Vicki Whitelaw

Jessica Kate or “Le Foetus” as she was known in utero (to allow us an additional entry in a Tour de France tipping competition – in which she promptly beat both her parents might I add) arrived on July 27th – 6 days past her due date.

We’ve had an exciting but also overwhelming month since bringing her home and both Dave and I have at times wondered why babies don’t come equipped with instruction manuals!

As a new parent I discovered a mix of emotions – anxiety, fear, joy and disbelief – that I had never experienced before. In hospital, Jessica had been swaddled tightly, placed between us on a comfy double bed and we had all together as a family caught up on 3 hours of valuable shut eye after an exhausting few days before/during the labour. (I’ll save you all from that story!)

On arriving home for our first night, we expected to just replicate that same scene. Swaddle baby tightly, place in bassinet next to parents’ bed and everyone would go to sleep. Bzzzt! Wrong!

The next 2 weeks were all a bit of a blur as we took turns doing night shifts to settle a screaming baby. Jessica would sleep fine for some intervals in the night – as long as she was comfortably snuggled on her parents’ chest whilst they were suitably uncomfortable. This was a tough time because neither Dave nor I are able to sleep sitting up or on our back. I was prepared for interrupted sleep but several days of no sleep each night were wearing me very thin. Sort of put the Giro Donna in perspective – at least I got to sleep between stages there.

In the end, bringing Jess into our big family bed (which prior to her arrival was not part of my plans) was the only way to survive the madness and allow us a few hours of rest.

Fortunately things have  improved dramatically in the last 2 weeks as we as parents grow in confidence and receive invaluable support and assistance from family and friends. We are all much better rested, able to enjoy couple time and both Dave and I are back into a (rather modified) exercise routine. I managed a very cruisy mountain bike ride the other day and have been enjoying lifting weights back in the gym.

Life is certainly different with a little one (duh!) but it is one that I am very much enjoying and muddling through.

We reached a milestone a couple of weeks back… we realised we had gone a whole day without taking a picture of Jessica!?! Even though the photo taking has slowed down lately we are still very glad to be in the age of digital photography – otherwise I think we would be broke after paying for all the film development. Without posting our entire family album here, I have added a few photos of Jess.  I think she is kind of cute, but readily admit that I might just be a little biased.

Until next time I emerge from my sleepless daze…
Vicki

Almost the same shape as before.

I’ve got my eye on you!

They have to tie me down to stop me getting away.

We have kept my website alive with the idea that I might like to come back and blog from time to time. Whilst that hasn’t happened on a regular basis, there is no time like the present to get started and fill you in on what’s happened since I decided to retire from professional cycling.

I guess the biggest news is that our first baby is due in a little under a week! Well, I guess that depends on who you talk to. The experts all like to tell me that the first bub is always late, so I guess looking at around 2 weeks.  I sure hope not! Things are getting just a little uncomfortable at the moment and I’m kind of thinking that it would be nice to see my toes again, do up my own shoe laces without assistance and basically feel a little less like a heffalump.

1 week to go!

I ‘spose I really shouldn’t complain as I’ve been able to remain fairly active. It’s only been in the last week that walking has taken over as my predominant exercise routine. Prior to that I was mountain biking 4 times a week and hitting up the single track close to home. The mountain bike was the natural choice for biking – at least it was after Dave managed to hunt down the steepest and shortest handlebar stem on the market. (A 30 degree, 40mm abomination with 2omm of spacers below it!?! – Dave) Now I look like a little old Dutch lady on her way to market – all I need to complete the image is a basket on the front. I don’t think I could get further away from the position I have been racing in for years! At least I managed to squeeze another couple of months of cycling in – I have always found it the best form of exercise for my joints. Well that and weight training . Now that my ligaments have the strength of jelly and my joints seem to be exploring angles they have never achieved before I was hardly going to take up running again… that would be an injury waiting to happen!

After spending the previous 5 Aussie winters in Europe basking in the sunshine a Canberra winter was always going to be a shock to the system. Mornings are the toughest as we frequently see heavy frosts and balmy -5 deg temps.  Whilst mountain biking  in the forest and at a slower pace is somewhat warmer and less breezy than on the road, on each ride I’ve had to sit huddled behind Dave and sunggle hands into armpits when I get the chance. This is all while trying not to fall off, what with an ever growing belly and changing centre of gravity.

I’ve also being getting my cycling fix following the Women’s Giro di Italia (thanks Podium Cafe!) and the Tour de France… in that order of importance of course. It was incredibly exciting to see highlights of the awesome competition between Marianne Vos, the 2 Emmas and Evelyn Stevens. Marianne’s class as a rider and her warmth and personality make her such an asset to women’s cycling and I’m hoping she stays around for a long time.

I’ve also enjoyed seeing the sensational results of the women’s GreenEdge team. With such a talented group of riders, great direction and a team that seems to gel and work well together, they were always going to launch onto the scene with a bang. With their attacking and aggressive style of racing (which I was always a fan of myself) I think the future is looking really positive for them.  It’s almost enough to make we wish I had taken them up on their offer… almost.

On retiring from the professional scene, I was keen to remain involved in the sport rather than just become a passive observer. Cycling will always be part of our family as we really enjoy the sport and the fitness it provides but I also figured it was my turn to dish out some pain after all the ‘tough love’ I have received from my coachs throughout my career. To this end I have been studying for, and progressing through, my cycling coaching certificates.

Coaching is something that I have been thinking about for a while – I just needed some “down time” before I commenced my studies. Whilst I have an Exercise and Sport science degree and have studied coaching subjects at university, it has been refreshing to study through the cycling Australia program with mentors such as Sian Mulholland and Donna Rae Szalinski, who both just happen to be previous coaches of mine. It has been a good combination of theory and practical and, whilst it will take several years to gain the knowledge and experience required, I’m looking forward to the journey.

As part of the qualification I’m currently working towards I am now coaching a 17 year old who is based in Tasmania. I’m thoroughly enjoying working through his season, planning his weekly training programs and, of course, putting the “hurt” on another cyclist. So far, so good and I look forward to the next 6 months as I assist him in achieving his goals, whilst also making allowance for his normal life activities like school and work.

Since returning from Worlds last year in October, I have been back into work as an exercise physiologist and soft tissue therapist. I finished up a week ago and, whilst I still felt capable of working right up until my due date, Dave suggested that it was possibly cutting things a bit too fine. I’m not used to hanging around home with nothing to do but it has certainly been nice to chill out with friends over lunch, lounge around reading and catch up on lots of DVDs. Apparently I will have my hands pretty full very soon.

So there you go – there is life after cyclling!
Vicki

It’s been over two months since my last blog and I’m sorry to all who regularly read my entries and have followed my adventure for the lack of updates. If you hadn’t seen my name on some results pages at my final tour in Toscana, followed by the World Championships road race in Denmark at the end of September, you may have thought I had simply disappeared. 

So it’s about time I jump on here and let you all know of my plans from here on. After a great deal of reflection on my return to Australia almost a month ago, I’ve decided to hang up the bike and ‘retire’ from the professional peloton.

Since I started cycling at the young age of 27 I have hit the cycling  life hard – initially for 2 years in Australia and then 4 years overseas in the international peloton. I’ve had a good innings. Like many athletes, the journey has been far from smooth but it’s certainly been a challenging adventure and learning experience. Sure,  I would have liked to have skipped some of the tough times, but that’s life and an ever- trustworthy Jesus Christ has stood by me at all times.

I have had so many enjoyable times, trained in some awesome parts of the world and met many others passionate about cycling, some of whom I have formed life long friendships. Even though the life of a pro can be testing and exhausting, those friendships I’ve forged with people all around the world have been really something special. I will miss these times.

It was a tough decision given there were  some very exciting proposals presented to me to continue racing next year. GreenEdge is going to be a fabulous bunch of girls and a very professional team – I was very, VERY tempted to ride for ‘just one more’ year. However, the other exciting prospect for me is to spend much more time with my soul-mate and husband Dave and reconnect with my family and good friends here at my real ‘home’. (Italy= 2nd home )

Cycling will still remain my main form of aerobic exercise (running still kills the knees and honestly if humans were ment to run, we wouldn’t have invented the bicycle . It just means that I don’t have to train in rain, hail or shine for an average of  3 hours daily – it will be a nice change to throw some other activities into the mix from time to time. My very clean mountain bike that I purchased over 6 years ago might finally get some decent outdoors time. Right now, I’m also loving pumping the upper body weights in the gym several times a week – all in the name of feeling healthy and fit.

I’m also getting back into the swing of my other career: exercise physiologist and soft tissue therapist. I was well established in the profession long before this cycling addiction lead to a hiatus. It has been great to be welcomed back by my work mates at Clinic 88, Canberra and I look forward to the challenge of furthering my knowledge and skills in this area. I never want to stop learning.

So that’s it for now. Thanks to all who have encouraged me in my pursuits and also been a listening ear during those tough times. My big thanks are to Donna Rae Szalinski – super coach and friend who is truly outstanding in her ability to get the most out of every individual that she coaches. Also to Sian Mulholland who first trained me to race and for Glenn Doney for recognising my talents to give me a shot at the next step in the cycling hierarchy, even though I was “too old” according to many others.   Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my husband Dave who has travelled and shared this journey alongside me (even though most of the time we have been 15,000km apart  ). I have been amazed at his capacity to step up to everything including mechanic, massage therapist, driver, tactician and No. 1 supporter, all thrown into one.

I know I began things with a “farwell”, however it’s not really good bye… just from the elite pro racer thing. Cycling is a great sport and I plan to be involved in some capacity in the future. I just need a bit of a break in the mean time.

I haven’t decided at this time  whether I will continue this blog, filling it with other random things that interest me. Unlike the 3 week decision I had to make regarding a team offer for next year, I have 2 months to decide whether I will thrill you with descriptions of the application of transverse friction technique for reduction of myofascial pain. Loads of time!

Ciao ciao,

Vicki

It’s been a week since we left sea level and the 7 Aussie girls and our coach Dave McPartland and soigneur Liane Wild are having a great time on this mountain.

For the first few days, it was about adapting to these new heights. Day 1 we rode 3 hours from Tirano at only 700m to Passo di Foscagno at a mere 2100m. Views from our bedroom window were stunning and we enjoyed a well earned dinner knowing that the real adventure was going to begin the next day.

Room with a view from Foscagno

 
Day 2. We rugged up in some layers as descending at 70km/hr from our hotel at Foscagno back to Bormio (1200m)  in the early morning was quite breezy. From Bormio, we cruised along as a group in the valley before doing a U-turn to face the monster mountain climb to Stelvio pass. 

The Top Gear TV crew who had some fun on the Stelvio pass (minute 3.40) described it as “15 miles of asphalt spaghetti draped on an alp.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZm8VFCKNj4&feature=share

It really is a magnificent climb and with memories of last year’s women’s Giro where we actually ‘raced’ up this mountain, I was happier to be cruising at a more sedate pace.

Day 3 and 4 were ‘recovery’ days based at Hotel Pirovano, Stelvio Pass. We brought the rollers out onto the terrace and attempted to spin out the legs which were feeling heavy from the previous days efforts. A stereo pumping out the tunes and good company made these sessions a lot easier!

Recovery day on the rollers

Aside from a few tourist shops and a cafe, a Brattwurst stand and an automatic teller machine, there is not much to distract onself up here. The weekends are quite busy with loads of motorcycles testing out the switchbacks. Our hotel is also the place for summer skiing. Just a short cable car ride takes you up to 3400m and lots of SNOW!

Shame we can't ski while we're here. Our short hike - to take advantage of even greater heights!

 
Day 5 started with a tricky descent down to the town of Bolzano. We then enjoyed a casual 25km loop around the countryside filled with vineyards and orchards and although we were only at 700m, I was still struggling to breathe and feeling quite tired. Living at altitude with reduced oxygen is certainly a challenge and whilst the body responds by producing new red blood cells and increased capillaries to the muscles, these changes are made over a period of time. It is possibly not until 3 weeks after returning to sea level that the real benefits are going to be felt for me. Right now it’s all about balancing the all the training with loads of ‘feet up’ time, sleep and iron tablets!

We weren’t allowed to enjoy this flat terrain for too long. To reach ‘home’ the only way was up. From a small town of Santa Maria, Switzerland we climbed the steeper side of the Stelvio pass. It has some really exposed and windy sections and the cow’s jingling their neck bells did little to distract me from the pain I was feeling most of the way up. It was mentally tough to be ‘close’ enough to the top to see our hotel but still having to count down 10 switch backs (all neatly signposted at each turn) to the top.

Day 6 was another recovery day on the rollers. We have always drawn quite a crowd of onlookers for these sessions. I guess very few have seen rollers before… it’s equipment that is generally only used by track cyclists here in Europe. They marvel at how we can be pedalling furiously on metal barrels and not be travelling anywhere. I’ve had to be pretty careful about maintaining my balance and not make a fool of myself by falling offin front of an audience. Given increased episodes of dizziness whilst up here, it would be quite easy to do!  :)

Day 7 and 8 were more tough climbing days. Day 8 was particularly tough as it included the Day 1 climb to Fossagno. With Mel on some sort of a mission due to the acquisition of her new ‘28’ cluster, she was content to sit the entire climb on the front, spinning away with a new found higher cadence. ( I continued for the 8th day in a row on my ‘25’ and have been getting some serious ‘strengthy’ workouts!    ) From here we descended into the busy town of Livigno (1800m) where we will be relocating to next week. After travelling 5km along the lake front on the flat, more climbing was in store as we made our way to Santa Maria, to revisit the Swiss side of the Stelvio climb. Thankfully I felt better than on Day 4. We have now climbed the last section of Stelvio 4 times and those signs listing the number of  switchbacks remaining to home are certainly cracking me. It’s better just not to look. 

The days out on the bike have been magical and we have been blessed with sunny weather every day. The highlight for me has definitely been the thrill of  riding the many descents in this moutanous region. The views are stunning , the roads are smooth and there are always lots of cyclists ascending who give a friendly wave.

Much rather be descending than climbing the wiggly road that leads to Stelvio pass

We have 2 more days living at 2750m and then we’ll head to Livigno where we will be able to take advantage of some more intense training and some duty free shopping…

Till next time,

Vicki

It’s been a while since I last posted so this is going to be a big one. Feel free to skip parts.

We are more than half way through August and now I have a breather after a busy month in July. Way too much of a breather for my liking, but more on that disappointment later…

It was satisfying to finally post some results on the board in the tour of Thuringen, Germany which I raced with the Australian national team. I knew it was a tour that was going to really suit my racing style, having raced there 2 years ago.  Technical and narrow roads that were lumpy – but with climbs of the shorter, sharper type. Throw in some challenging weather conditions and some sketchy pave and it’s very much a tour for the tough women. Dave has already provided you with a great summary of how the race panned out for the Aussie team and myself, so I won’t go into the details again. Only to say that I came away from the race tired but happy that I was showing some strong form.

Following Germany, I hitched a ride with the Australian team for the long road trip to Sweden for the next World Cup. We decided to break things up a little by visiting Denmark’s World Championships road and time trial courses. 

Copenhagen is a really pretty and very bike friendly city. It has an extensive bike paths and a road-side system of bike lanes for commuters. The problem was that, as cyclists, it was where by law we had to ride. Sure, we were able to sight the time trial course which takes in the city’s main spectacles and tourist attractions (even passing the palace) but it was a little challenging with full daytime traffic and bad weather to really test the course out.

The following day we checked out the road course – a little distance from the city centre and on much quieter roads. It was already well signposted and quite a contrast to the previous 3 World Championships I have competed in.  Almost completely flat – well, 2 little ‘hills’ and a nice 900m drag to the finish. ( I struggle to call it a climb!) We rode 3 laps and were able to get quite a good feel for things. It will be a very fast course with potential for a strung out peleton on many sections. Here’s hoping I will be offered a spot on the team.  Team announcements won’t be until mid September, closer to the event which takes place on September 24th.

I finished up July with two World Cups in Sweden. The first was a team time trial. I have to admit that with the various teams that I have time trialled with in the past, I haven’t had the most positive experiences.  I have often walked away disappointed that due to differing goals and expectations of the race, the team hasn’t truly clicked and individuals have put in differing levels of commitment and effort. However, today’s race was a different story. The team was composed of Josie and Mel – both track pursuitist extraordinaires, Robyn and Ashleigh – our strong South Africans, the ever reliable Cathy and myself. We rehearsed the course a few days before, established an order that was going to maximise our strengths and went out and gave our best. Our ‘best’ was 9th out of the 22 teams. A decent result,  given the lack of any team practice for this event.

A few days later was the World Cup road race. I was feeling quite tired following a heavy block of racing but knew that I could hold it together for one final hit out before a break.

 It is an incredibly technical course, with bunch positioning of critical importance if you are to have any chance of being part of the action. For more than half of each lap the peloton was strung out. With attacks going off the front, particularly before the 300 m climb each lap, riders down the back were losing contact with the bunch after only a few laps. I maintained good position and after a warm up of 3 laps was starting to feel better. 

It is important to remain mentally focused in a race of this technicality and really put in on the line to ‘sprint’ for the corners and sections where the peloton thins out. Unfortunately, I let this focus drop slightly and drifted back to mid-peloton when the decisive group of 7 riders formed, just before the climb.  I was annoyed to not have made the selection as it looked likely to succeed as it contained several Dutchies from differing teams who were working well together.

Back in the peloton it was a cat and mouse game between Emma Johansson and Marianne Vos and with Annemeik Van Vleuten in the break up ahead, it was looking very good for Marianne and her team, Nederland Bloeit. Vleuten ended up taking the win and is back in the World Cup series jersey.

The peloton of 40 odd riders were sprinting for 7th place and it was madness. Not only were there some tight corners leading into the finish but they were spotted with road furniture – signs, median strips, thick poles. After being smacked and pushed around throughout the race by a certain rider, and then finding myself near her again coming into the finish, I decided my life was more valuable and drifted further back in the final sprint to ensure I stayed on the bike.

Fast forward to this week… I am currently spending several days in Belgium, doing some regional races. The great thing about Belgium is that there are races almost every weekend during the season. One can participate without a team – just turn up with a licence and you’re set to go. Since Sweden, I had had 10 days without racing (way too long for me!) and decided that doing three races over a 5-day visit to Belgium would be a good idea to get the heart, lungs and legs firing again.

I’ve been staying in Aalst at the Lotto team house. It’s a bit of a squeeze with 5 of us at the moment -  4 South Africans and myself.  Fortunately we all get along! In addition, the latest rain and high humidity has meant a major outbreak of mosquitoes. Every night before bed we were turning the rooms upside down on the hunt for any that have made it into the dark crevices and corners of our attic space. The little pests have interrupted our sleep for 3 nights and various sprays and repellants have seemed to do very little to dent the mozzie population. Our walls looks like a mini war zone – there are streaks of blood all over the walls!

I raced both days last weekend. The first race, in Heusden, the Flemish part of Belgium was a kermesse of 95km. It’s fairly flat racing and doing a course of 5.2km 18 times can get a little tedious unless there is some action happening. I was keen for a break all day, wanting to finish the race exhausted after the lack of racing. I was in a couple in the first half but nothing stuck for more than half a lap. My team mate, Ludivine made the decisive break with 6 laps remaining and managed to pull off 2nd. Once the break had gone, it was a fairly pedestrian pace in the peloton and it acted as my cool down.

The following day we lined up in Puivelde, a town 40km from our team house. It was threatening rain (hey, this is Belgium) but thankfully stayed dry all race. It was a similar format to the previous day: 17 laps of a 5.3km circuit. This time however it was completely flat and the roads were generally narrower.

The race organisers aim to keep these kermesse races interesting by having sprint primes on the finish line on alternate laps, with 10 euros up for grabs each time. This encourages us to actually ‘race’ and rewards the early breakaway riders. I was again hunting for a break but, like the previous day, every move off the front was quickly shut down. With 1 lap remaining, a Dolmans and a Look Kleo Italian rider had a 20 second gap. With half a lap, I bridged across with Lensy Deboudt on my wheel.  I caught the 2 riders and tried to encourage them to continue to roll turns as the peloton was bearing down on us very quickly. The Look Kleo rider had sat on us and attacked with 500m remaining. Lensy and I scrambled for her wheel and Lensy then sprinted 300m from the line. I didn’t have much left to come over her, rolling in 2nd.

There was prize money for the podium places but it is incredibly frustrating…  Rather than being paid to the rider on the day the money takes a round-about route through various national cycling federations, through my team to me. This is a lengthy process and most of it gets ‘lost’ somewhere along the way, never making it to the team. So, basically, I won’t see it. Even when the cash does turn up it takes a long time in coming – on average a year.  Good thing we aren’t poor cyclists struggling to make ends meet.  Oh, hang on…

Yesterday we raced in Brasschaat. This is a yearly race that attracts quite a crowd and a lot of competitive riders. The first race of the day consists of another kermesse of 80km. Following this, the top 20 riders of this race then race off laps up and down the main street. Each time the finish line is passed, the rider last across the line is eliminated from the race. (Often called ‘devil take the hindmost’.) The last rider remaining pockets 1000 euro!

The kermesse was a 4km circuit with a 600m section of cobbles. These weren’t of the really brutal type that we encountered in the Spring classics in April, however were energy zapping enough by the time we were onto our 10th of the total 16 laps. The peloton generally stayed together for the first half of the race. Skil Koga and Vlanderen Topsport were aggressive and managed to collect some decent money for the sprint primes on each lap.

Into the second half of the race, the cobbles created several splits in the bunch but again regrouping would occur once they were completed. By the 2nd last lap, it was obvious to us all that we were gearing up for a big bunch sprint. The finish straight was very wide but was approached by a much narrower single lane after a tight corner littered with witches hats. I had sussed out this corner on each lap, deciding on the best line and also the importance of being in the top 5. I achieved both these aims and was in a good position as Skil Koga were driving a lead out for Suzanne de Goede. She took the win and I was pleased with my effort for 5th. Getting more patient in these situations I guess.

So I had made the top 20 selection and was racing on the main street for 1000 euros. Skil Koga had 5 riders and it was obvious they were going to be putting it all on the line again for Suzanne. Each lap, they would take turns driving the front soon after the U-turn at each end. I was coping well and my strategy was to be consistently in the first half of the bunch each time we crossed the line. The group would really spread across the road and with 10 riders remaining I really misjudged things and got caught in the second row and my wheel was last to cross the line. I was out!

Suzanne de Goede and Lisbeth de Voght were the remaining 2 riders and they put in an entertaining display of track stands on the last lap, neither wanting to be on the front. Eventually Lisbeth settled for the front spot, checking frequently over her shoulder. Suzanne jumped and Lisbeth was able to remain in front and outsprint her to take the win. She is obviously on form at the moment, having won the Belgian National time trial championship the previous day.

I am now typing from Brussels airport waiting for my flight back to Italy. Tomorrow I will head to Stelvio, a mountain in Italy at over 2000m of altitude for a 2 week training camp. At this time of year I would much rather be racing events such as Trophee d’Or and Plouay World Cup and then a little later the Tour of Ardeche in France.  I have a good record in these races, winning a stage and finishing fourth in d’Or and winning Ardeche last year.

My team has not selected me for any races this month and chosen to compete in the Profile Holland Ladies tour rather than Ardeche. It’s a pity to miss races I have won in the past.

I come to Europe to race my bike and so not being able to race for such a long period is not a great situation. If I’m not racing I might as well be back at home with Dave… though, on second thoughts it is still winter in Canberra!    

I travelled to Belgium in search of some racing (as I said you can enter these races without your team) and would have stayed here a little longer, competing in similar races, except the opportunity came up to join the Australian national team at a high altitude camp. Whilst I have lived for about 6 weeks at high altitude before I haven’t specifically trained up there. I decided to trial this experience for the first time and am keen to do some training with a group of Aussies. 

I don’t expect internet access to be too reliable up there on the top of the world so my email and skype contact could be a little scarce. I will be back at sea level on the 1st of September, hopefully enjoying the positive physiological effects of “breathing through a straw” for 2 weeks!

Thanks for reading,
Vicki

We are currently being treated to some gorgeous summer days here in Italy and I’m incredibly blessed to live here in the beautiful north. The lake is sparkling, Italian gelato is at its best and there’s a general festival vibe about the place as fireworks explode regularly in the gardens of the region. Usually they mark some particular ‘saint’s day’ (and there are a heap of them here in Italy!).

The weekly markets in Luino are in full swing and frequented by visitors from all over Europe. The cars that park all the way up the hill to my place have number plates from Belgium! Can’t blame Belgies for coming here for their summer holidays.  I expect right now it will be raining there. 

I won’t crow about this weather any longer as I’m feeling for friends and family back in Canberra who are enduring a very frosty and early winter this year. Cycling in the mornings would be leaving icicles on your face and numbing hands and feet after 5 mins of riding. I’m not sure whether I’d be bracing the mornings at all right now.

Wow, how time flies! We are over the half way mark of the season and about to enter the tour calender. Yippee!

My season thus far has been disappointing in terms of personal results. This has partly been due to the fact that I have not had a lot of freedom but rather been working hard in most races for my team mates and partly due to misfortune striking on the few occasions I’ve been allowed to go up the road - the dreaded crashes and poorly timed mechanicals that can end a race in seconds. I am hoping that my results will lift for the 2nd half of the season and that I will have some opportunities to race to my potential.

I have a little over a week ‘home’ in Luino before heading off for the first (and only) long tour of the year – the women’s Giro d’Italia which starts on July 1st. A week without races shouldn’t affect me too much. Any longer than that and I risk starting the tour with flat and heavy legs which is exactly what happened in Spain…

The loss of the Tour de L’Aude from the calender meant that May was an extremely light month in terms of racing for everyone. I am fortunate that I raced in China in early May. Yet, this still left 3 weeks without any race intensity for me and this is a killer in terms of performance in the first race back after a break. Yes, it seems the majority of the peloton were affected by this break (except of course extremely unique individuals like Marianne Vos who just seemed to get stronger). However, I am a rider who particularly suffers without racing as I just cannot seem to replicate the intensity in training.

With the first race being the World Cup in Valladolid Spain, I was struggling on the slightest of bergs 25km into the race. Given we were going to encounter a finishing loop of 7km with a steep pinch to be covered 6 times, it wasn’t looking promising for me. Sure enough, by the time we had hit the base of this 300m climb, I was travelling backwards. I lost contact very quickly with the peloton and had to settle for the hoop group to see out what had become a day of training. 

Two days later was the 1 day race – Durango. I was encouraged by better form but still wasn’t quite there. My team mate Ashleigh had a strong result to finish 9th.

The form continued to improve for the Emakumeen-Birra tour. It was certainly more mountainous than in previous editions and I found myself panting off the back of the front group, fighting to regain contact after the gradient eased up. Fortunately, there were some excellent descents to regroup on and find myself “back in the race”.

The highlight was definitely the last stage. Given I was outside the top 10 on GC, and I had some freedom to race, I was keen to make the early break and commence the solid climbs BEFORE the main contenders.  Other teams had similar ideas and the pace was hot from the start. Several combinations of breaks occurred before our group of 9 eventually managed the split.

With most teams represented, except Nederland Bloeit (team of tour leader - the currently unstoppable Vos), it was going to be an exciting game as to whether we would stick it to the end. It continued for 100km and we shelled some of the members of the break to make it 5 by the time we had crested the last climb of the day.

The time gap had reached 4 minutes at one point during the day making me “virtual leader” on the road.  Obviously this caused some concern back in the peloton and the chase was on in earnest with Nederland Bloeit spending lots of energy to reel us back. I was urging our little group to push through to the last climb of the day- an 8km long, wide and windy drag. I was thinking that if we could just crest that climb before the peloton, we still had a chance to pull off the win.  I sat on the front of our now dwindling group and pushed the pace with my “time trial climbing style” to the top. There wasn’t a moment to recover as I knew the chasers were breathing down our necks.

Sure enough, with less than 2km remaining, the yellow jersey (Vos), with Johansson, Arndt and Zabelinskaya flew past us. Argghhhhhh!  I gritted teeth, scrambled for a wheel and focused on a ‘sprint’ to the finish. Considering my tough day contributing a lot of effort to making the break stick, 6th for the stage wasn’t too bad. I was also bumped up to 11th on GC. A positive way to finish the tour.  It also meant that I scored enough UCI points to make me the top UCI ranked Australian for the first time ever - at least for a few days.  The very next race I would bury myself to help Rochelle overtake me in the rankings again…

Next up was the Giro Trentino. This region is truly beautiful as each day you wake to views out your bedroom window of stunning, craggy mountains. This tour is a great one for putting the finishing touch to a rider’s form in the lead up to National next weekend (for virtually every country except Australia) and of course the Giro. 

We kicked things off with an uphill neutral of 6km!?! Every one was reasonably well behaved and once we’d reached 1300km altitude, we were stopped (time for some last minuet loo breaks) and the official race began. There was a climb early in the race which meant my team mate Ludivine and I had a very solid two-up time trial for 60km to get our sprinter Rochelle back to the bunch in time for the finish. After spending so much energy I just barely managed to roll in with the peloton. 

Stage 2 commenced with a “flattish’ 60km before 2 finishing circuits of 8km with solid climbing. Given that I had burnt a lot of matches the previous day and then was aggressive in the early part of this stage, hunting for another break, I was utterly spent by the time the road starting going up.  I finished well out of GC contention.

Stage 3 was a new day. Whilst I was slow to warm up (not at all unusual for me ) I was beginning to feel some energy return.  This time it was nice to be a part of the pointy end of the race in the finishing circuits and I found myself responding well to the surges and changes of pace.

Cervelo-Garmin and Fasso Bortolo were the main protagonists but they were unable to shake off the team of HTC and it was great to see Ina still in there at the end, digging deep for her team mate and race leader, Judith Arndt.

It is nice to be back in Luino now, regrouping for a very busy month in July. I will be racing the Giro, the fast and furious 1 day race in Cento, Thuringen with the Aussies and then I’ll finish the month off with the Sweden World Cups. Phew! I do love racing though and am looking forward to it all!

Bye for now,
Vicki

Yep, I know, a very long time between posts. I was reminded by a friend the other day (who actually posted on my wall – now that’s a rarity these days ) that I should keep blogging and that there were people actually reading it. Thanks for the poke. I will continue to give updates of life over here in Europe.

I’ve spent the last 3 weeks enjoying some great weather and training around my home in North Italy. Dave has been visiting and remarked yesterday that he is actually feeling very fit after following my routine training program and not having to head into the office in Canberra each day.

It is the third year in a row that we have hung out in Italy. In the past we have done some sightseeing and train travel to Rome, Florence and Venice. This time, given it was a shorter period, we decided to stay put in Luino and head out each day on the many and varied training routes that this area offers. I have discovered more great climbs on the other side of Lake Lugano to add to our regular epics – around Lake Maggiore (165km) and up and over Mount Neggia – a 5.5 hour day incorporating 35km of climbing for a vertical gain of 2300m.

Today, after smashing ourselves with some hill repetitions,  we rode to the Assos factory in Switzerland. Fortunately it was with the purpose to pick up some chamois cream (can’t survive on the bike without this brilliant stuff), otherwise we could of spent a small fortune on clothes in that place.

It’s amazing how much quieter it is on the roads when lunch time hits Italy. It’s especially noticeable at the border crossings which we cross several times between Switzerland and Italy on a typical training day. Gees, if you wanted to smuggle anything into Italy, you’d plan to do it during lunch hour. On any other time of the day in this region, the guards at the borders are usually extremely relaxed and waving everything through. At lunch time, they are non existent!

We have become accustomed to the Italian norm of buying food regularly. Fresh food here goes off quite quickly and bread becomes stale in a day. That’s great in terms of being relatively preservative free. It just means that I am usually carrying a fold down back pack on each ride so I can pop into the shops on the way home for more milk, bread and vegetables. Once I’ve climbed the killer of a hill to my apartment after a tough training ride, it’s unlikely that I’ll feel like venturing out again.

We’ve also been hitting the local gym several times a week for all the extra work a cyclist needs to complete off the bike. “Fitnessland” gym in central Luino has given me a great price for my seasonal visits and it is frequented by some really friendly people to practice my Italian language with. It can be a little like working out in a sauna or a Bikram yoga class during the middle of summer as Italians don’t seem to believe in air conditioning.

Dave heads back to frosty Canberra this Saturday as I leave for racing in Spain with a World Cup on Sunday, followed by a 1 day race “Durango” and then a 4 day tour in the Basque country. If it’s anything like last year, we are in for heaps of rain. It will be good to test the legs again in racing as my last block was China in early May. 3 weeks is a long time without competition for someone like me and I expect it to hurt A LOT this Sunday!

Until next time,
Vicki

Last weekend I had the pleasure of racing with a couple of my Aussie team mates – Belinda Goss and Amy Cure and director/soigney/mechanic  Dave McPartland at the GP Liberazione in Crema, Italy.

The 25th of April is a special day for us Aussies as we remember those soldiers (the ANZACs) who fought for our our country in WWI.  We actually lost the battle (Gallipoli) that started on this date in 1915 – trust the perversity of Aussies to chose a loss as our day of commemoration!

For Italy, the 25th of April also a big deal – a public holiday to celebrate liberation from Mussolini. A bike race for women and juniors on this day meant for a huge affair with spectators galore, festive bands, banners and generally a great deal of partying.

I had raced here 3 years ago with the Aussie team and remembered it clearly- a 10km pancake flat, non-technical circuit completed 12 times.

Due to racing commitments in Belgium and Holland, Australia could only manage to recruit 3 riders for a team and, after much discussion, the organisers finally agreed to allow us to compete as a ‘mixed’ team… with the Ukranian National team!  However, with this agreement, there were conditions…
1. We wear a common jersey which is to be returned at end of race (ok?!, thankfully we were permitted to wear our own knicks!)
2. Only a joint car would be allowed to travel in the convoy (easy done. Though you don’t think we are really going to manage any communication, do you?)

We arrived the night before and settled into our hotel, complete with functioning WIFI and the typical Italian style breakfast of brioches and coffee. We were required to travel 5km down the road to the hotel’s friend-of-a-friend trattoria – “La Tana di Lupo” (The Wolf’s Cave!)  It was great food and it filled us up nicely for the race ahead.

It wasn’t until race day that we received our gorgeous jersey.   We had chatted gleefully about the endless possibilities – suspecting that a local family business would be keen to get their name onto a jersey in the race. I don’t think we were prepared for what we actually received… all I can say is that we found it easy to spot each other in the bunch!

Nice jersey!

The race commentator was having a great time, making jokes at our expense and confusing us with the Lithuanian National Team (who rides in similar colours.

The race itself was fairly uneventful. In previous editions it had ended with a big bunch sprint and this year was unlikely to be any different. With other teams fronting up to 10 riders the 3 of us were feeling slightly outnumbered. Therefore, we were going to have to race wisely and utilise the work from the major teams keen for a sprint – Monia Baccailes’ Cippolini team and Gerogia Bronzini’s Colavita outfit.

Various attacks were trialed by Gauss and Fassa Bortolo throughout the race but they were quickly neutralised by Nicole Cooke and Jennifer Hohl (Cippolini) and Alessandra D’Ettore (Colavita). Our plan was to sit tight and set up the race for our sprinter, Belinda.

The three Aussies

The pace of the race didn’t really pick up until the final lap with Colavita gathering at the front to string out the bunch. With 3 km to go, Cippolini were the only team with a train going and Belinda and I were tucked in 4th wheel. This was looking good but at 1.5km to go, the Cippolini train got swamped and this included Belinda and I. Belinda managed to jump out again behind Bronzini and shortly after I headed up along the other side of the bunch. I was able to reach her just before the last corner with 400m to go but was unable to leap into the corner ahead of her. She had a managed a good wheel behind Baccaile but unfortunately was pushed by several others fighting for the same wheel.  She did a good job to finish 6th and notched up another experience at road sprinting versus the different challenge of sprinting on the track.

Following the race, we returned our jerseys (ewwww!) and had a quick transfer back to the Australian house in Castronno. The others were flying back to Belgium early the next day, whilst I had the chance to enjoy some more lovely training days in Luino.

This weekend I’m off to Luxembourg. The weather forecast is not looking fantastic but that won’t deter me from racing hard. I cannot count the number of days we spent racing in the rain last season.

Thanks for reading,
Vicki