Procrastination Over - Tour of Geelong!

So I’ve been seriously procrastinating on the blogging front.. Got a couple to do, so we’ll start with the Tour of Geelong.


Doubling as an NRS Tour and the Vic State Championships for TT, Road & Crit, it was set to be a big weekend.

The first stage was a 28km TT with no flat bits. TTing not really being my strong point, I wanted to just get through it with my head in a good place! The weather was fantastic with the sun shining, I was riding a shiny fast looking P4 borrowed from a friend, and all was going well until the final climb when I went to hit the small chain ring and dropped my chain! Ouch. Coming to a rapid stop I had to get off to fix it and then get myself going again, in the end basically doing a nice SE effort up the final climb! Not that I was going to challenge the winners, but it’s disappointing to lose over 30 seconds for a silly thing like that. That’ll teach me for riding a bike I’ve only done 30k on before!

Photo thanks to Jules from XOSize

The team did awesome, with 3 in the top 12, so we were set for a big couple of days trying to move up GC.

An amazing, delicious steak and veggies was cooked for me by Dean T, and then his awesome fiancé Jen gave my hair some much needed styling, before heading back to the team base for an early night before Saturdays road stage.

Having pre rode the course the week before, I knew what was in store, and knew where I needed to be and when, and yet I still stuffed it up. Finding myself at the back of the bunch recovering from bridging across to an unsuccessful break, I saw the sign signalling the first descent and knew I was in trouble. Trying to get around dodgy descenders on the tight corners proved impossible, and I found myself gapped off the back of the bunch with another couple of girls. We chased for a while but knew the pace would be on in the bunch, so we decided to save our legs for the next day and just get to the finish. Rolling in I found out that Loren had taken out the stage, best news I’d had all day!

Bit of a failure on my part, but it’s only one if I don’t learn from it! Will be doing my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Photo from jxphotography

Out for dinner with the rest of the team, we ended up fuelling up on the best pre race food going around, Pizza! After 10 weeks of no Pizza, it was pretty amazing too. Yum.

The next day’s Crit was a nice leisurely lunch time start, so we went for a bit of a coffee cruise in the morning and then enjoyed some couch time! It went too quick though, and before we knew it, it was time to kit up and hit the road.

With a sprint prime with bonus seconds every second lap, the pace was on from the start. The game plan was to get as much time bonuses as we could for the girls up on GC, so Maddi, Trish and I did as much work leading out and chasing down attacks as we could. End result, another win for Loren! Zoe came in 4th, and Whitburn rounded out our top 3 in 7th. A super successful race!

Photo from jxphotography

Long time no blog

I’ve not had much to write about lately! Just trying to get fit again, been a bit sick, done some racing. Had a meltdown at one, and a heap of fun at another! It’s the way things go when you’re trying to get back in to form.

This last weekend however, was the best weekend I’ve had on the bike in a long time. Had a great day out on Saturday with a great bunch of people, and ticked off my first ever Sorrento return trip.

It was a stunning day (as good as it can get for the coldest month of the year..) and a heap of fun.

There was even some horsing around…

Then I backed that up on Sunday with my first off road adventure. The Dirty Deeds Urban CX Series has been building up a following in Melbourne, and I went along to watch last month. It looked like a tonne of fun, so I set about finding myself a ‘cross bike to borrow so I could get muddy at the next one!

Photo Stolen from Facebook

There was a lot of mud, there were several ‘OH CRAP’ moments thinking I was going to stack it, and there was 40 minutes of PAIN! All for 9.9kms of racing! Running up muddy hills, flying mounts and dismounts, jumping barriers, trying to figure out how the hell to use MTB pedals, it’s all a part of the CX fun.

I’m happy to report I came away with the Womens CX Category Win, but it was a hard fight and I couldn’t let up for a minute. Well done to the other girls racing! Especially SKCC Dev Squad Member Nadine Le Mescam for pushing the pace right from the start, but unfortunately she stacked on the last lap to get overtaken, still got 3rd though which is awesome! We’re definitely in the minority, but hopefully some more will be encouraged to come out and play in the mud.

I’m already keen for the next one, and am hoping I can work on my appalling technical skills to help me go that bit faster. That, plus starting up the front instead of the 2nd back row, I hope will give me a chance at finishing on the same lap as the Men’s B winners. Maybe even try for a top 10!

Big big ups to all of the sponsors, organisors, and everyone involved in putting the race together. A lot of work goes in to the race, the reports, the course!! If it weren't for all these guys the almost 200 strong field couldn't have competed.

It's that time of year again!

The Queens Birthday Long Weekend in June has long held host to a number of clubs around Victoria hosting the ‘3 Day Tour’. Historically, the weather is always freezing cold, the wind is always blowing, and regardless of how fit you are, it’s a suffer fest only endured by the ‘Hard Men’.
This year the Northern Combine are again hosting women’s specific grades, both A & B, with 12 women lining up to contest the A Grade title.

My memories of last years Tour are of creeping, but it was done with the knowledge that 3 weeks later I would be heading to the warm sunny skies of Europe! With May being spent off the bike consuming far too many family blocks of Nestle Crunch, and the first couple of weeks back on the bike being interupted with the bug that’s been going around, I’m envisaging a similar experience, without the pay off a month later :(

None the less, not having raced since the start of May, it’ll be good to get back into it, and to catch up with all the cool chicks that are racing. If I can recognise anyone under all the layers we’ll be wearing in the single digit forecasted weather…

Last years tour, the only time I think I’ve raced almost covered from head to toe!

Canberra - The Road Trip & A Pictorial

First, there's the most essential part of both a long Journey, and a multi day race - my new 2XU Compression Leggings! Full leg compression without the restriciveness when you want to sleep in them.

The first part of my journey to Canberra involved a detour through Bairnsdale for my Dad's 60th Birthday. The obligitory Whopper was purchased in Traralgon on the way through, always one of the things he looks forward to most when I drive down! A meal at the local RSL, followed by a night of his favourite past time Poker, where the locals treated him to a yum choccy cake!




The next morning I set off in sunny skies, then the weather started turning south and I spent a lot of the journey ticking off the signs to Canberra with the wipers on. Crossed 2 borders to get to the land of Porn and Fireworks!



Once there it was time to put the race faces on. We spent a fair chunk of time like this, warming up, cooling down, focusing on the task ahead.

And right from the start, SUCCESS! Loren took out the Sprint and Leaders Jersey in the stage 1 Criterium.

The VIS were intent on making us jealous with their AIS Dining Hall & 'Reco' Centre access, but we think we improvised just fine!
(Check out the VIS's adventures over here - Lisa Jacobs - Ride Happy )

 

There were many happy smiling faces after the tour was over!

I'd put up some pictures of the trip home, however I didn't think photographic evidence of the amount of Maccas I consumed was a wise move.

I have mixed feelings about the weekend. I couldn't seem to get my head switched on. The legs just weren't there and I was 'head cracked' for a good portion of the weekend. I improved on last years Canberra Tour, but I feel I didn't do as well as I did in Mersey Valley. I had a great weekend with the Bundy chicks though, and can't wait to race with them again when I head back up the Hume for the Winter Canberra Tour!

If you want a see a blow by blow of the race, there's one coming out in the SKCC Newsletter which will be available on their website - SKCC

Or our Team Leader for the Tour Loren Rowney's account here - Bundaberg Sugar

Local Canberrian and all round cool chick Miffy's take on it here - Miffy G

For now, I'm on to a break. 3 weeks off! Although I AM doing the Phillip Island Womens Kermesse tomorrow. Not expecting much after starting back running and feeling like an 80 year old from the DOMs! But I like to support the races that put on Womens Grades. If we don't race them, they won't have them!

So THIS is what it feels like...

...to be fit again!?

Fitness and Form are such fickle creatures. Sometimes it seems as if they come and go as they please. When you’ve got them, you don’t want to let them go, but know that you must do so sometimes so that you can get even fitter. You might be in form, but still have off days. You might not be fit, but can pull a blinder out without knowing how you did it.

It’s been a tough season for me. I felt like I was going pretty well when I was racing the last month in Holland & Belgium. So trying to get going again after the accident and surgery, when everyone said i'd be going great and wasn't, was hard. I don’t have the base for that to work yet. That’s what this winter will be about. So this past summer I’ve trained and raced my way back to that feeling, a long slow 5 months. Starting out with doing the Tour of Bright to purely get the k’s in my legs, trying get through Bay Crits in the hope that it would give me a chance of at least making it half way through Nationals. Unfortunately it didn’t work, however that’s what my first few years in this sport is about. Trying things out, changing them if they don’t work, remembering them when they do.

Things finally started to click after the Tour of NZ. Oceania’s went great apart from crashing, and I’ve been having days on the bike where you just don’t want to get off. Like I belong on the bike. The pain in my legs as I cling to the wheel in front is something I had forgotten that I love. Last time I loved that feeling it was when the bunch was strung out, 150 riders single file along the cobbles of Central Holland.
That brings me to last weekends first NRS Tour. The Tour of Mersey Valley. Hilly and hard, I loved every minute of the pain, which made me think back to those times. The first day was a little flat, but the second day if I hadn’t been gritting my teeth so hard, I’d have been grinning from ear to ear. Pushing beyond where I’ve ever pushed since I’ve had the ability to track the numbers, it was a good day. Coming 15th I just scrape in to get some points for NRS, hopefully something I can build upon during the winter season.
Now it’s one final training block as we push towards the 2nd Round of NRS in Canberra in just over 1 weeks time. After that I’ll do the Phillip Island Kermesse and then have a little bit of a break to celebrate my BirthMonth! (Why just limit it to one day….?)
And in preparation for Winter, I’ve started to stockpile gloves, arms, undershirts, jackets and beanies in preparation for a big winter. Because regardless of the weather, I’ll be out there! Feel free to join me  :-)

SKCC Club Champs

Only 3 more sleeps until the highly anticipated St Kilda Cycling Club Criterium Championships!

As Defending Champion, I wouldn't miss if for the world, but the who else enters remain to be seen..

Who will take out the 2011 Crown?
Can I go back to back?
One of the new SKCC Womens Race Team?
One of the team from XOSize Active?
2009 Champ and New Amy Gillett Scholarship holder, Euro bound Jo Hogan?
Or will it be the newly transferred Sprint Queen Jenny Mac?
Plus it could be one of the other fabulous women that form a part of the SKCC Womens contingent!

Who will win, we don't know, but we do know that it'll be a cracker of a race!

If you come down to watch the action on Sunday, there will be a free BBQ provided and the schedule is as follows -

Race Schedule for the 2011 Club Championships.

8:00am: Men Masters 4/5 including Masters 6+ (50 mins + 3 laps)
8:00am: Handcyclist Championship (35 mins + 3 laps)
8:00am: Junior Club Championship (35 mins + 3 laps)
9:00am: Women's Club Championship including Masters 2/3 (45 mins + 3 laps)
9:00am: Women Masters 4/5 including Masters 6+ (40 mins + 3 laps)
10:00am: Men's Club Championship including Masters 2/3 (60 mins + 3 laps)

Hope to see you down there!

What a big weekend!

So 2 weeks ago it was the Oceania Champs in Dookie, near Shepparton. You can read my race wrap up and see a couple of great shots from jxpphotography.com.au here -

http://www.cyclingtribe.com/blog/post/show/id/190-Amy-Bradleys-Oceania-post-CT-Blogs

Some more pics from after the race thanks to Juzzy!



Me, Ingrid and Juzzy with the Oceania's Cow!



SKCC Chicks - Ingrid, Jo, me & Juzzy!

After I had the Ambo's patch up my elbow from my fall in the morning's race, and I waved goodbye to Nikki who was off back to Melbourne to catch a flight home, I hot footed it to the car and down to Mansfield.

In my infinite wisdom I thought a double race day would be perfect training for stage races, and had entered the Tour de Flavour Mansfield Criterium that afternoon, then followed by the Mansfield to Mount Buller Road Race the following day (48, 90% uphill!)

So to the Crit. There was a small womens field, with only 8 starters. One of the girls had also raced Oci's that morning, but in the JR19 Race which was 40k shorter than mine! I rolled around the course to warm up, and the legs didn't feel toooooo bad. No real effort though, so I wasnt sure how I'd go if the pace was on. A technical course, in a T shape, with a long finishing straight with a roundabout in the middle. With 30 Mins + 3 Laps to race, and in intermediate sprint at some point, the goal was to test the legs, and not do too much work. In the end there were 2 of us that were the stronger ones setting the pace, with Lauretta taking out the sprint. I tried to get away on the last lap, but it wasn't to be and Lauretta ended up sprinting past me and I got 2nd.

The next morning was a crisp mountain air morning, all set to be a cracker of a day for the race from Mansfield to the top of Mt Buller. Having never ridden the climb before, I was looking forward to ticking it off the list of Aus climbs to do, and if the legs felt ok, have a dig at trying to stay with Jo Hogan and Emma Mackie on the climb for as long as possible. Well, the previous day took it's toll, with not enough food, not enough water, not enough sleep & possibly starting to come down with some bug, and I was instantly in the box. As soon as we hit the base of the climb I felt awful. Dropping off the bunch, I just wanted to make it to the top. Despite all the food I'd downed that morning, I felt like I was hunger flatting the whole way. I felt sick. But, proud to say that I stuck it out and made it to the top, and then just about fell off my bike! Thank goodness for everyone up top helping me out and then getting a lift off the mountain.

Having just read that, it sounds like a bunch of excuses, and yeah, it is. Having said that, I've NEVER felt that bad before, and don't ever want to experience it again!

The following week I was in a bit of a hole. Stuffy nose and not feeling good on the bike at all, so I tried to take it easy for a few days before another weekend of racing!