Nice way to start a New Year

So the 'original' plan was to take a quick trip down to Ballarat in early January to have another racing 'experience' in the heat on the tough Mt Buninyong course. 

However, things that I plan seem to have a habit of transforming themselves into something else...

and in only the last few weeks, this initial plan has changed into travelling down to Victoria a bit earlier, to race for 4 days at "Bay Crits" (the 2011 Jayco Bay Criteriums) as well...

and just today, we will be adding in the Geelong Amy's Ride on Sunday morning too!

Rather than one week off work to do "just" one race, I now get one week off work to do 5 races, watch even more racing, and ride in support of the Amy Gillett Foundation!

Accordingly, if you know what I am like, you know that I am also thinking that this is a great way to start 2011. :)

To any and all of you reading my blog, have a super end to 2010, and I wish you all the best for 2011.
http://www.amygillett.org.au/amys-ride-victoria-2011
And thanks to Leigh Schilling for some of the above photos.

An interesting perspective...

I don't claim to have any knowledge on ProTeam cycling, and teams, and sponsors, and all the political dramas that seems to be involved with them.  However, with the huge amount of "chatter" about Pegasus Sports going on at present, it is hard not to think about how it may (or will) affect cycling in Australia.

If you haven't already seen it, I need to share this link with you...
from Jonathan Vaughters...
http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/jonathan-vaughters/the-geox-paradox
even if you may not agree with this perspective, it is worth the read...
if only to stimulate some more thoughts on how things might need to change in the future for cycling.

"Cycling has such an incredible emotion and beauty to it, and its events are unique and brilliant in the world of sports. To settle for anything less than a solid, understandable, and clear interaction between teams and events does not do the sport justice." - JV.

Thoughts away from cycling...

So this might be getting a bit "deep" for my blog but a lot of stuff has been happening to me in the last month or so, and this week I had one of those "explosion" weeks...

Maybe you've had one yourself and you know what I mean?  Everything seems to be going along "fine", but you are also aware that you are right on the limit, and then just one small (or large) thing has to happen, and suddenly everything is definitely not "fine" and is quite the opposite; and you are left with picking up the pieces again after the "explosion".  Anyway, while I have been busy with work and life and all sorts of stuff, I have also been 'attempting' to find some time to read a book given to me by a friend (Eckhart Tolle's The Power Of Now)...

and this just happens to be quite thought provoking for me right now...
"What is freedom for you?  What is happiness for you?  Often your mind tells you that you cannot get from here to there.  Something needs to happen, or you need to become this or that before you can be free and fulfilled.  You think that something is saying that you need time to find, or sort out, or do, or achieve, or acquire, or become, or understand before you can be free and complete.  Your mind sees time as the means to freedom and happiness, but in truth this is the greatest obstacle to you ever "getting there".  You think you might not be able to get there from where you are now.  But the truth is that here and now is the only point from which you can get there.  You "get" there by realising that you are there already.  Nothing you can ever do in the future, and nothing that you have ever done in the past will get you any closer.  You do it now or not at all."

...ok, after that, I promise the next blog posting will not be so "sombre".  :)

Highlights from STRT 2010

Keep it short and sweet.  That was the plan.  I was thinking about writing a summary of each of the 6 days for my blog.  As I started it in my head, I soon realised this was never going to work... so much happened each day, that I would need to write a short novel if I was going to do any justice to the super week I had.
Instead, I will leave you all with a few photos from the trip, and a summary, not of the time riding, but of the fantastic people I had the pleasure to meet, ride with, and chat to during the STRT.

Because what I realised is that what made the trip memorable for me, were the people involved.  Sure, the countryside was great, and the bike riding was fun, and the places we stayed at were awesome. 

More awe inspiring for me though were the people I got to ride beside and behind and infront of each day; and chat to at dinner and breakfast. 

What a diverse group of individuals to meet; but united within the common cause to help make our roads safer.  I was surprised by how different each rider was (such unique backgrounds and careers; and unique family and life situations), but how well we all "jelled" together in the first two days.  No-one was "above" anyone else, and everyone helped each other out whenever they could. 

Yes there sure were some tough days in the saddle, but even after the 'minor' frustrations of hot days, flat tyres, rough off-road sections, sticky mud, getting lost (even with a gps!), and sore legs, everyone managed smile and a laugh and a story at the end of the day. 

Thank you so much to each and everyone of you:
Simon Gillett, Rachael Kininmonth, Steve Hodge, Phil Anderson, Mary & Dennis Safe, Rochelle Gilmore, Rachel Neylan, Carla Ryan, Felicity Dales, Lindy Hayward, Kayt Edwards, Matt Dimattina, Duncan Murray, Rhys Gillett, Ned Draydon, Matt Pringle, Ken Kroeger, Michael Scott, Paul Hardwick, Paul O'Dwyer, Rob Keogh, Marg Grant, Andy Sheats, James Hannam, Ian Carpenter, David Moffatt, Steve Cesinger, Kieran Hogan, Matt White, Andrew Tanner, Michael Price, David Gillett, Tony & Tracey Gaudry.
(Special thanks to Steve Hodge for the above photos!)

Share The Road Tour 2010

I will take some time (I promise) to write a more thorough report about the 6 days of riding soon...
but in the meantime, I just need to say t-h-a-n-k-s to all the riders and organisers involved with the Amy Gillett 2010 Share The Road Tour.

An incredible week, with many memorable moments; and it was super to share this experience with lots of like-minded people while helping deliver the message of better road safety and awareness; for both cyclists and motorists.

In particular, I need to mention how honored I was to meet Mary Safe, Amy's mother, who has devoted her life to educating young people on safer cycling and safer driving.  Awesome work.

Amy Gillett Share The Road Tour - Sydney!

Starts tomorrow!!!
http://www.sharetheroadtour.com.au/

Noosa and only ONE week to go!

So after a very adventurous race at Glen Innes to Inverell, the annual Noosa Cycling GP was on again.
See race report by Ange McClure here:
http://www.sweetascycling.com.au/sweetascycling/news/61-what-a-team-what-a-daywhat-a-result

Quite happily, I was just a spectator for the Noosa event...
but I have to say a huge c-o-n-g-r-a-t-u-l-a-t-i-o-n-s to Nikki on her awesome 5th place during the women's criterium on Saturday afternoon.

Those of you who know Nikki already, also know that she has really put all of her body and mind and heart into her training this year, and is finally coming up with some well-deserved results!!!

You can read her report here:
http://nikolina-cycling.blogspot.com/2010/11/2010-noosa-grand-prix.html

And as for me,
well it is only one week to go to the Amy Gillett Foundation's Share the Road Tour...
yep...
we will each be riding 800km with 8000m of climbing in 6 days.
I will try to update my blog while riding (pending internet access), but otherwise I will be sure to give you all a report on my return to Qld!
http://www.sharetheroadtour.com.au/archives/77

Grafton eve

Saturday October 23rd... if you are a keen cyclist, you may have had this date in your diary for many months already... and now... well... Grafton-Inverell is THIS weekend!

This will be my second year racing in the women's event; this time as part of the Bundaberg Sugar/Sweet As Team, rather than as a solo rider as I did last year.  So long as the weather holds out (no hail nor sleet, and no evil headwinds nor snow thanks), it should be another interesting day of racing.  A strong field of girls will be lining up.

A good friend of mine gave me some motivational quote cards this week to help inspire me for my next set of races/rides/training and beyond (... thank you so much, they do help!) -
and I found this one particularly relevant for this weekend.
"There is only one thing for us to do,
and that is to do our level best
right where we are,
every day of our lives".

During this taper week, I also had the privilege of a 'guided cycling tour' of some parts of the Sunshine Coast hinterland which I (surprisingly) never knew existed until now... including some helpful short cuts!!!

Embarrassingly it seems I was taking the 'long way around' in a few instances!  One of my next goals is to learn more about where to ride on the Sunny Coast.

This weekend also marks the only "TWO weeks to go" point to the AGF's "Share The Road" 800km Tour.
Yep... this is another hint...  please donate... please. :)
https://www.registernow.com.au/agf/Donate.aspx?F=342

Thanks for your support...

While I seem to be doing a lot of my training in the rainy weather lately,

it is probably a good time to say thanks to all my sponsors and supporters so far for the Amy Gillett Foundation's Share The Road Tour in early November.

In particular...
Cadence Cycling

Body 4 Life Massage

Velo Bicycles

Robert Bird Group (Brisbane and Sydney offices)

and North Coast Veterinary Specialists (special thanks to our business manager Janelle, and our main receptionist Jayne!).

... And yep this is just another reminder that if you haven't already donated, please do so.  Even the smallest of donations will help!
https://www.registernow.com.au/agf/Donate.aspx?F=342

Melbourne, Ballarat & Geelong

All 3 places in 5 days... a quick trip but so worthwhile.

I have never managed to spend much time in Melbourne, so I spent the first two days as a real "tourist"...

taking some photos of course...
there were so many bikes...

& coffee shops & bookstores...

trams & buses...

tall buildings, both old & new.

Thanks to both Cycling Tips, and Pro-Motion Bikes (in Ormond)... as they made finding a good fast bunch ride in Melbourne so much easier!

Just as Wade had described (www.cyclingtipsblog.com/melbourne-rides), on a grey overcast morning, suddenly there were lots of cyclists at the corner of North Rd and Nepean Way, and away they rode at 6am sharp (not 5.59 or 6.02, but exactly 6.00)... Although I did not personally know even one person in the bunch, they all made me feel strangely welcome... after all, I was just another bike-riding, lycra-wearing person with a white front light and a flashing red rear light, braving another cold Victorian morning.

And to finish the friday ride, I was also greeted by the swans of Albert Park.  :)
Brighton and St Kilda in Melbourne, I found is oddly enough not that different from Brighton and Sandgate in Brisbane... both seaside areas that cyclists inhabit in the early mornings.

Then the adventure in Ballarat began...
only 1 week earlier, I had been advised that I was fortunate enough to get a start in the women's Herald Sun Cycling Classic.  What an experience it was.

Thanks also to Jarrod Partridge for some of these racing photos.

And I now have a bidon that I will never wash...

A short trip back to Melbourne via Geelong, and then suddenly I was home again.  Almost like a daydream.  And it was a pretty cool daydream at that. (And thanks for the company Nikki!)