This track season continues to progress better than expected. To be honest though, I am working really hard for this at the moment, making some big personal sacrifices and really pushing myself hard in terms of training and diet. With one major competition to go (more about that later) I am hoping to keep things rolling well until the end of April.
Before I discuss the races from Sydney, I want to make a comment about how impressed I was with the Queensland camp. I have never really spent time with the twenty or so Queensland masters riders who attended the nationals. They are a truly supportive, helpful and extremely friendly bunch. I felt right at home and was completely impressed with the level of camaraderie; great stuff!
Masters 3 Individual Pursuit
I had an important lesson on temperature and air pressure during this event. I was hoping to beat my PB of 3 min 36 sec, which I set at the new Anna Meares Velodrome during the Queensland Titles. I produced a qualifying ride with ten more watts of power than when I set my PB, but missed it by three seconds with a 3 min 39 sec. A much cooler track with higher air pressure being the reason. This did qualify me in third place after two NSW riders bettered my time. I raced Sheldon Olivier from Queensland for the bronze medal that afternoon (incredibly, Sheldon and I have now pursuited against each other five times in a row). I managed to ride a 3 min 37 sec to take the bronze medal. I am extremely satisfied with this result. I honestly believe I can go quicker than this next year, with continued improvements.
All Ages (Open) Masters Team Pursuit
A few weeks back, Stephen Storer (Gold Coast), Sheldon Olivier, Andy Patten (Brisbane) and myself, agreed that we should enter a Queensland Team Pursuit line up in the Australian Titles. We had one training session at Anna Meares Velodrome, which went very well. Although we had limited training time together, we are all extremely experienced and had strong hopes for the event. It was a high quality field with six different teams starting. We rode a 3 min 24 sec to qualify in first place, securing a ride off for the gold medal the same day. Hunter District (NSW) rode much stronger in the final against us than they had in qualifying and pushed us all the way. We managed to produce a 3 min 21 sec ride to win the gold medal and the Australian title by 1.5 seconds, missing the Australian record by less than a second. Obviously, a result that the four of us are very proud of! Especially as we are the first team from Queensland to ever win this Australian title.
Two events and two Australian medals. Happy days:
So what's next? World Masters Games, 26-28 April in Auckland, New Zealand. I have entered the full program of five events (yes, even the sprints). The Individual Pursuit though, will be my main focus and that is run on the first day. I am very much looking forward to this event.
The only other 'biggie' for me on the calendar between now and than is the Masters A Tyalgum Cup road race, which is in early April on a tough circuit just over the Queensland / NSW border. I do have my 'track legs' on, but hopefully I can persuade them to be 'road legs' for the afternoon.
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