Round Four of the Australian National Road Series (NRS) took me to South Australia and the three day long Tour of Adelaide. Having never been to the city before, I was fortunate enough to arrive several days prior to the race. A long training on Wednesday gave me a taste for the amazing training roads that exist in the hills above the city while time off in the afternoon gave me an opportunity drink some great coffee at multiple kick ass local cafes such as Nanos and Argo. A sister city of Christchurch, Adelaide definitely reminds me of my hometown prior to the earthquake. The CBD certainly has a cool vibe to it and it’s no wonder Adelaide is considered one of the most livable cities in Australia.
Summit of Kinloch Road. The Magnet Bay Climb.
In the world of cycling, I’m far from a climbing specialist. As much as I dream of dancing up the Pyrenees in the Tour de France one day, I unfortunately wasn’t blessed with a slender climbers build. At 83kg I pack a healthy 10-15kg handicap over the mountain specialists and as a result, despite my best efforts I tend to go backwards very quickly as soon as the racing points uphill.
Stage Two - Photo Veloshotz.com
Last week took me to Queensland and Round Three of the Australian National Road Series the Tour of Toowoomba. For my un-educated New Zealand friends, Toowoomba is a small city, located at the top of the Great Dividing Range, a couple of hours inland from Brisbane. Being a ‘sister city’ to Wanganui seems quite appropriate, with a similar climate and similar potential for strong wind. Fortunately for me, temperatures throughout the week were warm and sunny, a welcome change to the rain and hail that had arrived in Christchurch just as I was leaving on Monday. Read More
Anna Searle shoots the Waipara Classic, 4 May 2013. Richard Lawson took fastest time, while Conal Sloan got the line honours. Read More
Time Trial - Photo James MacPherson
Following a long flight home from Perth and a couple of days back at work, Wednesday night rolled around fast and it was time to pack up the Subaru and head south for the National Club Championships, this year held in Arrowtown. As defending champ in both the Time Trial and Road Race expectations were high although my legs were feeling fatigued after a busy week of travel and racing.
Stage One Finish, Budget Forklifts 1-2
On Monday morning I made the long haul from New Zealand across to Western Australia for the inaugural Woodside Tour de Perth. Having never been this far across Australia before, I was happy to have a couple of days spare before racing kicked off on Thursday. This allowed me to both check out the course for the upcoming stages and have a look around the city.
Time Trial - Photo Anna Searle
Before I write my report from the opening NRS race for this season, the Tour de Perth I figured I had better briefly summarise the preceding month of racing. March and April has been a busy period for me with plenty of racing on to keep me occupied. Unfortunately no wins of note but a couple of strong performances that were confidence building.
Overlooking Canberra - Photo Veloshotz.com
It’s been two months on from my last blog post and I am feeling pretty slack for the lack of correspondence of late. It’s been a rollercoaster, up and down couple of months, punctuated by periods of hard training, uneventful races, good luck and bad luck. Unfortunately I still haven’t really put together a race that I am proud of to date this year although I think form is good so hopefully a big result is just around the corner.
Stage Four, Saddle Road Finish - Photo Anna Searle
The finish of the NZ Cycle Classic over the weekend saw the closure of a very busy month of racing for me in January. While there were no results to speak of, I am pretty pleased with the return of some speed and more importantly confidence.
Elite Nationals Road Rae - Photo Craig Atwill
The biggest cycling event of the year in our country, the National Elite Cycling Champs took place over the weekend and it did not disappoint. Masses of spectators crammed onto the ascent of Dyers Pass Road made for an absolutely electric atmosphere. The racing was hotly contested and it is safe to say the strongest riders shone in both the men’s and women’s races. Read More
