Giant • Knog • Ascend • adidas eyewear

Media:

• Pepp Culture | Issue #1
• Girl Talk | Enduro #12
• Anaconda Odyssey | Freewheel #34
• 2009 knog catalogue

Schedule:
• Anaconda Odyssey (February)
• Australian MTB Marathon (100k) Championships (March)
• Bike Buller MTB Festival (March)
• BMC 100k race (March)
• Mont 24hr race (April)
• Alice Springs 5-day MTB Stage Race (May)
• Scott Australian 24hr Championships (October)
• Cape to Cape (WA) 4-day Stage race (October)
• Highland Fling marathon (November)

Recent results:
• 1st The Rockshox Epic 50km September
• 1st Cape to Cape (WA) October
• 1st Scott 24hr Prologue October
• 2nd Highland Fling November
• 4th National Rd#1 (TAS) December

Previous results:
National Series Champion 04/05
2007 Silver medalist National Titles
2008 Bronze medalist National Titles
1st Wildside Tasmania 2005 and 2006
2 top ten Bundesliga finishes (Germany)
1 top 15 Bundesliga (Germany)
2nd Colorado State Championships 2005 (USA)
2 top 20 Norba finishes (USA)

Highlights:
2005 Australian representative, XC Mountain World
Championships, Livigno, Italy
National Series Champion 2004/2005

Race reports

Highland Fling 2009

The Highland Fling came around fast and I was excited to be able to get out there and race. Having heard heaps about the race but never having had a chance to actually compete, I was keen to experience ‘The Fling’ for myself. With over 110km of racing though, and plenty of hills, it was shaping up to be a tough day. But first: the ‘Bundanoon Dash’.

The ‘Bundanoon Dash’ was a short support-event held on the Saturday, the day before the big race. This event offered the male and female winners $300 each for about a ten minute race finishing on a super-steep hill. I arrived to the race perhaps a little late and when I went to enter the race they said I was too late! I was shattered. I was really looking forward to competing in the little event. Luckily though, my boyfriend – who is both more organised and less selfish than me – said I could race under his entry (he had the forethought to pre-enter the event.)

So I lined up with my boyfriend’s number on my bike (which got a few laughs) and pedalled my heart out to stay with the front group of guys. I managed to stick with the front group to the base of the climb, which no other girl did, so I had a relatively cruisy ride up the hill and over the finish line as winner. Unfortunately though, given my controversial entry, I wasn’t allowed to take home the day’s spoils.

So I didn’t earn any extra pennies that day but at least I felt great and that little dash of a race gave me confidence for Sunday’s epic.

We headed back to our accommodation, stuffed ourselves with pasta and got ready for the big one.

When the gun went on Sunday my legs immediately felt far heavier than they had the day before. In fact, I felt terrible! This wasn’t a great position to be in considering I’d only covered about 500m of the 110+ kilometres.

I tried to keep my head on my shoulders and talk myself into the race, telling myself that I’d probably feel better later and, given that it was such a long race, my early fatigue might force me to ‘hold back’ early, meaning I might have more energy later. I pedalled my heart out and struggled to stay with the front girls – Stephanie Russell, Zoe King and Jenny Fay. In fact, I struggled so hard that Jenny had gained almost four minutes and Stephanie over a one minute on me coming into the first checkpoint of the day, about an hour and a half into the race. Thankfully, my legs had started feeling better coming into the last sections of the stage and I’d put it in to catch and pass Zoe. So I was in 3rd, still minutes down on the leaders.

My legs continued to come good after the first checkpoint and, feeling more confident, I was on the hunt for the leaders on the road, Stephanie and Jenny. I hit The Wall – a very steep section of road leading into some singletrack – neck and neck with Stephanie and dug deep in the singletrack to force a gap on Stephanie. Things were looking good!

It was hard going though, I was constantly catching riders but, because they were slower, it was impossible to work with them. So I was on my own trying to do my best and gain an advantage over the rest. The hills just kept coming too, and the sun was beating down.

I got a big morale boost when I saw Jenny ahead on a section of long fire road. I was lucky enough too to be able to work with another guy at this stage and I managed to catch and pass her – I was the leader on the road coming into the 2nd transition!

I continued to try to increase the gap to Stephanie on the third and final stage of the race who I knew would be chasing hard from behind.

I had been racing for over four and a half hours at this point, over some big hills and tough singletrack and I was getting very close to exhaustion. I tried to stay positive and convince myself I was still riding well.

It got very hard to convince myself of this when, at about 10-15km to go, Stephanie caught and passed me like I was standing still. If ever I didn’t need to be passed so quickly, it was then. Mentally I was struggling big time but I tried to convince myself that she was hurting too – even though, in the delirious state I was in, I couldn’t remember seeing a motorbike go that fast. I concentrated on pedalling smoothly and descending as fast as I could. For the second time in the race, I hit the wall, but this time was far less enjoyable than the first, and far harder to overcome than a short, steep climb.

Despite all my attempts to think positive, deep inside I could feel my mental wheels falling off. I kept trying to keep hurting though and pushed on in my wrecked state.

I’d been racing for almost five and a half hours when I finally saw the finish banner and event tents. It was a welcome site! In the end I managed to grab 2nd place about five minutes behind Stephanie. It was a very tough day but very rewarding to get through as well.

Thank you to my sponsors, Giant, Ascend Sports Nutrition, Knog and Adidas eyewear for great support and the best products available!

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Chase the Sun #3
We ventured out on the weekend for the 3rd rd of the Chase the Sun series at Lysterfield. Once I again I teamed up with my training & racing buddy Jenny King.
We're usually met with overcast skies and angry gusts of wind at Lysterfield, but not Sunday. Clear skies and happy faces set the scene.

To say I've been struggling on the bike is a fair under-statement, I tell myself it's because of the gym, the combo of deadlifts and squats leaves my legs feeling like dead pieces of meat, like a hangover with no respite. But apparently it's all about the long term.

I went out for the first lap and had a good start. I came through the start finish and out onto the course feeling good but knowing very well that this was going to be tough going. The course turned out to be mostly open, by-passing the fast and flowing single track in favor of fireroads.

The female pair division was a bit shallow, only 2 teams entered, but that didn't mean we weren't racing. We had a comfortable buffer after Jen came in from her first lap, she did a flying lap and secured a comfortable lead. As it turned out both Jen and I were over-looking our own category and feeling threatened by solo rider Peta Mullens. Peta has been making a presence in the solo divisions at just about every 6hr that has been on in the last few months. She has a roadie background with some impressive results and she's taken to mtbing like a fish to water, so while I'm impressed I'm also looking over my shoulder waiting for her suck my helmet off.

Anyway back to my first lap. The afore mentioned took place at about the 2 minute mark, just after the start loop. I did everything my legs would allow for to stay with her, but by the time we reached a long section of fireroad climbing she was out of sight.

When I came back into transition I handed over to Jen to counter the damage. Which she almost did, she came back in on Peta's wheel. So out I went again but it was only to be a case of history repeating itself. I gave it everything over the next couple of laps, just trying to hold a consistent pace. I came back into transition and handed over to Jen knowing that she would be able to make up all the time that I had lost to Peta and more.
I relaxed, refueled and felt happy knowing that I only had to go out for one more lap.

The last lap was the most fun of all. I didn't worry about how I was feeling and just enjoyed the trails. Jen did a fantastic job of not only only putting in good time on our rivals but also making sure that 2 is faster than 1. So in the end it was a great day on and off the trails.

A big thank you to my sponsors Giant, Adidas eyewear, Knog and Ascend.

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Anaconda Odyssey 100km February 2009
The nerves were not the typical kind that I get before a cross country race, not the adrenalin building heart pumping type?it was more like 'what the hell am I doing this for?'?it was more a fear of the unknown and the inevitable question of 'will I be able to go the distance?'

I'm not a fan of long arduous rides. I like short stuff, the shorter the better in my opinion. So what was I thinking lining up for a race that covered a distance that I have neither raced nor cruised on fat tyres before..? After a couple of days of rest and not moving very much, I can now answer that.

The race started in the main street of Apollo Bay at 6.45am on Saturday. A lot of the girls had raced the previous year and some had ridden the course the previous weekend. I did my best to get as much information from various sources as I could in the minutes leading up to the start. I wanted to know what I was in for. Words like 'steep', 'long' and 'hilly' were getting thrown around and my fear of the unknown was only growing.

Before my thoughts got too out of control the man in power said 'go' and the race was on. The tempo off the start wasn't ballistic and the bunch hung together up until the course took a right hander and (very suddenly) became quite steep.

3 girls quickly moved up the road (Rebecca Locke, Jo Bennett and Katherine O'Shea). I climbed in the next group with Tory Thomas, Jo Wall and Jess Douglas.

The climbing only got steeper though. Jo and Tory dropped off and I continued on for  a bit on my own until  I lost traction and had to get off and push—I quickly realised that my pushing technique wasn't very fast because Tory soon caught me and passed me while walking her bike as well!

I continued on and, despite Tory's speedy hike-a-bike leaving me in her dust, I felt good. I caught Rebecca Locke soon after and rode with her until Emma Colson caught us and made our partnership a threesome. We worked together well along some refreshingly flat roads before hitting some undulations with steep and rough 4wd tracks. It was tough going on the way up but fun picking a line through the wheel ruts, loose rocks and sticks on the descents.

From there, that ominous start line banter started ringing in my ears as we hit yet more steep climbs. I still felt comfortable though and concentrated on getting my weight over the front of bike to navigate around the loose stuff and not lose traction. Emma and I were on our own up until we caught Canadian rider Jennifer Hopkinson-Smith and the four of us rode together.

I was still holding it together well but eventually lost sight of Emma and Jennifer as they rode away from me towards the top of steep stuff. From there it was a welcomed timed descent which was fun in parts but a bit of a disappointment as it wasn't entirely descending, with a few steep and tough pinch-climbs. It was also at this point that I really started to fall apart.

The race became a bit of a blur after that. The next thing I remember was catching back up to Jennifer on an open uphill. This bit of excitement gave me momentary surge of energy, but it didn't last long and soon enough I felt like a depleted wreck again. There are some great sections of trail in this race though and the thrill of the 'four five six' trail once again gave me a brief spurt of energy—it's a great section of single track with fast and flowing trails, sweet berms and nice steady short climbs.

But I still have about a third of the race to go! I came through the feed zone for the first time at the 67km point, grabbed some more supplies, tossed my hydration pack on the ground in favour of bottles, and kept going. I was now into my 3rd bidon (plus a hydro-pack) and onto my 4th Ascend bar. I was eating and drinking heaps but I still felt on the edge of depletion.

From there we went into the renowned Yaugher's trails. This was mainly flat and twisty singletrack. It should have been fun but that fatigue that had been knocking at my door for the last hour like an unwanted guest was now well and truly in the living room and asking for second cup of tea. In other words, I was struggling. My back was throbbing which made it hard to get power though the pedals. My legs felt useless. It was at this low-point that Jennifer got back past me again and I was creeping so much I felt like crying. But I didn?t, I just kept pedalling.

I got to the feedzone again and wanted to lie down on the side of the track and have a rest but my feeder from Giant, Jo Hall, encouraged me to keep doing. I really didn't want to but she gave me an energy drink which I skulled gleefully. At this point I would have been really happy sitting on the grass with a case of energy drinks, but I basically had no choice but to keep going so I gradually meandered out of the feedzone, feeling useless.

The next climb was a gradual incline and I managed to find a good rhythm. Gradually—and with the help of the energy drink—I started feeling better again. I kept feeling better and managed to pass a few guys who'd passed me moments before in my pre-feedzone lull. I hit another climb and was elated to see Jennifer not too far up the road. Suddenly my competitive spirit was back and I was excited—'bloody awesome, I can catch her', I said to myself. She was off walking her bike and I managed to stay on all the way to the top on the steep climb and get ahead, 'yippee'!?

The next part was one of the most rewarding: a fast downhill section sweetened by the knowledge that I was only moments from the finish. My heart was pumping, I'd nearly finished! I even launched off a drop (that I didn't really know was a drop), and got air. I was grinning from ear to ear. And so, about 6hrs after nervously standing on the start line at Apollo Bay, I was on the finish line at Forrest delighted to have accomplished something I didn't even know I was capable of. To cap it off, I finished in the money in 5th place!

A massive thank-you to Jo Hall for being a super feeder. Thank-you to Giant for providing me with a very light and fast steed. Thank-you to Ascend for suppling me with fantastic nutrition. Thanks also to Knog and Adidas eyewear.

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You Yangs 6hr Bush Fire Relief Enduro February 2009
Yesterday james and I teamed up for the 6hr Bush Fire Relief MTB Enduro at the You Yangs. It was great to see so many people come together and show their support in getting behind such a great initiative. The day raised close to $35,000 which is an incredible effort and a great example of how achievable it is to raise a few dollars while doing a familiar activity.

The atmosphere was very positive, even on the course it was evident that people were relaxed and having fun despite the tough course.

Jimi and I decided to do longer stints as apposed to 1 on and 1 off. Which meant that when Jimi came back after his third lap we were well out in front, not only in our category but overall as well.

I didn't know what to expect going out on my first lap having not seen the course or knowing many of the You Yangs trails. But as it turned out the course was a ripper with plenty of variety to break up the 30 + minute lap. There was steep single track climbing, steep fire road climbing and in-between was some of the sweetest descending available with the ultimate combo of sweeping berms and smooth rock roll-overs. Definitely worth enduring the near cardiac arrest on the way up.

We managed to get a solid 10 laps in (5 laps each) over the 6 hours and convincingly won the mixed pairs category so in all aspects it was a definitely a very successful day.

Thanks to Jimi for being a reliable and fast partner. Thanks also to my sponsors: Giant bikes, Ascend nutrition, Knog and Adidas eyewear.

Next weekend I'll be heading to the Otway ranges around Apollo Bay and Forrest for the 100km Anaconda Odyssey Mountain Bike Challenge. No doubt it will be an epic adventure and make for a great story next week.

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Nationals January 2009
Racing is so much fun and most of the time I feel so damn lucky that I'm able to get out there and give it a go, but sometimes it feels like it's the hardest thing in the world to amp up for.

Standing on the start line for the 2009 National titles, looking at the row of fit and lean girls ahead of me, I didn't want to feel intimidated so instead I told myself that they were just blobs (no dis-respect intended) and I could beat them all. Seems pretty silly now, naive too. This realization hit me pretty hard some 2 hours later when I crossed the finish line in 7th some 6 minutes down.

It was a grueling course that never really letup. From the fast fire road ascent into the uphill single track, all the way to the heart skipping hammerhead section, there was no reprieve.

The first lap I managed to hold 5th wheel into the uphill single track, but I was climbing badly while the other girls were making time on me. Catherine, Zoe, Rowina and Jo were already attacking the second section of the single track ascent while I was still fighting the first. I rode the a-line sections and managed to hold off the rider behind me who was anxiously trying to get around me.

I felt more comfortable when we arrived at the hammerhead section, in practice this was the section that I was always nervously anticipating. But I rode it well and managed to make up a place on a rider that had taken the b-line .

I was in 6th position heading out on the 2nd lap when Tory flew past me in a successful attempt to make me feel like I was standing still, mission accomplished.

I guess this was the defining point in the race for me, I knew it wasn't my day, my legs were pathetic to say the least, but I still had a job to do. 7th wasn't in my race plan (race plan being top 5 or better) so it was time to regroup.

It's tough mentally to stay focused when you don't feel like you're in the race anymore, but it's even tougher finishing a race and feeling like you didn't get the most out of yourself. So I continued on, telling myself that 7th is better than 8th and that kept me going to the finish line.

So in the usual post race debrief, I have to dust myself off and look objectively at my race preparation and do my best to draw some positives. Despite it feeling like a poor performance, it's where I should expect to be based on the time that I've been back on the bike. I've been training hard for the last 2-3 months, not all year round like a lot of the other girls that were racing overseas. Had I have stayed in Canberra and trained through the year like previous years, maybe I would have performed better, maybe not. At the end of the day I probably wouldn't change anything. I achieved my goal last year of getting on the podium but as a result I was so tired of riding that I let my bike gather dust for the most part of the year. Right now I'm looking forward to a fun year ahead of racing all over Australia and no where overseas!

I would like to thank Emma Colson for the great guidance and coaching over the last couple of months. I would also like to thank my sponsors: Giant (www.giant-bicycles.com/en-au), Ascend (www.ascendsport.com.au), Adidas eyewear and Knog (www.knog.com.au)

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Guest Columnist for Australian Mountain Bike Magazine | December 2007
I haven’t always been competitive. Actually during school life I loathed competition and would try all means to avoid it. For as long as I can remember the only instinctive desire I had was to draw. Growing up my environment was my canvas, bedroom walls, floors, under the desk, toilet paper, basically anything with a smooth surface. Admittedly it wasn’t great art, quite often it was hidious but it was what I did and it made me happy.

When I was in year 10 I was offered the opportunity to do my HSC in Sydney and as part of that study Design at Sydney’s Enmore Design center. From there I went onto Fashion, but I eventually discovered it wasn’t for me. I was prepared to try several things, I was particularly interested in Animation but being mid year my options were limited, which is how I ended up studying Graphic Design. It wasn’t something I had previously considered but it turned out to be exactly what I wanted to do.

Despite feeling satisfaction from my design work I wasn’t entirely fulfi lled. I grew up in the country with horses and lots of outside activities. So I don’t think I was ever going to slot into the predominantly indoor artist lifestyle.

Mountain biking isn’t something I just discovered, it’s definitely fact that if some friends hadn’t talked me into giving it a go I would never have had the inclination to take it up otherwise. My first race is a similar story, I was 21 and a good friend told me about a downhill race in Thredbo and suggested I should give it a go. I had only been riding for a couple of months, but I was excited about the idea anyway. I was seriously under skilled and inexperienced, so it’s not surprising that I ended up in hospital with a broken back.

The worst part of it all was that 2 years previously my Dad had a serious accident and as a result is a partial paraplegic. If I wasn’t drawn to the sport before the accident I certainly was after. Whether it was the taste of competition I was excited about or the discovery of this awesome new world, I’m not sure. But I was determined to improve my skills and take the sport further.

In retrospect I learnt a lot from my accident. Having seen my Dad go through extensive rehabilitation, I was given an early insight into a worse case scenario. I had gotten off so lightly and I will never lose appreciation for my health and mobility. I don’t believe in stepping back because of a bad experience. Unlike my Dad I wasn’t unlucky when I broke my back, I was naive and put myself in a situation over which I didn’t have complete control. It was a valuable lesson and it has helped me gain perspectives in many other aspects of my life.

I will never stop wanting to ride my bike, whether it’s in pursuit of a competitive goal or just for fun, it’s what I do and what makes me happy.