Sweet As.

Well, another lovely February day greeted the riders for the second round of this year's edition of the Sizzling Summer Series. The skies were grey and the course was saturated, but the riders of the Bundaberg Sugar "Sweet As" team weren't going to allow another wet day to upset their spirits. After prepping for the race under the much-needed shelter of the SRAM & Zipp tents, the Sweet As team caught up with Sporting Director Terry Peters to have a chat about tactics for the upcoming race. After racing in the wet the previous week, the team was more than ready to take on their opponents in the unfavourable conditions. On paper and on the course, the Sweet As team were the dominant presence in the race. The five riders- Simone, Angie, Jasmin, Sally and I (Brielle) stepped onto the starting line with a well thought out plan and an eagerness to get underway...

Once again the girls undertook a 40 minute + 3 lap event, and as the most dominant team, took control of the race from the word go. With no neutral lap to begin, the intensity was high and the girls buckled down for what was sure to be another aggressive race on the Crestmead circuit. A few minutes in and the attempted breakaways began, the main opposition coming from the QAS (Queensland Academy of Sport)  who gave the Sweet As riders an opportunity to show off the strength of their teamwork. The Sweet As girls covered each break and kept the intensity high through counter moves and swapping turns on the front. A few (yes more than once!!) solo breaks by our star time-trial specialist Sally got the ball really rolling as she made the opposition work hard to bring her back into the fold. In the mix of every move there was a bright Bundy Sugar kit hot on the tail. We knew when to chase, when the move was dangerous, and when to let the opposition stretch their legs (and their lungs) out in the strong wind up ahead.

About half way in the whistle sounded for the prime lap. Although the lap did not go perfectly to plan, the Sweet As girls still came out on top. With a few swaps of the lead and in a bit of a mix up over the little hill before the line, Jazzy got some space on the outside and took off from a fair way out to take an impressive mid-race win!! She quickly recovered to follow the wheel of a strong QAS rider who used the prime to try to get a gap on the rest of the field. The rest of us were strung out fighting for the wheel in front as we all dragged ourselves back into the mix and were once again back together.

Strong attacks came from left, right and centre for the second half of the race. Simone, who was sporting the Triple Play Series Leaders Jersey, made some fine moves to make the opposition panic. Moves that were followed by counter attacks by the rest of us, sometimes solo but often taking advantage of our strength in numbers by sending a couple of riders up the road. Nothing lasted too long out in front as the windy conditions took their toll on each rider's legs. Coming into the last 3 laps the Sweet As girls got organised into a fine looking train ready to take on the final sprint. Jazzy, Sal and I took turns in burying ourselves around the course for the final laps putting Simone and Ange into a good position to jump into the sprint with confidence. Coming around the final corner, Simone and Ange took off like lightning toward the line. With the QAS girls tailing, Simone and Ange worked hard to blast out the final metres to take the positions of 1st and 2nd, respectively!!!

So, another great day in the saddle. Rain, hail or shine, the Sweet As girls are bound to work 100% together to ensure the sweet taste of victory. The team is functioning like a well-oiled machine both on and off the field. The missing component, our teammate Bridget, is well on her way to recovery and we are all excited about her return to racing. After such a successful day, makes us wonder what we will be able to accomplish when we are 6 riders strong...

A big thank you again to Dave, Terry and Jason for the wonderful support. It really is amazing how uplifting this support is for us going into races.

Brielle

Photo's curtousy of Ben Manson - please visit his website http://benmanson.com