Only those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly (Robert Kennedy)

Oceania Track Champs
Adelaide SuperDrome
13-15th November

My competitive, over-achiever nature means that I sometimes find it difficult to accept that even though there may not be a result, every time I set out on the bike- either on the boards or the road- it is still a step towards the greater goal. And that is precisely why it has taken a little while to get this post up, I've been trying to find some perspective.

The plan was always for this trip to Adelaide to be about getting amongst the scene, getting time on boards and really more a training exercise than racing for results. So with that in mind, this is how the week panned out.

Thursday 13th: 20km Points Race
This was the last event of the night, and due to crashes earlier in the program we didn't roll away until after 10:30pm!! That is well past bed time for most bike riders so none of us were particularly impressed! The pace was one from the get go and for the first 30 laps it was difficult to tell when the sprint laps actually started we just seemed to be going fast the whole time. About half way through Davina made a move off the front in an attempt to take a lap, initially I had thought I'd try and go with this but was stuck in the middle of the bunch and wasn't able to go. Unfortunately for D this didn't amount to the lap but she did pick up some handy points to put her in 4th at the end of the night. I went off the front with a Kiwi girl with about 15 laps to go. We got about a half lap on the field before they decided that wasn't what should be happening and reeled us back on the sprint lap. The hammer went down for the sprint lap and pretty much stayed down for the last 10 laps. About 4 to go I was spent, had to let the bunch go and call it a night. All things considered, I was pretty happy with how this panned out.

With Davina before the start of the points race

(photo from Davina)

Friday 14th: 10km Scratch Race
Second last race for today's program, but we were away a bit earlier, thankfully! The plan was to race aggressively and see what happened- which seemed to be the plan of everyone else in the race. There was a lot of attacking, chasing and counter attacking but nothing stuck. It was a bunch sprint for the line which I was 10th over. Given my lack of ability to sprint well on the track I was pretty happy with this finish.

Saturday 15th: 3km Individual Pursuit and Women's Omnium
I really should have given a lot more thought to my entries for the final day of competition, I wouldn't advise doing an IP and an omnium on the same day! But rather than think about what could have been, there were a lot of positives from the day (in hindsight :p). I now realise how vitally important a good warm up is for a good pursuit, and how much damage will be done by doing the first 2 laps way way way to fast! I can now say that I have done a flying 200m- I had never done one prior to this one in competition, but hey, you have to start somewhere! Though I never realised they were quite so technical! Reckon I could nail it with a bit of practise though!

Photo with my mum after racing had finished on Saturday night- looking a bit tired!

Despite posting a shocking time for my IP, on the whole I am not too unhappy with my omnium performance, given that I hadn't done a flying 200m or a 500m TT before! I got through it and was 10th overall. Lots of things to improve on but consequently the only way is up from here! I think my overall performance would have been helped if I had had a better scratch race but after the 3km pursuit my legs were a bit cactus and I couldn't hang on for the last 200m of the what turned out to be a 3 lap sprint!

3km IP- looks a bit a lonely out there! (photo thanks to Davina)

Lots of people contributed to this week and I'll try not to forget anyone:

• mum and dad (photo at right) for coming down from Menindee to see me and watch me race
• Tammie Ebert and the NTID program for $ support, chaffeuring and team mum
• The NTID sprint boys- Maddison, Nathan, Boxy and Coops- congrats for your medal haul and thanks for letting me hang out with you
• Hilton and Bob- thanks for your advice and mechanical expertise
• Davina- thanks mate
• Michael Hardy for calling my pursuits and general advice
• Coaches Pothole and Dean- you guys do a great job (one day I'll get it together to make you look good!!)
• Mick and the guys at Onya Belco for everything bike!
• Matt (you know what you do!)
  

Boxy, Madison and Coops lined up for their Keirin final- Maddison (2nd from top) took gold and Coops (bottom of track) got bronze.