Catch up 2nd half of the 2016

The last few months have been a blur finishing off the Zwift Academy, so here is a recap of the adventures to date.

Shane and I made a secret mission to join 6 of our family members in a stealth mission over to Perth to surprise my sister for her 40th Birthday! Needless to say it was a total surprise, there were tears of joy and we spent the remainder of the weekend with the family catching up and cycling our favourite places.


After we got back from Perth I had a couple of days in Sydney for a work conference, then spent 5 days in Cairns to relax with Hannah, my sister and Stephen Lane (Slane).
The second day we met up with Fi (one of Slane's athletes that he coaches) and took a ride out around the sugar cane.


The third day we went and challenged a local KOM called Copperlode.


The fourth day we went and checked out the gorges/waterfalls and went for a hike. The fifth day we re-visted Copperlode again.


I had one final break in August before a big block of work and booked in a trip to the Northern Territory to coincide with the Top End Grand Fondo. It was super hot and I just missed out on the podium with 4th place, but it was great to visit another place on my bucket list. Last state is Tasmania. Not sure I can fit it in this year, but that would give me the complete set!


I also got talked into doing a crit on a semi-technical circuit. It was steaming hot, but good to get out there again. Finished in the bunch mixed in with C-Grade men so I finished up with a surprise second place.



Work started up again and Shane went to Europe for Eurobike. The next time I touched the bike was for Amy's Gran Fondo. Thanks to Thule and Go Active Outdoors we had entries and new kit to wear.

A photo posted by Von Micich (@v0nm) on


Unfortunately the weather turned to drizzle and cold day out so it was pretty miserable through to the great ocean road home. We had the best fish n chips and our housemate Chevonne Arrowsmith won her age category. She did so well!


With the big goal of Around the Bay looming up, I didn't want a repeat day like the gran fondo, so I kept on riding through September and signed up for the first day of the Rapha Transfer ride to Wagga Wagga. We took a train from Melbourne to Seymour then rolled our way to Rutherglen. It was an interesting day as the weather just held out for us.


We had a delayed start with a tree that had fallen down on the train tracks, then flooding in the area meant we may have to re-route, but the police checked that we could get through on our ride. Arriving at a local pub, it was a line-up for the two showers, but with a record 11 ladies completing the 200km day, I was feeling pretty chuffed. Another bucket list item completed - 200kms in one ride.


Unfortunately I got a head cold from riding in the rain from Rutherglen to Beechworth the next day, then cycling up Mt Buffalo into the snow, so I had a few days off the bike before Around the Bay.



The day before the big event, the weather turned quite bad with gale force winds. My team had abandoned the ride and if I was going to do it - it was going to be solo! With the change in plans, I decided to ride to the start and it ended up being a LONG day out jumping from bunch to bunch. I set a new personal best kilometre count with 240km, and set a new Strava QOM record from the Westgate Bride to Queenscliff.


Wind assistance helped for sure as the trip from Frankston to Melbourne City was abysmal and pretty much solo.



Here is the interview that Shane put up on YouTube for Around the Bay.



The next big event was Rapha Prestige Margaret River over the Melbourne Cup long weekend. I was pretty excited for this event after the Brisbane Prestige. Rachel Edwards was keen to come along right from the outset and had sorted out some sweet kit from ZOCA in California. I wanted to get a few local ladies on the team as well, so Erin Kinnealy joined us for the 180kms. Melissa had to pull out in the last week, but signed up Sabine Bird in her place.


We had a great time out and about, though I wished that I had have continued riding after ATB to have a bit more fitness under by belt. Stunning scenery was at every corner, but the weather did not play too nicely with the wind and drizzle setting in for the second half of the day. Totally worth the trip though and many thanks to Subaru for the car.

A little bit of off road
Here is the post ride interview Shane put up on YouTube.



The next day after WA, I was on a flight to Sydney for the next block of work. I left my bike in the bag and re-packed my work gear around it. Now I am training for L'Etape Australia. A mega benefit of joining Rapha cycling club this year has been to keep consistent in riding in a city I don't know.


Sydney is not the easiest place to get around, but with the high pressure I am under for work I am very glad that I brought my bike. Only 12 days to go before the race. Looking forward to doing some new hills!

A photo posted by Von Micich (@v0nm) on

Ciao from Margaret River

Zwift Academy Graduation


The virtual confetti has fallen to the ground and I'm kicking around balloons and wondering what to do next...

It was hectic in the final weeks of the Academy. I was so close to finishing, but running out of time to fit it all in around life and holidays I had planed months ago.


There was a little added stress with work throwing in some unplanned travel that meant I was either getting up early or staying up late for the final workouts.

Just to add to the tension, Zwift sent an update out the day before the final workout was due and it changed the naming structure of the workout files, so my last qualifying workout did not auto register. I was trying to stay calm and did not raise a support ticket until the next day - hoping that it would be identified and resolved before I woke up the next morning.


In the end I did it and I was 1 of only 15 women from Australia that completed the qualifying stage. Considering how crazy busy I have been (didn't even have time to write the update blog posts) I am really happy that I completed it and saw a measurable improvement in my fitness.

Thanks to all the women who joined in, did double day work outs, shared their stories online and bad jokes on the Thursday night AEST workouts.

MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS to the 10 women who were selected to go to the next round. I wish them the very best and will be following their journey onward in the academy.

A little more on the selection process from the panel of expert judges:
Identifying the 10 semi-finalists was a long and comprehensive process that was meant to ensure selection of the most fitting and top performing ZA riders. Starting with the results of the FTP tests, we identified a list of top performers. The first filter we then applied was w/kg which, while not perfect, helped us identify riders who were capable of racing at the World Tour level.
If a rider made it through the first two checks, we then verified the Zwift test performances using various inputs:
* performances on ZA group rides and workouts,
* Strava and TrainingPeaks data (outdoor rides),
* power at HR,
* power sources, etc
Once test results were verified, we dug deeper to get a more complete picture of each athlete. This included extensive research on each contender: race results, Google searches, questionnaires and more. If a rider showed up on the roster of a pro team, they were deemed ineligible as per ZA criteria. In short, we used a combination of objective and subjective screening that we believe left us with a well defined and deserving top 10.

Final indoor training plans released

The final plans for the Zwift Academy have been released! There are 9 new sessions to complete and two main things that strike me when looking at the list:
1. Another FTP test is on the cards
2. There is A LOT of time in the orange and red zones


There is still time to complete all workouts and group rides by the end of August.

Next Steps... Semi-Finals

10 riders who have completed the qualifying program will be selected to advance to the Semi-Finals.
A panel of judges led by 3 accomplished cycling industry professionals (Beth Duryea - Sports Director of CANYON//SRAM, Mike McCarthy - Professional Pursuit World Champion, Jon Sharples - Founder of TrainSharp) will carefully analyse data from the group training rides and Zwift Academy Workouts. Participants’ outdoor rides will also be considered and correlated with indoor performance using data from Strava and TrainingPeaks.

Will you make the cut?
I still have a little work to do!

2016 Rapha Womens 100


It was a cold dark morning in Melbourne as I rolled out from home to the start at All Press Cafe in Collingwood.

Photo: Dean Tran

Nadine from Rapha Australia had organised coffee for the ride leaders to start and we signed our waivers and were briefed on the details for the day. 8 groups of approximately 12 riders were lining up for the challenging 100km course, but the focus was on fun.

A photo posted by Nadine O'Connor (@oconnorn) on

As the first group to roll out, there was just enough time for Mary Hall (my fellow group leader) and I to gather the troops and brief them on the first part of the ride.

Over the icy bridge off the Kew Boulevard and out through Ivanhoe. It was nice to meet and introduce a new group of riders to the backroads out towards Kangaroo Ground. First challenge was the Mount Pleasant route which was familiar to a few locals.

Photo: Dean Tran
The route was pretty lumpy and consistency was important. The second challenge was descending down Pidgeon Bank Road and climbing up the other side. It feels like the edge of the world, but at least the road is pretty straight and you can use the momentum to carry you part-way up the next face. This was a real wall for a few in my group, one stopped on the descent and had to walk down (while other groups passed us at +70kmph) I turned back to check on her and we rode the last part up together.

Another lady who had made it down and walked/climbed up Pidgeon Bank Road AND all the rolling hills after that was in tears by the rest point. It is a massive undertaking as a new rider to use all the skills, concentration and fitness to complete that section! Big Kudos to all ladies who joined us on the day.

H-Van and me all rugged up at the middle of the ride
The last section was a nice gravel section to the half-way point at Sugar Loaf Reservoir. After a coffee, a bathroom stop, some sugar and hydration all bar one rider had accepted the challenge to continue on to the 50km home.

Photo: Dean Tran

As we rolled in it was a lovely sight to see all the bikes lined up and tables full of ladies milling about to share stories. I piled up my plate with sandwiches and Kirsten poured me a champagne. What a day :)

I didn't eat ALL the food
The ride leaders lingered on a little longer, nibbling on the last parts of chocolate brownies and having one more coffee for the road. I managed to fit a couple of brownies in my pocket to snack on while watching Le Tour de France later that evening and dreaming of the warmer days to come.

Rapha Brisbane Prestige


A few hours before I was due to fly out of Melbourne up to Brisbane, I got an SMS today that my Iron Maiden Kate Lee was too sick to ride. I tried to squash the panic that started to rise over my nerves that our 3 riders - the only all women's team - would not be enough to get through the revised distance of 140 tough kilometres.

I notified my teamies, posted the "wanted ad" on my Facebook status, boarded the plane and tried to tune out of everything to compose myself. By the time I had landed Chevonne Arrowsmith had found Rachel Edwards as a replacement to join us, and I was feeling a little more composed and excited to see Emma Pane waiting for me at the airport.

I could spot my team mates from the end of the street as we rolled to the start line the next morning. We hadn't met before, but had been recommended as partners through mutual friends. Once we got chatting on the bike, it was an easy company with all of us and such a positive attitude and camaraderie.


After some introductions I soon found out I had a lot in common with Rachel Edwards and I was chewing her ear off as we rolled through the outer suburbs of Brisbane. We headed out to Mailmans Track approximately 30kms into the ride that was a 12% heart starter and only a hint of things to come.


The route weaved across the valley, Rachel lost her gilet on the road towards the goat track which was a good 4km at 7% compact gravel climb that sapped the legs nicely. We were smiling happy to have completed our first gravel section and headed towards Mt Nebo.



We decided to stop briefly for a water/bathroom break and it was our first opportunity to test out our new Specialized knicks that had a back clasp for easier bathroom breaks. I'll do a proper review of these in a separate blog/video, but in summary they were a BIG hit!

The descent down Mt Nebo was awesome, flowing and totally worth the climb up. Rachel was worried about the next section that the locals call a half Nebo that is normally undertaken on a mountain bike. We had 25mm tyres, 28 tooth cassette and a bit of gumption.


Turning off to Centre Road, you could see the tyre marks where earlier riders had blazed a trail and we dropped down a rugged trail all the way down to the riverbed at the bottom of the valley. If you stopped it was hard to get started again on the descent so it was best to clear the mind and relax the upper body so you could see where you were going!



Then there was the Centre Rd 1.8km climb at 8% on gravel that I was keen to tackle. I was the heaviest breathing diesel engine and almost had a heart attack, but made it up to the top and blew the cobwebs out of my lungs for the first time in months. The following 7km of descent on gravel required intense concentration. I moved to Rachel's wheel and just followed her careful and experienced moves (being a 24hr MTB specialist). When we got back to the road (at approx. 85kms in) we all high-fived and the road surface felt super smooth.


This was the start of a challenging 25km loop! We headed out to Haven Road and I was drained from the off road section, however Chevonne took off and smashed her way up the hill. Rach gave it a red hot go and made good headway too, but we all resigned ourselves to save a bit of energy and shout encouragement at Chevvy as we walked up a cliff-hanger like hill. I really have no idea how they tarmac these inclines. Maybe set the machine up at the top and let it run down the hill?



We did a re-start at the first shelf and rode the rollercoaster that remained of Haven Road onto Mill rd and there was some bush bashing in the Moggill Conservation Park. I think this was the point we went through a deeper creek crossing and when I started back into the uphill the surface was so loose the bike could not get purchase to keep going up. We all got off the bike and decided to do the hike to the top. This is what I have named the Rapha Guided Bushwalk.

A photo posted by Taka (@dr_taka) on

Once the surface got a bit better, we scooted along to a grassland area that was lovely and lush. You could barely see the track except for where the brush had been pushed back into 2 tyre tracks. At one point we could see where the road would re-join and Rach just disappeared in front of us. She got stuck in a rutt and was swallowed up by the grass unharmed!

A photo posted by Andy Pike (@pikey100) on

Heading back via Pinjara Hills there were some awesome views and rollers to break up the ride. Running low on water at this point had dampened our spirits a little, but the promise of the Brookfield General Store was soooo sweet. I lightened the mood by belting out a great power ballad and deemed it slightly successful as Rach joined in, and Emma steadily drove onwards. Our group decision was to hydrate and lightly refuel as there was only 35kms to go.

This was also our second bathroom break and I followed the ladies a few minutes later after Chevy sent them the wrong direction. A few moments after they left the building before me I heard the main door slam closed and lock very loudly. After a minute of yelling, I gave up and phoned Chevy to come save me! (I'm sure my singing was not that bad!)

The last hurdle was Gap Creek Road. As this was a favourite training ground of Chevonne, it was nice to know what was coming up to measure the effort. Such a lovely stretch of road I would like to revisit. Once we hit the outskirts of town it was automatic mode to get back in the traffic

At one point on the descent I stretched on the bike and knocked the clasp on my rear light. it tumbled from my seat post, ran down the frame and caught on the crank arm. I yelled out to the team that I was stopping and managed to swipe it up as I pulled over out of the traffic. Thankful that still had it as it later in the day it was required to get home.


As we rolled in it to the Green Beacon Brewing Company it was lovely to be greeted by Pikey and have a couple of pics together as a group. We were all pretty tired and ready for some food. What we have achieved hadn't quite sunk in. The only women's team and we finished the whole course together and came in about mid-pack at the finish!

There was one food van that was struggling to keep up with the volume of orders by the time we arrived. I had one beer and there was nowhere to sit down. Emma claimed us some street space to nibble on our food and by that time we were ready to put our feet up and relax at home.


Calling it a day, hugs were shared and new bonds formed. Chevonne rode with Emma and I back to the accommodation as it was pretty nice to get into the shower and relax for the evening.

For our team we were pretty well matched, everyone contributed, we had a great day out that pushed us to the maximum of our abilities and capacity. I would have liked a little more celebration of the achievement, but I don't regret entering and taking on the adventure. If I had to compare, the Prestige Merricks was a better event. Would I enter another Prestige? ...who is up for an ADVENTURE!?

Mega thanks to all those to supported my crazy idea of a women's only team, especially:

Kat Lee, Lisa Coutts, Emma Pane, Chevonne Arrowsmith, Rachel Edwards, Emily Smith and Shane Miller.

Specialized provided us limited edition Boels Dolmans Cycling Team inspired kit that had awesome stretchy pockets to fit the mountain of food I ate. The new back clasp was great and did not rub and was a big hit for a big day on the bike. I would like to convert a few of my other knicks to this design!

VeloOne provided us with mega big bidons that we filled and refilled all day long. They also know the meaning of comfort with their technical socks that were soft and wicked away the sweat, but super high-vis and matched the purple in our kits too. These will be great to commute to be seen out on the roads.

Go Active Outdoors providing me with an awesome THULE bike bag to tote Tara Tarmac around the country, and mini sun screens for all the team.

Rapha Australia for putting on an awesome event, believing in our abilities, pushing us to our limits and washing away all the bad memories with beer that night and coffee the next morning!

A photo posted by @mandyrides on
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