Liam finishes 2nd

Adding to KCC’s success, David Randall picked up the prize for the fastest U23 Carnegie rider, even though he’s only U19.  A great effort by David, a member of the Park Trent cycling team.  The other Park Trent riders included Drew Morey, Pierce Connor, Sean McIver and Jayden Cooper.   The Park Trent team finished 9th overall out of 22 teams.  This is a great result, given the average age of these riders is 16.

Liz Hall had a great race in the Women’s A grade event, whilst a number of KCC riders also competed in the afternoon club racing, including Ben Andrews, Paddy Burt, Adam Paykel-Samuel and George Sarris.

Some great photos by Jim Morey.  All lead vehicles for the race were provided, courtesy of Essendon SKODA.  Our thanks to go them for their ongoing support of our Essendon SKODA team.

Here are a number of reports from various athletes:

Essendon SKODA Report: by Nick Bien

Phillip Island GP Teams Race

In stark contrast to the conditions faced in last year’s Phillip Island GP, the sun was out, the wind was minimal and legs were prepared for whatever havoc the competition could whip up. This year it came in the form of a crash marred first hour on the course, with much of the 100+ strong bunch coming down or being caught up. Fortunately, following plans to keep a tentative eye at the front of the bunch, none of the Skoda team (Liam, Alex, James and Cam) were involved.

Attacks were in ample supply as many riders tried to jump off the front of the group, but with its sheer size and the presence of many strong teams most moves were reeled in within a lap or two. A small group of 4 riders did manage to work an advantage and kept away long enough to take out most of the sprint and KOM points. Alex and Liam did strong work to keep this move within a close distance and with the realisation that the race would most likely come down to a bunch kick, the decision was made to focus on a lead out for our fast men, James and Liam.

In the closing two laps it seemed as though the nerves from earlier on in the race were back, riders were fighting for position and trying to form lead outs, taking risks and getting the adrenaline pumping. Over the KOM for the second last time and a Kosdown rider attacked. Seeing the opportunity from a slight lull in the field I kicked across the top of the climb to try get across to the lone leader’s wheel. Shortly after, the inevitable sound of 100 bikes flying down the home straight had the entire peloton back together. Slotting back in near the front, I could see the unmistakable calves of Whitey hovering near the pointy end of the race and made it my goal to get him in the best position possible. From the bottom of the uphill section for the final time, Liam and I managed to weave and muscle our way into reasonable position but the hard work was ahead. A Croyden Cycles train of 5 riders were lined out after the downhill corner on the inside line and it was from here that I put in 600m of effort to deliver Liam reasonably close to the finish. Although a fair bit short of a comfortable sprinting distance, Whitey managed to follow some early kicks for the line and pick up second to Shannon Johnson from Chartermason Drapac.

All in all the day was a great success for the team, with all riders showing selflessness in working for each other as well as improving ability to be competitive at this higher level of racing. Too cap things off we finished the day as the second best team, an indication of the boys hard work.

A Grade Women’s Report: by Liz Hall

After wiping out the second half of last year with various surgery and rehab episodes I’ve been working my way back to fitness in 2013.  Having fallen off the peloton in each of the last three Women’s A grade Victorian Road Series (VRS) races, I was hoping to be able to ride a smart race and finish in the bunch for a change.

The Phillip Island course is 4.5km hot mix motor racing circuit with a 300m 4.6% climb commencing at the half way mark (http://www.cyclingprofiles.com.au/HTM/CSV2011/CSV_PhillipIsland.htm).

In contrast to last year, this year’s race conditions were pleasant.  It was a relatively balmy 22 degrees out on course and whilst it was typically windy, we faced an unusual N/NW wind, making for a fast finishing straight.

The raced featured 3 QOMs, one every 4 laps with the first on lap 3, and similarly 3 sprint primes, starting on lap 4.  This guaranteed a race full of surging and attacks.

All the women (A and B grades) started together, 35 women in 10 teams.  The peloton was a little skittish for the first couple of laps before the first QOM when things started to settle down and the pace started to lift.

And lift it did as Pippa Savage (Total Rush) stomped over the first QOM ahead of Nicole Whitburn (LIV/Giant) and Penny Brown (Total Rush).  Pippa continued to dominate on the following two QOMs taking maximum points for the day.

Carly Williams (LIV/Giant) took out the first intermediate sprint by outsprinting breakaway companion Ruby Grieg-Hurtig (Composite E).  Both were then reabsorbed into the peloton.  The spoils of the following two intermediate sprints were shared by Nicole Whitburn (LIV/Giant) and Lauretta Hanson (Building Champion Squad), the in form sprinters of the day.  Nicole took the overall sprint points classification.

Whilst not personally contesting the QOMs or intermediate sprints, my strategy for these was to move up and stay vigilant, ready to jump on any momentum-induced attack.  I also worked to position myself well in the pack and conserve my energy to cover attacks as necessary, which I did a couple of times mid race.  Staying out of the crosswinds meant moving from one side of the peloton to the other, not always possible on the twisty part of the course.  However I felt I able to protect myself well for the longer straights.

I also wanted to ensure that if there was a split in the pack I was in the front half.  A split formed after my team launched a series of attacks with two laps to go.  I was positioning myself near the front in preparation for an attack of my own and this meant that I made the split in the front group with my teammate Penny.  Two of my teammates managed to bridge back to our group.  Unfortunately, with a lap and a half to go the commissaires neutralised our group to allow the men’s race to (slowly) overtake.  This meant that the chasing groups re-joined and we were ‘gruppo compatto’ for the bell lap.

The sprint finish was fast and furious assisted by the tail wind.  The bunch split by a few seconds on the descent and I was in the second group of 10, crossing the line 5 seconds behind the front group.

I was relieved to finish comfortably in the peloton.  In fact, upon reflection I probably had a few more matches I could have burnt during the course of the race.  Whilst that is a comforting feeling given my recent race experiences, it was also possibly an opportunity wasted.

Congratulations to Lauretta Hanson who outsprinted Nicole Whitburn for line honours. LIV/Giant won the team classification in a closely fought contest.

Looking forward to the next VRS race!

Liz Hall

11 May 2013

Park Trent Cycling Team Report

Q: David Randall:  What happened in the final lap and what result did you achieve for Park Trent?

In the final lap I moved through the pack trying to find gaps to move into the right spot for the sprint.  With 100 guys still left it was extremely tight and over the hill with 1.3km left I was near the front but, two corners later, I was pushed off the road and had to recover in the final kilometre to find my teammate Sean McIver’s wheel and have a go at a result.  I eventually finished 15^th with a late charge that would likely have put me into the top 10 had the finish been 50 metres down the road.  I was really happy with my own result and that of the team, with Park Trent Properties Cycling Team finishing 9^th out of the 22 teams on the day!

David waits for his award

Francis presents David with fastest U23 Carnegie rider

Q: Sean McIver:  There was a crash involving two of your team mates, Jayden and Pierce on lap two.  Where you also involved and if not, how do you avoid crashing?

When the crash happened all I saw was carnage as heaps of riders went down in front of me. I ended up having to ride over the carnage, I knew that if I didn’t react I would come off for sure so I decided a bunnyhop would be my best option. I jumped over the first rider and ran over a few bikes in the process but I eventually got through and chased back.

After the earlier crashes a lot of riders were very edgy during the last lap, as we entered the first corner everyone was on brakes and all over the shop, this didn’t change for the rest of the lap as I along with the Park Trent boys positioned ourselves as best we could to contend in a quick finish.

Pierce and Cam wait for the start

Q: Jayden Cooper: You ended up crashing on lap 2?  Can you tell us what happened and what you learnt from your race today?

Today I was involved in a crash!.  So what happened?  Well I think that a rider decided he was on a motorbike and went down the motorbike runoff, then he realized that he wasn’t and decided to jump back in, so he jump over the famous Philip island rumble strip and jumped into the way of the peletion and played dominos with me and many others in the group, resulting in many of us hitting the deck. There wasn’t much damage to me just cuts and bruises but my helmet split in two so I guess I must have hit hard.  But the thing that hurt the most was that I split my new carbon wheel into two. So what did I learn today……….. that the hardest thing about bike ridding is the bitumen.

Q: Drew Morey: What happened in your race today and how did the Park Trent riders help each other as a team?

In the race, I got caught behind several crashes, and had to use lots of energy to get back into the bunch. Once the race settled down, the team worked well together in pair moving up the bunch with each other. This made it much easier for us because we could help our team mate’s move up easily. The last lap of the race was very frantic, and holding position proved difficult. I tried to finish as high up as I could to help the team finish 9th. The race would have been much harder for all of us if we didn’t share the load of maintaining position and moving up when needed.

Representing the Essendon SKODA team were:

Nick Bien

Aaron Blomely

Mark Kelly

James Cummings, and Alex Woff.  Camden Bush raced under the KCC banner, as an individual rider.

Also racing was Scott Walkerden in B grade, and Paul Mapperson, George Sarris and Tim Scaraborough in Masters C Grade. In the women’s field we had Carley McKay, Dale Maizels, Liz Hall and Vic Snibson.

Mark Kelly reported on Stage 1.  Here is what he had to say:

What was the course like and what were the race conditions?

The course was very flat and very open, so on a normal day the wind would be the biggest factor to take into account. The race conditions were typical of a race in Warrnambool, extremely windy (60km/h gusts) although not raining which would have to be a first! So you could safely say that it was a tough day on the bike with a very open course on an extremely windy day.

Mark Kelly fights the cross winds in stage 1

What happened on lap 1?  Did this set the scene for the remainder of the race?

Lap 1 seemed like it was a 200m sprint, it was a mad dash to the front to try and stay out of the wind. It definitely set the scene for the rest of the race because after the first 6km the front group had gone from a peloton of 100 riders to a select group of about 30 odd or maybe even less.

What group were you in the race and how did you end up?

Well I had managed to struggle my way into the front group about half way into the first lap, but it didn’t last long as I was unfortunately lacking the horse power once we turned onto the final part of the first lap and the riders at the front decided  crank up the pace and slam it into the gutter. I was then caught by the second group on the road where I was managing to get a draft and stayed there for a couple of laps which was promising as they were catching the front bunch. Just before I to finished my 4th lap the groups paced increased dramatically and was unfortunately dropped off the back when I could no longer get a draft. After that I completed the last 2 of the 6 laps in the bunch that was third on the road.

Can you describe how your group worked in an echelon to minimise exposure to the wind?

The groups would be rolling turns just like you would do if you are in a team time trail but because of the wind they would spread out across the the road in an echelon. So in other words if you looked that the group from above and drew a line through the middle of the group, the line would be pretty much parallel with the wind. This way the riders at the front take most of the wind for the rest of the group.

Riders warming up for the road race

What did you eat and drink during the race?  Was it hard to eat due to the wind?

For the 100km race I ate 2 powerbars, 1 powerbar gel and a banana, as well as drinking 2 full water bottles. I would have usually eaten more but because of the wind there was limited time where I could actually take some food and water in.

What was your normalised power, average cadence, average speed etc for this stage?

My normalised power for the whole race was a about 270 watts for the 3 hours, but for the first 30mins it was 330watts. I had an average cadence of 90rpm and an average speed of 36km/h.

The tent protected riders during their warm up

Report by Nick Bien.

Stage 2 – 16km ITT.

The TT was in the afternoon on Saturday after the morning road race.  What was the specific plan for the team for the TT?  Were the conditions as windy as the morning road stage?

After a disappointing result fora lot of the boys in the road race, our possibilities for claiming a solid GC performance were out of reach and so the TT was used as refresher for the next day of racing. The plan was to ride a 75% effort, conserving for the crit and opening the system up after some tough conditions earlier in the day. The consistency of the high winds had diminished and only the occasional gust presented anything similar to the conditions of the road race. TT bikes and bars were opted against though as there was enough of a breeze to make the aero position a little unsettling.

Stage 3: The Crit.

Can you describe the course?  Did it suit any of our team more than others?

The circuit was roughly 1.2km in length with a nice 300m climb that kept the bunch honest. A smooth surface and a fast flowing downhill section to the backside of the course meant that jostling for position and keeping out of the wind at the higher speeds was essential for hanging in the race. With a few of our riders feeling under the weather and sick, the pinch of the climb didn’t suit some tired legs but our ’1 minute man’ Marky (10+w/kg I’ve heard) proved why he deserved that title today. I also personally enjoyed the relief from the flat and windy roads spent in echelons of the previous day, as the climb provided an opportunity to move up and position better in the bunch with some respite.

Nick gets into an early break

What happened early on in the crit?  Did any of our riders attack, including yourself?

With over 100 entrants at the start of the Men’s A grade 1st stage, the numbers were still quite large for the 3rd stages crit. This meant it was the clear intention of every rider out there to madly scramble to the first corner and settle into a comfortable position near the front. For the first 10 minutes riders were swarming up the climb to try stay off the back. This was a reoccurring theme for the riders in the second half of the bunch for the remainder of the race.

Mark Kelly, coming off a top performance in the road race, ”had a crack” roughly 15minutes into the race, spending some time off the front and possibly taking out an intermediate sprint. Soon after, at the halfway point, I had a dig on the climb spending a few laps in the wind with 2 other riders but to no avail as the bunch kept it all orderly and together.

1min man has a crack off the front

Several breaks went but it was all back together at the finish.  Can you describe what happened in the final lap?

The last three laps followed a similar pattern as the climb became decisive for position around the rest of the course. Each time someone would hit it harder and with more assurance that they wanted to destroy the rest of the field. Bell lap rang and the pace caused a single line of riders to form over the crest of the climb. Hanging on at around 8th wheel I could see what was to be the podium finishers seemingly cruising in comparison to me. With one corner to go, and a 55km/h plus pace driving down the back straight gaps were forming in front and riders were swarming from behind. The moves came early before the corner which ended up proving the right move as the winners were decided basically from the order they entered the home stretch. I personally had faded with tired legs and crossed the line a little further back.

Aaron concentrating in the bunch

What power did you hit each time up the climb?

Starting midfield the first few laps were spent chasing hard over the climb and touching over 1000W each time. Thankfully this died down in the latter laps but was reignited in the closing minutes with much longer and consistent efforts up the climb.

Nick's tongue hanging out demonstrates the pain he was in

What was your normalised power, average cadence, average speed etc for the crit?
Time: 1 h 3 min
Avg Speed: 41.6km/h
Normalised Power: 431 W (but forgot to recalibrate so this may be inaccurate)
Avg Power: 342 W
Avg Cadence: 91 rpm

Here is how the racing unfolded:

Stage 1 – 17km Individual time trial.  Report by Drew Morey.

Stage 1 was a TT of 17km that started at Ulverstone, and ran along the coast line to Penguin over mostly flat terrain with a few small rolling hills. The day prior to race day, I went out to the TT course to do some recce and “open the system”.  It didn’t take me long to notice the ridiculous head wind on the way out, but it took a while for me to experience the tail wind on the way back. Mid way through the second lap of the course, to my joy it started raining as I was wearing my new waterproof clothing.  I got a good feel for the course and felt strong.

Race day had very similar conditions, minus the rain. Coach Helen told me that I would have to warm up very well to ensure that I would be ready to smash it into the massive head wind, where the time difference will be made. I warmed up by doing several 2-3 minute efforts starting below threshold and building up to absolute maximum.

I felt strong into the headwind, despite the speeds of 38 km/h on flat into the head wind. 10 seconds after the turn around I was in the biggest gear I had, sitting at around 52 km/h the whole way home. I got stung by a bee 500m from the finish, which hurt and made me ride faster. I crossed the line with a time of 22:55, which gave me 18^th place.

Gus Lyons finished a further 16sec behind Drew.  He found out after feeling flat all week that he had grown 1cm during the week.  [Hope his new TT bike still fits him].

Gus starting the TT

Drew Man - in the hurt box

Stage 3 – 120km road race.  Report written by Angus Lyons.

Stage 3 was Tassie’s  usual hilly terrain with 1400m of climbing along the 120km course, the major climb maxing out at 19%. Rolling hills rose for the first 75 km before a long rolling descent back to the beach.

During the initial stages of the race a number of minor breaks were attempted but never allowed out of sight. Drew and I both missed the vital break of 6 at about the 30km mark which included two Victorians in Alistair Donohoe and Oscar Stevenson. The break got out to 8mins with representation and Victorians covering in the main bunch.

Drew mid race. Raining hard.

Gus - mid race

The second split occurred on the last step of the major climb at the 75km mark this time all Victorians missed it. This second group of 5 came within 1:07 of catching the leaders with the main group just 1:10 off the back of them.

The last 10km was flat along the coast, following the Time Trial course, a few attacks were attempted but nothing stuck and it came down to a bunch kick. Drew and I went up the inside and I began lead-out with about 750m to go and launched Drew with about 200m and he held the others off until the last second when he got rolled and ending up third in the bunch and 14^th overall.

Gus ponders the upcoming hills

Bunch sprint on stage 3

For a selection of photos by Jim Morey, please click here.

KCC athlete, Tim Scarborough of Anchor Point, Warrnambool, sponsored the women’s event.  The number of women competing in this event climbed from 6 (2012) to 100 (2013) with A, B and C grade racing this year.  Our appreciation goes out to sponsors who are keen to support women’s cycling.  Tim sponsored a women’s composite team which included Carley McKay and Lisa Henley.  Both girls finished on the podium.

Anchor Point sponsor, Tim Scarborough with a very successful composite team

KCC caught up with Carley and asked her all about her weekend of racing.  Here is what she had to say:

Stage 1: Road Race 89km

What happened on lap 1?  Did this set the scene for the remainder of the race?

At the start I attacked in the hope that I may be able to create small break away of strong riders to work together.  However, everyone had fresh legs and it was quickly all back together.  After the first KOM the main bunch split with two Total Rush riders out in front, followed by a chasing group of 8 riders that I was in.

What group were you in the race and how did you end up?

Eventually the lead group of 10 riders was caught by the chasing bunch and the majority of the field were all back together again on the final lap.  I was eager keen to create small break away. However there was little interest from riders in the teams to follow and regrettably I burnt a few matches in my endeavour to do this.  In the end I finished 5^th on the stage in a long drawn out sprint.

What did you eat and drink during the race?  Was it hard to eat due to the wind?

I had a bottle of water, a sports drink and a number of fruit based energy bars which I find I can tolerate well even at high intensity.  The wind was very strong and riders were constantly being blown into one another and many spent time off the road. However, I was able to find some precious times between the gusts of wind to sneak some food in.

What was your normalised power, average cadence, average speed etc for this stage?

Time: 2hr50min, Normalised Power: 241watts, Ave Power: 199 watts, Ave Cadence: 82rpm, Ave Speed: 30.2km/hr.

Stage 2 – Individual 16km time trial

The TT was in the afternoon on Saturday after the morning road race.

What was the specific plan for your TT? To not get blown off the road and get to the finish line as quickly as I possible! My main focus was on my pedalling technique and my breathing.

I surprised myself in clocking the second fastest time, 7 seconds behind the winner.

Were the conditions as windy as the morning road stage?

By the afternoon the wind was blowing a gale.  The conditions were very gusty and it was considered if it would be safer to ride a road bike.  However, it was decided to go with the TT bike and I was glad because once I got going, I wasn’t bothered by the wind.

Stage 3: The Criterium

Can you describe the course?  Did it suit you?

The course was a 1.2km loop around the cemetery in Warrnambool.  Whilst some people joked that it was a ‘dead’ course, it was a very lively race.  Each lap there was a hard 300m long climb with a gradient of 7.5 %.  Being nearly 6 foot tall, hilly courses are not necessarily suited to me, however I was determined to hold on to my over all GC position.

What GC position were you in before the start?

I went into the crit in 2^nd in GC.  I was sitting at +3 behind Nicole Whitburn and Lisa Hanley was at +5.

What happened early on in the crit? Were there many attacks?

There were quite a number of attacks from teams that were looking for a stage win.  However the riders in contention for GC were keen to keep it all together, so nothing ended up getting away.

Can you describe what happened in the final lap? What was your final GC position?  Was this 2nd Vic Series Podium?  Your first was Warburton?

In the final lap I was a little impatient and attacked at the start of the climb. Towards the end of the climb I was somewhat swamped and couldn’t regain my position.  In hind sight I should have sat on and followed wheels much closer to the finish line.  Unfortunately as a result, I lost a few valuable seconds and ended up in 3^rd position on GC at +6 seconds with Lisa Hanley at +5 seconds and Nicole Whitburn taking the tour win.

A few weeks ago I placed 3^rd in the Warburton time trial up Mt. Donna Buang.  I was proud of this results as I am not necessarily shaped like a tinny little hill climber.  However, Warburton was not part of the Vic series, so the Tour of the South West was my first VRS podium.

Carley - 3rd GC in Tour of South West

What power did you hit each time up the climb?

The climb went for around 1 minute and we did this 21 times.  My power on the climb averaged from 300 to 450 watts.  However, on quite a number of the climbs my power reached 700-900 watts in response to various attacks and surges.

What was your normalised power, average cadence, average speed etc for the crit?

The crit went for 43 minutes and my average power was 224 watts.  However my normalised power was much higher at 296 watts as a result of hard uphill sections followed by easier downhill sections.  The elevation gain was close to 400 meters.  My average cadence 87 rpm and the average speed was 34.5km/hr.

Carol - at the London paraolympics

Cycling Australia Release below:

Cycling Australia is pleased to announce the Cyclones team for the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships to be held in Baie-Comeau Canada, 29 August – 1 September 2013.

The team is headlined by two reigning road world champions in Canberra’s Susan Powell (C4) and Queensland’s David Nicholas (C3). The pair both tasted success on the road at the 2012 London Paralympics, with Nicholas winning gold in the time trial and bronze in the road race, while Powell claimed silver in the time trial.

Fellow 2012 Paralympic champion Carol Cooke of Victoria (T2) has also been named, along with multiple world and Paralympic track cycling gold medalist Michael Gallagher (C5) of Victoria and Jayme Richardson (C1) of New South Wales.

West Australia’s Nigel Barley (H3), who claimed Paralympic silver in the Handcycle time trial, will line up, as will a number of debutants including South Australia’s Bianca Woolfood (T1) and Victoria’s Alistair Donohue (C5) who secured selection following recent strong domestic performances.

“The team has a very strong blend of experience with our more experienced and medal potential athletes being joined by several young athletes who have recently put their hand up which is great to see,” said Para-Cycling Performance Director and Head Coach Peter Day.

“With the selection of six Handcyclists across the various classifications, selectors continued Cycling Australia and the Australian Paralympic Committees initiative to progressively and strategically strengthen the Australian contingent across the very competitive disciplines within international Handcycling,” Day said.

The riders will depart Australia in early August to compete in the UCI World Cup event in Matane, Canada, from August 23.

“We see this World Cup as a tremendous opportunity for the athletes, who will still be acclimatising and adjusting to time differences, to compete in a international event as part of their preparation for the World Championships,” added Day.

Full Australian team for the UCI Para-cycling World Road Championship

WOMEN

1. Jayme Richardson (NSW) C1
2. Carol Cooke (VIC) T2
3. Sue Powell (ACT) C4
4. Alexandra Green (NSW) C4
5. Bianca Woolford (SA) T1 (Review)
6. Claire McLean (WA) C5
7. Simone Kennedy (NSW) C3

MEN

1. David Nicholas (QLD) C3
2. Michael Gallagher (VIC) C5
3. Nigel Barley (WA) H3
4. Stuart Tripp (VIC) H4
5. Craig Parsons (WA) H1
6. Michael Taylor (VIC) H2
7. Jarrod Moncur (QLD) H2
8. Jarrad Langmead (NSW) T2
9. Matt Formston (NSW) B
10. Michael Curran (NSW) Pilot
11. Alistair Donohoe (VIC) C5 (Review)
12. Grant Allan (SA) ** H3 (Review)

Congratulations to all 3 of them on their racing results from the road nationals.  The dedication to their training and the hard work they put into their sport is great to see and their future success in cycling is due to their ongoing commitment and self motivation to be the best they can be.

Han - back after rehab	Paralympic Gold medallist
Alex Welsh warming up	Alex - looking focused
Bronze in the TT and road race	Hannah finishd 3rd in the TT
Carol warming up on rollers	KCC coaches and athletes

Link to Carol Cooke’s blog.   Link to Hannah Macdougall’s blog.

Report from Nationals by Carol Cooke

Well this past weekend was one of beautiful sunshine, gusting wind and happy cyclists!  This year, my third National Championships, were held around the lovely town of Echuca in country Victoria which shares the boarder river with the town of Moama, New South Wales.  In fact my friend and fellow competitor Hannah MacDougall and I stayed in a hotel in Moama.

We arrived in the area on Thursday afternoon and we caught up briefly with other riders Alex Green, Simone Kennedy, Matt Formston and Michael Curran for a coffee at the Beechworth Bakery.  Hannah was extremely excited about the bakery because it is an offshoot of the original bakery located in Beechworth and she is addicted to their Date Scones!  So needless to say the order for Date Scones went in that night for Saturday after the Time Trial.

Friday morning we woke to a cold but sunny morning and we were heading out to the TT course to ride around.  We were told that it was a very windy course and boy they weren’t wrong.  The first lap we did, just to get used to the course and on the back straight I couldn’t stay in the aero bars because the cross wind was so bad that it was pushing my trike into the gutter!  Although the course was very flat I realized that the wind was definitely going to be a factor.  On my second lap of the course it was time to put the efforts in and the best thing was to just push through that wind.  At least it change on each side of the course, first a head wind, then a cross from the right, then a tail wind (which I loved), then the finishing straight was a head-cross.  I figured I would just have to “Love the Wind”!

Saturday morning, the day of the TT, again was a lovely sunny morning and the wind didn’t look that bad at our hotel, so I was very hopeful.  Upon arrival at the course, there was wind, but certainly not as bad as the day before.  It was amazing to see so many riders here.  It was a record number of entries with 75 riders set to take on the TT course and almost every category was represented, which was fantastic! We had even talked two of our Australian Wheelchair Basketball players to take part, Shelley Chaplin in the H4 category and Leanne Del Toso in the C1 category!

I was the second trike starting off, Jarred Langmead was starting 1 minute ahead of me and my goal was to catch him.  As I came down the back straight I could see him and pushed even harder and was able to pass him with the tailwind.  In the end I was extremely happy with my overall average speed as the qualifying speed for World’s is 28km/hr and I had just gone 31.69 km/hr. My roomie Hannah had an awesome race as well.  It was her first race back in 2.5 years after a couple of surgeries on her hip and lots of rehab, with her bringing home a bronze medal!  I was so proud of her result.  And yes we did end up back at the Beechworth Bakery so Hannah could pick up the 2 Date Scones that she had

pre-ordered!  She didn’t have to worry about the Sunday Road Race as she was only doing the TT!  So she scoffed both of them down as you can see!

Sunday the Road Race was held in the country town of Rushworth about an hour’s drive from Echuca.  The start was a controlled start until the first corner and then the race was on.  Jarred and I dropped the new T1 rider Bianca on the small climb out of the corner and I was able to drop Jarred about 6km into the race.  As it was a short Road Race, I had decided along with my coach that I would ride it like a TT and I was able to do just that by holding almost the exact same speed as the TT, coming in at 31.19km/hr.

Overall it was a great weekend, coming home with 2 Gold medals and also as this was the last round of the National Handcycle Series I took out the overall winner in the Trike category, with 59 points to Jarred’s 48.  The great thing was that Alex Welsh (who is coached by Kelly Cycle Coaching as well) took out the overall winner of the NHCS as well as 2 bronze medals for the weekend.  I must add that Shelley and Leanne also had a great weekend going home with two medals each as well!  Not sure they will continue racing but I’ll work on them!

Thanks also goes to our coaches Helen and Bob Kelly for taking the time to come up to Echuca for the Time Trial.  It was great to have coaches there to help with our organisation at the start of the races!  And I am sure they are happy with the outcome of the 3 athletes they coach!  We are told that next year’s nationals will once again be in Echuca…time to train in more wind!

Next major item on the calendar for cycling is the World Para-Cycling Championships which are being held in Canada at the end of August.  The team will be named around the 30th of April and I wish all the riders the best of luck!

Jess coming out of the start gates

So congrats Jess.  You’ve recently returned from the Masters track nats where you’ve had a great week of racing.  What were your thoughts in the final week before competition?  (were you quietly optimistic, nervous, excited to see how your legs would go?)

Tapering in the final week is hard as you notice every little niggle or bit soreness more, I think its because you’re freshening up and not so tired! I was optimistic especially with the sprint events as my training had shown some good signs. I also knew that I had experience which always counts if the competition is strong. I was hoping to get a good time in the pursuit and the flying 200m and also expecting to medal, preferably gold, but you never know what form the other riders may have! I was looking forward to racing at the Track Masters as its always fun, you get to catch-up with old friends and make new ones, its very social, even the commissaires seem to have fun!

Training in Albury on an outdoor track has been great for giving you strength, although I am sure the headwinds, etc, must make it hard for you to get that fast feeling that the boards and disc wheels provide?

Training outdoors has its moments, but it does make you tougher I think. Obviously, the weather has a big impact on the training you can do, especially the wind, but we are lucky to have a track so I dont complain. The biggest issue is trying to relate training gears, times and efforts to their equivalent on an indoor velodrome, which is where the competitions are held. I am lucky in that our track here is a banked 250m velodrome, so visualisation and timing/positioning of efforts are easier. Other things we did to help was to use a motorbike and I also had a training partner most sessions. We have learnt to gear down on the outdoor track to accommodate the conditions, which seems to work. I also have a powertap which definately helps to relate to the indoor velodrome. I have been fortunate enough to have trained and race alot on fast wheels on the boards so I have no worries there – it actually makes you more positive as you know there are always big gains to be made in racing!

What was your first event of the competition?  What gear did you ride and how did the race unfold?  How did you tackle this event?

My first event was the 2000m pursuit, my weakest event. I was reasonably nervous as its a tough event for the first one of the comp and I knew the opposition would be fast. My goal was to ride a time to get me into the gold medal ride-off and go from there. It was really hot too – mid 30 degrees. Warm-up was something we had to really think about as the qualifying wasn’t until nearly the end of the session, so I kept getting on the rollers for a few minutes to keep the legs moving, but also had to make sure I stayed really hydrated. My heat went well, I was racing on double-discs and I rode to time until I could see the other rider in the bends. I wasn’t expecting this so I stayed as I knew I would get in the final. In the final I rode the same gear, and I went out quite hard, unfortunately I couldnt back up the second km and got silver.  In hindsight I should have kept going for a good time in the qualiying round, but I actually think I was a bit flat overall that day, so all-in-all, a good result.

Jess pursuiting

What was your next event?  Was there any particular strategy you decided to implement?  What was the race result?

The next day was the 5km scratch race. I was much more confident for this race, I knew that tactics would be important as I would be racing the women from the pursuit so endurance wasn’t a problem. I decided to ride like a sprinter and wait for a sprint finish, all the time making sure I knew where my strongest opponent was. I was expecting attacks by the enduro types and one went away but I didn’t chase, and in the end we reeled her back in as a collective. WIth about 4 laps to go, the race became a derby – to my liking! Someone attacked with two laps to go and I jumped on her wheel for a lead out. With a lap to go I attacked – a full 275m sprint! In the home straight another rider was at my side and so I lunged at the finish – I won Gold in photo fininsh! Later we got to look at the photo – literally millimetres separated us on the line. I was proud of myself as I initiated and committed and came through with the results.

And your 3^rd event?  Were the conditions in the velodrome suited to fast times? What gear did you select?  What was your warm up for this event?

The third day was sprint day – at last! My legs felt great during the track warm-up. I rode for about 15mins on the track on a little gear and then did some entries including one on my race gear. Everytime I had warmed-up on the track so far I had practiced my 200m line – the Speed-dome has quite different transitions (where the banking goes from the straights to the bends) and so it would be very important to get the timing and line right for the flying 200m. You need to get the most out of the banking as you can, drop down too early and you don’t get the full benefit of height and [dropping down] too late you start going back up and wash-off speed.

I had a pretty big gear on, as it was hot again and I would be using double-discs. Once again our qualifying wasn’t until near the end of all the riders so again, I kept turning my legs over on the rollers. I was second last to ride off, and when I finished, I realised I had broken the Australian record and was 0.3secs faster than my nearest opponent!  When I got into the gold medal finals, I was focused, I had a plan. You have to have a plan going into the match sprints, but you also have to be adaptable so a backup plan is good too! This is where experience really helps as some moves become instinctive. I made sure I controlled the race from the front and when I sprinted my opponent, she couldn’t get over me. As soon as I got back to my rollers I was thinking of the next ride and my tactics for it.  This time I stayed at the back, although I knew she wanted to be there. I was able to jump around her and once I went passed her on the back straight, I knew I had won!

Husband Kevin holds Jess before the match sprint

And your final race?  The 500mTT.  Tell us how that went?

On the last day was the 500m TT. My time wasn,t brilliant (for me) but was enough to win Gold again.

And we believe you were crowned champion of champions!  What a fantastic achievement.

Yes, I was awarded Champion of Champions which is like an omnium I suppose. It was very rewarding especially having crossed the country to race.

For those unaware, can you tell us about your injury in Dec/Jan and how we’ve had to adjust your training in the lead up to this event.

In December I was doing a road ride when I developed sever pain down my right shoulder and arm. I have had this pain a few years before and knew straight away that I had Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, where essentially my arm nerves were getting squashed causing pain and weakeness. So I basically stayed off the bike for three weeks – which meant I couldn’t do my road block or ride the Christmas carnivals like I had planned. I had lots of physio and did lots of stretching. When I did get on the bike we had to change my training dramatically by reducing the time I spent with my upper back bent over. So we did this by reducing my road kms and doing more shorter rides, ergos and track work, as well as strengthening in the gym and pilates.  [From a coaching perspective, this meant we had to focus and rely on strength/power gained from gym work, ergo’s and track workouts and avoid longer training road rides, so risking losing some endurance but necessary to prevent re-injury.  It worked!!!!]

And so what’s next for you Jess?  What lies ahead later this year?

I intend to race at the UCI World Masters Track Cycling Championships in Manchester in October, and after that I go up an age-group so perhaps more records to break on the track!

Well congrats once again.  You’ve shown that with determination and consistent training, you’ve transferred across from pure sprinting to being an all rounder, very much suited to omnium style events.

Results:

A grade:

7th: Trent Morey

13th: Aaron Blomely

19th: Angus Lyons

20th: Nick Bien

Other finishers included Drew Morey, Jayden Cooper, Pierce Connor, Mark Kelly, James Cummings and Liam White.  David Randall made it 75km before his back said “enough”.

Liam hopes his Year 12 legs will enjoy the race

James "hope I ate enough for breakfast"

C & Masters CGrade:

Steve Payne and Ed Smith raced well in a tough field, with Steve finishing just outside the top 10.

Women

Liz Hall and Carley McKay also raced well.  Carley suffered a flat at the 23km mark and rode a 23 cog up the final climb.  Needless to say, she was less than impressed with the forced strength endurance workload.

Please click here for a brief selection of photos.

How long have your been racing competitively Youcef?

Bicycles? I raced as a kid for about 7 years I guess, continued until 1993 I guess when I took up coaching. I raced A grade in Australia after only about 5 B grade races, rode a couple of Aussie titles, have some State title medals for TTT. Did a little racing overseas in 2nd Cat then 1st, got hammered. Gave up cycling for about 7 years until 3 years ago when I started again, prior to that I raced Karts ended up a National Champion and raced a World Title ( 17th)  and then on went on and Rallied motorcycles in the Cross Country World Championships for 3 years ( 10th in 2009).

Youcef (competing in the Trans Hajar Mountain bike tour)

For those who are a bit confused by your non-Aussie sounding name, can you tell us how you ended up living in Oman?

I visited my sister in Oman on my way to Europe one year, it was great to train there in the warm before heading to a wet France. I was eventually asked to coach the National Team have earned a Level 2 Australian Coaching Certificate at the time. I stayed on until the Olympics in Atlanta , when we returned there was a funding drop so I resigned at the same time meeting my wife a stunning Omani lady who took my breath and heart away. I stayed in Oman ( 19 in total years now) and became Muslim 15 years ago prior to marrying that pretty lady, hence Youcef!

What is your preferred terrain for road racing?   What would you say your strengths are?

I like road racing up to 140 and 160kms I do also enjoy hot dog crits or any crits, technical as possible on rough roads, I like road races that are wet and windy, as long as they start in the sunshine!  I do really like echelon racing, its got to be the best racing of all, everyone needs to work, no hiding in the echelon! Short sharp efforts one after the other probably suit me best physically, where most people just get fed up and cant mentally do another one, I like to try for the extra one, hurts the most.

Race starts

Have you tried to qualify for the UCI World Masters Championships before?

No, this system is kinda new to me I rode the original format in Austria in 2010 I think it was, St Johan….big hill, got hammered all  day long. I found this race odd, the group size wasn’t so big so it was stressful to get inside the 25%, only 9 places and if you think about that you can blow it all in a sprint after a 22,000km on 12 month season! That would have really annoyed me!

Where and when are the UCI World Masters Champs this year?

Trento Italy – 22nd September….huge mountain climb at the end up to 1,600 meters at end after cresting two climbs of 550 meters and 1100 meters on the way! Time to work on the 20min FTP Helen!! I would love to cross the 320w for 60min FTP prior to Italy, that would be awesome.

So the qualifying race you chose was in Perth, what happened in the race?  Did you get into any early breaks?

The race was tense, the UCI regulations state that on the top 25% go through to qualify for UWCT Trento so in our group there was just under 50, a little simple math tell me I have to get across the line in the top 10 at least. That isn’t easy, if there were 200 you could easily break the race up and get a good group away to all qualify, but when its 10 or less everyone is looking at each other all day long. There were a lot of interstate guys who also, like me, had money invested in trying to get to Italy.

The first 30kms was quite sedate, the usual early break solo that is destined to fail, a few half hearted attacks. I tried at about 40 kms with a strong guy and 2 others, we made it about 6 kms then they the other two sat up for no reason, they were suffering I could see but they just chucked it in. I tried again at 60kms, got a good break with a really strong guy ( eventual winner) , we had about 40 seconds for 10 kms then a big train pulled us in, back in the bunch I could ride so easy, I never once felt stretched. I tried again at 80 by myself, again I got out there but the only guy in blue with Dubai and Frankies all over him was well marked by now they wouldn’t let me go.  At 93km, the really strong guy I was with in the first break went, I could see it was the break that was going to win, we had just been working, the bunch was breathing hard it was the exact time, as soon as he went I said to myself that’s the one. I tried to get out of the corner I was in, I even swore at the guy in front who was blocking me that that it was break but by that time he was gone with one more guy and the bunch was just sitting on anyone who moved.

I had missed the break…I went again with 2 kms to go out of sheer frustration I guess, I know I have a decent sprint but there was one guy just riding away and nobody was doing anything so I decided to go across on my own and give the sprinter something to contemplate, I was away with 2 other guys but they didn’t as commit so I just jumped on the sprint train as it came by, I obviously spent my matches with 2 to go so I hung on in the sprint for 7th.

What was your final result for this race?

I finished 7th and qualified. Phew!

So congrats Youcef.  I give you permission to have a little break (see I am a nice coach:)) and then its head down and start preparing for Worlds.

Ben and Nick listen to advice from Bob Kelly

The course in Castlemaine was a square of approximately 1km in length.  The course consisted of a gradual false flat on the finishing straight, a short climb of 100m on the second straight, a gradual false flat descent on the back straight and a sharp desecent coming into the final slightly off camber corner.  The terrain of the circuit means the race is either won or lost on the back straight.  The rider who goes into corner 3 first wheel, can retain the lead through the fast sweeping corner 4 and then there was only a short 60m sprint to the finishline.

Ben Andrews and Nick White competed in the U17 State Crit Champs.  Ben attacked on the 3rd lap and stayed away for nearly 15 minutes.  The training in Bright had taken the edge of him and he was reabsorbed into the pack with about 10 laps remaining.  Whilst Ben was off the front, Nick White did a great job chasing all the breaks and this certainly helped disrupt the peleton’s chase.  A few laps later, Ben attacked again with one other rider but there was no cohesive team work going on, so Ben sat up and waited for the peloton.

On bell lap, Ben attacked up the climb and drove it hard to stay away and take his first State title.  This was a great result for him, only 2 weeks after his 3rd place in the Australian Uphill Mountain Road championships, at Mt Buffalo.

Other results on the day included:

U19: Vic Snibson, 2nd

Masters 4: Liz Hall, 2nd

U19 men: David Randall, 6th (Park Trent Team)

The men’s Showmans cup was contested by a strong group of elite cyclists.  Essendon SKODA had two riders compete.  Both Liam and Aaron had been at Bright at a training camp all week, so their legs were lacking a bit of spark, however the camp was designed to prepare them for the Mt Baw Baw classic next weekend.  Out of 50 riders, only 20 finished due to the gruelling pace set by several pro riders.  Both Liam and Aaron rode well, featuring in several key moves and both finishing in the top 10, in the final bunch kick.