National Club Individual Time Trial Championships – 10^th

Location: Coolum, Queensland

Conditions: really strong cross winds, 30C

Course: 30km – 2 x 15km flat, out and back course

Well, I have been home from Europe for about 7 days now and am not waking up at 4am, unable to sleep.  I am happy to be almost finished for the season and am really looking forward to my break.

The Club Nationals time trial was also the Oceania Championships so the field included a number of New Zealand riders.  Amy Safe and Natalie Bates had also just returned from Italy and would be strong contenders to watch out for.

John Beasley (coach) motor paced me behind the van 25km out to the race start from our accommodation in Mooloolaba.  After signing in, I stretched and took it easy while I thought about the race.  The wind picked up throughout the morning and it was quite gusty by midday.   I was seeded 6^th last which was great, but I had Kathy Watt chasing me, whose strength is time trialling.

I did a final warm up on my road bike while my Giant aero time trial bike, complete with Zipp disc was wheeled over to the start for me.

I had only ridden 1km of the time trial and realised something was wrong with my position.  My position had recently been adjusted and I thought it this new position that felt awkward.  However, soon I realised that my seat post was slipping down and I wasn’t getting full power out of each pedal stroke.  I rode as best as I could with a seat that was 4cm too low but knew I was out of medal contention.

Amy Safe took the Oceania title by 45 seconds from Natalie Bates while I finished 10^th.

National Club Road Race Championships – 7^th

Location: Yandina, Queensland

Conditions: Hot, windy, 31C

Course: 91km – 7 laps of a 13km circuit

The road course consisted of 7 laps of a 13km circuit.  The majority of the course was slightly undulating, with the exception of two climbs.  The first climb had a gradient of 9% and was about 800m long.  After a short descent, we did a sharp right turn and climbed a 13% climb for 500m.

The pace of the peloton was quite sedate with most riders choosing to hide from wind and save their energy for the hill climbs.  Unfortunately the course wasn’t difficult enough to shatter the field with at least 10 of us getting over the climb each lap, and another 5-10 who were dropped on the climb each lap, managing to chase back on.

One rider from NSW rolled off the front in the 3^rd lap and to her credit she stayed away to win the race.  Her time gap grew to 2 minutes after 5 laps but was reduced to 20 seconds with 1 lap to go.  The remainder of the peloton were too concerned with each other to successfully close the gap to the lone rider.

On bell lap, I cramped quite badly in both quads and was concerned about my ability to sprint.  I took it easy where possible and tried to stand up and stretch out my legs.  With 1km to go I should have attacked but I decided to take my chances at the sprint.

I came into the final corner in 10^th wheel and knew I was too far back to podium.  The field sprint was won by Williams (Carnegie) while I finished 7^th.  I was disappointed with my result and more than ready to call it a season and get some rest.

I am glad I only have one race left and then I can sleep in.

National Club Criterium Championships – 1^st

Location: Mooloolaba, Queensland

Conditions: slight wind, sunny, 25C

Course: 500m hotdog circuit

I woke up with a headache and felt really tired.  I was contemplating not even racing but finally decided to roll around and see what happened.

The course was set up in the middle of the Mooloolaba Esplanade and was quite technical and fun to ride.  The home straight was situated closest to the cafes while the back straight was only metres from the beach.  The loop had a sharp roundabout about 100m after the start/finish line which caused many crashes and pedal scraps.

I warmed up on the trainer for 45 minutes which helped get the soreness out of my legs.  As I warmed up I started to feel better and decided that I was going to try and win this race.  Last year I had finished 2^nd and had tortured myself all year about messing up the sprint at the finish.  I did a few really hard efforts to lift my heartrate and then rolled down to the start line.

I was wired up to John Beasley who was standing in the middle of the course and was able to see the whole circuit.   I sat in 4^th position for a few laps and then heard the sounds of a crash behind me on the roundabout.  Lorian Graham (QLD) attacked and 4 of us went with her which included Jessica Ridder (NSW), Lizzie Williams (VIC), Jennifer McPherson (VIC) and myself.

After a few laps I attacked this break and soloed for 3 laps but didn’t feel like I could maintain the pace until the finish.  I passed the peloton who were removed from the course (it is the rule that lapped riders are removed) and then decided to sit up and let the break join me.  The break now consisted of only 4 riders with McPherson (VIC) and Bates (NSW) further back chasing us.  I sat on the back of the break, took a drink and waited for the right moment.  Graham and Ridder both attacked several times but Williams and I went with these moves.

With 4 laps to go, the pace eased and I attacked as hard as I could down the opposite side of the road.  My move had surprised them and no-one had jumped on my wheel.  John was encouraging me in the ear piece to give it everything I had.  I quickly put 100m into them and was glad to hear that they weren’t closing the gap.  After another lap I had increased the lead to 150m but I was in agony.  John told me he didn’t want a single ounce of energy left when I crossed the line.  Out of each tight corner, I stood up and sprinted the length of the straight trying to keep the speed going.  I was doing 49km/hr with the wind down the back straight and 41km/hr into the wind on the opposite side.

With 2 laps to go, John told me they had stopped chasing and were thinking about 2^nd place.  His words brought a smile to my face as he said I had it won.  I kept the pressure going until the final corner and then heard John tell me it was safe to sit up and enjoy the victory salute.  I was almost half a lap ahead and had crossed the line before Lorian Graham (QLD) had entered the home straight to take 2^nd place.

It was such a sweet victory and a perfect way to finish off the 2003 season.  Now I am going to enjoy several red wines and let my hair down for a few weeks before I start training for the 2004 season.