Sweet As.

An afternoon departure for Ange, Brielle, Simone, Nat, Dave and I (Sally) was very welcoming after such an early start for the Mersey Valley Tour, however Nikolina had already booked her flight for that morning, so she greeted us with a huge smile and a hug at the airport with one of our dedicated soigneurs, Wayne Northey. Having being stung for excess baggage on the previous trip, we were all very conscious to weight allowances and managed with the extra help of Dave’s light bag to keep our money in our pockets this time round - thankfully.

Arriving in Canberra Wayne guided us in his zippy, red Mazda Mx5 to our Motel where we had two chalets split between eight of us. The question Dave asked was "Who wants to share with Wayne and I"? There was a small pause (I don’t whether we were contemplating the snoring factor or seeing them without their shirts on!) so I put my hand up and said, "If anyone else wants it the traditional ‘scissors, paper, rock’ will be on the agenda". I was prepared for anything! Lucky for me there were no contenders and the rest of the team divided themselves between the two bunk beds and a queen.

After settling in we quickly headed into Griffith to the Italian restaurant Zafarelli’s (famous amongst cyclists) for some carbohydrate loading to prepare us for three days of "BOOM BOOM BOOM" in the hills.

The best news for us was yet to come when we arrived back at our accommodation. Dave announced that he and Wayne were going to put our bikes together! Hearing this was like music to our ears and it took them until 1am to finish assembling them. We are so grateful – thank you to you both!

After a chilly Canberra night we woke to a crisp and glorious morning where we headed out to Tharwa and drove the course to familiarise ourselves with the terrain so we could mentally prepare for the 7km climb to a summit finish. Dave kept assuring us that it rode better than it drove according to the men’s Genesis team. I think we were all praying that this was the case as the team bus chugged it’s way up to the top of Namadgi National Park.

The start of stage one unexpectedly presented us with beautiful warm weather needing only to wear our knicks and jersey’s, which was welcoming knowing how cold it gets during June and July. Good preparation of an early lunch, a good warm up and positive encouragement from everyone in the team proved to be the power for us all as we all managed to stay with the lead bunch until the final 7km climb.

For our team leader Simone, she managed to secure some early QOM points and conserve enough energy through support from teammates for the final climb to finish in 6^th place. She dug so deep and finished on a max heart rate of 200, which also brought on an asthma attack. Three minutes behind the race leader was one of our stagiaires, Nikolina Orlic who fought to try and bridge a gap to the race leaders but kept cramping so had to test her mental capabilities to hold onto her position. Not too far behind were Brielle, Ange and then me who helped to drive the bunch throughout the race. I feel for the three of us, we surprised ourselves through the early stages of the race with the improvement of our climbing abilities from Tasmania, which built our confidence for the following days. Our other stagiaire, Natalie Langer also put in a gallant effort on her first NRS race and had a near miss when someone’s biddon fell off their bike and hit her front wheel, however with her brilliant bike handling managed to stay upright and finish a gruelling first day.

After a solid day to start the tour, a good warm down and an early dinner soon had us yearning for our beds, this time though we prepared with extra blankets!

Today our one and only Simone showcased the pink spotted jersey for QOM, which we were super proud of and very keen for her to keep. This course is known as "Iron Mike" with three QOMs and two of them being up the unforgiving three sisters. We knew it was going to be the support of the entire team for her to gain a place or two on GC so we did everything possible for her to achieve this.

The team knew we were facing our longest race and possibly some of the craziest climbs and descents especially through Uriarra Crossing, which I made famous last year by going directly over the guardrail! At the beginning of the first descent I thought it was all going to happen again when I had a little scare experiencing speed wobbles but fixed that by gripping my top tube with my knees (a little tip from my super coach Warren Mc Donald). From then on it was a clear run. Nikolina and I worked together after getting dropped on the final QOM but managed to reconnect on the descent. Nikolina then found some extra adrenalin with 1km to go and sprinted to 8^th place even after dropping her chain at 10km to go.

For Simone this seemed to be the longest one in the saddle, which left her not feeling any love for more of the same the next day. This she attributed to an accumulation of a few busy lead up weeks and some killer hills, however she defeated her demons and still managed to grab some more QOM points, which placed her second on QOM behind the tour winner Jo-Hogan from Prime Estate. This just goes to show how the "little voice" in your head plays a major role in riding to your potential.

Brielle and Ange also fought hard throughout the race by doing a few turns on the front and then chasing back on to the pack after some aggressive attacks on the hills, which is where Brielle claimed her nickname Houdini. One minute she was gone and the next minute she’s back pumped with adrenalin yelling, "I’m back, I made it!" I think many other things were also yelled in their heads as with mine in response to screaming legs! Both finished strongly and solo through the latter part of the course like two awesome time trialists weaving their way around the criterium course to the finish line.

What was unusual in this race was being stopped by the commissaire mid way through and having to get off the road so the A grade men could pass. You could feel the unease in the bunch and the general dissatisfaction of this occurring, however it did allow us to have a bite to eat and a gulp of electrolyte without having to do the one arm balancing act while trying to navigate our way around pot holes and stay clear of rear wheels. There is nothing better than making the most of a bad situation!

The whole team worked extremely well today, whether it was protecting each other from the cross-head winds, taking each other up and down hills or giving words of encouragement when we could see it was needed. I feel that we truly gelled today and it was like we had been riding together for years.

An early start at 9.30 today meant we were confronted with a cold and frosty morning, driving through fog to Stromlo Forest criterium circuit. These reignited memories from my rowing days living in Canberra when we had to scrape ice off our windscreens and heat our keys to get them in the keyhole. Fortunately by the time we started it had warmed up enough to ride without any warmer garments, which was a great reminder to enjoy the moment and embrace racing in such a pristine and beautiful place.

Today was another tough day of constant climbing and descending and it was going to come down to how well everyone recovered from the previous days. Tactics early on were being enforced by the NTID girls when they let one girl ride off and formed a block across the road to make it difficult for anyone to bridge as we had been warned by the commissaires there would be fines for anyone crossing the double white lines. This was relatively successful as only two other girls managed to attack joining together and staying away the entire race to finish 1,2 and 3.

As for team Sweet As, Simone gritted her teeth and was determined to finish in the best possible position she could and despite her not feeling like her usual self found her hill climbing legs and escaped with the lead chasing group finishing a very respectable 8^th overall on GC.

For me today I decided to try something new and felt that, as the days through the hills accumulated I seemed to be getting stronger and adapting well to the intensity of racing. I managed to stay in touch through the first set of climbs and when it came to the turn around (which was a very scary and tight witches hat) strung the peloton out I had to put my foot down to catch the main bunch. With the momentum I had created and a slight descent it was the perfect opportunity to make a break so I went for it. Unfortunately no one from Sweet As was on my wheel so I was going it solo. For a while there I thought I may be able to catch the break away as I had over a minute lead at one stage, but it wasn’t to be and by the second last QOM the peloton caught me. It was here I was directly behind a an ‘uphill crash’, which I managed to avoid by riding in the gravel ‘Paris Roubaix’ style. At this stage I lost touch with the leaders and formed another group with four other girls and came home leading them into the finish line. This was a great lesson in recognising opportunities when they arise and acting on instinct. Had I been better a hill climbing maybe I could have stayed away but unless you have the courage you will never know.

Nikolina went into today feeling confident sitting 16^th on GC. When there was a break early in the race she attempted to go with them but was just a little off the back and couldn’t quite join the break so waited until the bunch caught up a little after the climb at Uriarra Crossing. Staying with the peloton until the second last QOM she was also caught up in the crash but escaped injury or damage, however she used up valuable energy chasing with five other riders back to the bunch by the final climb at Uriarra Crossing and wasn’t able to hang on with the leaders. She finished 20^th overall on GC and achieved her race goal of a top twenty placing.

Houdini lived up to her new nickname once again and made several successful chases back to the peloton with some deep breaths and positive self-talk which kept her in the mix until approximately 20km to go when the tank ‘read empty’ and she concentrated on smooth pedalling to take over the finish line.

Overall this was a very tough course and one that hill climbing specialists’ love so to attempt this kind of terrain takes enormous courage. We should all be very proud of the effort each of us put in and the team effort that made it successful. In the words of Dave "We basically achieved what we set out to: get more NRS points." It is important to always keep the big picture in mind.

I thought I would include a quote from Nat that is something to refer to.

Having a little time to reflect, the Tour of Canberra was a wonderful experience but it was all the more special because of each and every team member and sponsor of Sweet As. Wayne, Dave and Nat in the end were integral to keeping our stress levels low by looking after all the packing and unpacking of bikes, rollers, wheels, food etc and the encouragement that was absolutely gold! So thank you!

I can safely say that all our sweat, tears and whispered curses were worth it and the bond we have formed is fantastic, which ultimately defines ‘Sweet As’ and the true meaning of what is a team.

This weekend ( 30 April/1 & 2 May) sees the team competing in  the second round of the National Road Series: The Tour of Canberra.

For this round we have two “stagiaires” (stagiaires are riders who are on trial/trainees) as part of our ongoing program of developing the team and its roster of riders. The stagiaires are Nat Langer and Nikolina Orlic. We have selected them as our first stagiaires for the year based on their race results and personalities off the bike. We wish them well in their first major tour with the team!

The roster for this all important tour is: Angie Papajcsik, Brielle Carlton, Nat Langer, Nikolina Orlic, Sally Robbins and Simone Grounds.

Keep an eye out for race updates  and a full report!

National Road Series 2010

Round 1: Tasmania - Mersey Valley Tour

An early 5:30am meet at the airport was on first agenda for riders Simone, Sally and I (Brielle) as we commenced our journey to Tasmania. Although we all arrived on time to the airport, it wasn’t all smooth sailing as the  check-in decided to charge a fee for excess baggage (overall) as they do not give a bike allowance. Feeling quite taken back, nothing we could do but pay and take it as a small speed bump in our travels. Safely on the plane, we settled in for our flight to Melbourne, keeping each other quite entertained. We were seated down the back of the plane which I reassured Simone and Sal was a good thing, because “you never hear of a plane backing into a mountain” ;-).

Arriving in Melbourne we had time for a quick look around. A quick look soon turned into a long look as our connecting flight to Devonport was running an hour (in actual fact, an hour and a half) behind time. Unfortunately this delay put our plan of attack on Friday afternoon under pressure, however with Mark Munroe’s help we were able to get everything done. Mark has strong ties with the Mersey Valley Cycling Club and is always taking care of riders when they head down south. We were lucky enough to have his company and generosity for the race weekend, as Mark had worked with Simone last year.
Mark was waiting for us at the airport, helped us collect our bags and fit them comfortably in his fantastic van. We then drove to Ulverstone and checked into our motel. We had 2 rooms. One with two beds and the other with one, so decided to have a round of “scissors, paper, rock” to see who would score the single room. Just call me the “scissors, paper, rock” queen :-).

After getting into our rooms we dropped off the gear and jumped back into the car for a drive over the time trial and first road race course. By the looks of things, we were going to be in for a very long day on Saturday. The time trial course was lovely, fast and relatively flat. The road course was not going to be quite as friendly, ending with a very punishing 5km climb at an average gradient of 9%....I’m not sure if it was the chilly weather in Tassie or the thought of this that made me shiver that afternoon...

After driving the course we returned once more to the motel to set up the bikes and head out for a spin over the time trial course. We each rode the full course getting comfortable with our time trial positions and  it feel good to be out on the bike after a very exhausting day of travelling. We rode to registration and got our numbers/transponders all sorted and then headed back into Ulverstone for a shower and a shop before dinner. We cooked dinner in the motel that night, got everything ready for the next day and fell into bed shortly after. A very long day, but certainly not the longest of the weekend...

Race Day

Saturday morning was an early start. We woke whilst it was still dark to a fresh Tassie day. Got ready and rode out to the time trial course. Mark drove our spare wheels and extra gear out for us in the van so we could get a warm up on the road. We registered and then went to the course to have a better warm up on the rollers before our start. Sal was off first out of the three of us, followed by myself and then Simone.

Sally kicked off the time trial with amazing power. As I was spinning on the rollers I saw her on the start line purely focused on the task ahead. It wasn’t long until my name was called and I followed in Sal’s stride (although, not quite as powerfully). I kicked off the time trial with a bit of a hairy start as my foot pulled out of the pedal as I went to take off and then found my front wheel rubbing the brakes in the first few hundred metres. Once I got that sorted it was smooth sailing. I really enjoyed this course and although I gave it a red hot go, I rode conservatively trying to save some gas for the hilly road race in the afternoon. Simone  was very pleased with her time trial. And so she should be after improving by over a minute from last year’s tour over the same course!! Luckily Simones race went smoothly and thus put her in a good starting position for the General Classification. And here is Sal’s overview of the time trial...

Sal: “I was feeling confident going into the TT, it was just a matter of putting it all together on the day. Being colder conditions I knew I needed a good warm up,  so made sure I was sweating beforehand. My legs were screaming in the first half of the race but they warmed up by the second half and I was able to punch over the hills and put in a good time. The weather threatened, however I had trained for ALL conditions back in the Sunshine Coast and fortunately it remained dry and I felt the course suited me, which was a bonus.

With months of invaluable coaching guidance from Warren McDonald and a great team of support (Ginge and Whipster) and of course the one and only Mark Munroe I was able to execute everything that I had trained for ... and it paid off!”

We found out quite quickly how everyone had gone. Sal, under enormous pressure to perform well by the National Talent Identification and Development Program (NTID), rode her heart out to place 4th (less than a second behind 3rd). Just 6 seconds behind in 5th was Sim and I placed a bit further down the ladder about a minute down. 
 
After the time trial we each had a quick warm down and then headed back to the motel to refresh and prepare for the next stage (and try to sneak in a quick rest). Time flew by and before we knew it we were back on the bikes and riding out to the start of stage 2. We registered and sat down for a quick race briefing before the start and then proceeded to get our race wheels sorted and have another quick roll before kick-off.

The race started in the town of Forth, where the time trial had begun earlier. We were amongst a very strong 40-rider pack including girls from all of the State and National Institute of Sport. 30 of these were Elite Women, the remaining riders being U19. The 60km race started out at a fairly steady pace whilst everyone got comfortable in the bunch. There were a few hairy moments early on with a crash that sounded like a tree cracking.. luckily occurred behind all the Sweet As riders. The roads of the course weren’t flat for long as the first QOM climb came at the 9km mark. When driving the course the day before,I can honestly say I underestimated the length of the climb. There was no easing of the pace as the climb continued and it was not long until the pace got too much for Sal and I, both of us punching on a bit further back. Simone made it look easy as she got to the top and sprinted for the QOM, claiming her first points for the Tour! Although it was tightly contested, Simone  beat her old “nemesis” and current Australian Institute of Sport rider Shara Gillow in the equivalent of a sprint finish on the climb, so it was not easy going. It was after the QOM that the race became one of all stories and sorts. Three Sweet As riders, 3 very different rides in the saddle….

After the QOM Simone was comfortably in the front bunch whilst a battle behind her commenced for Sal and I.  Sal got into her natural time trialling position on her Felt AR3, turned on the Deisel engine and hit it hard. She time trialled for 40 minutes chasing the lead bunch on a solo assault on the course. I was kicking hard at Sal’s heels but it wasn’t long until she was well out of sight. Sal managed to fight her way back to the convoy of cars, rolling up along Simone with a big sigh of relief and expression “OH MY GOD! Oh my God!” Sweat pouring off the time trial demon; she was greeted by a big smile from Simone who was delighted to have her teammate back with her in the field. Meanwhile, I was fighting my way towards the finish with some other riders, soon splitting to one and eventually riding solo for the rest of the course. I was directed to a wrong turn due to no marshal being on a corner, which was a heavy blow so early in the race.
 
Coming into the final climb of the day there was a long and very treacherous descent into Cethana with a few nasty hairpin turns. Riders were awfully cautious due to an accident that had occurred just the week before where one of Tasmania’s best riders had been killed. Sal safely led Simone for most of the descent, sticking together as the bunch spread out.  As Sal and Simone approached the bottom of the descent there was significant ground to make up at the start of the climb due to the large gaps between riders coming down. After Sal’s amazing effort to get back to the bunch, it was just about hanging on for the massive 5km climb ahead, averaging 9%. Simone had her work cut out, but her superhuman strength never fails her under pressure as she ascended like Pacman, munching up her competitors one by one. The sheer agony of this climb was amazing. It was not only a huge physical battle but a major mental battle as each rider climbed at a pace they could maintain. Our little Pacman ended up fighting her way back to within site of the leaders and placed an absolutely brilliant 5th on the day. Sal came in a few minutes after and when I finally reached the climb it was just about hanging on for that finish line.

Three very exhausted Sweet As riders packed up and fell into the van after stage 2 whilst Mark took care of us and safely drove us back to the motel in Ulverstone. Unfortunately, although we were all ready for bed it was to be a delayed pleasure as we each had to pack up all of our gear in preparation for booking out of the motel the next morning before the final race. Mark very generously took us out to dinner in Devonport that night for a feed of pasta/curry with his family. It was hard times just staying awake at the dinner table so upon returning to the motel we had a quick chat about the plan for the next morning and hit the sheets soon after.

Sunday morning, the 3rd and final stage of this year’s tour approached all too quickly. We packed up, booked out and hit the road on a very chilly Tassie morning (I certainly felt the cold!!). Mark drove us until we were about 8kms out of Sheffield (where the race was to begin) so we could spin our legs on the road before the start of our 80km race. We registered once again and Simone hunted down the list for the General Classification so we could see where she was sitting overall. We found out that Simone was sitting in 4th place, just 13 seconds down on 3rd, so there was an excited buzz in the air as we contemplated the race outcome.

As we were sitting at the start line we noticed that the only arm warmers and vests were being worn by QLD girls. Goes to show how much you can adapt to weather conditions given time. A great course was coming our way as we kicked-off. The pack stayed together over an undulating first 50kms. A few accelerations and attempted breaks were covered quite quickly by some of the dominant Institute of Sport based teams. Each of the Sweet As girls had a turn at the front and sat in the bunch. We headed into a very tight turnaround point (around a witches’ hat) on course where the hammer really went down and the bunch split out into a long line. I was sitting further up the front of the bunch , chased back to the wheel in front and found my teammates weren’t with me so looked back to find 2 small bunches chasing. The second bunch included Sal and Simone, so I dropped back to see if Sal  needed any help in getting our team leader back into the fold. Of course, she didn’t, but the reassurance is always handy.

After the turnaround we headed back to where the turn onto the Bridle track loop course was (which we would be completing twice) and this is where the pain really started. Sal hammered onto the front of the bunch to spread everyone out a bit and put a bit of hurt into everyone’s legs before the major climbs of the day. Around the 55k mark a breakaway went up the road that looked a bit dangerous so the bunch started to chase. As soon as this break was caught the real climbs began, which soon reeked havoc for Sal and I who had to play the “catch if you can” game once again. Sal managed to catch a couple of girls and started swapping turns before breaking them on the descents with her sheer power. After once again time trialling by herself for a bit of the next lap Sal caught up with 3 other riders before the finish  working together and finally finishing with a sprint to the line. I really stretched my legs out on the flats on the second time around the course as I knew I was only in hope of gaining time back on the flats. Just before reaching the major hills once again I caught up with another rider who worked very well with me into the finish.

In the main race the QOM points were once again very tightly contested. Simone literally had to throw her bike on the line to take the 1st QOM. Goes to show how relentless these hills were. Simone stayed away with the lead bunch on the descent into Railton but got caught up by the chasing bunch between Railton and the turn off toward the Bridle Track for the second and final loop. Attacks continued to go off the front, but mostly the bunch stayed together as the strongest riders took on the hills for the second time. The 2nd QOM was even tougher than the first due to fatigue and heavy legs but Simone  still managed to sprint for the line and took maximum points once again!! The lead bunch hit a very fast pace in the final 8km heading back into Sheffield. Simone recalls some interesting manoeuvres as riders attempted to improve their position in the bunch leading into the finish. At one stage she thought she “might be eating gravel for lunch” but held it upright into the last few hundred metres claiming a very credible 6th place in the bunch sprint.

A breath of relief, exhaustion and happiness filled us all as we realised that it was all over, and Simone had not only taken out the Queen of the Mountain classification for the 2nd year running but also held onto her 4th place overall in the first National Road Series Race for the year. Amazing effort!!!

The excitement of the tour kept us buzzing for hours as we still had plenty do to in order to get to our plane on time. …think exhaustion...

 
Arriving back in Ulverstone we set a record for the quickest showers 3 people can have. In and out in 20 minutes all smelling fresh and feeling 100% better. With the gear all packed, Mark once again fuelled up the van and we set out to Devonport airport for our flights home.

Mark was unbelievably generous in the care he showed us and the time he dedicated to helping us in everyway possible throughout the tour. We really could not have done it without him! We all want to say a very big thank you to Mark and his family for such generosity.

We also want to say a massive thank you to our Sweet As Team Partners. We not only got there and had a roof over our heads on their accord, but also had the smoothest machinery to ride and the best bike nutrition to boast.

Mersey Valley Tour 2010 was an amazing experience. Simone, Sal and I functioned like a well-oiled machine to ensure every aspect of our organisation and planning went as smoothly as possible. “Control what you can control, and deal with what you can’t when it comes”. We successfully did this whilst giving each other the support and company a true team does!!!

Until next time....

Brielle