Rabo–probably-not-a-great-start-to-the-season-Ster Tour of Zeeland

Thursday the 17th was the start of my first race in Europe, a 7.1km TT in the forever windy Zeeland. RaboSter Zeeland is a UCI 2.2 3 day tour attracting big names such as Kirsten Wild and Marianne Vos. The tour is renowned for its atrocious winds and narrow roads, and with a quality field such as the one which was there meant that I really had jumped in the deep end...the one with really huge waves, sharks and no life jacket.

The time trial started at 6:30pm and looped around the centre of Vlissingen. I was off at 6:59pm and I have to admit it was a little off putting lining up against teams like Cervelo and Lotto Belisol fully kitted out with time trial bikes, disk wheels and aero helmets whilst I was tapping along on my little Cervelo road bike... but it was going to be a good test for me regardless of the end result on paper. Overall, I was please with my result, although on paper it looks pretty shocking (148th out of 183) I was happy with the way I rode and the feedback I got from my SRM – definitely a step in the right direction!

RaboSter TT



The next day was a 114km RR starting in Middleburg. Again, the race didn’t start until 6:30pm and so the morning was spent with a much needed sleep in, a bit of a spin to freshen up the legs and some quality time with Sophie Kinsella. I have never started a road race that late before but apparently it is quite common here as it doesn’t get dark until about 10:30pm!

I was feeling good when the SwABo Ladies rolled over to the start of the race, the wind was chilly and blowing a gail but I was keen get my first experience of Dutch racing. A very respected member of the cycling community and a mentor of mine places great emphasis on the importance of ‘position, position, position’ and if there was one thing I learnt from that race, it was that you could be the strongest person out there, but without good position the only place you’re going is straight out the back. In the neutral section, everyone was scrambling to get to the front and as a result I found myself at the tail end of the bunch before the race had even started. To make things more interesting, as soon as the flag was raised, Cervelo decided to get rid of some of the drift wood and put the pressure on. Needless to say it wasn’t long before I was in the cars and thinking to myself ‘what the hell am I doing here’, but I soon found my rhythm and kept plugging my way along in pursuit of the bunch. I caught up with a few other girls and we got a paceline going and made our way over to the finish. Half way during the race, I found myself wishing that a car would come and pick me up but then I started thinking that i’m not going to get better by giving up, and that the only way i was going to learn and get stronger was to keep going, so quickly ‘giving up’ was never an option. I made it to the finish at around 10pm, and it was only just starting to get dark. I was relieved to cross the line and was proud of myself for finishing the way I did.

Despite me finishing stage 2, I was just shy of the designated time cut and so learnt Saturday morning that I was not able to start the race and that my day would be spent following it from the car. I was disappointed not to start as I was keen to learn from my mistakes yesterday and try something new, but 20km into the race the wind picked up and it started raining heavily and it wasn’t long before I was quite enjoying the warmth and comfort of the car.

full results of te race can be found at http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/rabo-ster-zeeuwsche-eilanden-2-2

I also got to meet some of the team and the management staff for the first time at RaboSter. Hans and Edwin were our support staff for the few days and were in charge of yelling abuse – I mean encouragement – at me from the team car, equipped with novelty horn and everything! The girls riding apart from Sofie and myself was Natalie and Afke who both put on a very strong performance! My first impressions of the team were very good, everyone was very welcoming and more than happy to give their little Australian-tourist-with-no-clue-a-hand :) Although i’m still not convinced that croissants or bread with chocolate sprinkles is an ideal breakfast or pre-race meal... but i’m sure they have their own opinion about my vegemite :p


Now i’m back at the farm and our latest edition to the team Emily has just arrived from NZ! So we now have a full house full of cyclists!! My next race I think will be on Sunday – still not sure, but I am keen to redeem myself! Feeling stronger everyday so there is not much more I can ask for :) i’m being spoilt and enjoying the sunshine...life is good :)

Until next time

Take care xx

Hallo :)

I’ve arrived in Holland safe and sound. After a 4:30am wakeup call on Tuesday to catch the plane from London to do yet MORE travelling, I am glad to be able to unpack my suitcase and settle in somewhere for a few months.

Sure, people have told me Holland was flat and so I was expecting it to be reasonably flat but with maybe some rises, even just a little hill... but no. Nothing. The highest point in Holland is apparently 300m, and my bet is that the 300m of elevation is on an on-ramp to the highway that I passed on my way in. Looks like i’ve found my SE hill :S


my berg.

Apart from the obvious lack of hills, the specially designed bike roads also caught my eye. These roads are just like normal roads, except they are about 1m in from the actual traffic roads – great for road safety!!! The Dutch could teach us a thing or two about road safety and cyclists!

my own bike road


I have only been out riding a couple of times but I have already noticed the great deal of respect given to those on two wheels. Cyclists don’t get beeped at, yelled at, or have things thrown at them by cars, instead motorists put themselves at risk to avoid cyclists or simply wait 10sec until the road is clear ahead. Holland is definitely a country built for bikes.


I am staying on a farm in a little village called Oosterwijk, which is just outside Leerdam. The house is a very modest farm house built in the 1600s! I am staying in the loft with two NZ girls (one of whom arrives Monday) and we have our own little living area up there as well. The only downside is that we have to basically climb a ladder to get to our room, and the bathroom is downstairs... so my phone light is mandatory when making a trip to the bathroom during the night to prevent me from killing myself.

My room in the roof


The farm isn’t used for farming; instead it is a hobby farm with a horse, 5 sheep, chickens and roosters, 2 cats and 2 Pomeranian dogs, so no need to worry that the meat I eat for dinner is going to be poor little Bambi! Alice and Theo (who own the house) grow all of their own fruit and veg and on my first morning I was treated to homemade bread and jam with a coffee...and rumour has it that this is a regular occurrence – yes!! The best way to describe this place is probably like a country B&B, and i’m not going to lie – I’m loving being spoilt!

Home :)

So i’m off to my first race tomorrow, RaboSter in Zeeland which starts with a 7.1km TT at 6:30pm! The next day is a 113km RR starting at 6:30pm with the 3rd and final stage a 134km RR starting at 12 noon...Looks like i’m going to have a lack of sleep Friday night but it is reassuring that everyone is going to be in the same boat! Rumour has it that the race is going to be incredibly windy as it is on the water...hard and fast. To be honest i’m not expecting great things as it is my first race here since coming back from illness, but i can’t wait to give it my best and get my first Euro race under my belt :)

From here in Oosterwijk, tot ziens and take care xx

A Rough Start To A New Beginning

I’m in the home of the Sunday Roast, Red double decker buses and the only place where ‘cloudier’ is a legitimate weather forecast...London. or more specifically, Richmond where my Mum and Dad live.

My trip got off to a less than ideal start... I rocked up to the airport, smile on my face and asked if it was possible to check my bags all the way through to London Heathrow. ‘No problem’ replied the ticket agent, ‘that’ll be $1800 excess’. As it turns out, Cathay Pacific only allow 20kg baggage allowance and some extra allowance for sporting goods, to which apparently bikes do not classify and they charge $79 per kg over. Fml. So panic struck as I literally couldn’t afford to pay the fee and it appeared that my only option was to fly to Sydney and see if I could persuade Cathay Pacific to help me out. I had rung my flight agent who go back to me just before my flight to Sydney and proceeded to tell me that she had contacted Cathay and apparently the quoted $79 per kg over was for domestic flights....and it costs $113 per kg over for international flights... my excess baggage was going to cost me $2599!!!!! Yeah, I could pay that...if i didn’t eat for the rest of the year... or maybe I could sell my kidney??? People pay big bucks for those things right??


So to cut a long story short, it turns out that it was actually cheaper for me to change my ticket and fly with Virgin Atlantic where my bike travels free, and it left only 10min after my original flight which seemed too good to be true... and it was. It got delayed 3hrs... so I spent about 6hrs sitting around Sydney airport... hmmm...fun.
We finally boarded the plane and the flight itself was horrible but hey, can’t complain.. at least I got here!!! I’m finally in EUROPE BABY!!!!

I was relieved to see my parents – I haven’t seen my Dad for nearly 1yr and my Mum for 6mnths...Needless to say I’ve missed them.

The first thing I noticed about London was that everything seemed to be a shade of grey. It was overcast, which I quickly learnt was a trend for the weather here, so much so that my mum like many others have resorted to describing the different types of overcasts...such as mizzle: cloudly with a bit of misty drizzle, or cloudy with sunny patches. My personal favourite was seeing the weather forecast on the news say that tomorrow will be ‘cloudier’... but i've been told it gets better????


The riding here has surprised me. I half expected to have to ride laps of Richmond Park the whole time I was here but today Dad and I went out towards Kingston and ran into a group of riders, we decided to tag along and went for a lovely ride through Surrey Hills. It was great to meet up with more like minded people, they were super friendly and very welcoming!

Ergo with a view of the Thames - Mum and Dad's backyard



I have one more day left here in Richmond before I head to my home for the next few months in Holland :) My first race will be RaboSter Zeeland, a UCI 2.1 :S... jumping straight into the deep end! I’m looking forward to the challenge :)

So from Richmond, take care and until next time!
xx

OK so maybe i’m freaking out, just ever so slightly, at the fact that i am leaving the country tomorrow... for 3months.

On one hand i’m excited because I am finally going to be able to race in Europe! But on the other hand i’d be lying if I said i wasn’t scared of the unknown, and what lies ahead! Sure, plenty of people have done it – jumped on a plane headed somewhere they have merely seen on a map, stay with people who they have never met, and put everything on hold to chase a dream - but for some reason it isn’t making it any more unnerving! But the potential gains from my trip are far outweighing the losses and i’m sure the moment I jump on that plane, my brain is going to realise this too :)

Over the past week I have been simply trying to tie off my loose ends before i leave. My personalised kit arrived and it looks great! I stoked with it and am really thankful to Champion Systems for being able to manufacture it in my limited time frame – it has turned out a treat!





I also competed in my first race since Nationals in January, a good old Canberra Club race from Stromlo Forrest Park to Fairlight rd and back, twice. Any Canberra rider would probably agree that it was a great way to get myself back into racing! So it didn’t go as well as i’d hoped, but it is always good to get that first race back under your belt and it turned out to be a great workout as well, can’t wait to see what I can pull out in a couple of weeks!
As the temperature has continued to drop in Canberra, I have spent my last few days sitting on the ergo inside, not my preferred way to train but at least i am staying warm as the last thing I want to do is get sick before i leave!


Now all that is left for me to do is finish packing my bag – which reminds me, note to self: PACK MY PASSPORT! Get a good book, fit my new handlebars and purchase some extra baggage allowance... I have a feeling that I will be needing more than the 20kg Cathay Pacific are kindly offering me :S


Thinking about my trip now, i’m stoked! I have received lovely words of encouragement which have really brightened me up!! I know that one of the main keys to success is to believe in yourself but it is great to know that other people out there believe in me too :) I am looking forward to starting this new chapter in my life and have no doubt that it will bring many new experiences, challenges and opportunities. Whatever it brings i’ll be ready..... so bring it.


My next post will hopefully see me safe and sound on the other side of the world...
So for the last time in Australia for 3 months, take care
xx

Pimped out courtesy of Lorna Jane :)