Let the adventures begin :)

Arguably one of the most enjoyable perks of being a cyclist is that as part of your job, you are required to follow the sun and the warmth all year round. For most Aussie cyclists, the drop in temperature, increase of clothing required to maintain bodily function and the ritual of strapping lights to your bike for early morning rides marks the time to jump in the big sardine can and venture North with the sun and your tanlines in tow.




This year, winter has decided to waste no time in gracing us with its presence. Those living in Canberra would be forgiven for forgetting what it felt like to ride with toes and fingers, waking up with the sun to ride to morning bunches and being able to show off those ripped calves you’ve worked so hard to obtain.

Unfortunately for me, this year I am also going to over to Europe to start my overseas campaign a few weeks later than usual. As I’m writing this post on the first leg of the long haul journey, one thing I’m not missing is religiously checking the weather in some vague attempt that it’ll increase the minimum temperature for my morning’s ride. It’s like standing in front of a bare fridge, shutting it, and opening it again to see food magically appear – don’t act like you haven’t tried it!

The build up to this trip has been less than ideal to say the least and looking back on the last few weeks, I can’t help but wonder how the hell I got to be sitting in this seat.


A month ago things were going perfectly, I had good form and was feeling strong, was healthy, had secured funds, was happy and excited to come over and try and make a name for myself. It all seemed too good to be true really, and unfortunately it was!

The week before I was heading down to Wagga Wagga to compete in the Wagga Motors Handicap and Criterium (7/8th june) I started showing signs of getting a cold – the muscle aches, sore throat, runny nose and excessive tiredness. Originally I didn’t think it would be anything that an extra dose of cement on brekkie wouldn’t fix but after a couple of weeks with no signs of the symptoms regressing, I got some blood tests back which gave me some unexpected surprises. It turns out that I have a ‘severe allergic reaction’ to something in the environment, but no one knows what. I went in to anaphylactic shock last year after crashing out at Stromlo Forrest Park and proceeded to get tests to determine the cause to no avail, I was then told just to carry an epipen around with me wherever I went ‘just in case’. Little did I know that the allergic reaction would return in the severity it had! I was getting allergy induced asthma and my muscles weren’t having a bar of it. Or anything for that matter. With 2 weeks until I was due to fly out, it was good to determine (hopefully) the cause of my ‘creepingness’ and equipped with an assortment of inhalers and nasal sprays (eligible bachelors, please line up in front in an orderly manner…) fingers crossed they will no longer be a limiting factor when I hit the big smoke!


One of the reasons I am able to here now is that I’m very lucky there are so many generous people out there who support me and want to see me do well. When I got an email during that same time saying that my accommodation had been double booked and that I no longer had a place to stay in Belgium, Drapac Professional Cycling rider and fellow Canberran Stuart Shaw threw me a lifeline and with less than a week until this day, I had somewhere to call home again! I was hoping I wasn’t going to have to resort to renting a window in the middle of the Red Light district but thanks to a bunch of friendly people, my European season will see me based in Oudenaarde, a fast becoming cycling mecca and home of the World renowned Spring Classics! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A week ago to this day, I took my bike in for a last minute tune up and when I asked the mechanics to call me if there was anything wrong – I didn’t expect them to tell me that’d found a crack in my chain stay and that there was no way this little bike was getting on a plane to Europe. I guess it is better they found the crack here as opposed to me finding it for myself when my bike collapsed under me during a race (Self-conscious much????) but a third big blow to my overseas trip in as many days saw me suddenly doubt everything I was doing – it seemed as though someone, somewhere out there reallyyyyyyyyy didn’t want me to jump on this plane! Fortunately for me, the great team at Cervelo, MaryAnn Simpson and the team at the BikeShed Canberra – I received a brand spanking new Cervelo R5 frame under warranty, yesterday. Better late than never right?? Lol. I am still yet to ride it and I can’t wait to rip the copious amounts of bubble wrap/foam off the new machine and take it for a spin!!! The new black and green frame got pimped thanks to Jason Chalker at the BikeShed Braddon and with lime green lizard skin bar tape and equally green Maxxis Refuse tyres – if nothing else, at least I’ll look good ;)



To top it all off, the return of the Volcanic ash from Chile grounded all flights from Canberra yesterday and it wasn’t until this morning I was able to find out if my flight from Canberra to Sydney was actually going to be flying. It didn’t, but after a quick trip to the Jolimont centre, I was on the next bus destination Sydney.
They say things in life worth having don’t come easy - and these slightly unnecessary inconveniences definitely haven’t made things a walk in the park. But despite the lemons life has thrown at me, I’m still sitting here now with a big smile on my face ready to make myself some lemonade :)

I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead, learning as much as my brain can absorb, meeting new people and doing what I enjoy.

My first race with the For Viored Brookvex UK based team will be the Krasna Lipa, a tour in the Czech Republic starting the 7th July but first stop will be the UK Nationals tomorrow where I will be able to cheer on the girls and hopefully make myself useful (or most likely pass out quietly in the corner as to not disturb anyone).



So watch this space and hopefully I will have more good news to report in the not too distant future!

Until then, stay safe and happy pedalling

Miff xx


p.s because my sole purpose in life is to embarrass my sister, I’d just like to give a shout out to the better half in the relationship – my gorgeous sister Bron. Happy 21st Birthday. I’m so glad I was able to celebrate even a few hours of it with you, it’s been too long. I hope you have a safe trip to the US and I’ll be on the sidelines in your own custom cheer costume, barracking for you the whole time (although I won’t be doing the splits, there is no way in hell that could end well.) I don’t know anyone else who would get as excited as you about spending your winter holidays doing more Uni but I know your hard work is going to pay off. Watch out for this name people, this girl will run the country one day (and buy me a car with her first million ;) ). Love you long time and miss your face already – Miff & Raoul.

B&M Photography

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of doing a photoshoot with B&M Photography! Bonnie Elvin and Michael Phelan are two very talented and accomplished Canberra models who are using their expertise and experience in the industry to venture into the field of photography! I had a great time working with them and admired their professionalism and their creativity! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend B&M to help you build your portfolio! Thanks guys :)

Check out a few photos from the shoot below!

If you'd like more information on B&M Photography, please don't hesitate to contact me or check out their Flickr stream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/61373552@N06/


Until next time

M xx

The Result of a Sports Gels/Caffeine Induced Insomnia

It’s 1030pm and I’m still awake. Normally by now my head has hit the pillow and I’ve passed out for the night… But no, not tonight. After gorging myself on a variety of gels, caffeine and sugary foods accompanied by the constant throbbing of my legs, I have a feeling it is going to be a longggg night. And to top it all off, I am busy trying to rehydrated after forgetting to put on sunscreen in all the excitement resulting in my skin getting a little more than a ‘kiss’ from the sun :S… For those cyclists out there I’m sure you can sympathise with me – this is anticlimax you could say of finishing a Tour.



In 2010 I was watching the Canberra Tour from a lot more comfortable position in the commissaires car as I was still undergoing rehab for various injuries and so was excited to finally be able to race it again in 2011 under the new name of the Loop Canberra Tour. New name and new management meant a new format and for us women, it meant longer distances as well having a 50min crit on the Friday, 114km (it wasn’t 109km-lies) road race Saturday AM and 20km time trial Saturday PM and to finish us all off (literally) an 80km road race on the Sunday with not a meter of flat roads. 4 intermediate sprints and 2 QOMs on the Saturday morning, 2 more sprints and QOMs on the Sunday as well as the very generous time bonuses given on the finish line meant that anyone had a chance to be in the money! I was just out to make sure that ‘anyone’ was the Canberra Cycling Club Team.

The Canberra Cycling Club team on which I was racing on behalf of consisted of Jessie Maclean, who is about to represent the Australian National Team in Europe later this month, Gracie Elvin a ‘mountain biker’ who does more than hold her own on the road and who is also competing in Europe this month and junior rider Alice Wallett, who we are still trying to convince that cycling is better than triathlon :)

It was an epic few days to say the least but I’ve done my best to try and briefly recap all of the stages:


Friday Stage 1: 50min Criterium

There were attacks, people chased them… more attacks and yet more people chase. Despite it being one of the most aggressive races I’ve been in with some threatening attacks from the Victorian Institute of Sport team (VIS) and a solo effort by team mate Jessie Maclean, from midway into the race it was obvious that it was destined to come down to a sprint finish. I tested out my sprinting legs in the intermediate sprint prime but got a bit excited and started my sprint way to early, getting pipped by Loren Rowney from the Bundaberg Sugar team. I figured that I didn’t have the sprinting form to win a race so I decided that I’d help Jessie Maclean out and shadowed her wheel as we came into the last few laps as she is pretty self-sufficient when it comes to finding a lead out. When the sprint opened up, people were going everywhere on the track. Jessie jumped right and I saw an opening on the left and it was a drag race to the finish with Loren Rowney taking out the win followed by Canberra’s Beck Wiasak and Kendelle Hodges from the VIS. I came in in 4th whilst Gracie Elvin picked up 6th and Jessie 7th. Although we didn’t win, we were in the time bonuses and put ourselves in a comfortable position leading into the road race the next morning. Since Loren Rowney was the overall tour leader and sprint winner, it also meant that I would be wearing the sprint jersey going into tomorrrow’s stage – don’t worry, I had a bit of a laugh too :P

Sprinting for intermediate sprint points, photo courtesy of Greg Long

Saturday Stage 2: 114km RR

For all those Canberra riders, you would be all too familiar with the Uriarra-Condor loop. If this wasn’t bad enough, we had to complete it twice and since I was in contention for the sprinters jersey I also had 4 intermediate sprints to contest…It was going to be rough to say the least!

Descending down into Uriarra crossing for the first time, it dawned on me that wearing the sprinter’s jersey (although I have to admit, it did look pretty awesome) was going to be more of a burden than a privilege, it meant that I had to contest the intermediate sprints. Luckily for me I had the best wing woman in the peloton to lead me out for them – Jessie Maclean gave me leadouts that Mark Renshaw himself would be proud of and as a result, I accumulated enough points to hold onto the sprinters jersey for another day. I was happy with how I was feeling on the climbs especially after the sprinting and so decided to try my luck in the QOM points as well, I scored some in the first 2 at the turn around and then again at the top of the 3 sisters where I got into a break of 3 riders until midway back to Stromlo Forrest Park but I soon realised that maybe trying to contest both competitions AND make it to the finish alive was a bit too ambitious and so settled for grovelling up the climbs instead.

Going into the last lap it was pretty much a repeat of the previous one – we contested the sprints, the pace was set up the climbs, Jessie Maclean and Kendelle scared us all sh!tless on the descents and by the time we knew it we were climbing the 3 sisters for the last time. I have to admit, I was very surprised to see that we still had such a large bunch, maybe it is just a reflection of the quality of women riders we have coming through at the moment, but all I knew was I didn’t like it…It is common knowledge that I time trial like a brick through water and so I needed as much advantage going into the afternoon’s stage as possible. Having lost their sprinter on the final climb, the VIS were launching attacks in the last few kilometres to try and get a break but to no avail – coming into Stromlo Forrest Park it was going to be another bunch kick. Gracie rolled up to me and said she was feeling good and it was like music to my ears – by that stage I was feeling like poo and so I told her to stick on my wheel on the crit course and I would follow wheels to get her lined up for the sprint. Coming into the final corner, it was the same sprinting ‘tactics’ as the crit and there was no way that I was going to make the same mistake happen twice, I kicked off the wheel in front later with Gracie still attached and sprinted for home – Grace Sulzberger was just ahead and when I rolled past her a few meters for the line, I realised that in my lead out gone wrong – I’d actually won. I’d freaking won a bike race. And not just any bike race, one in my hometown in front of my friends, family and coach.

the win :) thanks Brian for the photo!!

What went through my head? Well when I put my arm in the air the first thing I thought was ‘bullsh!t. I didn’t just win a bunch kick...’ Then when Grace Sulzberger rolled up and congratulated me I burst out crying – I’m a girl scout I know but winning a race in your hometown is something you dream of doing and it was great for me to finally repay all the people who have stood by me and helped me out by giving them a win. Gracie held on for 3rd and picked up more time bonuses which gave her a good advantage leading into the time trial that afternoon.


Photo courtesy of Greg Long - check out other awesome shots from the tour here

Saturday PM: 20km TT

The only thing I could’ve hoped for was for the time trial to be tomorrow afternoon, so at least I could have been leader of the Tour for longer than 2hrs… and gotten a pretty slick white leader’s jersey too. But alas, just when I was feeling on top of the world after my win there’s nothing like a time trial to knock you down again. Although I was riding on one of the fastest time trial bikes available, a tiny Cervelo P3 at 48cm and equipped with 650c wheels, I knew I was going to have to ride the time trial of my life if I was going to stay in contention in the tour. I enlisted the help of super coach MaryAnn Simpson and my twin sister Bron to follow me in the car and yell abuse/encouragement at me to help me stay focused on the 20km solo journey ahead. I was feeling strong going down to the turn around and was happy to be able to turn around without unclipping/hitting my foot (those of you who don’t ride tiny bikes won’t appreciate this luxury…) and on the way back had my eyes set on reeling in the few riders who were ahead of me. I was about to turn around and hit my coach and sister when I figured that if I rode faster, they would probably stop yelling – so I did. I rolled home and am happy to say rode the time trial of my life. I’m not known for my extensively long attention span and this was the first time trial where I didn’t think of what I was having for dinner, count, or even sing to myself. Although it wasn’t enough to match the big hitters, I was stoked and ended up finishing in 7th. Beck Wiasak smoked everyone for the win followed by Allison Rice and Jo Hogan rounded out the podium in 3rd. Gracie Elvin had an awesome ride and held her own for 4th putting her 3rd in GC leading into the final stage, a great position for us!

The tiny TT machine - and new kit!! photo courtesy of Greg Long


Sunday RR: 80km

Waking up Sunday morning, probably the first thing I said to myself was ‘thank god we don’t have to race 130km like then men’. Today’s stage was ‘only’ 80km but you’d be hard pressed to find more than a meter of flat road anywhere out on course. The GC leading into today meant that the race would surely be aggressive with 1sec margins separating 4 riders and a big 54sec gap to Beck Wiasak who was now tour leader. With the help from my teammates, I had accumulated enough of a lead in the sprinters competition to have secured the jersey however we weren’t going to let anything go to chance and so sent our junior rider Alice Wallett up the road to ensure no one got in some sneaky extra points. Although the pace was on up the significant climbs, the bunch still remained intact for ¾ of the race. Our priority was to keep Gracie up/improve her position on GC and if possible, get myself further up as well but to do this, we had to drop Beck Wiasak and Allison Rice on the climbs. Luckily for us, the other teams had similar ideas and gradually the elastic band was snapping. Going back up Mt Macdonald with less than 20km to home, Grace Sulzberg and Kendelle Hodges attacked over the top of the climb. I was sitting on the otherside of the bunch and all I coul do was watch them ride away. I knew that if they were still away going down into Uriarra, the race was over. It took a while for the bunch to respond but then a paceline was formed going down into Uriarra with our work horse Jessie Maclean driving it on the front. I found her wheel going down into Uriarra before she swung off and didn’t realise how much speed she had launched me down there with…that girl is crazy. I have never descended that fast in my life and at one stage I was convinced I was going to die. But I didn’t. I couldn’t let Jess down after she busted her ass for us and so maintained that speed going into the crossing and drove it up the 1st sister to try and get rid of some driftwood and to hopefully start to close the gap and keep Gracie up there on GC as for the moment, we were sitting in 4th position. Frustratingly, the bunch soon lost interest in chasing and it wasn’t until about 5km from home that they put in another last ditched effort. I decided it was better to have one of the team finish up on GC as oppose to both of us finishing lower down and so jumped on the front and gave a last ditched effort to bring it back. Once I blew, I knew my race was over. All I could do was the riders who were left roll past and keep my fingers crossed that they would catch Grace Sulzberger and that Gracie could hold her own in the sprint. When I rolled into the park I heard that Grace Sulzberger had held on to win by 30sec and had consequently take over the lead of the tour. Gracie Elvin got 3rd in the bunch kick and unfortunately dropped down to 4th in GC – by only 2 seconds!!!!


Despite the Canberra Cycling Team not finishing on top spot on the podium, I couldn’t have been happier. We haven’t raced together as a team before and I was amazed at how easily we all clicked and how dedicated everyone was to achieve a team result. In addition to Gracie’s 4th on GC, we held onto the sprinters jersey and so still made a nice profit for the weekend.


Although I only finished up 7th on GC, given that this time last year I wasn’t able to ride, I was pretty proud of myself. I’ve still got a lot of work to do before I fly out to Europe on the 22nd of June to start racing with the UK based Viored Team (post on that to come) but I’m happy with how things are going :)

A big thank you to Jason Parkes, Nathan Spillane, Peter Gough and the rest of the Canberra Cycling Club committee as well as SportsMaxx marketing and all of the voulnteers for another very succesful Tour :)and of course my coach MaryAnn Simpson. you rock.

You can read more about the race at VIS stomper Lisa Jacob’s ride happy blog and Bundaberg Sugar Rider Amy Bradley’s blog and full results can be found here

Next up is one of my favourite races – the Cootamundra Haycarters Handicap this weekend! It should be a slightly more relaxed atmosphere than Canberra tour and I can’t wait to try and mix it with the big boys :P

Next stop for these bad boys - Europe :)

Until next time stay safe and happy pedalling,

Miff xx

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