back from the lead group on the Kiewa Valley Highway and were working OK together, but not fast pace chasing. By the time we got to the feed station - I was out of water and electrolyte. Suffering was the name of the game. My Garmin said it was 32 degrees, I ticked up the 7km climb of Tawonga Gap slower than in training, but I gave it everything I had finishing the stage 18th and 11:41 down on the winner.

Von looking at stem - Photo: JXP Photography

Next year I hope they put the neutral water back into the tour. A massive thanks to my competitor Deb Richards who handed me a Coke after the finish line - I think I almost cried! St Kilda Cycling Club for providing the ice cold watermelon, and to Mrs Loki who gave me some fresh water while waiting for her son Tomarsh (who came 3rd in B-Grade).

Stage 3 - Bright to Mt Hotham 55km


I went and iced my legs in the river, had a good dinner and an ok night's sleep. By breakfast I was ready to race again, talking tactics to assist my club mate Simone Peirce who was leading GC as my hopes for a top 5 finish were totally dashed. I'm pretty good at backing up my performance day after day, so I was ready for anything to happen. It was another beautiful day and I got a good warmup in with a few TT efforts and a sprint for good measure.

When we rolled out from the start it was a pretty casual pace. Not many were interested in sitting in the wind or attacking off the front, which meant if anything was to happen - everyone was fresh to chase it down. The first sprint went by and the top three contenders fought it out, with Catriona Newell in an unbeatable lead on points.

Just before the tree lined avenue entry to Harrietville the commissaire drove up beside us yelling out of the car to RACE - we were picking up the pace with the final sprint then the smashfest up the start of the climb was to come. We were shoulder to shoulder hitting the steep left hand corner at Harriteville just as a massive truck full of sheep came down. The next 20m the pace was on, but the lead car pulled over and stopped us before the right turn towards the boom gate. There were screams, swears, begging and pleading for us to continue as it was all breaking apart and all the stragglers had come back while we were stopped.

They let C-Grade women pass us but didn't leave much of a time gap (3.5mins). From a standing start on the side of the hill the pace was white hot. I couldn't keep up and then I couldn't work out who to chase, or who to pick off over the climb with it combined with C-Grade riders.

Grinding up with determination I passed about 6 riders on The Meg, then had some food and ticked over a few more kms and realised the race was well up the road. I found a few other riders before the false flat.

We had a little giggle at the women dressed as bananas at the water stop and swapped a few turns in our group on the front but then they apologised for not being able to swing through - no problems, I sat on the front till it was time to climb. It was a tough last 10km to go and I ran out of drink at about top of CRB and had one last gel for a burst of energy. 1km to go, I picked up the pace and crossed the line in 19th place overall. Simone had kept the rivals at bay and held onto GC to win her first Tour of Bright. A sensational ride all weekend long - keeping her cool in a really super strong field.

A long lonely climb to the finish. Photo: JXP Photography

I got a lift back down the mountain (thank you so much Fi Neuwirth and Nat Howard), had a snack and lay on the floor back at the accommodation for a long time. Mt Hotham is never to be trifled with - we were so lucky to have excellent conditions to race in, but it takes its toll on the body each time.  Many thanks to all my fellow riders and team mates that gave us a cheer as they descended after their race, they knew what we still had to come and were encouraging us all.

It's time for rest and recovery now, long summer rides and some short sharp criteriums to keep things fresh. See you all out on the road!


Top of Hotham and ready to go home!
Fi and I at the TT Presentations
 
 

Vid of the action over the weekend and a little snip of me in the Time Trial

Tour of Bright - Preparation

Since the last major cycling race, I've been clocking up the kilometres and watching every calorie in preparation for the Tour of Bright.

TOB  time is cherry season!

This will be my third year racing in the women's field and I've been following it for years as a major fan of this race. My first year racing back in 2011 - all I wanted to do was get fast enough to ride the tour de burbs and finish the Tour of Bright - I finished 6th Overall in B-Grade and 1st in Stage 2 Time Trial.  I'm not sure I ever finished with the informal burbs group!

 Last year I finished in 7th place in B-grade and got a personal best time on the TT course. I was super motivated to better that this year in 2013.
Still a bit of snow on top of Mt Hotham!

I really enjoy riding in the hills and it has been great training over the last few weeks. Since the long weekend in November, I have been lucky enough to spend 2 weekends up riding the courses and checking out the new Time Trial route. It's not like the Wandiligong rolling hill course, but change is good, and making the race into a 3 day epic adventure gives it the stature it deserves.
Sunset on the Hume Fwy - heading to the hills
This year will be the first time a women's C-Grade event is run and a tour fondo for supporters to ride the same course. I wish that they had these rides when I was back supporting the guys race their events! Instead it was an epic adventure for me to even ride up Tawonga Gap to try cheer them on before the finish (when they had the descent and finish line back towards Bright).
Mt Beauty Bakery stop

 Cycling is great sport to challenge yourself and see your progression and listen to (in some cases ignore) your body. We spend the evenings pouring over the weather patterns for the next day to get optimum kilometres in, predict wind direction for races and most importantly working out what layers to wear/carry!
No time to explain - get on the Kosdown train!

Whatever the result in 2 weeks, I've enjoyed the weekends away with my team. I've enjoyed the training rides with mates. I've enjoyed the hills - Bring on the tour!
Me in 2007 climbing to the top of Tawonga to see the boys race!
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