The time is really flying by with 2010 season just around the corner. 2009 was not exactly a stellar year for me and I’m not sad to see the back of it. However, scoring 2 tour wins on the domestic scene in recent weeks has been nice.
Tour of Bright is such a fantastic race. The organisation runs smoothly making it easy for us riders to race. The scenery is breathtaking including the view from the top of Mt Hotham. There are challenging mountain climbs that resemble the monster climbs I have tackled in Europe. And of course, winning the race is always fun. :) I look forward to next year’s edition as it provides a great time to race in the lead up to January when the road racing kicks off again.
2010 will hopefully be a great year for me. Already it is coming together nicely - I have signed with the Belgian women’s team Lotto. This is a strong and united team that has been steadily growing for several years now and I’m excited to be a part of it. Joining fellow Aussies Rochelle Gilmore and Josie Tomic will be 4 South African riders including their current road race champion Lynette Burger, along with American Liz Hatch and a bunch of riders coming from Belgium. One of the stars of the team is Grace Verbeke who finished of 2009 ranked 13th in the world. Our race calender is beginning to take shape and it looks like a solid one. I am happy to each year be increasing the amount of racing I do as I develop further as a road racer.
I travel to Geelong, Victoria at the end of this week for a National time trial camp and I will also be picking up my lovely new bikes supplied to Lotto by our sponsor Pinarello – an FP7 training bike and a Montello time trial bike. Exciting times! I will endeavour to keep you posted as more team developments unfold.
Vicki