Sweet As.

The possibility of becoming a State Road Champion or winning a National Road Series race… Which would you choose? It was unfortunate that this year both the Geelong Tour and the QLD State Road Championship were scheduled to be run over the same weekend which subsequently forced Team Sweet As to split their resources. Whilst Sally, Simone and Angie McClure were down South tackling the cold, wet hills of Geelong, Natalie and I (Angie. P) Were up in our home state fighting for a State medal.

The line up for the Elite Women 2010 State Road race championships was solid with some well known riders wanting to see if they had what it takes to become a State Champion. The obvious omission from the start list was the complete formidable Team Sweat As, and more importantly our very own defending QLD Road Champion Simone. It is unfortunate that Simone was unable to defend her Title due to the scheduling of concurrent events.

The State Road race was held over 120km (!!) which proved to be challenging. Over the course of the race, the main bunch remained relatively constant in numbers despite challenges from numerous riders including both Natalie and I. Natalie was often found on the front helping maintain a solid pace throughout the race. By the 6^th and final lap it was clear the race would be decided by a sprint finish. We both did what we needed leading into the final 5km to set ourselves up for a credible finish. Natalie did an awesome job at maintaining a high pace in the final kilometres which allowed me to gain perfect position leading into the final corner. There was a flurry of tired bodies to the finishing line with the final result being Natalie 8^th and me 6^th. Well done to up-and-coming gold coast rider Brittany Lindores for taking out the gold medal. Despite, wanting to come home with a State medal, we both were pleased with our solid performances considering our compromised training preparation. We both felt strong in the race indicating our training is paying off leading into the September State Teams Time Trial, and Glen Innes to Inverell in late October.

Angie