My plans for 2009

A lot of friends have asked me recently how I performed at Track Nationals, what my plans are for 2009 and if I’m racing in a team overseas this year so I thought I would fill you in on what I’m up to this year.

As many of you know, I am a recent convert to the track.  After my clavicle healed and I got my BT blade built I jumped on the boards in November last year.  With such limited track racing I always knew this would be my weakness as I headed to track nationals in Adelaide.  I had raced the heat and final at the State Titles but I was up against girls who had raced on the track for years, who had competed in World Cups and Junior World Championships and who had raced more than 2 pursuits in their track career.

I did compete in the State Titles and Nationals in 2008 but I didn’t do any specific track training for these events.  I literally borrowed a VIS bike on the Thursday before the State titles and raced on the Saturday morning, and was then selected as part of the State team. I squeezed in 5 track sessions before Nationals so I wouldn’t say I had given Nationals in 2008 much focus.  I had no idea what riding to a schedule was all about.  I simply went as fast as I could and tried to remember not to stop pedalling.

So in comparison to last years Nationals, I felt 100% more prepared this year although I am still very much a track newbie in the big scheme of things, especially when I know how long Perko and others have been on the boards.

Helen Kelly on her way to winning the Victorian Pursuit Championships, December 2008

My individual pursuit was held on the first day of competition.  The heatwave was still lingering in Adelaide so with 43C on the track, just staying hydrated and cool became a priority.  The heats started about 1.30pm in the afternoon with the finals at 7pm.  I was in the 2nd last heat against Sarah Kent (WA).  I was definitely nervous but excited to see what time I could ride.  The track was really fast and with double Mavic VIS discs my bike felt amazing.

I started a little slower than usual and was 0.5sec down on schedule after lap 1.  But I must have stomped on the pedals because after the 2nd lap and was over 1.5sec ahead of schedule.  Rick Leonard (coach) signalled that I was up on schedule by walking away from the pursuit line.  I cringe as I write this now because I didn’t ease my pace at all when I knew I was up on schedule.  I felt great and so I continued each lap at the same pace.  Rick continued to indicate I was up on schedule but I was like a young pup chasing a ball and determined to get it as fast as I could.  So with 8 laps done, my eagerness caught up with me.  On lap 9 I started to really suffer and thoughts of “oh no, I’ve gone out too hard”, crept into my head.  Rick was now yelling at me to dig deep.  I immediately thought “I am already digging deep. This is all I have”.  I had been doing lap times equivalent to a 3mins38sec ride but in those last 3 laps I was riding through quick sand, my times were nearly 2sec slower per lap and I crossed the line in 3mins43, seeded 4th.

I was disappointed I had let my adrenaline and eagerness overrule what should have been a controlled release of energy but I guess that is what race experience teaches.  I cooled down and headed back to the motel for lunch, a cool shower and a nap. Although a bit down on myself, Rick reminded me that I’d just done a PB by 5.5 seconds.  To ride that fast in my 3rd ever pursuit was something I should be happy with.

The final was an all-Victorian affair with me riding against fellow club rider Tess Downing. It seemed like a déjà vu experience as we rode against each other at States in the heat and the final a month earlier.

About an hour before the start, I told Rick I didn’t feel too good.  It was over 45C in the velodrome.  He made the decision that I would use a smaller gear in the final and suggested I go and cool my body temperature down with a cold shower.  He later told me that he could see I wasn’t coping well with the heat.  I warmed up for the race and tried not to think about how heavy my legs felt.  I kept telling myself it would be ok once I started racing.

I got off to a good start and was on schedule for the first kilometre.  I watched Rick walk the line and adjusted my speed to stay on schedule.  About 6 laps in I started to drop my lap times.  I dug deeper but my legs were cooked.  I went as hard as I could but crossed the line behind Tess who raced strongly to secure the bronze medal.

I had a few easy days and then rode the team pursuit on the Friday.  I had never ridden on the track with Carnegie members, Chloe and Nicole, so we warmed up together and that was our only “team pursuit” practice.  As I was the faster pursuiter, our strategy was that I would do 1.5 or 2 lap turns to ensure we kept the pace high.  We did a great first ever race together and qualified 2nd fastest in 3mins42sec.

The Western Australian chicks clocked a time of 3mins30sec in their heat so we were realistic as we warmed up for the gold medal final.  Two of the Western Australian team had raced the team pursuit in the Melbourne WC and have been training together for a few years.  As predicted, they caught us and continued riding to record a time.  They smashed the Australian record by several seconds and the new record now stands at 3mins26sec.  Nonetheless, our Carnegie team was very content with our 2nd, given we came together on race day only.

In the final two days of competition I was asked to race the scratch race and the omnium.  Without ever having done a scratch race, flying 200m or 500m time trial, I was a bit apprehensive about how I would go.  My initial plan when I headed to Adelaide was to race the team and individual pursuit and so all my preparation for nationals was pursuit oriented.  So you can imagine it was an interesting experience to watch a pursuiter attempt a flying 200m at Nationals for the very first time.  I won’t entertain you with my results!!!

So what now?  Well, road tours and endless summers have been my life since 2003.  I’ve had off seasons in the aussie summer and then headed to the warmth of California in early March to start my road season.  Typically, I’ve then headed to Europe for a block of racing with either a UCI team or the National team before either racing the World Road Champs or returning to Australia for another summer. I’ve actually forgotten what winter feels like so I think it will be a shock to the system to experience cold weather again.

I have definitely made the decision to focus entirely on the track now.  I love the challenge of the track and am encouraged that I have done a 3mins43sec after my 3rd attempt.  I know with more track racing, my rooky trait of going out too hard will be overcome and my times will improve.

I am really excited to be based in Melbourne again.  I am happy knowing I will be staying home, I get to see Bob every day and I won’t be living out of a suitcase anymore.  I reckon I’ve been to nearly every airport terminal in Europe and America and it will be a joy not to be on a plane (or doing a road trip in the team van) every week.  As you may have picked up on, I am quite over the whole travel thing and staying home with Bob is just what I want now.  And as the cliché goes, a happy cyclist is a successful cyclist.

I have thousands of fond (and not so fond) memories of what it was like racing professionally in Europe and North America.  I could write a book on what I’ve experienced, the countries I’ve raced in and the people I’ve met.

So the next chapter for me is the track.  I will keep you posted on how it’s all progressing.  Thanks for reading and I hope you’re all enjoying your cycling as I much as I am.
Helen.