Back in the sunshine

A lack of blog updates for quite a while reflected my recent disillusionment with cycling.

After lots and lots of training, and feeling incredibly “ready” to race, I had a personally soul-destroying performance at Battle on the Border back in May.  I didn’t even survive the first hour with the bunch.  The problem?  Muscle cramps again.  Hands, feet, legs, you name it.  Despite the many hours of doctor visits, blood tests, second and third opinion referrals, weight training, improving core strength and flexibility, diet changes, bike set-up changes, and supplement additions, I was still getting these frustrating cramps in races.  

Why?  Well it seems it was all in my head.  Race nerves.  Too much pressure on myself.  Thankfully just before I was about to toss the bike away, I visited a sports psychologist for one last try at finding an answer. 

Initially I was resistant to the idea that I could be sabotaging my own race performances inside my own head.  But then the more we talked about it, the more I realised I had turned a much-loved hobby into a horrible experience simply by thinking about it the wrong way.  I had started to hate racing because of my fear that I would not race well, and I was doubting all of my abilities even though I was doing all the right training.  It was a vicious cycle.  Then to top it all off, not long after Battle, I was hit by a car while out riding my bike.  It was almost the last straw for me to give it all up.

Luckily I was reminded by friends how much enjoyment my bike riding and racing used to give me, and why I started it all in the first place.  The sports psychologist helped me recognise that I was being far too self-doubting and negative, and worrying about things that were completely out of my control.  My mind, my “inner chimp”, was out of control.  (If you have read The Chimp Paradox, written by Dr Steve Peters, you'll know what I mean.)
Although it's still a work in progress, I can finally say that I like riding my bike again.  I want to get up and train in the mornings, and I want to race with friends on the weekend.  So thankful I didn't throw all that away.  Thanks again to Mental Notes Consulting :) http://mentalnotesconsulting.com.au/

Women's Toowoomba Criterium

Only a week after the northern new south wales NRS race (QSM Sports, Battle on the Border), the men's next NRS race was on at Toowoomba.  This year the organisers decided to mix it up a bit, and hold a women's invitational criterium on the last day of the men's race.  The men's event is sponsored by long-time supporter FKG, but in the last few weeks before the women's race, another sponsor put their hand up (McDonalds in Toowoomba).

The thought is that if there is enough continuing interest, then the organisers may be able to make the women's event into a bigger two-day event, perhaps even an NRS one in conjunction with the men.  Let's hope so!

The circuit around Queen's Park in Toowoomba is about 2.4km, and is quite a scenic one, with lots of large shady trees, and historic homes.

The roads are nice and wide (so it allows generally for some really safe racing), and there are some nice fast downhill sections, as well as a deceptively tough, leg sapping, but gradual, 3-5% climb into a strong headwind (apparently the wind always blows in the same direction, and the T'ba locals call it Mount Margaret, since it's up Margaret street).

We had close to thirty women register to race, with Ruth Corset (current NRS leader's jersey holder, Pensar), Emily Roper (current U23 champ, Suzuki Trek), and Jasmin Hurikino (current Qld criterium champ, Campos) all making an effort to drive "up the range" to T'ba.  Many other teams also made sure their team was represented (Riders Morningside, Specialized Securitor, Data #3, MB cycles, QSM racing) which was great to see, and even Kendelle Hodges (VIS) stayed up in Qld a bit longer to do this race.

The pace was fast from the start, and the girls were keen to race aggressively.  In only a few laps, the field was split up into the main breakaway group of four, and then several chasing groups.

By the end, the initial breakaway worked well together and finished well on the podium (Ruth 1st, Kendelle 2nd,  Emily 3rd, and Jasmin 4th) with Zoe Watters (Pensar) and Liz Young (UQ) winning their chasing bunch sprint for 5th and 6th spots.

Kudos also to the several U17/19 girls in the race who did their best and finished!  Thanks to Lynette Douglas Parker for the photos!

Tale of two George's and a Broun...

Wanna improve your cycling?  Learn from the best.  I currently have the enviable position of being able to gain lots of cycling knowledge from three of Australia's best coaches... each of them unique in their coaching styles, and all with a wealth of experience.

- Steve George @ Crankstar

My "training program" coach.  Steve's the guy who tells me what to do, day after day, week after week.  He stops me before I start overtraining, but lets me know when I need to go harder.  Steve encouraged me to start weights at the gym late last year when I was concerned that this might not be the right thing to do.  Steve also picked up on the fact that my cranks were the wrong length, and quickly changed me over to 165mm ones.  Now 5 months later, I can see how the weights, and more core strength exercises and stretching, along with the shorter cranks, and my regular on-the-bike training, has really improved my power and my ability to spin.

- Rob George @ Roadie Rob's Bicycle School

My MTB skills coach.  Rob's the coach who can tell you how to ride a bike, without you even realising he's teaching you stuff.  Having self-taught myself how to ride a bike in my early 20's, I have never had the skills that people have when they've started riding as a small child.  Lesson for the future: if you have kids, get 'em on a bike as soon as possible!  Rob has a huge knowledge base from his days as a world cup downhill racer, and from many, many years of teaching students around the Gap Creek trails (Brisbane) and knows exactly how to make difficult trails seem super easy.

- Kirsty Broun @ Kirsty Broun Cycling

My road bike skills coach.  Several months ago I did not realise the benefit of improving some of my skills on the road bike.  Sure, my MTB skills are in constant need of improvement, but not my road bike skills... ?  After just a few sessions with Kirsty, I have also come to understand that cornering, unclipping with different feet, using different hands to grab water bottles, bumping shoulders with other riders, and many other on-the-bike skills are often taken for granted. I realise now that a lot of stuff that I was doing on the bike was "adequate" but not really done "properly".  And similar to being shown the right line on a MTB trail with Roadie Rob, Kirsty has really opened my eyes to the skills we should all have to ride (and race) more safely and confidently on the road.  In particular, being there to see Kirsty coach some groups of cyclists over the Easter weekend was an eye-opening and rewarding experience.

Ausenco Summer Series #2

If bike racing is a numbers game, then our QSM team was already ahead even before the start of race two in the series.  In race two, we had Claire, Jessica, Jemma, and myself racing, with our star coach Kirsty Broun.

The Campos team unfortunately had two of their 4 team riders out of the race due to illness, and Pensar was also limited to just three team riders.
To mix things up a bit, our team goal for this race was a bunch sprint.  So in contrast to the week before when we had been trying to help initiate a breakaway, this week we were aiming to chase everything down.

Since Pensar currently had the leader’s jersey (Jenelle), the pressure was on their two team riders (Sam and Nicole) to chase all the breaks down.

This was a pretty tough ask against another dozen or so other strong women.

Although Campos had only two riders (Jasmin and Louise), they both jumped at the chance to make the race a difficult one.

Louise managed a solo break to stay away for both the intermediate primes, before being reeled in by a marathon effort on the front by Sam from Pensar.

Although a few strong individual riders (such as Britt, Marianne, Alex, Linda) tried to get away during the race, they were usually fairly quickly shut down again by our QSM girls, or by Pensar.

Towards the end, I think most of the bunch realised the race was going to end in one final kick.

Channelling all of Kirsty Broun’s previous criterium winning experiences, we tried our best to form a QSM leadout train.  Practising it on a track in non-race conditions was definitely easier than in the real race.  Suddenly you are not only faced with keeping the train together for your team sprinter, but being on the lookout for other things such as another team’s train surging past; other riders getting in between your team mates; and individuals jumping past the train to get a gap up the road.

In the end, we did the best we could on the day, but we are all aware this will take some more practice before we become truly proficient in lead outs.  On a high note, despite minor deviations to our team plan, we got Jemma second in a bunch sprint at the end of the race.  Jasmin (Campos) took first, with Britt Lindores (Crino) a close third, and Jess (QSM) fifth.  Another very positive thing about this result was that Jemma had now accumulated enough points from her third place last week, and her second place this week, to put her in the leader’s jersey.

QSM in the leader’s jersey!!...

Amazing what a good team tactician and mentor can do.  When we recruited Kirsty Broun a few weeks ago to help us learn a thing or two about racing as a team, none of us imagined we’d have the leader’s jersey going into the final race.
There will be enormous pressure on us as a team in round three, but I believe we can rise to the occasion.  Winning isn’t everything, but working as a team is certainly building both our confidence and our team camaraderie.
Photos (above) are again courtesy of Brad Gooda.
For more on Kirsty Broun's coaching go to:
www.facebook.com/kirstybrouncycling

Ausenco Summer Series #1

Round one of the Ausenco Crestmead Summer Series of criteriums was held on Sunday.  With torrential rain the previous day, the light rain on Sunday almost made the day feel "fine" in comparison.  Luckily the series is held on an excellent circuit, with fast drainage.  This first round was also the Logan Cycling Cup for 2013.

With teams from Pensar-SPM, Campos-Avalon, and QSM Racing, along with women from Crino, QAS, Riders Morningside and Lifecycle, it was always going to be a good race, even in the rain.

Our team goals have changed a bit this year, and we were determined to get a girl in the break this race.  Rather than being on the defensive as a smaller team, we were going to throw everything we could at this race.  With Jemma, Jessica and myself on the start line, we attacked as much as we could from early on.

Surprisingly early into the race, I was already in a break with two other girls (Jenelle from Pensar, and Sally from Campos), and we had a fair gap on the main bunch.  I looked at my Garmin at this point and thought to myself "this is way too early" for a break to stay away, but we kept up the turns just in case this was going to be "the one".  Britt (Crino) bridged to us shortly after, and Jemma (QSM) also.  We still had a fair gap on the bunch at this point.

Sally, Jenelle and Jemma were riding strongly and were determined to keep the pace high.

They each put in some strong turns, and Britt and I soon found ourselves back in the main bunch, leaving the three of them to battle it out to the end.

Since all 3 major teams now had a single rider in the break, there was not a lot of need to chase the break down.  In the last corner, Jemma seemed to be forced to the front to lead out, with Sally putting in a powerful attack to get to the finish line, but Jenelle was firmly on her wheel and came around to claim first in the last few centimeters.  Well done to all for a fast-paced but safe race in the less-than-ideal conditions.

Well done also to our two B grade ladies in the other concurrent race (Jane Youdan and Kerry Westwood) who both had an enjoyable race, and attacked to the best of their abilities.  That's what it's all about.

Thanks also to Brad Gooda for the photos.

QSM Racing Brisbane Blast

After an absence of many years, criterium racing has returned to Brisbane's Southbank.
In its prime, there used to be a series of prestigious criteriums held towards the end of the year involving locations such as Noosa, Brisbane Central (Southbank), and the Gold Coast.

It was always a good time of the year to go watch some fast racing around tight corners, with some big crowds.  Particularly since Qld doesn't have a "big" cycling event such as the TDU in South Australia, these criteriums offered up the rare opportunity to see professional and amateur cyclists racing on local Qld streets.

QSM Racing / QSM Sports initially tried to get this event running towards the end of last year (2012).  Unfortunately due to road closure issues, they needed to reschedule the event and change the location.

Thankfully the new "Brisbane Blast" event at Southbank was a great success, and in the words of women's Pro cyclist Carla Ryan... "Nice to support a local event. #BrisbaneBlast.  Great to see racing return to Southbank.  #letskeepitgoing." (from Twitter).

It was great to see a good turn out of women at the race on Sunday.  Teams represented at the Blast included QSM Racing/Upper Limb/DWBH, Pensar/SPM, Crino Cycles, Campos, Data#3 and Koiled/UQ.

Like Noosa, there was some fierce racing and a few attempts were made by various riders at a breakaway.  One breakaway group of 3 finally succeeded with Carla Ryan, Sam Hemsley and Jazzy Hurikino.

These girls toughed it out to the end of the race, and Sam Hemsley had the legs to outsprint Carla and Jazzy for the win.  Hopefully the feedback from all the races is good enough to get this event going annually.

Thanks to Brad Gooda for the photos.

Bitten by the bike industry bug

Can’t seem to help myself and I am returning to work at a bike shop. After a few months off just doing the “vet” thing, I am back helping out at another new shop.
Why? It’s rewarding work. But isn’t veterinary work rewarding too? Yes, but in a different way.

I spent years and years at university in Australia, and then overseas, to get myself an incredibly versatile degree. I chose to branch out into a small animal referral speciality because it was “tougher”. I thought I’d enjoy the extra challenges. I didn’t just have to know all the information, I also needed to be able to problem solve. Sometimes the problem solving was also “against the clock” because some animals were very ill, and maybe even dying, while I tried to work out what was wrong with them. But then came the stresses. The long work hours, and high pressure situations. The seemingly endless counselling of owners with very sick pets. Would the pet survive? Would the pet suffer? Was euthanasia an option?

It’s difficult not to take things personally when an animal can’t be saved. And being a bit of a perfectionist, I would take things too much to heart. Then unexpectedly, my mum died. It was the last straw, and my life was falling apart. I needed to change things. I didn’t want to quit my veterinary work because I still found glimmers of hope that I could get back to being more rewarded by a career I had worked so hard for. So I went part-time.

Then suddenly I had all this spare time. What to do next? I enjoyed riding my bike, so why not do that more often? But somehow, although I enjoyed the extra time to ride, I felt a bit “lazy”. I felt like I wasn’t using my time on this planet very wisely. In hindsight, I suppose I could have chosen something else rewarding like charity work… but for some reason I wanted something “different” as my second job… so I asked the local bike shop if they would consider me helping them out when they were busy. “But you’re a vet aren’t you?” was the response I got. “Yes but I am willing to learn about retail”. So I started the next week.

During my entire time working at that bike shop, the owners (Pip and Shayne) encouraged me and I found I really enjoyed the work. What I also discovered was that it gave me a new lease of life on my veterinary work, because it gave me some new experiences and I was shown some new ways of helping people and dealing with problems. Even my veterinary bosses have admitted to me that my attitude to my veterinary work is much better since I started the bike shop work. So even after Pip and Shayne sold the shop and moved on, I found the work so beneficial that I stayed on with the new shop owners. A few years later, I was still working there. Then some things changed towards the end of last year, and my veterinary work started to demand much more of me, so I gave the bike shop position away.

I wasn’t sure I’d miss the work, but I did. A lot. And fortunately for me, Pip and Shayne have just begun a new adventure with a new bike shop. Thankfully, they have room for me in this new endeavour, and I am really pleased to say that I can once again tell people that “I’m a veterinarian, but I also help out part-time in a bike shop”. :)