Limousin and the little things...

It seemed as though it was only yesterday I was driving back with the For Viored Brookvex girls from the Czech Republic when sure enough I was back on the road again – destination the Tour Feminin en Limousin in France.


I had just come off a good ride at Dwars de Westhoek, a UCI 1.2 here in Belgium a couple of days prior where I managed to finish the race in the less than ideal conditions… The race was 120km, included in which was a 10km circuit with 400m of cobbles which we had to jiggle over each lap – and I say jiggle, because there is NOTHING flattering about riding over cobbles!! :-/ I was sitting comfortably in the peloton before about midway into the race when the wind picked up and race turned quickly into a competition to see who could sit as close to the gutter and wheel in front whilst chewing as much stem as possible… Long story short, a lapse in concentration saw me fail at the former at the pointy end of the race and I finished in a group behind the peloton in 34th place – not a great result but it was a UCI 1.2 race, I finished, and considering that last year I crashed 20km in and broke my ribs, I think that is an achievement in itself. I was feeling good (after a couple of days recovery to regain movement in my arms – who needs a shake-weight when you have cobbles!!) and excited about racing Limousin!


Getting my hurt on at Dwars de Westhoek

The road trip was ‘only’ 8hrs and given that the team was already over from the UK after competing in Dwars de Westhoek, we took advantage of the few days in between racing to make a head start on the road trip and get an extra day recovery in before the start of the Tour. We arrived at our home for the night in Gueret (central France) in dark, cold and rainy conditions. I can’t remember what triggered it, maybe it was a combination of the tiredness and restlessness from the road trip, the miserable weather or standing face to face with what I was expected to be sleeping in that night – but all of a sudden I was feeling a long way from home… Scrambling for the iphone, I was nervously awaiting signal from what was one of my main sources of sanity on tour – wireless internet. I sat outside on the steps of the motel in the rain for the next 10min getting my fix, my reminder of loved ones and friends back home and just cried. Being out of your comfort zone in unfamiliar territory makes you appreciate the somewhat ‘simplicity’ of life back home…




I carry around with me a couple of reminders of home everywhere I go – a constant in a lifestyle which, for most amateurs at least, is sporadic and unsettled. I am not alone with my little qwerk, beyond the composed exterior of most professionals lies a regular human being who is just as vulnerable as you or I, and it is sometimes the small things such as this that keep riders going on Tour because every day they are faced with the same tiredness, food and pain and suffering and these mementos from home or Skype chats to the family are the only thing that you have of your own. Sometimes these little things are the only things that keep you sane and focussed on the task at hand.
Allan Piper shows a classic example of this in his autobiography when speaking of his relationship on Tour with Robbie McEwen – for Robbie ‘Crunch Muesli’ for breakfast was his Tour necessity and was one of his only requests on Tour, but Allan knew that ‘it was something [about the muesli] way beyond tasting better than other breakfast cereals, at least for Robbie it was.’

Being on Tour is about dealing with the insane tiredness and the emotional roller-coaster that is bike racing. . Bradley Wiggins is another professional who touches briefly on life on Tour in his autobiography ‘On Tour’ – he says ‘It’s about suffering and somehow getting the job done when probably the more logical and sensible option is to sit up, get off and book the first flight home to your loved ones’. He also advises riders try their best to flatten out the highs and lows experienced on Tour as a means of survival whilst highlighting the importance of simply being able to ‘just keep your head down and try to ride to your limit as often as possible.’

I feel that whilst I may highlight the less appealing aspects of being on Tour, I should remind you that I do actually love doing what I do. My blog was initially a reminder to myself of all my invaluable experiences I’ve had on the bike, but also to provide onlookers a glimpse into the reality of the world of cycling and whilst it may appear all rhythm and routine, organised and for the men at least, glamorous, if you scratch the hard perceived exterior of most professional cyclists you will find a person just like yourself equipped with their own unique strategies for undertaking these extraordinary feats out on the road.



Fix successfully gotten and it was time to wipe away the tears, get out of the cold and get changed for dinner. I was feeling good and determined to have a successful tour and knew that sacrifices made would all be worthwhile in the long run :)

The next day we were able to do a recon of the first stage of the Tour which started the following day – an 18km rather boring circuit to be completed 6 times with a couple of short climbs in it. Recon successfully completed and it was time to head to our race accommodation and home for the next 4 days – another boarding house somewhere in between ‘somewhere’ and ‘nowhere’ in the region of Limousin :) then down to the school canteen for a surprisingly nice dinner and too much baguette bread and off bed!


The team freezing our butts off at team presentation

Stage 1:

The morning of stage one and it was bucketing down, as it had been for the past 24hrs. What a great start to the Tour! Wet weather gear on and it was time to race. The race was rather uneventful to be honest with my goal to use the stage as a tester to hopefully predict good things for the next few days. A couple of attacks went, were brought back and I was happy to be up there for the first few but it came down to the classic ‘miss the break that sticks’ and a small group about 10 rode off the front midway into the race and stayed there leaving me to finish in the peloton behind about 1min down. My legs ended up feeling like poo during the stage so I was happy to make it through with the group!! Without a soigny for the Tour, I knew I had to pull out all devices to try and get the pins pumped for the next few days!

Stage 2:

Time Trial day. For those who know me, I am not renowned for my ability in the fight against the clock however secretly despite my lack of natural talent in this area, I actually really enjoy them!!!! I’m not sure if it is because there are fewer variables or because your performance is generally dictated by how hard you push yourself but for some sick reason, I like a bit of hurt! I didn’t have any aero gear except for an aero helmet which made me look like something out of Predator, and so expectations were low on me for this stage… I still put in a solid effort and was happy to finish midway down the classy field! The team then decided to hang around in a local pub after the stage to watch Cadel battle out the last 40km of the Galiber stage and between you and me, it was probably the highlight of the day ;)


PREDATOR!!

Stage 3:

Started off well. It was 126km undulating course with a couple of nasty KOMs thrown in for good measure. I was up there in the front group and rode out of my skin to get over the major KOM midway through the race with the lead split when a couple of kms later after successfully doing so, I cramped like I was being shot in my calves and glutes with a tazer. I haven’t cramped like this before and definitely have no desire to do it again. I’m not sure it was a combination of dehydration in the heat or simply my punishment for pushing my body harder than it appreciated but long story short – every time I turned the pedals with any force I cramped and it wasn’t long until the convoy past me, as did the bunches behind and I was creeping at around 20kph..On the flat. With 30km to go and the ambulance behind us DNFed – no excuses, I just couldn’t bear with it any longer.


Stage 3 started off so well...

That was it – Tour over. Just like that. Unclipping from the bike all I could do was sit on the ground outside the van in the rain trying to patch up the puncture in my will to live. Lesson learnt, no matter how boxed you are, make sure you eat and drink and hopefully this Tour served as an increase in intensity my body needed to get me to that next level in fitness… no doubt will see when I race today!


The last day of the Tour was spent at the pub and exploring the patisseries in the host town before commencing the epic journey back to Belgium. I arrived back home at 2am after another eventful trip and one of the first things I did was unpack my suitcase. I didn’t care what time it was but all I knew was that Belgium was home for the next month and all my stuff was going to be unpacked and have its own place in my room – just where I wanted it. Because sometimes, it’s the little things that keep you going :)


My next race is a 90km kermesse this afternoon in Brambugge – the same area which is playing host to a UCI 1.2 next weekend which I will be guest riding for! It will be good to see how the body has recovered from France and see what the area is like before the biggie the weekend after!

Anyway, enough of my blabbering – some people say I talk to much… and I think I’m starting to believe them :p


Until next time,

Take care and happy pedalling

Miff xx

Racing and a little too much information in Krasna Lipa

Over the past week I have been living the high life with my team in the Czech Republic...Not. I hope you've made yourself a cup of tea or at least a strong alcoholic beverage as this is going to be a long one... And it ain't going to be pretty.

The Tour de Feminin in Krasna Lipa, a UCI 2.2, was my first race in the For Viored Brookvex colours, and a harsh reminder that I, along with most women, don't do this sport because of the glitz and glamour.


The team :)
For me the trip started off with a 13hr drive from Belgium to Krasna Lipa with a well welcomed pitt stop at close to 2am in a local hotel in Germany where the team and staff were able to get some decent shut eye and freshen up. Departing again just after 9am, we arrived in Czech with enough time to get to our accommodation and have a quick spin on the bikes before tea. Pulling up to the accommodation we were greeted by a 7 story run down school building. This should've served as the first warning sign for all of us to take extra precautions in relation to hygiene over the next few days...

We were staying on level 5 and the lift was so rickety and old that it could only hold 3 people at a time. We stretched the limit and would sneak 4/5 girls in but the next morning we heard that a team had loaded themselves into the lift and it had gotten stuck between floors - from then on it was strictly 3 people to the lift for us, or 2 if we felt that we had eaten too much.

At 4 to a room, the dorms were actually quite big and the girls and I had thought we'd scored the good room until 11pm on the first night when we could hear a guy snoring...from the next room. This was a trend for the next 4 nights and we would rush to get to bed before our neighbor did, because if we didn't, we were in for a long sleepless night.


Our room...excuse the mess :s

The bathrooms were communal - toilets and showers for use by both men and women. The toilets weren't too bad as they at least had doors but I had forgotten how confident most Europeans are with their bodies until I noticed that only 2 out of the 8 showers had shower curtains. It also wasn't uncommon for you to go into the bathrooms and have a naked person, male or female, happily standing there whilst you brushed your teeth or filled up your race bottles. I'm all for feeling confident about your body but somethings are better left to the imagination... Please. I was going to try get a photo of the bathrooms but couldnt do it without feeling like a dirty perv. And nice try euros but p.s, a face washer does not classify as a towel.

Before i knew it was race day and sitting on the start line after all the debacle in actually getting my butt over to Europe, i was excited about finally starting my first UCI tour. The gun went off and for the first 20 odd k I haven't braked so much in my life. 161 nervous girls meant that positioning yourself at the front was mandatory - if you wanted to live. It took me a while to get settled in the bunch but once I did, I really started enjoying myself and remembered just why I love racing! I managed to stay with the first bunch until the final climb 3k from the finish when i dagged off the back. I rolled in just over 1min behind and in 54th place. I was quietly stoked about my performance given the circumstances and lack of racing and was looking forward to riding into the rest of the tour! What was most exciting was seeing the other Australian teams and super legend Amanda Spratt take out the win with former track sprinter Nettie Edmondson in 2nd!!! It's always nice seeing other Aussies on the otherwise of the World, and doing so well!!

Back to the accommodation for showers and dinner, we were greeted in the kitchen by yet another serving of chicken and potatoes or rice if you thought the rice from lunch would taste better a second time round. In all fairness though, it was edible.

On this trip were fortunate to have 6 staff members accompanying us. Each night Jody and Ian were the Soignys in charge of tricking our legs into thinking the day's racing never happened. Gerard from Rouleur was our own personal photographer for the week, stalking our every move for an article about soigneurs on tour ( i can't wait the see the pictures he took, they are definitely uncensored) Then there was Steev our mechanic and assistant mechanic Boudewijn and last but not least, Rene our DS.

Day 2 and on paper it definitely looked rough. We had to climb that same set if climbs I had gotten dagged on the previous day 3 times before entering a 20k flatter circuit. My goal for the race was to finish first bunch. Up the climb for the first time, dagged. Chased back on on the decent and caught up through the cars a few k before starting the climbs the 2nd time. 2nd time up the climb, dagged again. This time got into a rhythm and got over the top in the cars and so managed to get back pretty quick. 3rd time up the climb and i somehow hauled my ass over with the first group, thank god. Rode in the bunch and crossed the line at the back of the first group - one happy camper :) Aussie Jayco rider Mel Hoskins took the win with Nettie again taking 2nd spot ahead of Aussie National rider Belinda Goss! Spratty again put in a huge effort to keep the jersey.

It was from the moment we got back to the accommodation that things started to go downhill... Having dinner I instantly felt ill. Attributing it to carbooverlading, I went for my massage and laid in bed thinking nothing of it. It wasn't until 1am that I knew something wasn't right, I rushed to the bathroom and felt sick. I emerged from the toilet and saw a handful of other riders including another one of our own, Gabby Shaw sitting out front. About an hour later the German National DS walked in from the lower level and said 'oh no, not you too' - turns out there was a bunch of us who had felt the wrath of dodgey fish night at the canteen.. I stayed up crippled with a fever and stomach ache until 5am when i crawled my corpse into bed. 6am and the alarm went off for breakfast as we had a double stage and had to leave just after 7am. Needless today, I wasn't feeling it. I felt as though I had a horrible hangover, without the awesome memories from the night before - I got ripped off big time. I hadn't felt that ill for a LONG time.

I couldn't even lift my head from the pillow let alone get myself out of bed and I quickly came to the realization that there was no way I was going to be getting on the bike today. I was filthy to say the least. Having to pull out of a tour is a hard and frustrating enough decision as it is, made even more so when it is due to unnecessary things outside of your control.

Welcome to the perks of lower level women's cycling. The higher ranked teams were put up in hotels whilst us club teams were in these dorms. Riding tours are hard enough as it is and after each stage it is particularly important to put extra emphasis on recovery strategies. Most higher level teams have staff to look after meals, washing and even booking different accommodation when the set accommodation it isn't up to scratch. Unfortunately this isn't the case for most other women club teams. Once we get home from the stage, it's into the open communal showers with hot water if your lucky (don't forget your thongs). Next its time to hand wash your kit in the sink and cross your fingers that it will dry in time for the next stage, otherwise you're riding in a wet chamois - yummy. Down for dinner and if it looks slightly poisonous or unappealing then tough luck, looks like you're going to starve unless there is a supermarket nearby where you can buy pre-made meals. After dinner you have to walk up 5 stories because the rickety lift has finally given way when legs burning, you eventually reach your bedroom and realize you've forgotten your room key on the table downstairs...Finally to bed where getting bedding provided to you is optional, I always bring a pillow and a towel so I don't have to use my backpack and paper towel or a face washer.
Before you know it, it's ridiculous o'clock at night and you shouldve been in bed hours ago but now you're lying awake because a dog is barking or the staff members of another team are all having a grand old time drinking beers - it's 2am and you've got 4hrs until you get up and have to do it all over again.


Our accomodation...

Welcome to pretty much women's cycling. And this was a UCI race!!! But what keeps me coming back year after year is the joy and excitement I get from racing and the people i meet along the way. I know if I continue to work hard my efforts will pay off and I will get the results which will enable me to eventually ride for a professional women's team and make all of this seem worthwhile. In the meantime, I'm trying not to stress too much and enjoy the ride - otherwise I'll never make it out alive :p

A big thank you to all the team at For Viored Brookvex for the support and a special mention to Jody Leach our swanky for sitting up with us and listening to a bunch of girls being sick. If you think being a male swanny for a team of girls would be the best job ever - ask this man. You definitely deserved a medal.

My eyes and ears will never be the same after this trip but i'll leave that all for another post. I'm now sitting in the van on te epic journey back to Belgium. I'm still feeling slightly average but I'm looking forward to getting back home, recovering and getting my body ready for my next race Dwars de Westhoek, a UCI 1.2 in Belgium. I broke my ribs at this race 20km in last year so here's hoping for some better luck!!! Lol...


Lost in translation in the race manual... I LOLed.

Until next time,

Stay safe and take care

Miff xx