Sweet As.

A crisp, fresh and clear morning welcomed Nikolina, Nat, and I (Sal) to the town of Boonah early on Sunday morning, arriving around 8.30am where we were about to begin the assault over the hills near Mt Alford and tackle the head winds that were very unforgiving in this area.

As we got closer to our destination the temperature gauge in the car was slowly creeping lower and lower eventually reading a chilly 11 degrees. For Queenslanders this is cold!

As soon as we arrived we jumped on our rollers to get the blood pumping and legs warmed up. With a delayed start of approximately 20 minutes to allow for the Elite A men to pass through we struggled to keep the jitters away. Nat, Nikolina and I remained focussed on the task ahead and continued rolling around the back street’s ensuring to keep warm. Fortunately Terry was there  providing  us with warm jackets until minutes before the peloton took off.

This race was a little different to others as we started with sixty Masters A men and I could feel the testosterone and adrenalin surrounding me right from the beginning!

Jostling my way as close to the front as possible I managed to stay with the peloton over the first few climbs but it was the final pinch and the left hand turn where I lost contact and formed a chase bunch. We could see the lead bunch where Nikolina had managed join approximately 500m in front on the long decent. Myself and four other men started echeloning to accommodate the crosswind. We were slowly closing the gap but unfortunately we weren’t able to rejoin them before they turned the corner into the headwind and we knew it was going to be a long day in the saddle.

At this stage Nikolina recollects thinking that she had to stay protected by the fifty other male riders, as she knew she was the only female in the lead bunch. She was determined to hold her position so she put her head down and pedalled as fast as she consciously could, however I wasn’t sure where the other girls were but I had a feeling they were behind me so I told myself to stay in contact to maintain my position and hope it was second place.

With four laps to complete, the first one whizzed by and we were soon into our second and third. Each lap we were picking up riders who had been dropped and were forming pace lines into the cross and head winds, but each lap there seemed to also be someone bailing out for one reason or another mainly due to the tough course and conditions.

Throughout the race I had highs and lows but with encouragement from the guys  we maintained a consistent and solid tempo. I was very apprehensive starting this gruelling course but I achieved an enormous amount mentally by gritting my teeth and digging deep even though I was not feeling my usual self. With the finish line in sight it came down to a sprint with two other men and I was extremely happy to finish with second place out of the girls.

In the words of Nikolina “On the last lap I knew I was on the home straight. Looking back behind my shoulder every so often, I couldn’t see anyone in sight or approaching. Easing off a little, I took the last lap a little slower, not only because I was exhausted but also because I knew I gained enough time to do so. Crossing the finish line I was extremely happy with my result. And even happier knowing I’ve only been racing with the Sweet As team for roughly seven weeks now I have bagged my second win. As I look back on the Metropolitan Championships last year, I am confident to say my training is now finally starting to pay off. It’s taken a good year to do so, but I guess good things come to those who train and wait. Follow your dreams, with determination and dedication you will achieve whatever you put your mind too.”

Nat unfortunately had to pull out of the race having also been sick and not being fully recovered. She still showed her desire and determination to race the tough races and gave it go. A few more kilometres in the legs and she will be firing!

On the whole it was a very successful and enjoyable weekend at the Metropolitan Championships for Sweet As and I look forward to the challenges ahead!