Catch up...

Gee it’s been a while since I updated so here is the short story…

Round 5 – Glen Orchy TAS

Finally getting to visit Tasmania was a highlight. The course at Glen Orchy was a lot of fun although my form did not really do it justice. Finishing 5th it was more a case of being glad the series was over. Losing the lead on the last day of 4 months of racing was disappointing, however Katherine O’Shea had ridden so well and consistently she was a deserving winner.

After travelling all around the country and not really getting to see anything, I finally went sight-seeing with a friend on Sunday. Port Arthur wasn’t somewhere I had on my list of ‘places to visit’ but it was beautiful and kind of fun to do the tourist thing (very informative guided walk and boat tour included). The guides certainly are passionate about their jobs and I swear one of them almost broken into tears when describing the lives the convicts endured, despite having given the story about a thousand times.

Oceanias – Thredbo NSW

Returning to Thredbo for the first time since I fractured a couple of vertebrae there last year was about putting some demons to rest and picking up some handy UCI points (there are double the points awarded at national titles). A quick trip I flew into Canberra Friday morning, drove to Thredbo, did one lap then put my feet up. On my reconnaissance of the course I found almost all of it had been changed from previous years – except the part where I had my crash! After riding the bridge obstacle successfully the first time I carried my bike back up and rode it again – and crashed in exactly the same way. Luckily someone had the forethought to cover the bridge railings with padding so no broken bits this time.

I can honestly say it was the most fun I’ve had in a race for a while. There was no series on the line and I had already made my decision not to do the European World Cup circuit so all the pressure was off. I raced as hard as my legs would let me but that was getting slower each race so I didn’t expect much. Coming away with 6th was fine and is my best Oceania’s result to date.