Australia Day

For those who come across the sea, you may not be aware of the great day that is Australia Day :) The 26th of January is the magic day and it is on this date that on 1788 Captain Phillip took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales and became its first Governor.

Officially, "Australia Day is a time to reflect upon what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation - our people, our fragile yet enduring land, land, our rich Indigenous culture, our great diversity, and our celebrated freedom and democracy. These characteristics have contributed to Australia 's unique identity and culture, and have made it the great nation that we celebrate today". But really for the masses it is a day off work, a day to enjoy time with mates, have a bbq or picnic and drink some beer, and that is exactly what we did...

National Road Championships

The season has well and truly kicked off with our first full road race of the year. Sixty girls lined up for the National Road Race last Saturday in Buninyong, near Ballarat. It was a tough course,

and was always going to produce a worthy winner. As you can see in the picture the Qld team definitely had the numbers to define the race and this played a big role in how our race panned out. Unfortunately, it was not as an aggressive or fast race as I would have liked but then it is an incentive for me to improve my sprinting skills. After one solo break by Qld'er Lousie Kerr and a few attacks, it came down to 12 girls sprinting for the line after 102km of racing. I finished 8th...although not fantastic, I have been known to come last in a bunch sprinting for the line. All in all not too bad a weekend, and I was glad to come home after several weeks away. I am back in Sydney for a while now, until I head south again for more racing in Geelong. I can't wait for some beach time and some nice long training rides again.

And the racing begins....

2007 has begun with a bang...our team for the Bay Crits 'Pitcher Partners' had a very successful week, winning 4 out of 5 stages and the overall classification. It was a testing week, with conditions ranging from 38 degrees in the shade, to pouring rain and driving winds. Each day consisted of a 45 minute criterium, these are much harder than they sound, the pace being on from the start. There were many crashes, but I was able to remain upright all week which was an added bonus. I was really happy with my week...I didn't come out with a result but I had 'good legs' and am really pleased with how strong I feel so early in the year. I am really excited about the National Road Championships being held this weekend and I feel that I have the form to be able to win and take the National Champions jersey over to Europe.

I am in Melbourne for a few more days, relaxing and recovering before getting the body going again mid-week and then we move on down to Ballarat where the Nationals will be held. Sister Kate and Pitcher Partners team-mate Alex Rhodes are on the plane to Mallorca today for a 10 day training camp with their new team T-Mobile and we will miss them as part of the bunch racing on Saturday. It was a funny feeling packing my bags to come down here and start the racing season again but after 6 days I feel like I am back in the groove and can't wait for the racing to come.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year. I hope that all my friends and family, scattered all over the world have a great 2007. I ushered in the new year in a very quite fashion indeed…falling asleep well before the midnight countdown….I was awoken in time to be aware of the first seconds of the new year.

Before we are well and truly into this year I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was there for me in 2006…there are many of you, family, friends, sponsors…and there is no way that I would be able to do what I do without you all. I am so lucky to have many people supporting me…financially, emotionally and physically…and I am very grateful.

I am very optimistic that 2007 is shaping up to be one of the best ever, I’m looking forward to what is ahead.

The start of 2007 for me involves racing the Bay Criterium Series down in Melbourne. I am down here now and the racing begins tomorrow in Williamstown and continues until Sunday…5 days of racing, each day a 45min (+3laps) race. It doesn’t sound like too much, but it is incredible how much suffering can be jammed into a brief 45min window! I am racing with the Pitcher Partners team alongside sister Kate, Olivia Gollan, Alexis Rhodes and Amanda Spratt…a great bunch, and so the week does promise to be a fun one. I will write a report soon!