When you look at the ladies field its a pretty daunting field with most of it being national Aussie or other Nations riders and world champs! Its this particular time I would have loved a B grade option!!

The first race was the scratch race and the pace was on. The first 5 laps I had to battle my mental demons and try and convince myself it wasnt that fast…..that was the hardest part! A few people popped off the back throughout and with 2 laps to go the pace increased again – I had got this far it was only 500m to go and I wasnt about to drop off… I was on the wheel of a Korean rider with 1 lap to go and the sprint kicked. The Korean popped and all I could do was get around her and try and get back on for the last 30m…. Bec (NTID) was in front of me and I think she came through 6th and I was 7th.

The second race was the handicapped race. Bec (NTID) was only 15m behind me so we decided that we would work together, I caught the person in front pretty quickly and then as she swung up it was time to target the next group of 4. We got to this group and over took them (I think they jumped on) and were now running scared. With it only being 6 laps it really is a sprinters race….with 2 laps to go you could hear the likes of Anna Meares coming….you could feel it through the boards and as they came through we jumped on. The final lap bell went and it was well and truely over the sprinters just came over the top of the enduro riders…. I dont think I have ever seen such accelleration I came through about 30m behind the main group and Anna Meares took the win…. totally insane race but in a good way!!

Elimination race the last rider every 2 laps is out…4 laps gone, I was still in, my aim not to be the first on out! The pace was high but not like the scratch race. One thing I was told by my super coach was not to get boxed in low down on the track…….what happen, well i got boxed in low down the track! I had to pop out the back swing up the track and then sprint round them to not be the last person…..For those of you unfamiliar with track riding, slowing down to get out the back is not good, you then loose more speed and need more effort to get up incline on the track when you are finally higher than the rest of the group your going a greater distance to get round them (shortest distance around the track is right at the bottom)…. therefore not good and after all that I just didnt have the extra speed to get round so I sat up and out I came…. Lesson learnt in that race as I was totally pee’d off to say the least

Last race was 25 lap point score – wasnt looking forward to this one. I had made the plan just to stick in, not to go for the first one and see how the pace is. The bell went for the first sprint it kicked but not insanely, as we came out the bend I was sitting 6th wheel Bec was in front of me and we were both looking round expecting the big guns to go for it, I went to go and thought no, every time I have deviated from my game plan its gone totally wrong so I just sat behind Bec and she was the last one to get the points. A few other sprints went and with 9 laps to go I found myself on the front, I swung up and had a shocker, I stayed up the track for aaages and when I swung back down to get on the back of the train I mistimed it spectacularly and was hanging off the back, with 2 laps of trying to get back on I decided to call it a day and with 5 laps to go sat up and bowed out.

Overall it was a super awesome day at the office and I was happy with my efforts – considering last GP I think I lasted 10 laps of the scratch race and only 8 of the point score there have been some improvements in my riding so I was happy knowing that my fitness is looking ok for the India trip.

thanks to all SPR folks that came and watched and put their lungs to good use to shout for the riders going round and round

Lisa

If you have never done a time trial (tt) before there is only one way to describe it…..self inflicted pain.

Having not done a TT in over a year and not specific training or tapering it was just another training day…..

Having only put the tt bars on our bikes on the Thursday prior and only doing 1 tt training session the mood was not of one of nerves more like “lets do it!” 

The conditions were windy and there never seemed to be a tail wind always diagonal or head…… not nice!

So in essence we all went round and round 4 times and the results were:

Davina – 1st          Di – 3rd          Lisa – 6th           Mel – 7th

Full results and times can be seen at  http://www.atta.asn.au/

Heaps of photos can be seen by clicking on the ATTA link on the right had side.

Racing didnt start until 11.30am so it meant that we didnt need to leave until a civilised hour….. well civilised to cyclists (7.30am!).

Out of the Fleet girls it was just Di and I (Lisa) that ventured down as Davina was in Canberra being a moutain goat, Sam has been sick ;-( and Mel has been totally ruling the moutain bike scene

No sooner had we arrived we were changed and warming up as it was cold!  11.50am and we were off.   The first lap was uneventful and consisted of structured roll throughs and everyone took their turn.  At the end of the second lap was where things heated up.  The final incline coming into Collie and Melissa Hoskins and Sarah Kent decided to attack, me being me decided I should try and match their world champion kick and went with it……..in doing so Di came through on the second wave from just behind me and stuck onto them and I tragically popped out the back…. ah well Di was up the road it was all good.  A little bit of a mental chat and a whole lot of TTing I passed 4 others and could see the lead group infront.   I was feeling good and thinking that I would bridge across with a bit of help…..unfortunately I was wrong,  the other girls didnt have the legs to keep the pace high which was a little frustrating.  It was a long final lap Sarah Kent had dropped off the front group leaving Melissa H, Di, Bec Weadon (Riders Choice) and Liz Leydon (Eddie Hollands) to battle it out – MH broke away from them and left the other 3 for a sprint. 

Di did a stirling job and held on for 3rd. 

After dragging the girls round and pretty much doing most of the work on the final lap (tho thank you to Tracy Ober (Riders Choice) who did do some turns) I felt like I might be hung out  in the final lead up sprint.   Well I wasnt going to let it happen so I got my head down and decided that 500m wasnt too far out to go go gooooo and from somewhere deep within I took off and apparently with conviction too – crossed the line in 6th with the others a fair way behind.  Happy with the sprint and a valuable lesson learnt in that I dont have to be the one chasing things down

For the bike hike this year Georgiou kindly sponsored our entry into the 60km WACF race.

I have only done this once before but by far its my favourite race as the road surface is smooth and flat and that is a recipe for speed There is a neutral start (or as neutral as it can be) and the race doesnt begin until we are actually on the freeway, its a mixed race and there were about 80-90 people participating.

Out of the train station we go and down the on ramp (or in this case off ramp) – the race was on! …. there was an almighty kick and the thoughts that are in your head are always when will it end? when will it end?? it always does you just gotta hang in there! Just as the legs were starting to burn the pace eased and we were off and riding steadily.  There were a few attacks but nothing that drew the group out, it’s not until the last 1.5-2.0km’s that the race really begins.

Di, Mel and I had found each other and formed a beautiful line ready to lead Sam out, the trouble was we were being marked by a team that didnt want us to do this!  As the off ramp was fast approaching so were the marker orange cones and this is where we were being kept.  Sam managed to find SJF’s wheel as there was no hope for our train getting to her.  I clipped a cone, Mel had to dodge it as it flew in the air and Di had to bunny hop it (All in all we were all pretty thankful for our skills and bike handling sessions – thanks Andrew!) 

The final result was Sam – 3rd, Lisa – 6th, Di – 8th, Mel – 9th

After moving to Perth from Brisbane 5 weeks ago I decided the Joondalup Classic would be my maiden race on WA soil and a good introduction into the WA racing scene. Although moving had interrupted my training I was optimistic that a long session of racing in Qld would have left me some base to get though the race. Knowing the 80km race consisted of 4 x 20km laps gave me some comfort that there 3 exits points during the race if I needed them.

By the time we rolled off the start line at 9.40 the temperature had certainly warmed up. Apart from an early attack off the start line by Sarah-the pace of the first lap was reasonably timid with a limited number wanting to spend anytime on the front or rolling through. I was concerned that this was the calm before the storm. The pace was perfect for anyone wanting to attack and try for a break away. It was just a matter of time before someone put the pedal down and because my knowledge of the riders was very limited I didn’t know who the dangers were and who to keep my eye on. Just before the end of the first lap the pace indeed picked up and it was not long before 2 got away. The pack didn’t seem too concerned and the chase was very unorganised. A bit further down the road Davina decided to take the lead and chase down the break but no one followed and was riding solo. Not long after I found myself on the front and turned around to find that only 1 rider was on my wheel and the others were 50m behind. We decided to go for it and worked together to catch Davina and then the other girl dropped off. Davina and I swapped turns (ok I just sat on her wheel) trying to stay away and perhaps catch the lead girls but it was not long before I realised that I couldn’t hold the pace and was just slowing Davina down so decided to also give up and rejoin the chase. At this point we were about 45kms into the race and Davina kicked again to break away and took 1 other girl with her. By this time the chase group had dropped to around 6 riders and after doing 1 hit out for the day I was content to sit in and enjoy the rest of the race. My plan of taking it easy was interrupted by a cramp in my quad with 10km and caused me to slip off the pack and finish just behind them. Turns out the two lead girls (Sarah and Bec) stayed away and finished 1st and 2nd respectively and Davina stayed away to finish in 3rd place. Despite the cramp, rough road and hot day I really enjoyed racing and just being out on the bike. Looking forward to many more races in the West.

I was very lucky and fortunate to receive entry into the International Track GP to compete in the scratch and points races.  I am not that experienced at track yet so when Darryl (WAIS Coach) told me I was sooo excited (until the nerves hit!!).  I knew I wasn’t fit enough to last the full distance but I was going to do my best to stay in for as long as I could.

My main concern was not in fact the races themselves but the start – I don’t know why but I have this issue with starting on the barriers I was fretting so much about it and riding a slightly bigger gear being able to get up to start the race… well whilst Davina and I were warming up an official came round and said that odd numbers would start on the fence and evens on the lower green area…….Come in spinner…. I was number 20

At the start of the first race I was going down the ramp and lost all gear control so foot unclipped and dragging along the floor to slow me down and when stopped I had to run to get it tightened…Pretty much missed the start of the first race and had to chase to get on – I was so not in the right head space and it clearly showed in my ability and presence… the gear slipped again in the race and my breathing was not under control so out I dropped. 

After a pep talk from Andrew (Ivey, Coach and Manager) I calmed down and started to think about the 60 lap point score.  Now my aim was not to gain points but to hold on the in sprints and stay there for as long as I could.  With my head now in the right place and all mechanical issues resolved off we went.   20 laps gone and 2 sprints under to my surprise I was still in – my breathing was under control and I felt reasonably good.  It got to lap 27 and I found myself on the front of the train any other time I had found myself there I had swung up and buried myself in.  Not this time.  I thought what the hell I dont reckon I will be here until the end so why not go out in style.  I decided to attack…. I made a few meters on the group in one glance and then another they were there with me again but I had strung the group out successfully I then swung up and tried to bury myself again.  2 laps later the 3rd sprint occured – having not really recovered from my little attack I was starting to enter the red zone….I managed to hold on to the sprint and I think it was 2 laps later I retired to the pits….but I was happy.  I had gone out and done something.  I didnt want to be hiding for the whole race that would have been pointless and not taught me anything about what I could do..

All in all an awesome experience and I hope there will be plenty more to come

Golden Spokes – Sunday 8th December

After a very late night (even later for Davina as she got called up for drug testing) the alarm went off and I was under way to pick up D at 5.45am.  Both a little grumpy from lack of sleep we arrived at the Golden Spokes race.  With about a 30 minute delay in start time we were finally underway.  8 laps of a 10 km circuit – because of the delay the first lap was a neutral lap.

Looking through the field it was am impressive start list for a local race – many people from the track GP and also some who were over for the Tour de Perth the following weekend.   The neutral lap had gone and a move was already being made – making use of the fact that 90% of the field had competed the night before Sarah- Jean Fraser went up on the right hand side and attacked – Jill Scanlan tagged on as did another lady from AIS.  The main group didnt react as there were 70k’s to go.  After rolling round for a couple of laps and doing some work another group of AIS riders attacked and got away to chase down the lead 3 riders (they did indeed catch them).  In the main group it was decided that we werent going to chase and just get home as quick as possible and the call to roll through was decided.  Little did I know that this was this going to be the most work on the front I think I have done in a race!!  Davina, Liz Leydon, Liz Georgouras and I were the only ones working and taking turns to get the group home.  It was now a training ride Davina picked the same straight to do her efforts every lap and she kept the pace high – it felt good to finally be able to contribute to a race and not be spat out the back! – training was paying off… On the last lap Davina was driving the pace on the last 300m or so and when the 200m sign came up everyone took off – already having done a bit of work and having heavy legs from the night before my kick wasnt quite there but all in all I was pleased with the effort I had put in.

The car was packed from last night so I managed to get a cuppa tea and a slice of toast in me before hitting the road to pick up Davina.  Within 15 mins of getting to D’s the car was fully packed up and we hit the road.

After a brief stop to pick up a disc wheel from Super Coach (aka Andrew Ivey) for Davina we were on the road, sun was shining and the clouds were around but there was still the hope that the weather forcast was wrong and that the clouds would stay away…

On arrival in Pinjarra we set up pretty quickly and it wasnt long before a) the heavens opened and b) SPR crew from South Perth Cycling Club started to arrive.  Preparation time over it was time to get on the start line.

Today I was in a team with Nicole Sloan (SPR) and Jill Scanlan. 

9.03am – we’re off.  Our aim was to hold Davina and her team off until the 5km mark (they were the next group off and I knew they were wanting to hunt everyone down and they certainly had the capacity too!!)  we started off strong and hit the 5km mark….no Davina – YAY-  I managed in between breathes to get out a “excellent work ladies – we’ve held them off” before tucking in again.  Between 6-7km all you could hear from behind was wooosh wooosh woooosh – the sound of multiple disc wheels…they had caught us – Davina yelled out some words of encouragement as she went past knowing that our little goal was the 5km mark and as they rode off it was time to get back in our rythm.  30 sec turns were working really well our communication was fantastic.  As we turned on the first right which was a short hill I knew from there that any type of incline was not going to be in my favour – Jill was looking strong on the hills and dragged me up.  With a full training week in me, my legs were definitley being challenged today. 

We eventually hit the turn around and I always get a little nervy when they are tight but we got there and excellerated out well.  This then started what I like to call an inconvenient incline in the road – not steep but just enough to make you push extra hard to maintain your speed… there was another incline that was a little greater and my legs just started screaming at me – at this point I was in the middle with Nicole in front and Jill behind – Jill yelled out something which resembled “suck it up princess” which I did and kept in the mix. 

Over the railway tracks and the roll throughs just started getting more frequent and productive the speed had increased again  – the 1km mark came and we stuck our heads down and dug deep.

All in all a really good ride by all – we all had different strengths and I felt we utilised them well, communication was great and to get 3rd was awesome.

Davina, Sarah Kent and Josie Tomic were proud owners of the gold and 1st place and Sarah Fraser, Bella King and Michaela Anderson were a solid 2nd.