The series consisted of five criteriums held over 5 days all over Sydney, including; Bathurst, Parramatta, Gosford, Coogee and Cronulla. We were treated like royalty from the race organises, giving us cars to drive, always being available to help and staying in some very nice accommodation. We travelled with our new friends ‘Vanderkitten Racing team’ who are an American based team specialising in Criteriums. We were also lucky enough to Get John Vande Velde as our driver who is Christian Vande Velde’s dad (who got 4th overall in the 2008 Tour De France).
Race 1; Bathurst
On Wednesday morning we drove to Bathurst from Sydney. In Bathurst we stayed at an amazing place right in the middle of the Bathurst racing track called Mirvac Hotel, Mount Panorama, Bathurst. We were told that the Hotel is booked out for the next 10 years around racing time.
After doing a lap around the track (which we had to have a look at) we headed out to the race in the main town of Bathurst. The course consisted of a square around a little grass field, being a total of 400m a lap! At the start line I was basically shaking with nerves, the field was very good and I was very nervous! Once it had started I calmed down a bit, there were 43 starters, which were a lot on such a small course so it was very important to stay as close to the front as I could. It was a very fast race; I was definitely struggling but managed to stay on the back of the front bunch at the end (dropped about half the field). At the end I was stuffed. Emily had a great race finishing 9th with Kate close behind. Emily and Kate are both very strong Crit riders so it was good having them there so I could try and stay as close to them as I could knowing that I would be following a good wheel.
Above; Standing at the top of Bathurst Track. Below; Emily and I riding Track before we hed to the race.
Race 2; Paramatta
The morning of the race we went for a ride around Bathurst in very wet conditions. My legs felt a little sore but loosened up after awhile. We finished the ride doing another lap of the Bathurst track and taking photos at the top. I am now going to watch that race with a lot more interest as the descent they have to do was unbelievable, very steep and sharp corners… I was scared to ride down it at 20kmh let alone race down it at 100+.
After the ride we got cleaned up and Drove to Paramatta for the next race. This Criterium consisted of an up, and a down. It was kind of like an oval where the finish line was on the up part, and then you would turn left, go down and swoop down to the left and back up again. When we stepped out of the car we got a shock with the heat. Bathurst would have been about 25 degrees, and Paramatta was at least 35-40. We walked straight to the closest café and sat in it for about an hour making the most of the air-conditioning and cold water. Once we got back we had a small warm up and lined up at the start line. Again the race was very fast, although this time I felt a lot more confident and was able to easily move my way toward the front each time we went up the hill. The last 4 laps were VERY fast, with team Honda pushing the pace. I managed to stay in the front bunch again with quit a few people dropping. Overall Emily, Kate and I managed to all finish in the top 5 with Emily 4th, Kate 5th and myself 9th. So was quit a good day. Honda’s Rochelle Gilmer got her second win, showing everyone why she is one of the top sprinters in the world.
Race 3; Gosford
Straight after the race we headed to Terrigal, a nice little town with a massive beach! We got a wee bit lost but eventually got to our Hotel at about 10pm. There was a little family owned Italian Restaurant that were just closing when we got there but luckily the Mother of the family felt sorry for us and demanded her Son and Husband stay open if we agree to only order pizza. Besides the angry Husband and unhappy looks from the Son in the kitchen the meal was pleasant and the lovely lady was still smiling when we left. The next morning we went for a stunning ride around the waterfront and hills of Terrigal and then had a look around the shops before heading off to Gosford for race 3.
Gosford was a hot-dog shaped race where we raced on the waterfront up and down a parallel street and then did two 360 turns at each end. We started later on at night so most of the race was done in the dark under street lights, which was a pretty cool experience. I felt really good for this race positioning myself near the front for most of the race. Coming up to the second to last corner I was near the front until a certain Australian decided to cut me off, I had to brake and then she dropped from the bunch so I then had to pass her and chase the girls up ahead. This was not what I wanted to do with less then a km to go. Just before the last turn I got onto the back of the front bunch and sprinted as hard as I could to the finish. The series leader Rochelle Gilmer did not keep her line and went into the Russian who flew off her bike. I just managed to miss her lying on the ground and got over in 9th place. Unfortunately the Russian messed up her face quit badly and had to get plastic surgery the next day, but other then that no bones broken. Rochelle got DQ’d from that race which put Emily into 2nd place and Kate into 3rd (and me 8th) which was an awesome result, showing the class of these two riders. After the race we watched the guys and the prize giving, by the time we left it was about 10.30, and we still had to ride 10km back home. So in the pitch black we rode back to Terrigal with John Vande Velde driving behind with the high beams on and us pretty much sprinting with fear for the 10km journey home. Once home everything was shut, so we had to resort to Delhi rolls from McDonalds (much to Kate, Emily and my disapproval). We then got back to the Hotel and were in bed just after midnight.
Race 4; Coogee
The next morning we packed up and headed to Coogee, a very popular, up-market beach. It was absolutely packed, you could hardly see a space of sand or grass free from sunbathers. This was definitely the coolest place I had been to. We got our bikes out and warmed up. This course was also like a hot-dog but went up one side and down the other. It started off at a comfortable pace until a couple of riders went off the front. I did a few attacks to chase them down as the strong, Honda dream team were just letting them ride away as they had one of their riders in it. After my attack Kate and Emily had a go and managed to get a gap on the field along with 2 or 3 others. After this I sat back and tried everything I could to slow the main bunch down so that they could stay away. This pretty much worked with the bunch being just in front at the finish, but they were not able to catch the front few. Emily finished 8th with Kate 9th. I think I came 11th or 12th. After the race we watched the guys and then chilled on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Then headed back to our initial accommodation just passed Sydney. Thanks to James Williamson our 1 hour trip took about 2-3 hours. But eventually we got there just before it got dark. 
Trying the beach out at the end of the crit. With our American friends.
The packed Coogee beach.
Race 5; Cronulla
The next morning we woke up to very hot and sunny conditions. Kate, Emily and I were lucky enough to be given the Bates Bikes kit to wear on the last day, to make us look like a team and show off an awesome kit. This race was slightly longer then the rest of them; it finished on a downhill and had a couple of up hills around the back. It started hard, and then continued throughout the race. I felt very confident now and spent a lot of time near, or at, the front. Unfortunately my legs were not feeling very fresh and were not happy with the sudden sprints. I stayed up with the front of the bunch for most of the way and tried to block any wind from Emily as she was pretty close to coming top 3 overall in the series. Then on the last corner before the descent I got boxed in, on the downhill I got beside Kate and finished pretty much next to her. I think we got 11th and 12th with Emily in 4th.
Us in our cool new Bates Bike kit, looking like a proper team.. and the awesome fluro socks.
The Last stage, If you look closely you can see Emily with the fluro yellow socks, I am 3 ahead of that on the right.
Overall the trip was awesome! I learnt heaps, gained a lot of confidence and had heaps of fun. Thanks to Bates Bikes and the team and James Canny for the trip. Will definitely be going back to that one!!
Untill next time...
Courteney
No comments:
Post a Comment