This summer of racing has brought about many firsts. Some of these include the first full summer of racing for our Bendigo women’s team, Building Champion Squad, the first time I got to wear a leaders jersey in the Jayco Bay criteriums, my first trip to Adelaide for the TDU since it has been a UCI event (although I didn’t see any of the races) and my first summer of racing without any coach.
I also used annual leave to take my first non bike related holiday since I got back on the bike 3 years ago; and this brings me to question my cycling….
Its interesting being a female cyclist racing at a national level as we do here in Australia, especially if you aren’t chasing institute recognition or selection, and you know you aren’t really ever going to make much money out of the sport yet definitely have the ability to be competitive both nationally and internationally. You have those moments where you wonder why I’m doing this, what am I achieving. I often have nights when my work friends are heading out for after work drinks, yet I’m heading home to get on the ergo and then go to bed early (sometimes I venture out after ergo, yet the sweat still hasn’t stopped dripping off my face for up to 1 hour after the shower). I also sometimes get up at 5am to be in the office by 6:30am so I can leave work at 3pm to go and do a 4 hour ride mid week (yes that’s right, I ride 4 hours after working an 8 hour day). A lot of Monday mornings I struggle as instead of turning up to work refreshed from the weekend, I’m more tired from travelling and racing all weekend and can barely understand what’s going on in the meetings, I also wonder if my boss will understand its my recovery day; so I need to stay off my legs and can’t make it into her office next door, 20m away, so I will just chat to her on the phone.
But then I have moments like up at Mansfield on the 16th and 17th of March where we had a good team result of myself 2nd and Lauretta 3rd, on the Saturday in the criterium in the town centre. Then on Sunday although the race didn’t suit our team in the slightest both Lauretta and I started the race to the top of Buller from Mansfield. Lauretta put herself in the early break, at least we were represented and she got a good start on the climb. I did a bit of soul searching as I road up the climb on my own after dropping off the final 5 climbers at about the 4km mark, passing some of the break away including Lauretta along the way and “thoroughly enjoying” the steady climb. Now you might be thinking, how does this make you want to keep on racing. But in between these 2 races we found an amazing coffee shop/restaurant in Mansfield, Nicole drove a manual car without me telling her when and which gear to change into (and had to do a hand break start on the steepest part of Mt Buller), we had dinner with my mum and her friends and discovered that pizza dough can be made with flour and Greek yoghurt, as well as many other things that can’t be told outside the circle of truth. (I have since tried this pizza dough recipe and it is soooo easy, and low fat Greek yoghurt CAN be used).
I also after warming up from the freezing tops of Mt Buller, on the drive home analysed why I got dropped from the climbers when I did, then yet stayed about 100m behind them for the next 2km and discussed what I need to work on to get better at this part of my riding, discussed and planned future races and had random conversations the whole drive home with Nicole.
I guess part of loving and continuing to race is fuelled by the knowledge that you can continue to improve, that you can have the most fun experiences with friends, that you can work with team mates to achieve great results, and you can see parts of the countryside you often wouldn’t see.
Yet it also makes me realise that I don’t have to do this, I do it because I love it, and that is why I won’t be riding at all in July as it will be TO COLD and I don’t like the cold riding.
Now to stay up until 1am watching Flanders on T.V and sleep in on a Monday public holiday, maybe I will be refreshed Tuesday this week…. maybe
But then I have moments like up at Mansfield on the 16th and 17th of March where we had a good team result of myself 2nd and Lauretta 3rd, on the Saturday in the criterium in the town centre. Then on Sunday although the race didn’t suit our team in the slightest both Lauretta and I started the race to the top of Buller from Mansfield. Lauretta put herself in the early break, at least we were represented and she got a good start on the climb. I did a bit of soul searching as I road up the climb on my own after dropping off the final 5 climbers at about the 4km mark, passing some of the break away including Lauretta along the way and “thoroughly enjoying” the steady climb. Now you might be thinking, how does this make you want to keep on racing. But in between these 2 races we found an amazing coffee shop/restaurant in Mansfield, Nicole drove a manual car without me telling her when and which gear to change into (and had to do a hand break start on the steepest part of Mt Buller), we had dinner with my mum and her friends and discovered that pizza dough can be made with flour and Greek yoghurt, as well as many other things that can’t be told outside the circle of truth. (I have since tried this pizza dough recipe and it is soooo easy, and low fat Greek yoghurt CAN be used).
I also after warming up from the freezing tops of Mt Buller, on the drive home analysed why I got dropped from the climbers when I did, then yet stayed about 100m behind them for the next 2km and discussed what I need to work on to get better at this part of my riding, discussed and planned future races and had random conversations the whole drive home with Nicole.
I guess part of loving and continuing to race is fuelled by the knowledge that you can continue to improve, that you can have the most fun experiences with friends, that you can work with team mates to achieve great results, and you can see parts of the countryside you often wouldn’t see.
Yet it also makes me realise that I don’t have to do this, I do it because I love it, and that is why I won’t be riding at all in July as it will be TO COLD and I don’t like the cold riding.
Now to stay up until 1am watching Flanders on T.V and sleep in on a Monday public holiday, maybe I will be refreshed Tuesday this week…. maybe
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