Bikeforce TDT R.A.C.E Women's Cycling Team

Tour of Bright Start lists

2011-11-18T16:29:00.001+11:00

WOMEN A GRADE
No	First	Last	Club	Cat
351	Bridie	O'DONNELL	St Kilda Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
352	Jessica	ALLEN	Midland CC	JW19
353	Miranda	GRIFFITHS	St Kilda Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
354	Chloe	MCCONVILLE	Carnegie Caulfield CC	ELITEW
355	Kendelle	HODGES	Brunswick Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
356	Jo	HOGAN	St Kilda Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
357	Lisa	JACOBS	Carnegie Caulfield CC	ELITEW
358	Rebecca	LOCKE	Coburg Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
359	Naomi	WILLIAMS	Launceston City CC	ELITEW
360	Amy	BRADLEY	St Kilda Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
361	Delphine	ASTIER	Footscray Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
362	Heidi	BUNTROCK	Blackburn Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
363	Lucy	COLDWELL	Carnegie Caulfield CC	ELITEW
364	Clare	DALLAT	Carnegie Caulfield CC	ELITEW
365	Erin	DENSHAM	Triathlon Victoria	ELITEW
366	Myfanwy	GALLOWAY	Canberra Cycling Club	ELITEW
367	Rebecca	HENDERSON	Vikings Cycling Club ACT	ELITEW
368	Stephanie	IVES	Carnegie Caulfield CC	ELITEW
369	Jenni	KING	MTBA	ELITEW
370	Tanya	MATTHEWSON	St Kilda Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
371	Sarah	RILEY	Carnegie Caulfield CC	ELITEW
372	Nicole	WHITBURN	Carnegie Caulfield CC	ELITEW
373	Antonia	ABBISOGNI	Bendigo & District CC	JW19

WOMEN B GRADE
No	First	Last	Club	Cat
551	Justyna	LUBKOWSKI	St Kilda Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
552	Stacey	HOCKING	Camperdown Cycling Club Inc	JW19
553	Francesca	WELLINGTON	Blackburn CC	ELITEW
554	Deborah	CHAMBERS	Carnegie Caulfield CC	WMAS4
555	Elizabeth	HALL	Hawthorn CC	WMAS4
556	Elisabeth	RUBIE	Kooragang Open CC	WMAS2
557	Eliza	BERGIN	St Kilda Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
558	Kristy	GLOVER	Wellington Cycling Club	ELITEW
559	Lisa	KEELING	Vikings Cycling Club ACT	ELITEW
560	Marlena	KLAIC	St Kilda Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
561	Nadine	LE MESCAM	St Kilda Cycling Club Inc	ELITEW
562	Carley	MCKAY	Mercantile Cycling Club	ELITEW
563	Nicole	MCNAMARA	Bendigo & District CC	ELITEW
564	Elizabeth	MEAKIN	MA Cycling	ELITEW
565	Deciana	SPECKMANN	Vikings Cycling Club ACT	ELITEW
566	Rochelle	KURSIDIM	MA Cycling	WMAS3
567	Deborah	RICHARDS	MA Cycling	WMAS3
568	Bev	THOMAS	Footscray Cycling Club Inc	WMAS3

Shipwreck Coast Classic 2011 - Results

2011-11-15T18:28:00.001+11:00

Being the last race of the National Road Series, the Shipwreck Coast attracted a strong field this year. The level of competition and the weather, with very strong cross winds, made for a very hard race. A breakaway of three formed at the front early on, with ex-teammate Kendelle Hodges, SASI rider Sinead Noonan and leader of the series Grace Sulzberger. The three of them worked well till the end and they finished ahead of the rest of the field, with Kendelle taking out the win in the sprint.
Well done to Kate Finegan for finishing sixth, and latest addition to the team Cait Fraser for her twelfth place.

Shipwerck Coast Classic Preview

2011-10-25T16:56:00.000+11:00

The team's next race is the Shipwreck Coast Classic :
- start : 11.30am at the Flag Staff Hill in Warrnambool
- finish expected around 2.15pm at the Allansford Cheese World
Have a look at the route and come along to support the girls !

Honda Women's Tour 2011

2011-10-15T19:19:00.000+11:00

Well its been an interesting week so far with the 5 of us at the Honda tour this year. We started in Ballarat on Wednesday with a kermesse/criterium/circuit race of 6.2km around Lake Wendouree 7 times with lots of road furniture to get around each lap. The racing started fast with an attack within the first 100m of racing from SASI and attacks continued throughout the first lap with Delphine and Kate ensuring they were within the breaks. There was to be a sprint at the end of lap 2 and 7, and just before the first sprint there was quite a large crash that both Nik and Sarah got caught up in. What followed was what you could call a major kafuffle and the rules became very confusing, some girls thought they could take laps out, some girls were chasing and the follow cars were unable to inform the riders of what to do. The race continued fast and aggressive, Kate got 2nd in the second sprint and gained a time bonus and in the final sprint for the day Stacey finished 15th and Kate 23rd, with Sue Forsyth from NSW the eventual winner. Kate was in 6th on GC due to her time bonus in the sprint; Sarah and Nik were told with 2 laps to go after chasing an aggressive bunch that they were going to get bunch time so rolled in with a smaller bunch of the girls caught up in the crashes.
Stage 2, Thursday, around Belmont specific criterium circuit. We thought Wednesday was a fast start, Thursday was even faster; single file on the first lap. Over half the field was already pulled out as they were going to get lapped by lap 14 (out of 40laps). Position, position, position was the key to this race and Kate's experience in The Netherlands payed off today, bring the only one to finish the criterium in 12 position and holding onto her 6th overall in GC. Thursday afternoon we went and re-conned the course for the teams time trial the following day and in the evening enjoyed an amazing cous cous with roast chicken and vegetables thanks to the fine dining skills of Nik in our accommodation thanks to BARTERCARD.Stage 3, Teams Time Trial in Drysdale on Portalington Road 6.7km out and then return over the rolling hills. We discovered a definate area of improvement that we need to work on as a team, and one of the disadvantages of us not having been able to have our teams training day as planned due to circumstances that had arised. Kate took off very fast, maybe as a result of the last 2 days, but caused a break down in the team working together and it ended with Sarah pulling some massive turns to bring home Kate and Delphine.Stage 4 Sorrento to Arthurs Seat, 43.5km a hilly stage. 1/2 of us stayed in Sorrento, the other half stayed in Geelong and caught the ferry over in the morning, waking up to a windy, yet Sunny morning on the bay. It was 10km with a tail wind before heading into the last 30km of rolling hills. Fast and furious yet again from the gun the first 10km was covered in about 15minutes, about 50km/hour. Nicole suffered from a puncture, and the rest of us suffered from punctured lungs at sometime during the day, with Sarah being our top finisher followed by Kate. We all need to do a hill climbing camp to improve our climbing abilities and move forward a a team.

Getting Excited

2011-09-27T22:38:00.001+10:00

well only 4 more days till the team for Honda Hybrid Tour are hitting the roads of Geelong for a team training session. Sarah,Stacey,Kate,Nik and Delphine ...

New kit...always adds Excitement

2011-09-27T21:09:00.000+10:00

So I'm back on my bike after 2 weeks off, and what better way to get a little more excited to be back on the bike than to be wearing new team RACE kit..to bad I still have to wear arm and leg warmers but hey, can't complain to much...Kate

Amy's Gran Fondo 2011 (September 18)

2011-09-22T18:12:00.000+10:00

Delphine's report on riding the Amy's Gran Fondo in Lorne on Sunday, September, 18th.

Nicole and Delphine before the start.

There were over 2500 riders on the start line in Lorne on Sunday morning, the atmosphere was jovial and the weather sunny and warm. The start, scheduled at 8am, was only delayed by a few minutes as an injured Koala had to be removed from the course, and riders set off for the 120km journey in waves of 200 every two minutes. Nicole, Helen and I took the start in the last of the 30-35kph waves. The bunch mostly stayed together for the first 40km along the Great Ocean Road. The scenery was amazing, and riding on both sides without having to worry about any cars was very special. Our bunch set a nice tempo and we got to the first major climb of the day in just over 1h. Unfortunately, Nicole was the victim of a puncture in this very first section, which spoiled the rest of her day ...

The bunch fell apart on the 10km climb from Skenes Creek, as riders were constantly passed by faster climbers, or passing slower riders. Over the top I was unable to find a good working bunch and most of the following 60km consisted of hopping from one group to the next, trying to pace myself but keep a high tempo on the flatter section to Deans Marsh. That's where the last climb of the day started, and once again the climb split any existing groups to pieces. The ascent of Benwerrin, affectionately called "Bennie" by the locals, seemed incredibly tough. At the top, once passed the finish line, a lot of riders were having a break descending back to Lorne, congratulating each other and happily chatting about their experience of the day.

The results were updated on the Bike Exchange website almost instantly, and when we made our way to the tent to check our times I got a good surprise and found out that I was 3rd in the women 16-29 category with a ride time of 3h36. The podium presentation only involved the winners of each age group, but I still got a medal, which I collected at the results tent later in the afternoon from ex-team member Jenny McPherson, who now works for the Amy Gillett Foundation. It was great to catch up with her briefly.

I would like to thank the Amy Gillett Foundation for organising such a great event. The level of organisation was outstanding. Everything ran on time and we had no issues with registrations, results, timing ....

If you would like to know more about the Amy Gillett Foundation and their action for riders' safety follow the link : Amy Gillett Foundation

On the start line in the main street of Lorne.

Medal for coming third in the Women 16-29 Category.

Helen, who joined us as a guest rider for this event, Nicole and Delphine after the ride.

2011-09-20T08:21:00.002+10:00

Hi all I'm Kate Finegan....another cyclist from Bendigo Victoria and have just been offered the great opportunity to ride with RACE for the rest of the 2011 road season.....So my first blog for team RACE....Spent a great Saturday afternoon with Kim in Geelong discussing personal goals, plans, and ideas as well as how this fitted in within with the team and its philosophy. Although I'm sure a lot of what I said may not have made sense as I was suffering from Jet lag (a severe 3 day long hang over without the enjoyment of the fun times that occur whilst drinking). I have no understanding of why each time I travel to Europe I am so much more affected on the flight back to Australia than when I go over there. The positive is that at least I had nothing too stressful to do for a couple of days on return to Australia.
So I'm halfway through my end of season break, and after 38 race days in 5 months being based in The Netherlands with many highs and lows, it is a well deserved rest, and I'm enjoying every moment of it. But give it another 2 days and I'll be itching to be back on the bike and start preparing for Honda women's tour and Shipwreck coast classic.

Noel Smith Memorial 2011

2011-09-08T18:13:00.011+10:00

Nicole's Report on racing the Noel Smith Memorial road race from Bendigo to Echuca on Saturday, September, 3rd.

Coming to the end of a big block of racing I was excited to be on the start line of one of my favourite races of the year. This race was my first long race 2 years ago, and for the past 2 years I have been first unplaced female.

The course itself starts in Huntly and heads out through Kamarooka to finish in Echuca. It’s pretty much a dead flat race with only the first 25k of nice rolling hills. On the day we battled a block head wind the hole way except for the last 15k, which was a head-cross wind. I was in a great bunch that worked well together from the start and we were able to stay away. The pace went up in the last 15k and it was down to me and one other guy. In the sprint I managed to get over him for the win … supper excited !!

Thank you to team manger Kim for the last few weeks of motor pacing, Matt Wallace my coach and to all our great sponsors, Bikeforce, Tdt and race.

What's Next ?

2011-08-24T15:31:00.015+10:00

Here is a quick overview of the races we will take part in over the next couple of months.

You can come and cheer us on !

Amy's Gran Fondo - Sunday 18 September 2011

Amy's Gran Fondo will commence from the Great Ocean Road starting point in Lorne, Victoria. The course will take in the idyllic Surf Coast and Colac Otway regions, including the iconic Great Ocean Road, local townships, and the surrounding rain forests and hinterland.

This is a timed event, with prize money for age group and team placegetters. This is a timed race and will allow the riders to qualify for the new UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) World Championships for amateurs.

Sandown Festival - Sunday 25.09.2011

A one hour criterium race around the Sandown racecourse. The Sandown Motor Circuit is 3.1km in circumference, and features 13 turns. One of the key features of the circuit is an exciting back straight which leads into a very fast entry into Dandenong Road corner.

The circuit is used for five major Motorsport events each year, including the V8 Supercars, Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships, Historic Sandown and Shannons Nationals.

The Sandown Festival criteriums are part of the Ride for Epilepsy ride on the same day.

Honda Women's Tour - 13 to 16.10.2011 (Part of the National Road Series)

Stage 1: Ballarat Circuit Race Wednesday 12 October; Start 12:50pm

Stage 2: Geelong Criterium Thurday 13 October; start 12:00pm

Stage 3: Drysdale Team Time Trial Friday 14 October; start 12:00pm

Stage 4: Sorrento Road Race Saturday 15 October; start 9:30am

Glenn Innes to Inverell - Saturday 22.10.2011 (Part of the National Road Series)

Shipwreck Coast Classic - Sunday 30.10.2011 (Part of the National Road Series)

This year the Shipwreck Coast Classic will be the last race of the National Road series. It will start at 11.30am at Warrnambool Flag Staff Hill and will finish at the Allansford Cheese World around 2.15pm.

The course is 116km and travels via Allansford, Nullawarre, Bay of Islands, Bay or Martyrs, Peterborough, Port Campbell and Curdievale.

The race will include 12 intermediate sprints and KOMs.

Last year's podium of the Shipwreck Coast Classic :

it was a 1-2 for the team with Chloe and Sarah.

Stay tuned for our race reports and photos.

Victorian Championships 2011

2011-08-16T15:39:00.005+10:00

Sarah's report on racing the road race and the criterium of the Victorian Championships last week-end, 13-14/08/2011.

The state championships road race is held on a gruelling 47.7km course starting from Anakie and travelling through Meredith and Steiglitz. Two laps of the course would decide the Vic state champion. The bunch stayed together until the first decent followed by a steep uphill where a few riders got caught out and couldn't get back to the main bunch. A break of three girls from the teams of VIS, Bundaberg and Suzuki went shortly after and managed to stay away until the last climb on the first lap. Starting the second lap out of Anakie the bunch was just turning the legs over but there was the tense feeling that someone was going to attack. There were a few digs towards the top of the climb but the bunch was on to it. The bunch stayed together until the climb out of Steiglitz about 10km from the finish when the split in the bunch started to form. The main bunch finished approx 2min ahead of the second bunch followed by a couple of other riders behind them. The winner of the stage was Loren Rowney from Jessica Munday and Kendelle Hodges.

Profile of the Road Race on Saturday.

The crit at eastern gardens was met with perfect weather, sunshine and only a slight breeze, much different from the previous year which riders faced torrential rain. With VIS and Bundaberg again in the mix at the front the sprints every second lap were hotly contested. As there was little wind to string out the riders it came down to bunch sprint where those riders first into the last technical uphill left hand corner had all the advantage. Loren Rowney won from Jessica Munday and Grace Sulzberger.

Photo JXPPhotography, from the Cycling Victoria Website.

66th annual 'Wal Smith' Casterton 50

2011-06-23T20:57:00.002+10:00

With threatening rain clouds hanging over the 66th annual 'Wal Smith' Casterton 50, the bunch and I set off for the 80km hilly trek. Beginning in the 28min mark, I was in a bunch of 6 riders working smoothly and strongly together however the 24 minute markers were hot on our wheels putting in a good chase.

They shortly joined forces with us after 25kms on the undulating course to Digby. With 13 riders now, the pace was high, and a few riders were beginning to feel the pressure. Coming up to a hill sprint I was feeling strong, and decided to go for it. Hoping to not use up too much energy though as it was only just over the half way mark. Taking the sprint out gave me confidence in knowing I'd be able to tackle the remaining hills with the bunch.

The 30km race home from the turn around proved to be nerve racking experience as the oncoming bunches looked as though they were gaining time quickly.

The head wind home was very taxing as we were losing time. With 15 km to go we only had a 1.30min break on the chasing group. What kept us going strong was the whole group were working evenly and strongly. This proved our savior as we held the chasing group off.

The final kilometers remaining enabled me to relax knowing we were not going to get caught. I began preparing for the sprint and in the the end earning myself 7th place and first lady home for the second year in a row.

Overall i was pretty happy with how i rode, and the impressive effort of the bunch!

Thankyou to all the sponsors involved and my coach Kim Howard.

Stacey H.

--------

Full results

1st - S.Pickering (Carnegie-Caulfield, 24 mins)
2nd - J.Hetherington (Stawell, 28 mins)
3rd - M.Brooksby (Mt Gambier, 28 mins)
4th - M.Wright (Mt Gambier, 24 mins)
5th - R.Braszell (Ballarat-Sebastopol, 28 mins)
6th - M. Molan (Camperdown, 24 mins)
7th - S.Hocking (Camperdown, 28 mins)*
8th - A.Lindsey (Portland, 24 mins)
9th - L.Peake (Mt Gambier, 28 mins)
10th - A.Ballantyne (Hamilton, 24 mins)

Winners Time: 2:16:01

Fastest Time: E.Bissaker (Norwood, Scr)
Time: 1:56:56

*First Lady: S.Hocking (Camperdown, 28 mins)

Intermediate Sprints: S.Pickering(3), B.McPhee(2), M.Brooksby(1), S.Hocking(1).

2011-06-16T14:54:00.003+10:00

FOOTSCRAY CYCLING CLUB’S 53rd ANNUAL THREE-DAY TOUR

C grade

Delphine's Report

Stage 1 started under beautiful blue skies with very little wind: the perfect setting for an 80km race in the open lands of Little River. Given the flat nature of the course and the hills to come the next day I expected that most riders would want to save their legs and not ride to aggressively, which would give me the opportunity to go for the intermediate sprints. I knew that I could pull out a good result, but to my surprise, I won the first intermediate sprint by quite a big margin. I recovered in time for the second sprint, only 8km later, but got very boxedin … I was just about last wheel in the bunch when I could finally get out and launch my sprint. It was too late to win it but I secured a 3rd place. Paradoxically, this is when I understood that I could win every other one, and possibly the stage, if I wanted to. Coming from the back I could see how fast I was gaining ground, and after that there was no way I was going to be beaten again. So I kept my focus and made sure not to make the same mistake again. I did win the next 2 intermediate sprints and the stage. What a great start! I was now in the lead of the Sprint King competition with a 9-point advantage, and I was also leading the general classification by 13s.

Stage 2 was not such a great day for me. I was feeling quite good at the start and aiming at a 2nd or 3rd place finish: I knew that Mark Carr, eventual winner of the general classification, was probably going to be too strong in the hills, but with the time bonuses earned the previous day I could afford to lose 45s to 1min and still be in contention. All was going to plan until I dropped my chain, on a flat section, trying to go back to my top chainring ... That's where Mark attacked, so the bunch split in million bits and I was left near the back. I thought I could make it back to the front, and chased very hard to get there. I managed to catch the rider who eventually finished 2nd on the stage, Kon. I stayed with him for a while but when he put the hammer down in the last 10km, the acceleration in pace proved too hard for me. There was nothing left in my legs to respond. In the end I lost a big chunk of time and I had to let go of my ambitions in terms of GC. This was a bit of a blow as I had not contested the intermediate sprints in order to ensure a high finish on this stage. My lead in the sprint king classification had also significantly reduced to just 3 points over the next contender. Stage 3 was going to be crucial.

Stage 3 was raced around our "You-Yangs Circuit", which is a 13km flat course that we use regularly in club races. The only hill is located at the top of the narrow Flinder's Lane, it is a gradual incline of 2-3% for about 1km, then it kicks up to 4% for about 400m. The steepest part comes right before turning the corner where it reaches around 6% for a couple of meters. The KOM sprint and the finish line come at the end of the 4% section. With reduced numbers and some very tired legs in the bunch, it is fair to say that the previous day had taken a big toll on everybody. A bunch sprint seemed unavoidable given the profile of the course and the last stage was therefore raced at a relatively slow pace, every rider focusing on gaining points in the sprint and KOM classifications, and saving their legs the rest of the time in the hope to get to the finish fresher than the rest. I was no exception and the negative mood was very suited to my intention to secure the Sprint competition and the stage win. I made sure I covered attacks by the main contender for the stage win, Mark Carr, and coming into the intermediate sprints I also marked my only threat, Kon Papakonstantinou. Luckily, my strategy was a success. Mark went for the KOM points as well as the overall victory, and he produced some big efforts sprinting up the hill on the first two laps. In the last straight I made sure I was firmly stuck on his wheel, as I expected him to wind up from a distance in an attempt to drop me before the line. To my surprise, he waited, and waited, and waited... When he launched his sprint, probably at 100 meters to go, I jumped behind him keeping some power in reserve... With 50 meters to go he started dying, and that's when I launched my sprint and came around him to take my second stage victory of the Tour.

The Footscray 53rd Annual 3-Day Tour is undeniably my most successful tour to date. I secured 2 stage wins, the King Sprint prize, 2nd in the KOM prize, 4th on GC, and was also awarded a special prize by the commissaires for fair-play –given the bad luck in stage 2- and for best female rider.

THANK YOU to our sponsors for making this success possible:

TDT Australia
BIKEFORCE DOCKLANDS
RIDLEY
CHAMPION SYSTEM
BOUWMEESTER
BARTERCARD
WYNDHAMVALE PHYSIOTHERAPY

Phillip Island Women's Kermesse (7 May 2011)

2011-05-09T16:24:00.004+10:00

For this edition of the Phillip Island Women's Kermesse the TDT-Race-Bikeforce team had strength in numbers, with Chloe, Rebecca, Stacey, Sarah, Nicole and Delphine on the start line. The objective for this race was to win or at least get on the podium, and we knew we had to race an aggressive team race in order to beat the other big guns in the field. Indeed, we had quite a few riders to worry about: ex-pro Helen Kelly was racing, as well as the St Kilda Giant team; and the VIS came with a strong contingent in Kendelle Hodges, Victorian champion Joanne Hogan, and new to the women's scene U19 sprinting sensation Imogen Jelbart.

With near perfect conditions for Phillip Island (only a strong wind, not a gale force wind) and sun breaking through the clouds we started racing. Straight away Nik when to the front of the bunch to set the pace while the rest of us moved to sit in the top 10 positions.

From the second lap in we started attacking, first with Delphine, Chloe had a couple of digs, then Stacey and Sarah. The team tactics were to have Bec sit in the bunch and look after herself ready for a sprint finish, with the other girls trying to tire the legs off the other teams.

About half way through the race Sarah made a really strong attack, but was chased down. However she kept the pace high into the wind to string the bunch out. This is when Chloe counter-attacked and managed to get a good break on the field with only Kendelle Hodges (VIS) joining her. Our team went straight to the front to slow the pace. The team worked well to stop the peloton from chasing down the break and the2 leaders stayed away, with Chloe getting outsprinted by Kendelle to take 2nd place.

The minor placings up to tenth place were decided by a bunch kick and it was very difficult for the judges to finalise. After much deliberation and arguing they took us to the back and settled on a classification with the riders involved.
Overall, it was a very successful race with Chloe riding an outstanding race once again and another 2 riders making the top ten :
Chloe - 2nd / Delphine - 7th / Stacey -10th

THANK YOU to our sponsors for making this success possible :
TDT Australia
BIKEFORCE DOCKLANDS
RIDLEY
CHAMPION SYSTEM
BOUWMEESTER, BARTERCARD
WYNDHAMVALE PHYSIOTHERAPY

And to our team manager Kim Howard.

New Sponsor- Wyndhamvale Physiotherapy

2011-05-09T16:16:00.002+10:00

We have a new sponsor on board for the remainder of the season...

The physio's at this place are awesome, it is located in Wyndhamvale (near Werribee) only a short drive from the city or Geelong.

They are equipped for performing bike set-ups and Sam has worked with U23 Aussie Mens road team in 2008/09.

If you need to see a physio or need advice on an injury give them a call on 97425148

Mersey Valley Tour (NRS #1)

2011-05-09T16:15:00.001+10:00

Only Chloe made the journey down to Tasmania for the first of the NRS events of the year... Unfortunately it didn’t turn out to be all that successful with Chloe waking up sick on the Saturday morning.

It was a matter of just getting through each stage as the hills kept coming and the strong girls kept attacking.

At the end of the tour, Chloe finished a disappointing 19th on GC after losing a bunch of time on the second stage hill climb finish and spent Monday in the foetal position shaking.

Thanks to the Doak family for helping Chloe transport her equipment over to Tassie and for Miff Galloway, Amy Bradley and Jussi for the great company!

Oceania Road Championships (March 17-20)

2011-05-09T16:12:00.003+10:00

28.4km IRTT
With much of the team needing some serious rest/recoup after the Tour of New Zealand, only 3 members of the team were lining up for the Oceania titles.
Clare and Chloe raced the Individual Time Trial on the Thursday, both posting very solid results with Chloe in 8th place and Clare in 13th position. Shara Gillow showed why she got top 10 at the World Championships, stomping home 52seconds in front of 2nd placed Bridie O’Donnell. Alexis Rhodes rounded out the podium in 3rd place.

116km Road Race
The Dookie circuit was a lot tougher riding than what it looked on paper and with an extremely strong field of 60 odd girls it was a damn tough day out there!
Honda Dream Team were looking to secure Rochelle Gilmore a spot for World Champs and had a strong team who chased everything down, hoping for the race to be decided by a sprint.

Bec and Clare did a great job of trying to control the bunch when Chloe was attacking off the front.

It wasn’t until the final lap of the course that an attack stuck... Shara Gillow attacked and Chloe found the legs to go with her. About 10km from the finish Shara got the word that Bridie O’Donnell was bridging the gap across solo and attacked Chloe on the main climb, again showing why she is a world class athlete, staying away to take the Oceania Road title.

Bridie reached Chloe about 3km from home and after spending the last 20km on threshold Chloe couldn’t quite stay with her into the finish, but had the race of her life to hold off the peloton by 40seconds and secure 3rd place in an international UCI event.

It was great to have the support of manager Kim Howard and also awesome for Chloe’s family and boyfriend to be there watching her have a ripper!

Thanks to our sponsors as well for the new kit that arrived in time for the race. It got some good exposure with a podium place!!

UCI Women's Tour of New Zealand

2011-05-09T14:55:00.003+10:00

Team member Delphine Astier has written a report, it is posted on her blog which can be visted here...

http://delphineastier.blogspot.com

A very successful tour for the team, as none of the girls had ever raced a UCI tour before.

We had 3 stages where team members finished top 20 in a field with some of the best riders in the world.

A big thanks to Murray Spink for being an awesome mechanic and Miffy Galloway for being a great swanny when she had to pull out of the race due to injury. Also to Kim Howard, team manager, massage therapist, general all round team mum for the support over a tough week of racing.

Big thanks also in order for the Hilton hotel at Tullamarine airport for letting us use there lobby after our flight was delayed 11hrs!!!

Perth SmokeFree Criteriums

2011-02-22T13:00:00.000+11:00

TDT Race/Bikeforce took a team of 4 riders and 2 development riders to Perth for the Perth SmokeFree Criterium Series.
Chloe,Sarah ,Miffy and Delphine rode as TDT RACE and Nik and Stacey were riding as Bikeforce

Stage 1: North Bridge
With a new rider added to the start list (Emma Pooley- Garmin Cervelo )all the girls knew they were going to be in for a tough ride!
The race started with 1 neutral lap and then it was on.. Pure Tasmania attacked from the word go, splitting the bunch within the first couple of laps. Then Pooley attacked and that was the last anyone saw of her. Rowena Fry managed to hang onto her wheel for 2 two laps before she came back to the remaining bunch containing Sarah, Miffy and Chloe.
Emma Lawson (Pure Tasmania) managed to get herself a handy split from the bunch after attacking our team after a chase. She managed to stay away and bag 2nd for the day.
Miffy put on an awesome few laps of pace to keep the time gap down to a minimum but with the race running a little longer than calculated, it was all a little too early and with 2 to go the bunch started preparing for the sprint finish for 3rd.
A little too much heat on the final corner saw Gracie Sulzberger wipe out herself and the barriers not to mention stuff up the line of most girls behind her including Sarah and Chloe. Sarah finished the sprint well considering and got up for 9th place. With Chloe finishing in 11th and Miff in 12th.

Stage 2: Victoria Park
Another hot, gusty day in Perth today with a P shaped circuit challenging the riders. First to make the break: Sarah Riley (TDT Race), Kate Finnigan and Sarah Holland, kept a solid pace out front using the advantage of the gap from the bunch, allowing technical cornering. After a few laps in the breakaway Sarah came back to the main bunch to support her team mates.
Pure Tasmania Team were riding to mark Emma Pooley and did a great job at keeping the current TT world champion at bay, getting onto her wheel every time she attacked up the climb. The constant attacks caused the bunch to splinter with 10min to go and Chloe managed to make this lead group of 10.
Sarah and Miffy were just behind in a chase group, which were within meters of rejoining before another attack by Pooley meant the race was strung out again. This group rejoined on the last lap after some cat and mouse from the lead group and some hard chasing on their behalf!
The finish came down to an uphill bunch kick and with cooked legs Chloe managed 9th place. Emma Lawson (Pure Tasmania) got the win from team mate Rowena Fry with Pooley placing 3rd.

Stage 3: Leederville
The first of the night stages was ran in Leederville. A pretty technical circuit was always going to make it a night for a break away. And this is exactly what happened.. Emma Pooley showed why she is the world TT champion, by powering off the front, unable to be brought back in by the hard working Pure Tasmania Team.
Chloe was positioned in the chase bunch of 9, with Miffy and Sarah in the next group, strategically not pulling any more sprinters into the lead group. Chloe got a bit boxed in around the last U-turn corner and couldn’t make up enough ground, placing 10th in the sprint. Miff and Sarah finished just behind. Stacey had a great race and was unlucky to not finish in the top 20.

Stage 4: Fremantle
Fremantle was definitely the most technical circuit of the series, with the added challenge of racing under lights to test out the riders. The race was on for the overall series with 1 point separating Emma Lawson (Pure Tasmania) and Emma Pooley (Garmin-Cervelo).
Emma Pooley threw everything at the Tasmanian trio, but every attack was met by an equally aggressive chase and she could not get away. A break of 7 formed after the elastic band snapped, leaving Chloe, Sarah and Stacey in the chasing group.
Stacey had a brilliant race, staying in with the big girls and showing that she is stepping up to the elite level as an U19 rider. She even took out a midway sprint for some cash!

The three TDT RACE girls did the lions share of the chase and their efforts were rewarded when the break away took the pace off with 1 lap to go and the girls got back on just before the final corner.
Chloe and Sarah contested the sprint from the back of the bunch and finished 9th and 10th respectively.

Overall, it was a great experience for the girls to travel to W.A. to race and we would like to thank the race organizers for putting on an excellent event. We would definitely encourage more chicks to head over to Perth for this series next year!!

BIG THANK YOU'S!!

2011-02-21T15:19:00.004+11:00

BIG THANK YOU's

Hi all,
The race reports for Perth will be posted ASAP.. just awaiting some photos..
But to start with the TDT RACE girls want to give a huge thanks to Bill, Matt and the rest of the team from Bike Force Docklands who have provided the team with some amazing Ridley Asteria's for the upcoming road season.

All of the girls loved racing on their new bikes in Perth. The guys did a fantastic job getting the bikes built up in a short amount of time, so if you are looking for some where to buy a new bike or just get your bike serviced the TDT RACE girls would highly recommend you pay these guys a visit!

You can visit their site at; www.bikeforce.com.au

Also a massive thanks has to go to the Bike Force Fremantle guys, who helped us out with tuning up the new bikes whilst we were over in Perth.
So when ever you are in W.A look them up they were amazing.

Perth reports will be up soon..the team flys over to Wellington tomorrow for the UCI Womens Tour of New Zealand.. so more reports will follow.

Ciao

Australian Championships: Criterium and Road Race

2011-02-13T13:28:00.002+11:00

National Criterium Championships (Ballarat)
Bec was the sole TDT RACE girl to start, with Chloe pulling out due to sickness. Bec rode a solid race to finish in the bunch where less than half of the field didn’t finish. Jo Hogan and Lauren Kitchen rode a break away to the finish with Lauren taking the honours at the line. Chloe Hoskings took out 3rd with a late attack on the final lap.

National Road Championships (Ballarat)
Clare Dallat rode a brilliant first race back from injury to finish in 30th place. The gauntlet got laid down with an attack on lap 3 that blew the race apart. Alexis Rhodes (Garmin-Cervelo) took the win ahead of Carla Ryan (Garmin-Cervelo) and Jo Hogan (VIS).

Jayco Bay Cycling Classic

2011-02-13T12:38:00.005+11:00

Jayco Bay Cycling Classic
Stage 1- Eastern Gardens
The team of Bec, Sarah, Chloe, and guest riders Miffy Galloway and Chloe Hoskings rode well. The aim was to set up Chloe Hoskings for the sprint. An attack at 3 to go meant that Chloe McConville burnt up all her lead out legs chasing it back and it was left up to the other remaining girls to help out. Not all went exactly to plan with Chloe Hoskings finishing just out of the top 10, but some positive aspects were taken out of the race.

Stage 2- Portarlington
By far the toughest circuit of the Bay Crits, an early crash took out some big names, with Belinda Goss breaking her collarbone and our rider Chloe Hoskings coming off and snapping her brand new team bike. The tough circuit took its toll and only 15 or girls finishing the stage. Unfortunatley none of our girls finished. The stage win was taken out by Tiffany Cromwell in a solo break.

Stage 3- Ritchie Boulevard
The hot-dog circuit is one renowned for crashes and some really tough racing. Definitely the best result of the racing for us so far with Bec finishing not far out of the top ten and Chloe Hoskings bagging a 2nd in a sprint finish. The win was taken out by Rochelle Gilmore (Honda Dream Team). A big thanks has to go to Paul Beretta for sourcing a new specialized bike for Chloe to race on.

Stage 4- Williamstown
Last stage = some tired legs and some girls who really wanted to keep The Honda Dream Team from a clean sweep. Racing again was fast paced with the Jayco team throwing down everything to make the Honda girls tired. Chloe Hoskings again did the team proud with a 3rd place behind fellow HTC highroad team mate Judith Arndt and Rochelle Gilmore.

Overall:
Chloe Hoskings 5th place GC

Tour of Bright December 4th and 5th

2011-02-13T00:49:00.004+11:00

Tour of Bright December 4th and 5th
Stage 1- Tawonga Gap
Time to test the legs in the hills… a strong field had assembled in Bright at 7am for the first stage. Riders were welcomed by a light drizzle but that soon disappeared. An attack went early by Mary Rogers that lasted until half way up Rosewhite gap. Chloe and 2 NTID riders had broken clear at the bottom of the climb and took the top 3 places over the QOM, however this group was quickly joined just over the top by the chase group which contained the big names of the race.. Whitelaw and O’Donnell.
The leading group of 10 or so riders were caught by the peloton just before the 2nd intermediate sprint at Tawonga and the bunch was all together leading into the final climb. As soon as the gradient increased, the peloton splintered… Chloe finished the highest place of the team in 6th. Sarah had a strong finish to be in the top half with Vic a little further back.

In B Grade Women TDT RACE was fielding 2 riders who had a good chance of getting some solid GC results in Delphine and Stacey. Delphine showed some strong sprinting form to be leading the Sprinters competition at the end of the day and Stacey was on top of the U19 competition. Both riders finished well up the field in the first stage.

Stage 2- 15km IRTT
With several members of the team racing with equipment they hadn’t raced on before there were high hopes of time being shaved off relative to the other competitors. Sarah was the first of our girls to roll off and had a solid ride. Chloe saddled up the new Scott for its first race and went far better than expected, getting 5th in the stage, moving her up into 5th on GC. Vic was the next one of the A grade TDT girls to start and she was very satisfied with her result.

In B Grade, Delphine had a ripper. Stacey also rode a great race with tired legs from the morning to finish 2nd in the under 19 category

Stage 3- Mt. Hotham Climb
After 20km of the A grade bunch stuffing around with no one rolling turns and the bunch behind catching them, the commissaries told the girls to start racing or get pulled off the road. As per usual as soon as the gradient went up… somewhere around The Meg, the bunch shattered with a group of 8 including Chloe going clear. This lead bunch was caught by a chasing 4 riders just before the ticket box, but again as soon as the gradient kicked up the mountain goats showed their legs. Chloe didn’t have enough gas to go with the attack, but continued solidly with Rebecca Locke (Prime Estate) to peg back a couple of riders over the final kilometers. Chloe finished the stage in 7th, slipping down to 6th on GC and out of the cash!! But extremely happy with how she went in the hills. Sarah was the next best placed not too far off the pace.

In B Grade, Delphine was the convincing winner of the Sprinters Jersey, getting a 1st and 2nd in the intermediate sprints, placing her well on top of the table. Stacey showed her climbing form, coming in first place in the U19 category up Hotham, sealing her victory overall in the U19 class.

Shipwreck Coast Classic

2011-02-13T00:45:00.001+11:00

Shipwreck Coast Classic 110km Warnambool

Sarah, Chloe, Delphine and Stacey heading over to Warnambool to race in the Shipwreck Coast Classic in wintery, cold wet conditions.
Stacey put the pace on early, making the other girls chase. A crash occurring due to a clip of wheels took down Delphine and Chloe at the 15km mark. Delphine was unable to continue, but Sarah dropped back to help Chloe chase and the two got back on the bunch after a couple of km’s.
Sarah attacked at the 35km mark gaining a good advantage. With the cross winds the bunch was having difficult chasing her down as Chloe sat in and looked after herself. 10km later Chloe attacked on the climb and bridged across to Sarah. The two worked hard together into a relentless headwind and finished over 5min in front of the bunch, gaining 1st and 2nd with Kate Finigan getting 3rd in the bunch kick.

High Country RR and Crit- Oxley Oct 9/10

2011-02-13T00:33:00.002+11:00

High Plains Road Race Oct 9
A beautiful sunny day met Vic, Bec and Chloe up at the start of the High Plains Road Race at Mansfield in Victoria’s north east. The race went pretty much to plan; put the pressure on up the climb over Whitfield gap, then Chloe attack and see if she can get away and stay away.
Vic did a great job of attacking first, making the other girls in the bunch expend a bit extra energy. Then Bec put some pressure on, then just before the QOM, Chloe attacked, taking out the QOM jersey and giving herself a gap of a 100m or so onto the descent. The next 65km of the 100km race was spent alone by Chloe out front, slowly building up an advantage of just over 3min by the time she reached the line at Sam Miranda Winery at Oxley. Bec rode a smart and tactical race to win the bunch kick for 2nd place. Vic who had done a great job early on rode across the line a couple of minutes later. A good day at the office for team R.A.C.E. 1st place, 2nd place, QOM and Sprinters Jersey not to mention a handy wad of cash and some nice wine.

High Country Crit Oct 10
Sunday brought another sunny day at Sam Miranda Winery in Oxley, but unfortunately for the race organizers this meant that half of the women’s field decided it would be much nicer riding Mt. Hotham than racing and so didn’t front up to the start. This left the field a little small, however that didn’t mean the race wasn’t aggressive.
Bec and Chloe attacked the whole race, getting away from the bunch with young gun Toni Abbosogni. Chloe managed to take both the win and the intermediate sprint. With Bec just getting pipped by Toni, ending up with a 3rd place.
A big thanks to Sam Miranda Wines for holding such a fantastic event with a great atmosphere and prize money not seen anywhere else in Victoria for a women’s race! It would be great if more women would make the trip up and support these races as without our support these types of events will stop being held.
Also thanks to Doug and Marg McConville for hosting the team over the weekend!!