Lazy blog...

An example of a lazy piece of blogging....throught I could just post a photo and everyone would be happy :)

This was a photo the evening after Gunnar's last uni exam ever...we'd just cracked open a bottle of Moet and were getting snap happy :)

Getraenke Hoffmann team house launch

Any excuse for a party!

So much sunshine...

Since my last blog summer really has come to Germany...I did the swift transition from thermal knicks and jacket on the bike to just knicks and a jersey. Last week I was doing the happy dance when it got to 15 degrees and this week the happy dance has become frenetic as the mercury hit 28 degrees. We have had 3 days of 'not a cloud in the sky' weather, great for riding and bbq's.
Apart from the weather there has been nothing too exciting for me to report...I have had a lovely week at 'home'. There is not many weekends with no racing in the season but I opted not to tackle the cobbles of North Holland and instead stayed in Thuringen and trained. On Friday we headed for the Inselsberg, the highest point in Thuringen. The way to the top is a very narrow, very steep path that people were having trouble walking up but Gunnar had assured me that a few years ago they had run a Thuringen-Rundfahrt (bike race) time trial stage that finished on the top, although 3 people had to walk. I was skeptical, due to to steepness (25%) and the terrible condition of the road...we tried and failed....we both came to a dead stop when it got to the steepest section. We then descended a little bit, jumped back on the road and 300m further around the side of the 'mountain' came across the cobbled road to the top...it was only 10% to get up (and yes, Gunnar realised that this was the one the race came up) and a bit of a grovel later we were rewarded with a lovely view.
Yesterday I watched Gunnar race a criterium very close to home. I went out with Gunnar and his dad in the morning for a training ride, Gunnar turned early and so I went with Papa Kabisch and a bunch we came across for awhile. On the way home, I'm not quite sure how but Papa and I started swapping-off and before I knew it we were scooting along at 40kph....gees he's strong, and is the absolute master of the poker face! After the criterium we came home, collapsed on the coach to watch Paris-Roubaix...such a great race to watch and amazing to see an Aussie win a race like Roubaix.
I am here for the week, before a national series German race on the weekend and the Belgie classic Fleche Wallone next Wednesday....it's a little bit more my kind of racing than those cobble stones.
A big congratulations goes out to Lisa for running her first marathon...big achievement :)

Frohe Ostern!

Happy Easter to everyone...I hope everyone had a good weekend with friends and family. I have had a full weekend (and that's not just my belly!). On Saturday morning I drove to Belgium for the notorious spring classic...Tour of Flanders. It is hard to describe this race to people who don't know of it or haven't seen it before. It is an absolute minefield of potential disasters...crashes, punctures, broken bikes happen on more numerous occasions in this bike race than any other. The race begins in the town of Oudenaarde in the Vlannderen (western) region of Belgium...it winds its way over as many cobbled, hilly roads as possible to end in Ninove 120km later. It was my first 'big' race with the team, this being the second World Cup of the series...and unfortunately all did not go to plan. I have started this race four times (including now) and only twice made it to the finish...I was determined to get there but a crash at 30km which took out a lot of the field, and a puncture on the cobbles 25km later put an end to my day. I changed the wheel and chased but I was already minutes behind after waiting for the wheel change.....another 'Flanders' in which the Gods did not smile upon me.

Lil sister was there at the end of the race, she came to watch and was my lift back to Germany so we packed the little hire car and set off for the 650km trip back 'home'. We nearly made it home in 5hrs but were stopped by a 'stau'...traffic jam due to an accident...luckily we hadn't seen each other in awhile and had plenty to chat about.

Easter Monday started with a lovely breakfast and Easter egg hunt, nice 'training ride' in the wind and then a ride to lunch on the MTB's.....Kate has found her new time trial position we think :) We had a great lunch with the Kabisch's and the whole experience was enhanced by the roaring tail-wind to push us home.

I didn't get the Easter weekend with the whole Bates/Boyton clan but I was fortunate enough to have Katie and my German family. It was good to have Katie here, show her where I live, where I train and she got to meet the lovely Kabisch family who were as hospitable to her as they are to me every day. Its a great place to live :)

A good weekend for the big Bates

On the weekend, team Getraenke-Hoffmann headed to the north of Germany for two days of racing. It was a good opportunity to have some low-key racing with the girls before Flanders next weekend. We had two solid days of racing, under sunny (but still chilly) skies. The team dominated the racing, Theresa won on the Saturday and I was 2nd, with Claudia Hecht 3rd. Yesterday we started attacking early again into the race and again we filled the podium, Stefanie Pohl won, I was 2nd and Tina Liebig 3rd. It was good, positive racing and a great hit-out before the World Cups start for the season.

What a day for the lil Bates!!!

Sending out a big hearty Congratulations to my champion little sister who yesterday won the points score at the World Track Championships in Palma, Mallorca!!

A very exciting day for all....I was driving home from the north of Germany when the news came through and was jumping up and down on the back seat with no real celebration possible!

I wish I was there but luckily Richie and Gary were there with her, and I was able to watch it on DVD when I got home at 11pm.

Still snowing....

Another day of playing in the snow.....a sad looking snow man and a broken little wooden sled....after a good life of 20 years, today we managed to break the poor thing with a crash down one of the hills....whoops!

We finished the afternoon off with JagerTee in a warm, very cosy bar in Oberhof.

And then there was snow....

It all started on Tuesday when we went riding and were snowed on....we got home and then the snow really started, a bit of a treat for this little Aussie who hasn't seen much snow falling in her years so it was a little bit of a thrill. The snow continued through the night and we awoke to more big snowflakes falling so we decided to drive up to the closest ski-resort town of Oberhof which is 30km away. I started taking photos half-way through the drive when I saw all the snow on the big pine trees.....funny when I look at them now, because there was so much more snow up in Oberhof. It is amazing to think we rode up there last Friday and the sun was shining down on us......We had a snow-ball fight, ran around in the snow a bit and then recovered with coffee and apple-strudel in a 'traditional' style German Schaenke (like a restaurant/bar kind of place), very old-school with old German music adding atmosphere.

This morning we woke to the village being white, this bottom photo is the view from Gunnar's window....I think it is another day for the ergo and then some sledding is on the cards up in the mountains...

A wee bit chilly...

I have been here a week now, and although still dropping off at 8:30pm I am rather settled. After a first few days of glorious sunshine the weather got a little bit colder and the thermal pants, jacket, hat, gloves and booties were all pulled out. On Friday we went riding in the mountains...the second picture is me riding up to Oberhof next to the big ski-jumping...'jump'....it is amazing how big it looks in real life. There was snow up in the mountains and it was lovely riding up there with some sunshine and blue sky overhead. Over the weekend it was a lot less pleasant, with wind to well and truly rival Holland to be found....I managed to get in some good training while my team-mates raced in the rain near Frankfurt...unfortunately they didn't the best of luck with a few falls. I will be joining them next weekend for my first race, but until then some more training for me :)

Happy Birthday to Miesi for today :)

Sunshine in Germany

I was both sad and excited to get on the plane to come to Germany last Saturday. It was sad to leave behind friends and family after such an enjoyable summer in Sydney, and such a good life that I have at home. I am excited about my upcoming year, joining a new team and being based in Germany but I was a little worried about leaving beautiful weather in Sydney to go into the European spring.

I touched down in Frankfurt early on Sunday morning, it was -1 degree but clear blue skies greeted me. It was so good to see Gunnar again after such a long time, and we were grinning at each other like idiots for quite awhile. Yesterday we drove to Berlin to the team house which is very impressive, and I picked up my bike and my gear. This morning I ventured out on the bike, it felt great...I have never ridden a compact frame before so it was a little different to start with, but it handles beautifully and it is always a treat to ride on a new bike with new running gear....it almost feels as though you don't need to pedal.

Hopefully this weather holds for the next weeks (actually until October would be nice)...my first race is a German race on 25th March...so I have some weeks to settle in and get some good training in before the racing season really kicks off.

Exploring Sydney

We had one last day in Sydney before Gela left to go back home to Germany and we wanted to make the most of it. With a busy schedule of training in the weeks before, we'd managed to only do a few touristy things....Bronte and Freshwater Beach, a ferry ride under the Harbour Bridge and drinks at the Opera Bar were all we had managed.

We awoke to a hot, muggy but cloudy Sydney day, we headed down to The Spit for my first ever kayaking experience. With friends, Sam and Heather we jumped into our single kayaks and headed off to explore the Harbour. My little arms haven't had a workout like this for awhile, I was buggered after 5mins! I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful city and this is a great way to explore it....down on the water, gliding along...we paddled over to Balmoral Beach, contemplated the beach and a coffee but realised we would probably take out a few too many small children trying to make our way in...so turned back and beached ourselves on a small harbour beach half-way back. We all jumped in to cool off and after a refreshing swim paddled our way back...a well spent 2 hours :)

Gela and I changed our very wet clothes and headed up the hill to Taronga Zoo. Gela was keen to see some local wildlife (her experience before this had consisted solely of a dead kangaroo on the side of the road). She was impressed by the location of the zoo and the enclosures that are a lot more than cages. We saw the koalas, kangaroos, platypus, chimpanzees, giraffes, zebras, elephants and the turtles getting some late Sunday afternoon action....

From there we headed to Bondi, drank beer at Icebergs while appreciating the gorgeous zoo and the many surfers. The sun set, the moon started to rise and we headed home after what had been a great Sydney day.

Season 2007 begins...

Last Monday Angela (my little German team-mate) and I headed down to Geelong to begin our first days of international racing. Unfortunately our team didn't come out and so I raced with the NSWIS team and she raced with the German National team. As it was pouring rain in Sydney, the sun shone down south and we had a week of sunshine (most of the time) and some good racing. This is the first international racing on the calendar and it is always a bit of a shock to get the legs and lungs firing again.

I had a chance to race with a new group of girls, I had a good week with Toirease Gallagher, Rennski, Peta Mullens, Tiff Cromwell, Skye-Lee Armstrong and Helen Kelly. After 3 days of racing the Geelong Tour, getting into the swing of attacking, chasing, crashing (not all of us luckily!) and sprinting we were feeling a bit more in race mode.

We had a day off and then on Saturday lined up for the opening round of the Womens World Cup series in downtown Geelong. I had a good day, was out the front all day in a break and wasn't too surprised when it came back together with a lap to go but that set the race up for Angela to sprint in for 5th....a good result so early in the season.

Beach time :)

Lisa says 'I do'

I have been trying all week to post some photos of Lisa and Andy's gorgeous day but it is not working for me. I can't show you how beautiful Lise looked so I will just have to write a little...under cloudy (but lucky not rainy) skies Lise and Andy tied the knot at Freshwater View Reserve. As the name suggests, this was a little park with a great view over Freshwater beach. The ceremony was lovely, Lisa's excitement very evident. I don't think I have ever seen such an excited bride..she was clapping her hands and jumping up and down with glee. They exchanged vows and then quite privately whispered the vows that they had made for each other...very nice :)

It was great to catch up with some friends from uni...it has been awhile in some cases. A lovely afternoon and evening....sending out a big congratulations to Mr and Mrs Duffy :)

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!

Merry Christmas :)

Wishing all my friends and family in every corner of the world a very Merry Christmas. We had a lovely day celebrating with close family in our house....a day full of food and laughter.

Awards and weddings

A busy weekend saw us travelling down to Melbourne for a fly-by 25hr trip encompassing the Cycling Australia Awards dinner and a very brief catch-up with Lucy...way too brief :) The night was a lot of fun...Matt White and I hosted the night and after some early nerves I got the hang of it...with only a few minor blunders!

The next day we headed down to Tassie for the wedding of the year, Mark Padgent and Louise Yaxley...we flew into Launceston, hired a car and with 5 of us packed in tightly...Kate, Richie, Liv, Gunnar and I...we made the drive to Coles Bay. We drove the scenic route which was a little scary at times when it began to pour with rain, the road was narrow and windy with the 25 km/hr speed sign...but it was gorgeous. We arrived at our destination just north of Coles Bay...all shocked by the realisation that we had no mobile coverage for the weekend...ended up being lovely :) We trooped into the 'town centre' - a pub and bakery and small supermarket...ordered burgers and chips and sat on the picnic table on the bay and looked out over the water. It is hard to describe how spectacular this place is...I think for me having the national park and bush alongside the coast is the best thing. The air was so still and quite...you feel like you could be anywhere in the world, and you are oblivious to anything that could be going on in the world.

The next morning we awoke...headed to the bakery for a coffee and then set off into the national park for a walk through the bush. The first destination was Wineglass Bay lookout then down to the bay itself...the photos don't do it justice, it was spectacular. Four of us continued the 'loop' to Hazards Beach we had found on the map and managed to do the 11km loop in just over 3 hrs...you can tell that we are a competitive bunch, at every point we wanted to see how much quicker we were than the suggested time, which was 5hrs for this walk. The only thing to really put us in our place is the fact that the groom - Mark had run this loop the same morning!

The wedding was on the beach, a fantastic setting and the ceremony was beautiful. The reception was at Freycinet Lodge, again such a beautiful spot and there was much eating, drinking and dancing into the night.

The next morning we went to Cape Tourville lookout and walked down to a place called Sleepy Bay. It was a gorgeous day, vibrant blue sky which makes the colours of the landscape even more dramatic. We jumped in the car to make our journey back, very sad to be leaving such paradise but grateful for such a fantastic weekend.