B2B - Bathurst Weekend of Racing

History has shown the Bathurst weekend of racing to be one of the most popular weekends away amongst ACT/NSW cyclists. This year, it was no different with around 2500 cyclists said to have participated in the weekend of events. This year was my first trip up to Bathurst and mum and I road tripped up together for what turned out to be a pretty pleasant and successful weekend away :)


Saturday morning was the NSW hillclimb championships at Mt Panorama. The day before the race I went to go ride what I thought was the hill climb up ‘Mt Panorama’ on the race course... I was cutting laps of the Mt Panorama V8 track in both directions just to make sure I was familiar with lines and knew the climb up both directions as I wasn’t sure which one we were doing… and when I got home to double check start times, it turns out the course wasn’t on the race track at all – it was right next to it up a climb actually named ‘Mt Panorama’ – rookie mistake, dammit. So I went into the hill climb pretty much blind after only being able to drive up it once before the start but I don’t think knowing the climb would’ve helped me much anyway because with such strong girls on the start list and after making some stupid decisions pre-race, I had pretty much been beaten before I got to the start line. Oh well, as they say –‘shit happens’ and I definitely won’t be doing that again! Hats off to India Maclean, Elizabeth Tenney and Rebecca Wiasak for picking up the medals!

Start of the hill climb

A few hours later we had a crit which was held on the inside of the race track. The crit was only 25min and after my disappointing efforts of the morning, I was keen to hopefully redeem myself and get on the podium. For the first few laps I tried to be aggressive as I knew I wouldn’t be the only one with tired legs from the morning’s hill climb and besides, how much damage can you do to yourself in 25min?? My tactics worked – just under half way into the race a break including Rebecca Wiasak, India Maclean and myself broke clear and stayed away for the remainder of the race. I was confident leading into the sprint and knew that if I was patient, I had a good chance of taking the win. After a blistering last lap on the front from Beck, I edged over her for the win with Inidia picking up 3rd. I was quietly pleased with my win as I haven’t won a bike race in Australia before and even though it wasn’t by scale a large race, a win is a win and I was stoked :)

KOM/QOM presentation with Drapac Professional Cycling rider and another Canberran Adam Phelan, check out his site here


Waking up on Sunday to an icy cold, foggy and wet morning mum and I drove to Blayney for the real race – the Blayney to Bathurst or B2B. I was doing the long course event of 110km and each rider was seeded and to set off in waves according to their estimated average speed. I decided to try my luck with the elite men in the 40km+ wave and see how long I could last with the big boys! It was raining when we set off and the damp and miserable conditions hung around for the whole race…Once I got settled in to riding in the bigger bunch I felt quite comfortable until I started to suffer up the first pinch about 20km in the race, I couldn’t hold the wheel in front over the top and so got dropped on the decent and was left to be picked up by a smaller bunch of about 6people a bit further up the road. Jessie Maclean stomped her way over the top of the climb and stayed with the boys whilst India was in the bunch which caught me. I thought the race for fastest female was over until I saw Jessie’s pink jersey on the side of the road – she was one of the day’s many suffers of a flat tyre and although it was unfortunate for her, it meant that the race was still on! India was riding strongly in the bunch as we approached the KOM about 20km from the finish. We were climbing side by side when she suddenly asked if she had a puncture – I looked across to see her rear wheel was flat. Luckily for her she had 2 club team mates in the bunch who gave her a wheel and being aware of this, I quickly put the pressure on and road off up the climb. I got over the top of the climb solo and then was joined by 2 other men from that group. Together we all swapped off for the last 20km and crossed the finish line at Mt Panorama wet, covered in mud and just relieved that we’d made it through relatively unscathed. I had to wait a few minutes for some women who set off in the other waves to cross the line before I was able to find out if I had won the title of ‘first and fastest female’ but when I heard Paul Craft announce my name over the loudspeaker covered in mud and drenched with every inch of my life - I was over the moon! I would love to say that I won the race on pure strength, but I must admit luck did play a part in it – although it feels good to be the lucky one for a change :)

photo post race thanks to the Bathurst Western Advocate newspaper, just a little bit excited :)


I completed the 110km in 2:57min and the two wins in two days served as a good confidence booster leading into the first round of the National Road Series in Tasmania next weekend. Now time for a little Opera moment - Perhaps the most satisfying moment of the weekend was when I spoke to my coach and told her that I’d won – that all her time and energy she invests in me, and has for a long time, was starting to pay off again. I hope that there will be moments like these in the not too distant future where I can thank all the people who have stood by me and thank them for their continual belief in me :) – you guys rock.

Full results can be found here and a few pictures can be found on the NSW cycling site here.

Next up racing wise is the Mersey Valley Tour in Tasmania which is also the first round in the Women’s NRS. Although the field isn’t large at only 26 women, they are all of our best riders in Australia and each and every one of them will be a contender for the tour! I have never done the tour before as for the past 3 years I have been sick/injured but from what I’ve heard it is the hardest NRS for the women – let’s just hope my performance at the NSW hill climb champs wasn’t a real indicator of my hill climbing ability otherwise I will be definitely tasting a lot of stem :s

Until next time,

Stay safe and happy pedalling :)

Miff xx

A date with the Honda Dream Team

Rolling up to races in custom painted cars, decked out in stylish kit and riding shiny top of the range bicycles – you’d be forgiven if you thought the girls on the Honda Dream Team got treated like rock stars. But underneath the glitzy and glamorous exterior runs a very professional set up out to one thing: win big bike races. I had the pleasure of riding in the Honda colours in support of Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and Honda Dream Team manager Rochelle Gilmore in her quest to secure a spot on the Australian 2011 team to compete in the World Championships in Copenhagen.



Monday last week I was lining up alongside hundreds of other Canberrans to participate in the annual Amy’s Ride Canberra in support of the wonderful work the Amy Gillett Foundation does in raising awareness and promoting safety of cyclists on our roads. Having already decided to miss the Oceania Championships in favour of saving money and finding some form, it was a very welcome surprise to be offered the opportunity to be a part of all the excitement and ride on behalf of the infamous Honda Dream Team. To put a long story short, the conversation I had with Rochelle ended with her saying something like “Now, as part of our team contract it means you will have to ride the team Pinarello Dogma 60.1, wear a Lazer helmet, the team Oakley sunglasses and we will provide you with High5 nutrition products… Is that OK?” to which I replied something a tad less appropriate for posting than “Yes.”. Before I knew it I was sent all of my flight details, asked for bike measurements so my bike could be set up perfectly before I got down there and for clothing sizes so the team at Hotdesigns could make my own custom kit...In 2 DAYS!! I was amazed at how quickly and efficiently everything was organised, all that was left for me to do was jump on a plane in peak condition, ready to race!


I arrived in Melbourne Friday morning and was greeted by the other Dream Team riders Sarah Roy and Carly Light and a brand spanking new shiny custom Honda Odysee, loaded with Pinarello Dogma 60.1s…We were definitely going to be travelling the journey to Shepparton in style! Upon arrival, we were greeted at reception by Rochelle and our mechanic and support crew for the weekend Klas. Within 30min he had built all of our bikes and we were all kitted up in our new gear ready to do a recon of the course! I was waiting for someone to pinch me or for something to go wrong… nothing ever happens this smoothly! But when something is managed well and thought through, apparently it does. As we completed the recon as a team, the bike felt like a dream! Equipped with Super Record and top of the line Boras, I didn’t feel as though I was only flying but for all I knew, I could’ve had a motor too!



Back to the hotel and it was time for dinner. Rochelle had prearranged for us to go to an Italian restaurant and so the only decision we had to make was what sort of pasta we were going to eat! Over dinner we talked about tactics (sorry, not revealing anything there ;) ) and once we had devoured our food, Rochelle asked a question that there is only one answer to – who wants dessert??? That’s what I enjoyed most about my short trip away, and admired most about being with the Honda Dream Team. Although we were travelling to one of the biggest races on our calendar, somehow everything seemed relaxed and fun but still remained professional and organised. I don’t know how Rochelle does it, but she does. Being with the team really reminded me why I love racing and being part of a team :)




So then came race day and again all that was left for us to do was to make sure we had what we needed to perform at our best. Breakfast was already prearranged and put in our rooms, and for the race we had a nice fresh supply of High5 nutrition products. On the start line I couldn’t help but feel nervous, I mean I was going to miss this race because I didn’t think I was strong enough but it is amazing what you can do when someone trusts you and is confident in your ability. Out on the road I felt like I was riding like two people! Whether it was because I was determined to see Rochelle take out the title of Oceania Champion, or because I was dedicated to the team, all I knew was that Honda had definitely given me the ‘Power of Dreams!’ ;)



I’ll let you read the other rider’s blogs to find out what exactly happened in the race but in brief, things were pretty controlled until Shara Gillow decided to go up the road on the last lap. She was closely followed by Chloe McConville and Bridie O’Donnell and unfortunately we didn’t have the horsepower to bring them back. However Rochelle showed that she is in great form by winning the bunch kick for 4th and securing herself some UCI points. Although I am really disappointed that we couldn’t help Rochelle secure her spot on the Worlds team early on in the season, she is currently in awesome form and if this is anything to go by then I have no doubt that she will be stamping her name into the team in the not too distant future!



So that is just a sneak peak for what it was like to be part of the Honda Dream Team. I haven’t given away all of their secrets but let’s just say that the setup is amazing and arguably the most organised team environment I’ve ever been in. See, there is more to the team then just a bunch of good looking chicks ;)

As for me, I’m back in Canberra training, working at the bike shop and the gym and doing uni. The next races I’ve got lined up are a few local NSW races in Bathurst which I’m really looking forward too! I’ve spent the last few months competing in races which either count as selection or have something weighing on them so it will be good to go into a race with no expectations and see what I can pull out!! (Mind you, I can’t say I won’t be going in them to win them ;) )]

So until next time

Stay safe and happy pedalling

Miff xx

I needed help and someone gave me a ladder

Slack, busy, lazy… whatever you want to call me, I’ll agree it has been a while since I updated this blog! Last time I wrote, I had just come off a very uneventful Bay Crits and Nationals and was in a bit of a ditch both physically and mentally…. But like most ditches, there is always a way out – sometimes, you just need a little help :)

So what’s been happening? Well after Nationals I was really eager to keep the ball rolling and keep the training up for my biggest target for the first half of the season – the NZCT Women’s Tour of NZ on the 23-27th Feb! Training was going great and I was starting to show some form, and a nice tan to match! A few weeks before I was due to head to NZ, I received a phone call from Kim Howard (manager and coach of the TDT R.A.C.E team) asking if I would be interested in racing a series of Criteriums over in Perth a fortnight before I was due to race NZ. After speaking with my coach we both decided it would be a great idea and a good way to get a hard hit out before heading off! So a week later I was on the plane to Perth and I DID actually write up a race report which I will post below (and sneakily backdate a few weeks so no one notices I forgot to put it up… until they read this of course – dammit.) and in summary – things went really well :) I was even able to spend some quality time on the beach, and I can happily say that I now have to use BOTH hands to count the total number of beach visits I’ve done in my life!!


We were fortunate enough to be staying right on Cottesloe Beach thanks to the team's sponsor Bartercard!!! Cheers guys!!

After the last crit was done and dusted, I got on a plane home back to Canberra. I got the classic just-been-on-a-plane-with-sick-people-and-recycled-air cold which saw me take a few days off the bike but I wasn’t really concerned, after the last few days of racing I was looking forward to a rest! But unfortunately for me it wasn’t the cold that would set me back – it would be a bloody injury #storyofmylife (got to love twitter) !!!!



Happy snaps from Perth day 1 - chasing a break for our sprinter Chloe McConville


I was all packed and ready to head yonder; flew down to Melbourne to meet the rest of the team only to find that our flight had been cancelled…So we had to wait 10hrs until our next flight, mentally I could handle that. But it seemed that my poor body couldn’t and when we finally touched down in Wellington at 3AM the morning of our first race there was no way in hell I was able to walk properly, let alone ride.
It was a tough decision, as it is for any athlete to pull out of a race but over the last 4 years I have been racing, I have gained the knowledge and understanding to ensure I have a healthy means to realise my potential and risking potential further injury and yet more time on the sidelines was not one of them.

So the rest of my time in NZ was spent hanging out in the ghetto… I was racking up km’s in the car instead of the bike and eating salads instead of indulging on the all you can eat buffets was probably the hardest part of it all lol! I decided to try and make the most of my time down there and spent every moment I could learning, helping out or watching. Riding in the team car, you become spectator to everything that goes on in the race and it is was very interesting at the end of the day to compare what the riders impressions of the race were, and what you saw. It was also good from a tactical point of view. With teams like HTC Highroad and Diadora Pasta Zara racing, there were no doubt a lot of tactics being played and it was interesting to see them all fold out! Whilst it was hard watching everything pass by from the sideline, I was really happy to be able to catch up with lots of my close interstate Aussie friends and couldn’t have been happier to see them up there sticking it to the pros!!


Couldn't help it.

Back from NZ and the focus was straight onto recovery. Onto the physio and developed a management plan within a week and I’m happy to say that things are coming along swimmingly :) and although I may get angry at my coach for acting like an over protective parent by limiting my training, I know that she’ll always have my back and so I’m just gritting my teeth and doing what I’m told :) not that I’d ever do otherwise… ;)


Unfortunately though, I will not be contesting the Oceania Road Titles in Shepparton next weekend. I decided to withdraw from the event after I returned from NZ. I am a bit frustrated and tired of racing major events when I know I haven’t been able to do the training or that I’m going into an event well underdone. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind being beaten, I mean it happens all the time lol!! But I want to know that I’ve been beaten by people because they have genuinely been better than me – not because I’m not fit or because of a 10000 other possible excuses… I hate that. That’s not me.

As I said before, things are progressing quite nicely and I’m feeling fitter and stronger as each days goes by. I’m loving training in Canberra at the moment, everyone is really supportive and are always up for a bit of friendly competition! I just need to remember to leave my ego at home some days… It would make some days a lot more comfortable!



The course of life never does run smooth and because of this I have been able to develop many valuable life skills. Through my experiences on the bike I have also come to realise that I perform best when I’m strong ..and happy. I’m proud to say that I’m now one; I just need to work on the other!! I also take inspiration from Winston Churchill -one of the most recognisable faces in History to date:

“If you're going through hell, keep going.”
“ Never, never, never give up.”
– Winston Churchil.

I take pride on sticking by these values and believe that they are what have made me who I am today and what is going to help me reach the top not only in my sport but in life.


So next time you see me racing interstate I will hopefully be well… me again :)
Call me cheesy but I’m going to leave you with a video I came across the other day… if you are ever in need of a bit of motivation, look no further…



Stay classy and happy pedalling

M xx

The truth hurts. I could have told you that.

The Jayco Bay Criterium series and the Australian Open Road titles have been run and won, and instead of sitting cheekily in McDonalds abusing the free wifi privileges, I am happy to say that after an 8hr drive I am reporting from the comfort of my own couch happily nursing my soup bowl of tea.

Unfortunately for me, I kicked off what I secretly hoped would be a cracker of a 2011 season with a few disappointing results. First up was the Jayco Bay Crits around Geelong. I was racing for Kim Howard’s TDT R.A.C.E Team and was super excited to say the least about racing again! The atmosphere at Bay Crits is similar to that of a traveling circus. Its nuts, and you can’t help but get caught up in it! The first circuit was a ‘roadie’ circuit in the Botanical gardens with a nasty little pinch in it leading into the final stretch. This ended up being the place that I had my best performance, making a break and dropping off with 2 laps to go… From then on things weren’t working out exactly the way I had imagined it… I knew I was lacking the race intensity but I didn’t know to the degree just how much! The rest of the week was a slug fest on the short face-paced circuits and I was disappointed I was not able to contribute as much to the team as I would have liked – instead of starting breaks or helping our main sprinter Chloe Hosking out in the closing stages of the race, I was yo-yoing off the back of the pack and watching the finish from the sidelines – not a great mental boost leading into Nationals!

Bridging across to the break. Photo courtesy of womenscycling.net


After Bay Crits it was off to Ballarat for the Australian Open Road Championships. I decided to give the National crit a miss in favour of an extra recovery day and couldn’t have been happier to see my bestie Lauren Kitchen take out the title of Australian Criterium Champ!!! She took out the Open and U/23 divisions as well as taking out the intermediate sprint prize – equating to a prize of 63 Mars bars, 3 bottles of champagne and 3 boquets of flowers. Oh, and she now gets to strut around in green and gold jersey in any criterium :). Lauren won over break compatriot Jo Hogan which was initiated mid way through the race. The break was bought back by the Honda Dream Team to 8sec but as Honda started to use up their riders, the break blew out again and ended up winning by about 30sec! Chloe Hosking broke away with 1 lap to go to round out the podium in 3rd.

I was coming in to Nationals this year a lot differently from last year. I wasn’t with a team, an institute or members of my family… I was traveling and doing it solo (but fortunately had my coach waiting in the wings anytime to come to the rescue if needed). I know I keep saying this and you probably want to punch me in the face by now, but it was again a harsh reminder of how far I seem to have slid down the ladder, back to booking your own accommodation, picking up your own races numbers and even pumping up your own tyres *gasps*! It was like I was starting from scratch again, I was a no-namer out to prove myself. Sure it was a big slap in the face, but it was also a real eye opener. Firstly, it made me appreciate how fortunate I was to have the support that I did but secondly, it also reminded me that when you eventually do make teams and the logistics are all taken care of for you – you forget about the other riders who are self supported or new to the sport. Just like you once were. Next time you see someone who looks a little unsure, lost or needs a hand at racing – ask them if they’d like help because most of the time they are too scared/proud (guilty) to ask for themselves. Remember, that was once you too!

Anyway, after another day of rest and it was time for D-Day – the National road race. I honestly had no idea what to expect leading into the race, had I recovered from Bay Crits? How was my form? How was I going to compare to the other girls? And before I knew it, I was a mess. Both physically and mentally. In a race which most riders are trying to peak for and where you want to be at your leanest and fittest – I realized I was not. The gun went and the pace was pretty steady for the first 2 laps until Carlee Taylor attacked over the 2nd KOM and the pace lifted drastically, leaving everyone scrambling for positions behind. I clawed my way through 3 more laps before breaking into tears when I saw my coach in the feedzone. I was heartbroken and cracked mentally. I have no excuses, I just couldn’t do it. The group that went with Carlee over the top of the climb ended up by being the winning break – Alexis Rhodes taking out the title of Australian Road Champion over Garmin-Cervelo teammate Carla Ryan and Jo Hogan from Victoria. Carlee took out the U/23 title and the KOM jersey whilst Sinead Noonan and Lauren Kitchen rounded out the rest of the U/23 podium.

So that was my Nationals over and done with for another year… I’m just glad I get another shot at it in 363 days!! I strongly believe that this course suits me, when I’m fit, and am probably one of the only few campaigning for it to stay the same – at least for the next few years! Tomorrow is the time trial and from what I’ve heard about the weather – I hope the riders packed their water wings!

Despite the lack of results, I was still a happy little vegemite at Bay Crits :)

On a final note – during the course of the week there were quite a few photos taken of me and once in particular attracted a comment by someone saying ‘slightly overweighty’. They say the truth isn’t an easy pill to swallow and I’ll agree – it isn’t – however, this wasn’t news to me, this has been an issue for me for over a year. The third butt cheek is a result of an extended offy, injuries and a bit of a rough patch but hey, it happens to everyone. During times when things weren’t going my way, I found comfort in eating junk food and partying, I mean what makes you forget about things better than a bit of whipping-your-hair-back-and-forth and alcohol?? Except for 6hrs later when you wake up - your problems are still there and you’re punished with a massive headache for being so stupid as to think solving them would be that easy. I have no one to blame for the extra Kgs except myself, after all I’m the one shoving the food in my face!
Prior to going overseas and racing for SwABoLadies in Holland, I promised myself that I would use it as a chance to change and get back to the way things were and come back a new me but unfortunately life had other plans for me. Again, things weren’t going my way and I thought that eating would solve them. Although I didn’t weigh myself much over there, I can remember weighing myself one day and was shocked to see a whopping 61kg on the scales. For those that don’t think that is much, don’t be nice – it is. Especially on someone who is only 157cm tall. 158cm on a good day. That was a far cry from the 46kg I was 12months earlier…You could say from one extreme to the other?? And if that wasn’t a reality check and a half, a couple of days after that I was downloading my SRM files and I noticed that the ‘slope’ seemed a bit odd. I went to go check it and instead of being programmed in at 34.5Hz, it was set at 24.5Hz.. meaning that basically in a nutshell, I was putting out about 80W LESS than what my SRM was showing me. Ouch.
Weight in women’s sport in general is a widely avoided topic; it’s like that big grey elephant in the corner of the room that no one talks about. In my case however, being lean is part of the job description. My strength on the bike lies in my ability to haul ass up hill faster than anyone else and in order to do this, I need as least amount of ass to do so. If I wanted to be able to eat whatever I wanted to, I would have chosen a sport like sumo wresting, sit at McDonalds with 4 Big Macs and call it training. But I don’t.

Got no one to blame except myself

Despite the job description, it doesn’t mean however, that I’m going to stop eating in order to achieve ultimate ‘leanness’. As a well respected coach once said to me – my goal is to return athletes back into the real world as functional people. This statement always remains true to my heart and is forgotten or even ignored by athletes – yes. There is life after sport. Most athletes live in the moment and are willing to sacrifice everything physically and mentally for their sport without thinking what the later consequences will be. There are many women out there who are so skinny that they are doing themselves permanent physical damage. I am no Dr and will not go into the specifics, but it doesn’t take an expert to see that it can’t be good for you!

I remember riding the Giro and sitting down at the dining hall seeing what all the athletes are eating – you get the girls who are fueling their bodies for yet more grueling racing and some others that look gaunt as they feast on salad leaves. It’s just sad.

I know that I need to lose weight to improve my performance and sure, I could stop eating and achieve my target weight in a couple of weeks. But I won't. And I'm not doing to do that again - I don't want to. I am confident that I will achieve a weight that is sustainable and will lead to optimal performance in a healthy manner. I’ve already lost 5kg in a couple of months and I plan on losing the rest of it in the same way - without excessive use of salad leaves, shakes…or my fingers. It’s only January and if I have things my way, I’m going to have a long season ahead of me.

Life and I are back on speaking terms - I even received a Christmas card from it! So things are still on the up and I’m going to put everything behind me and do my damn hardest to keep it going that way. New year, new you. Right?

So to those commenting about my weight and thinking that I’m not taking things seriously, thank you for your concern but rest assured - I am. And I can’t wait to see your face when I succeed. :)

I hope everyone entered the New Year with a bang – and not only a massive hang over – and I wish you all the best for the coming year :)

Until next time

Stay classy and happy pedalling

Miffy xx

No rest for the wicked!

It’s only been a month since I was training up a storm in Geelong, but Geelong camp seems as though it was years ago! Since then, I’ve been busy getting my butt handed to me on an AIS Women’s camp with the new 2011 squad in Canberra, working so that I can eat and live and doing summer semester and University because…well…to be honest, I have no idea. Maybe because I love the adrenalin rush and the sense of achievement you get when you have an assignment due at 12:00am, have 20min to finish referencing and are panicking, thinking ‘there is no way in hell I’m going to get this in on time’ – only to submit it at 11:56pm. Win. Or maybe because I’m like my sister and ‘love textbooks’? Nope. Not that either…:s All I know is that I’m getting an education…tick.



Fresh from being smashed by super coach Kim Howard and her TDT R.A.C.E girls, I had a few days to recover before yet more pain/eyeball-scratching-out/HTFU style training with the AIS girls. However, before that, there was a much needed Foreshore Summer Music festival to attend. AIS rider Lauren Kitchen traveled down early for camp from Port Macquarie to attend the festivities, and let’s just say, it was definitely a night to remember! I woke up 2 days later with DOMS from intense fist-pumping, but it was worth it - definitely a good way to start my run on the straight and narrow.

Lauren and I go way back - photo from the 2008 U19 National Road Title which Lauren won :)

I am no stranger to the AIS Women’s Canberra camps, in fact I’d probably consider myself a veteran tagalonger-er, so I knew it was going to be tuff. And I was stoked! I’m like that annoying little kid that you can’t get rid of – although luckily the girls learnt pretty quick that you can get me to shut up by making me do 10min SEs or sending me up Honeysuckle in filthy headwinds. Shy of that not working, there is always the classic halfwheel – guaranteed to work every time. For most of the duration of the camp, Canberra definitely but on its best weather – not. Many of the rides were done in the pouring rain where everything but your belly button was full of water. Oh well, at least it made for some much needed character building on my behalf! Towards the end of the camp, the girls were sent out bush with the final 6hr ride seeing them being directed to Wee Jasper – yup, I hadn’t heard of it either. The AIS team for 2011 is definitely a team to be reckoned with in up and coming races – I wish I wasn’t on the receiving end of their wrath! The team consists of full timers Lauren Kitchen, Alex Carle, Amanda Spratt, Shara Gillow, Ruth Corset as well as Megan Dunn and Carly Light who weren’t on the camp – look out for them in their new Jayco AIS kit!

This camp was run similarly to previous camps I’ve been on, each day with its own unique way of making you hurt like never before, however what made it different this time for me was that I also had to balance work AND summer semester at Central Queensland University between 4hr rides, ice baths and stretching. Considering what happened exactly 12 months ago when I failed miserably at this particular task – I was nervous at what was going to happen. Although I have culled the number of pre run-myself-into-the-ground jobs from 4 to 2, now working only at A’Hern Fitness in Griffith and the BikeShed, I knew it was going to be a tuff challenge!



I know a lot of people do it, balance work and training but I too dream of the day when I’ll be earning enough money riding my bike so I can sit at the coffee shop for hours sipping skinny lattes in the sun post ride. The work/cycling/uni balance is something I seem to struggle with everything I come home. Stuck between wanting to dedicate as much time to training and recovery pre nationals and our summer season, and the need to pay to live, short of pouring cement over my breakfast, I often end up on the phone to my coach whining about how tired I am. Finding jobs that allow for the perfect balance is the challenging part - I mean who doesn't want to hire a 20yr aspiring athlete who doesn't want to work 9-5, is studying part-time and wants a job where you can sit on your butt all day? Yeah, that's what I thought. But I’m very fortunate in my current circumstances where I love my jobs and have two very supportive bosses who recognize the importance of getting the balance right, and as a result – made it out of the camp ALIVE!!


So what’s next? Well after a very quite and sober Christmas and New Year, as I said in my previous post – I’ll be riding for Kim Howard’s T.D.T RACE team at the Jayco Bay Criterium series and participating in the 2011 Australian Road Nationals. I am really looking forward to Bay Crits as I think we have a very strong team and hopefully we’ll be able to get in the mix at the pointy end of the bike race! I am also pleased to announce that I will also be joining Kim and her race team in the 2011 NZCT Women’s Tour of NZ! I rode this tour in 2009 and really enjoyed the racing, I am hoping to get a good result there as I believe the courses are well suited to me and I will have a little more training under my belt!

Photo from the TT at last year's Nationals


A busy couple of months ahead but I’m looking forward to it! Also I have been having conversations with a few teams in regards to 2011… fingers crossed things go well but will keep you posted ;)

Until the New Year
Stay safe and stay classy,

Miffy xx

This one time, at Geelong camp...

The home of the 2010 World Road Cycling Championships, the Jayco Bay Criterium series, the Sun Herald Tour...Geelong is fast becoming the home of cycling in Australia and this week it was the host of the TDT RACE women's cycling camp. The RACE women's team is a leading domestic team consisting of women from all over Victoria. The team is run by super coach Kim Howard, who might as well be my surregant mum after the amount of time I spend at her house!! There are 8 girls on the team including 2 under 19 riders and last week they were all up (well they came and went- apparently there us a thing called work that has a knack of getting in the way??) in Geelong for what was a pretty solid week of training!! And just because I didn't endure enough pain in that 1 week, I stayed on for an extra 5 more days just to ensure I returned home a crippled, painful mess!!

The RACE girls on a recovery ride to Barwon Heads

I don't want to give the team's little training secrets away but what i will tell you is that there were a lot of hours involved, a motor bike and a friendly visit to the Nationals course in the cold and pouring rain - a bit different to the 45 degree heat of last year's race! Oh, and who could forget the ergo?? I wish I could! :p

RACE team gathering at the headquaters (ie Kim's place)

I even had the pleasure of being able to race with the girls at a St Kilda crit! Even though we were down wind from the petfood factory, it was a good hit out :) and the girls rode very strong!! GO TEAM!!

Sarah Riley and I at the crit

A bit of good news in this post also. I will be racing for team RACE along with Chloe Hosking in the jayco bay criterium series held from 2-5th January down in Geelong!! We even got a bit of a write up in the Geelong Advertiser which was pretty exciting - you can check out the article here.

So I'm on the plane heading back to Canberra a little fitter, a little stronger and with a hell of a lot more messed up tan lines. I definitely learnt what it was like to hurt again and maybe even toughened up a but too :p thanks Kim!!

So what's next?? Well AIS cyclist and good buddy Lauren Kitchen is paying me a visit tomorrow ahead of an AIS camp held in Canberra which I'm tagging along on starting Monday, which leaves me a couple of days of recovery and some quality hours at the brew shop before some more stem chewing, eyeball bleeading, head cracking nanima road motor paces and SE smash fests. I'm excited. We'll I have exactly 3 days to convince myself that I am :p

Oh and Qantas - those florentines you served were amazing, way better than those stupid biscuits and dip. well played.

mmm.... yummy :p


Until next time,

Miffy xx
www.myfanwygalloway.com

p.s Thanks to Bec and Chloe for the photos!!!

21st edition of the Canberra Tour de Femme

The 21st Tour de Femme has been run and won for another year, this year taken out by current American criterium champion Theresa Cliff-Ryan riding for team BikeShed. With the support of her mascot whippet Gorda, Theresa out sprinted commonwealth games bronze medalist Chloe Hosking and Jessie Maclean who has signed with the recently established Virgin RBS Morgan women's team.

The grey clouds and cool temperatures didn't deter the women as over 600 riders fronted up to partake in a lap of the well renowned 'lakie' . This year the women raced along Parkes way then up through Yarralumla before the run off Adelaide ave. Back to the Yacht club!

The start at the Yacht Club

The race pace was on early with newly signed AIS rider Alex Carle riding for team Suzuki launching an attack from the gun, however the women weren't going to let the bronze medalist in the u/23 national timetrial get away that easily and she was brought back before the decent on Parkes way. Team Suzuki showed that they were going to lay all of their cards on the table, not confident that they would be able to out kick the world class sprinters, with each team member launching repeated attacks up the road. A late attack from Laura Meadly looked threatening when she launched up hopetoun circuit but was caught on the off ramp down towards the lake- the race was destined to be won from a bunch kick. Chloe Hosking opened the sprint but Theresa was quick to respond, edging her out for the win.

Theresa edges out Chloe for the win

The 21st edition of the Tour de Femme proved again to be a great day out for all the women regardless whether they were in it to race or ride with friends. It was great to see all the riders encouraging each other and the smiles on their faces when they crossed the line!

Riding for the fun of it :)

Of course the race wouldn't have been possible without the tremendous effort put in by MaryAnn Simpson, Jason Parkes and the rest of the Canberra Cycling Club. And a big thank you has to go out to the BikeShed for the cycling goodies and the Fyshwick markets for the yummy fresh fruit!!

Team BikeShed were out in force!!
Bring on Tour de Femme 2011!!

And a big thanks to Brian Simpson for the happy snaps!