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!

It can only get better from here... Right??

Saturday was the Celtic Classic de Femme, the women's version of the infamous Grafton to Inverell and my first race back from what ultimately was a fizzer of a season in Europe.

After suffering from 'severe hay fever complications' disguised as the flu in Holland, a few broken ribs in Belgium and a bug that saw me creep for the Australian National team in France, I was keen to start to redeem myself and prove to myself that I could still ride a bike, and fast at that.

Unfortunately I was kidding myself in thinking that it was possible on 2 weeks of proper training against the strong talent which was tearing up the domestic scene back here in AUS whilst I was battling it out in Europe.

The day before the race I flew up to Port Macquarie to meet AIS cycling buddy Lauren Kitchen and together we trekked over to Inverell for the start of the race. On the way we drove over a 45k loop which was a new addition to the course and I'm thanking my lucky stars we did. The loop contained several graveled sections of road and a 1k section of dirt that had never actually been sealed. That, with a combination of more craters and other loose surfaces on the road, made me keep my Zipp wheels firmly sealed in their bags - never to see daylight on this trip.



Packed and ready to roll


The morning of the race we packed into the Swift and drove to Glen Innes for the start of the race. There I met up with some familiar, and new, friendly faces and rocked up to the start, buzzing -feeding off the atmosphere that comes with bike racing.


Stopping for a pre-race coffee at Maccas

About 10k into the race, I rolled to the front of the peloton where we were greeted by a herd of cattle spread across the road. The commissaires didn't put out a flag, or yell at us, so I glued myself to the back of the lead car as the cows were running across the road and had big f off horns and I figured they would be pretty game to take on a big 4WD… I rolled past the herd still glued to the car followed by ‘Sweet As’ rider Sally Robins when I looked behind and saw we were clear from the group. The comm was still with us so I figure everything was OK and decided I'd tempo and give myself a head start on the climbs, as my legs felt average to say the least, and hopefully the dirt before the bunch caught me. I reached the end of the dirt at the 20k mark when the bunch caught me and a couple of riders decided to have angry words to me about attacking through a herd of cows and when a rider had crashed.... Apparently a rider crashed towards the back of the peloton as I was glued to the lead car and I didn't notice!!! I felt bad that people would think I'd do such a thing- they obviously don't know me very well, I’m not completely heartless!

That aside, we were coming to the end of the first lap when the new Virgin RBS Morgan women's power house team started doing repeated attacks and counter attacks. My legs were feeling decisively average and I was glad that other people were willing to chase them down and give me a chance to sit on.

Coming into the straight run to Inverell, we ran into the base if Waterloo, which was where my tow rope snapped and I got dagged from the back of the group. The thing about hills is that there is nowhere to hide- you've still actually got to get your butt over it, the draft of the other riders isn't going to do that for you. I was then groveling my way up the hill desperate to keep the peloton in sight- didn't happen. Fortunately enough I caught up with Imogene Vize and together we swapped off into the nasty headwind and my race quickly got placed in the 'well at least it was good training' category. We did see the peloton at the final climb up Wire Gully and came agonizingly close to jumping on when the mountain goats attacked for the final KOM points and I dropped back like a sack of potatoes.


The ‘Golden Arches’ marked the end of the race


We rode the last 20km of the race by ourselves and crossed the line a few minutes down on the main bunch… The race was taken out by dark horse Loren Rowney (MB Cycles) who placed 3rd in the u/23 Nationals RR in January from Jo Hogan (VIS) and Simone Grounds (Bundaberg Sugar) edged out Kirsty Broun (Virgin RBS Morgan) for 3rd.


Women’s Podium – Jo Hogan 2nd, Loren Rowney 1st and Simone Grounds 3rd.

First race done and dusted, and although it didn’t go nearly as well as I’d have hoped, it served as a big reality check and a slap in the face.

This time last year, I had just come off riding for the Australian National team in the Giro Donne and the Tour Feminine en Limousin... A lot has happened since then and I’m stupid to think that after everything that has happened in the last 12 months, I am still able to ride at that level. I am still hanging onto that moment where I rolled off the start ramp in the prologue at the Giro in my first race wearing the Aussie colours, I know I will reach that level again but for now I have a few more months of ass busting training to do to try and make myself competitive again. I’ve got a couple of solid camps coming up and am feeling positive about the next few months. I know I have a lot of work to do leading up to Nationals but I’m confident I’ll be able to pull something out somewhere lol


Me at the 2009 Giro – despite what the face tells you, I enjoyed every minute of it :)

Until next time

Take care

Miffy xx