Ouch

After sticking around in Adelaide to see some of the Tour Down Under I arrived home with new motivation to train. With a new program and enthusiasm I set out on a sunny Saturday morning to do the Upper Brookfield ride, one of my favourites in Brisbane. It heads out along the western freeway, down Moggill Road and on to country lanes and past pony clubs. In the heat of summer it is often a few degrees cooler on this ride due to the shade of the mountains and the thick vegetation of the surrounds.

Unfortunately I never got to that part of the ride due to an incident at the beginning of the bike path where I was hit by another cyclist coming in the opposite direction. Taking the full force of the collision with my right shoulder and chest I actually managed to hold the bike up (not even a scratch on the frame!) but then the feeling of being winded and in extreme pain forced me to make an emergency landing into a soft garden bed, where I stayed until the ambulance arrived.

The feeling of being winded never went away during the 15 minute wait for the ambos due to a partially collapsed lung, and on several occasions I almost passed out. Quite a bit of morphine later and I was in the Royal Brisbane Hospital being treated where they also counted four broken ribs and a separated A-C joint. I had a pneumo-thorax (pocket of air compressing my lung) but they decided not to stick a tube in my chest but wait to see if it was reabsorbed by my body over time with weekly chest x-rays.

I can honestly say it’s the most pain I have ever been in. I was given a self medication button with fentynol which I refused to use after the first few times. Not because I was tough, but because every time I used it I threw up 5 minutes later which is not much fun with broken ribs. It did provide some entertainment to my friends who brought thai takeaway for dinner though. I have very little memory of what I said but remember nodding off into my stirfry at some point.

So 2 weeks on and I am still very sore. The pneumothorax is gone and I have my shoulder retaped every few days (thanks Kaz at Southbank Physio!). My ribs still hurt because that’s what ribs do but I am logging some good time on the windtrainer. The bad news is that riding in my garage is cracking me mentally! Sure I was smug when it was pouring outside and I was dry but now we are enjoying the last week of summer and the skies are clear. Another week or so and hopefully I can get out on the road bike. Psychologically it will be difficult but a friend, recently injured after being hit by a car, advised the sooner I faced it the better and I am inclined to agree.

In trying to find some positives in the situation I look at how well I dealt with an emergency situation. Although I cannot train normally or work I have focussed on what activities I can do and aimed to improve a bit everyday, even if it’s just to hang the washing out on the line. I have also used to the abundant spare time to catch up on some admin so my business is even better when I get back to it. I don’t think I will ever be ‘a lady of leisure’ but I am appreciating some time to just sit around, relax and heal.

Yes I am already planning my next race so stay tuned :)

A welcome surprise

I'd been having so much fun hanging out at the track with the Merida crew that I was talked in to racing the short track on Sunday. I don't normally race them as I lack the raw speed and am normally busy checking out of a hotel room and running for a plane at the time the race is held.

The legs felt fairly sore from the previous days efforts and the head was fairly sore from the previous nights activities. I rode out to the course which involved a bit of climbing in the hills which seemed to help me on both counts. Just prior to our race the clouds came over, rain fell and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. It sure makes a difference having a team tent with a roof over your head and somewhere to keep warm.

As we lined up the weather cleared and the gun went off. I got a slow start but managed to cross a gap to the main group when there was a crash right in front of me. Kath O'shea and Bec Henderson had locked bars and both were in the dirt. The race was stopped for 5 minutes as Kath was badly hurt and medical staff were called. We were restarted in the positions held at the time of the crash and Row Fry, Heather Logie, Bec, Jenni King and I formed a lead group. Row and Heather had a good lead until Heather crashed and the 3 of us passed her. I sat behind King to draft as I was unsure of my ability to maintain the pace. Bec had got the gap on us and with 3 laps to go I jumped away from King and tried to catch Bec. Unfortunately I left it a lap or 2 too late but was happy to get on the podium for 3rd place.

It was a nice surprise to end the weekend. A big thanks to the Merida Flight Centre team, SRAM, For the Riders, Mega bike (for mending my buckled road wheels courtesy of last weeks crit) and Trak Cycles for sorting me out with some new Crank Brothers Candy pedals in a hurry!

2010 Australian MTB Champs

After flying from the heat in Melbourne to the heat in Adelaide the sanctuary of the hotel room airconditioning was a godsend. With very little to do except shop and watch television (2 things I rarely get to do at home) it seemed to take forever for the MTB champs to roll around despite it only being 6 days.

With a stunning roll through the Adelaide hills on Tuesday and some course practice on Wednesday all the riding preparation was completed. The last couple of days I spent following the AIS recommended ‘low residual’ diet – basically getting rid of all the fibre in your diet so white bread, rice, pasta; no fruit or veg although I did sneak some lettuce in! Despite my form not being that good the process of preparing for a race does not change. It’s good practice and a chance to fine-tune things like timing of meals, race food, hydration and warm-up routine.

Conditions were perfect for racing with a clear day and around 24 degrees. The course was not overly technical and did not have a lot of climbing but it was deceptively tough. Riding the flowy trails at speed meant being on the edge of washing out in the loose conditions or clipping a tree. My feeding was spot on and my bike didn’t miss a beat mechanically so there is not much to write about the actual race. I had fun and finished 5th which is my second best nationals result to date.

While we are nearing the end of our domestic season the international season kicks of in April when the northern hemisphere has thawed out. Personally I am looking forward to a good 6 months of training to aim for something in the second half of the year. For now it’s time to chill out in Adelaide with my daughter and catch a glimpse of some truly exceptional riders go around in the Tour Down Under.

'twas over quickly

The road race turned out to be quite a short event for me which is very disappointing. At 39 degrees conditions were tough and I tend to struggle in the heat despite being born and raised in Cairns. No need to warm up in those conditions just get on the bike and roll around for 15 minutes. The first lap was a bit nervous as I am not used to climbing and descending with so many other riders. I was a bit psychologically scarred from being brought down in the crit it was pretty off-putting going down a hill at 80kph with someone locking their brakes up beside me or swerving into my front wheel.

On the second lap I tried to get to the front toward the end of the climb so I could go at my own pace and then ride consistently across the top so I was toward to pointy end for the descent. The feed zone was placed on the first climb and most girls were grabbing bottles every lap then having to accelerate up the climb to catch up to the main bunch. On the third lap I took my bottle but was unable to maintain contact with the main bunch. With no hope of getting back on I was faced with the choice of 8 more lonely, hot, pointless laps or to conserve whatever fitness I had for the MTB nationals the following week by pulling out.

I made what I thought was the smart choice although a distasteful one, leaving Ballarat with 2 DNFs. The next week will no doubt be spent in the room of mirrors, having a good look at myself and in consultation with my coach to see what went wrong. Too much training? Not enough? Just a bad day in the heat?

The most important thing I learned is that it is very unwise to race without goals. My former running coach always had us set A,B and C goals for our races. I had failed to do that so when my A goal (to stay with the bunch for a chance at a good finish) was gone I lost my reason to race. A B-goal may have been to complete a set number of laps or ride with a team-mate to the end. Sometimes we know what we should do, we just need to be reminded to do it!

National Criterium Champs – Ballarat VIC

I’ve discovered the problem with crits and I...I am not nearly fast enough! To be fair it was for a national jersey so everyone had brought their best form.

After an early start with a 6am flight from Brissy to Melbourne it was into the rental car and off on the Hume highway. Then a U-turn as I was supposed to be on a different highway and it’s already taken me 15 minutes just to get away from the airport. Luckily in races they have arrows...

Arriving in Ballarat I noticed something different; something missing. Oh yeah – water wasn’t pouring from the sky as it had been for the past many weeks in Brisbane. After my eyes adjusted to the long forgotten sunlight I settled into the cabins with the ASC (Australian Sport Commission) and put my bike together. Sharing with ASC members Sally Robbins and Laura Luxford we did the menial tasks of shopping and preparing for the Criterium that night.

I can now see why daylight savings is so popular down south. Our race started at 6.15pm and the streets were full of spectators having finished work. The circuit was run in the main drag of Ballarat and the support was fantastic. A straight forward course with a gradient and 2 tight corners it certainly took its toll with only 23 riders out of the 40 starters finishing. There was a crash at around the halfway mark that I was involved in but apart from a small graze on my elbow and some new scratches to the bike paintwork there was no real harm done. After a lap out about 10 of us jumped back in which is strangely difficult once the legs have spent a couple of minutes cooling down.

The sprints out of the corner were killing me and I fell off the back of the rapidly diminishing bunch with about 8 laps to go. To be honest I was pretty happy to stay on for that long in such illustrious company. Laying in bed it was hard to wind down after racing that late in the day and my heart was still thumping in my ears. Despite this I fell asleep fairly tired after a long day.

Rolling around this morning the legs felt, well, like they’d raced a crit 14 hours before! The three of us rode easily out to the road race course for a lap and then back for some feet up time. I am looking forward to tomorrow although the 36 degree forecast is sure to be challenging.

The (insert race duration here) hour...

My first experience with a multi-lap duration race was the 6 hour at the, now defunct, Kooralbyn track in 2006. At the end of which I have hazy recollections of writhing around on the ground as every muscle in my body simultaneously cramped. Needless to say I have avoided these types of races ever since. Until now...

The Dell XC 6-hour piqued my interest as it was a new course (just outside Warwick) and a new race promoter which is worthy of supporting in itself. It was a while ago now so it’s difficult to go into detail but it was one of the best organised races I have attended and a super-fun course. The best bit of multi lap enduros is that you don’t just go into the bush, ride by yourself for 6 hours and cross the finish line. There are always people passing you and being passed so you’re never lonely! I felt really strong for this one which was fortunate given the amount of climbing – it was deceptive though as you were too busy enjoying the single track to notice much until around the 5th hour. Winning was great but it predictably was accompanied by the previously mentioned spasming which is very unbecoming!

After deciding that the 6 hour was about 2 hours too long I rocked up for the 4 hour at Karingal, near Sirromet winery. Quite a hot and humid day took its toll and with the course being situated in a valley there was hardly a hint of a breeze. I was a bit tired going into this one and decided that a 4-hour was about an hour too long! After one of the laps I had a bit of a snooze in the feed zone and contemplated remaining there until the end. Dragging myself up I managed to punch out a couple more laps to take the win. Another fun track if only someone would turn down the thermostat!

I’m not sure my plan to race myself fit is working but it was terrific to race locally again, something I have not done much of in the past year. It’s nice to be social occasionally without the pressure of a national/world title hanging over your head. These races are also much easier logistically as you don’t need to pull in favours from friends/family/strangers parents to feed you – just drop your esky in the feed zone and pick up what you need as you roll through. Sweet!

World Championships - Canberra

So given the year I have had, exactly how did I end up in the team for Worlds? A big thanks to coach Neil Ross for taking my World Cup 2008 ride at Stromlo into consideration. I had a week to recover from the epic, fly to Canberra, do a time trial at a reasonable pace and maybe stay for the big event.

I had no idea what my form would be like as I had barely started training again but it was worth a chance. Arriving in Canberra on Friday it was as cold as I remembered it. Quite a shock after the 35 degree Brissy days. Ah, the AIS food hall – what a welcome sight, like an old friend. Most of the team had already been there for 2 weeks in the altitude house. I’m interested in the training benefits of altitude but it didn’t sound that fun with all the gasping for air and sharing of a bathroom. Kind of glad I was in the ‘control’ group on that one.

Saturday was our turn to play guinea pigs as we were poked, prodded and needled by the physiology department who are always gathering more data on athletes to improve our knowledge of training effects. We did a VO2 test or RAMP test where you start on an ergo at an easy resistance, which is increased every 3 mins until you can’t maintain 90 cadence and the test is over. You also have a mask over your face and a tube in your mouth to record your O2 uptake, and a nose peg to make sure you only breathe through your mouth. Every 3 mins some one pricks your finger (or ear) and takes a blood sample that is analysed for lactate levels. Sounds great doesn’t it?? In the evenings there were information sessions about training, altitude, diet and other interesting tips.

Sunday was the time trial day – the day I would either fly home or go into camp with the team. I’d been given the cut off times and as long as I climbed within them I was good to go. After 3 laps I had my answer – I was in! That afternoon we moved all our gear to apartments in Kingston which would be the team base for all the Aussie riders (including downhill, 4x and trials). I roomed with Kath O’shea and Row Fry who had been competing in the international world cups this year. We were close to an IGA and a coffee shop which was all we really needed for the rest of the week.

Each night we had a team meeting and were given results of the previous day and a training session for the following day. The issuing of the Australian uniforms was pretty special – that’s when it became real and you actually felt part of a team. It was great sharing in the performances of other team mates as the races were spread out over the week. It was a bit more difficult staying focussed when others were finished their races and hitting the town though! The team had a big boost on Friday night when Australia grabbed both the mens and womens 4-cross world titles – so proud of Jared and Caroline!

My race was on Saturday 5th September. I rode as well as I could, considering my short preparation, and finished 40th, about middle of the Aussies. The course was great and they had made a few changes since the National titles there. It was shorter so we ended up doing 5 laps and there were more fun sections with jumps and berms – brilliant. I only had one crash but unfortunately it was in the section where all the television cameras were and was replayed on huge screens all over the course – me dropping over a rock, straight over the bars and into some soft bushes, all in high definition!

My flatmate, sponsor and awesome friend, Jo, flew down to watch me race and we were out for a big night that night. After some superb Indian food most of the XC team kicked on at the local bar and danced the night away with varied success until my legs finally screamed for me to stop. Post-race dancing is always a challenge!

So that’s how it all happened – a kind of last-minute, half-arsed, against-the-odds race with the world’s best, representing my country. Had a ball and gearing up for next year. A big thanks to Jo of eDiscovery Tools, Rob from Sram, Timmy and the boys from For The Riders bike shop, the physios at QSMC and Felt bikes.