My aim for 2013 as a second year U19 has been to balance HSC study with my development as a cyclist. So far so good! This is how the year has progressed so far. After the Racing Kangaroos Camp at the University of New England in February my first major event for the year was the Oceania Road Championships held mid-March in Canberra. I finished 12th in the 14km ITT. I lost touch with the main bunch during some hard climbing in the 72km Road Race that included multiple laps of the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve - glad to finish 14th and pleased for the insight into what to expect for Nationals later in the year. The Sydney Road Titles was next up in early April - a mixed U19/Elite event held at the Penrith Regatta Centre. It is a flat course although the wind can come into play. I was very happy with my effort as I made a good contribution on the front, helped bring back some breaks and made good tactical decisions at key times. Despite numerous attacks the bunch came together for sprint finish and I positioned well on the final corner for 3rd overall and 1st U19. The Bathurst weekend later in April provided some great racing opportunities. First up was the NSW Hill Climb Championships and after a lung busting effort I was pleased to come away with the Bronze Medal. The afternoon Crit was mixed U19/Elite and exciting racing. A break took the first two podium places but I was able to put in a good sprint finish for 3rd. On the Sunday I took on the Blaney to Bathurst 110km – I enjoy the longer races and whilst I dropped off the front bunch after about 20km I felt strong for the full distance and finished 14th woman and 1st place in age group for an average speed just under 35km/hr. My aim was to get some NRS Tour experience so it was off to Tassie and the Mersey Valley Tour at the end of April. The ITT was held on the scenic Ulverstone-Penguin road into a 40km headwind - at least the return leg was fast. A couple of blasts coming out of shelter generated some excitement but I stayed upright and happy with 34th overall in the Elite field and 9th in U19. This is only my second year racing seriously but I am beginning to enjoy TT (is that possible?). Mersey Valley didn’t disappoint with some hard climbs. The weather held (mostly) for the Stage 2 and Stage 3 road races and I finished 11th and 10th respectively in U19 – more climbing training for me! It has been great experience this year racing with some very talented U19 and top Elite women on some tough courses and seeing improvements from my training. Other elements such as nutrition, race preparation and post-race recovery are also coming together. Next up - more HSC study and training for U19 Nationals at Noosa in July. Thanks to all those supporting my cycling this year including; Racing Kangaroos, Turramurra Cyclery, HireSpeedWheels and my friends at my local club Peleton Sports
Posted on: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 09:58:13 +0000
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