Check out my hot buns :)

Happy Easter to everyone! It is not very spring-like here in Germany, instead there is a lot of The trees adorned with Easter eggs are surrounded by snow which makes them appear very Christmas like.

I have not been very well the last few days, after feeling really not like myself for over a week. I took myself off to the doctor on Wednesday and he diagnosed an ear infection and inflamed tonsils. I have antibiotics to take and am staying put in Germany, watching the snow from the bedroom window.

I ventured out of bed to bake and made my first attempt at hot-cross buns...they didn't go to badly at all and were well received by the family. They were not quite fluffy as one would find at home but still very tasty and I will try again soon.

Today I should have been driving down to Italy to race the first World Cup in Europe for the season, Trofeo A Binda-Cittilgio in the north of Italy. Instead I will be reading the Cyclingnews report and I am very sorry to miss it...I think it will be a great race on a tough course. It is always hard to hear about the racing, it is better to be out there racing but there is not much to do when the body is not healthy. I will take the time here to get on top of everything, hopefully I will be back into full training soon and I can race in Italy next weekend...fingers crossed :)

Training in Italy

Thank God the sun has come out to greet us and we have been able to get out on the roads for some nice training. Today was a glorious day, I went out in the thermal kit but quickly warmed up. We headed north from where I am staying and after 40mins or so turned onto a 12km climb...nice to have the hills so close. The photos are from the top, it was a lovely view. I can't wait to get to Germany and fingers crossed that the weather will be this good (think I am dreaming there!)...but there are plenty of other things that will make up for it.

Rain rain go away....

It has been under a week since I left home and I am missing things already....it didn't take long! It has been a bit of a crash course of a week since I arrived home from New Zealand last Monday morning, left for Europe on Wednesday and arrived in Milan on Thursday...it was 0 degrees but sunny and dry. Since Thursday I haven't seen a glimpse of blue sky and the last days have been a bit of a blur of team presentation, lots of driving, 3 races all raced in the rain and what feels to my body like less than comfortable conditions for a human to be racing in, throw a new bike into the mix which always feels odd until the body adjusts....my perspective on things is also a bit off thanks to a decent dose of jet-lag. This morning I woke at 7am which is much better than the 4am dark mornings that I have been waking to.

I am currently in the team house in Italy, I thought it would be okay to be here because the weather would be better than Germany but alas not and I am longing for my German home. This time next week I will be waking up there which is a very comforting thought as at the moment I am feeling a little discombobulated...lots of adjustments to be made, new team, language that I haven't used for some time, new dynamics to contend with. Luckily I am very behind with my uni work for this semester which only began 3 weeks ago and so I can play catch up before heading to Belgium on the weekend for a race up there.

I have heard that the sun was shining brightly in Sydney on the weekend....I am sure the weather is laughing at me but I hope it continues for the Sydneysiders who have missed a lot of sunshine this summer.

Here we go again....

It has been a long time since blogs (it seems this is the way that I begin most blogs these days). It has been an eventful summer that has nearly come to a close. The racing has begun for the season and we are now OS for the first week of racing. Luckily OS is only across the seas in New Zealand so we can warm ourselves into the season with the luxury of English tv and good weather. In contrast to what we would all expect the weather here is decidedly better than it has been for most of the Aussie summer with blue skies, sunshine and so far not much of the infamous Wellington winds.

So where to start….a brief summary of my summer….I was lucky enough to have Gunnar here with me in Sydney for nearly 2 months which was fantastic. He was a little disappointed at the lack of sunshine and good waves at the beach but it did make training a little easier than some of the harsh summer days we have had in the past. Gunnar had his bike out here and together we covered lots of km’s on Sydney and surrounding roads, we did some rides that I haven’t done in years and also a little club racing. Gunnar really enjoyed the club racing and being fit at this time of the year is something he hasn’t experienced for quite a while.

On the family front, little sister Katie got engaged and so a wedding for October 2009 is in the planning. My cousin Jane was proposed to just last Tuesday and so it seems another wedding on the books in which I will get to be a bridesmaid….bring on the peach taffeta J

In general life has been great and it is always with a mixture of emotions that I pack my bags for Europe. I am excited to be heading back to racing and the season that determines so many decisions that are made throughout the year. I can’t wait to see Gunnar and his lovely family again but of course it is sad to leave. I feel bad to pack my bags and say good-bye to friends and family that I love so dearly in order to chase my dreams but that is the life I have chosen for now at least.

So last week I packed a small bag, jumped on the plane to Melbourne and headed out to Point Lonsdale where we were staying for the week of the Geelong Tour and World Cup. I was joining my new team, Menikini-Selle Italia-Masters Color, an Italian based team with girls from my different countries to make things interesting. In Geelong there was Suzanne Llungskog (our Swedish addition), her partner/our mechanic/manager Klaus, Japanese Miho Oki, Italian Marian Romoli, the president of our team Italian Walter Ricci and then the three Aussies...Olivia Gollan, Rochelle Gilmore and I. I will summarise to say that it was a rather succesful first week of racing...Suzanne finished 3rd in the Geelong Tour before being brought down by a nasty cold which kept her out of the World Cup and off the bike for a few days and Rochelle finished 4th in a strangely played out first World Cup of the season. I feel like I had a decent start to the racing, being in an early break in the World Cup and having a few decent hit outs in the tour. On the day off between races we were able to escape for lunch in Barwon Heads overlooking the water....a magic spot that we got to share with Liv's aunty Jude, uncle Wayne, cousin Mel and her 2 year old daughter Lucinda.

We are now in New Zealand and racing has started. The weather has been very kind to us so far, although the hills not so much today. I had a good start to the tour being in the break in the first stage, a 1 hr +3 lap criterium yesterday...I sprinted poorly but it was good to have one of us up there. Today my legs deserted me on the main climb of the day and I was in the second bunch chasing the front but our little pocket rocket Miho was in the front and finished a very commendable 3rd. The big climbing day is tomorrow so after posting this I will head to bed and try to get as much recovery as possible. It is good to be back into the swing of racing, and I hope to find some good form to convert into results in the next few days :)

New Year's Eve

New Years Eve on Sydney Harbour. We had prime position looking straight across

to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. It was a lovely evening, nice and warm with only some scattered clouds and the words 'Jesus saves' sky-written...mmmm....not sure who was responsible for that one. The fireworks were very pretty indeed and it was a great way to usher in the new year. All the best to everyone for 2008....may it be better than all the years before :)

Merry Christmas to all :)

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, I hope everyone has friends and family to celebrate with and enjoy this holiday period.

It has been a long time since my last blog but so much has been happening in the last days, weeks and months. The days have been flying by and there has seemed to be no time to put some thoughts on paper (actually on screen). The weeks have been a blur of training rides, time at the beach, time with family and meeting up with friends as much as possible. I have been getting some German tutoring which has been fun, my teacher is a lovely, patient lady and I feel like I am learning more (I’ve just been a little slack with the homework!).

The other big news of the Bates family is the engagement of little Katie to Richie which happened last Wednesday. Very exciting! So there is a wedding in the pipeline..picking a date has proven to be quite a task considering how little Kate is ever in one place at one time. Perhaps her blog will provide more news on this front (if she ever does update it).

So now it is Christmas. Gunnar is finding it quite strange to be in the sunshine rather than being surrounded by snow, Christmas markets, carols and yummy food. He is enjoying the time here so far, including the Bates antics at Christmas lunch which was held yesterday. Its always a good afternoon when someone ends up with musk sticks up their nose (thanks to Robbie Bates for that interesting sight). We attempted to make a gingerbread house for the first time, and after figuring out that we needed toothpicks for some structural reinforcement, our building turned out quite well. Considering how unartistic at least half of the family is, it wasn’t too bad an effort (however none of us were game to eat it!).

Christmas Day for us will be quite different than for all our friends in the northern hemisphere. We start with a bike ride, Robbie has a favourite loop especially for Christmas Day…its only 50km but is a good way to start the day, and riding on such empty roads is always a plus for us. Breakfast and presents will follow and then the plan is to head down to the beach for the afternoon with Gunnar, Mum and Dad. I received an early present from Mum, a bright red boogie board and have been giving that a workout. I had forgotten how much fun it can be and it will definitely be out tomorrow. Dinner at a friends place will finish the day off. What a great day…yummy food, family, friends, presents (for having done nothing at all) and the beach :) Again, wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, I am hoping for peace on Earth and goodwill to all men :)

What a weekend!

I have been meaning to write a blog about my last weekend in Europe all week but the time has just flown by. We had a really interesting weekend and driving down to Italy from Germany through lots of snow to be greeted by sunshine in Italy was a great way to start it. We headed down on Friday and by the time we arrived in Bellagio it was dark. We drove up the steep climb from the lake towards our hotel, having no idea what our surroundings were like so it was a great surprise the next morning to see the incredible views down across the lake and to the countryside around. Friday night we had the chance to meet Mark (the groom) for the first time, and what a lovely guy he is. We also had the chance to dig in to some great sea food and Italian pasta...I don't think I could ever get tired of good Italian food.

Saturday morning I joined Gail (the bride) at the hairdresser for the final hair do...a few hours later after a flurry of make-up, dressing, finding the brides' parents who we thought were missing in action we were off to the Town Hall where the wedding was taking place. It was an Italian civil service, and after the Italian wedding of Barbie and Massimo last year I was a little familiar with how it all went. There was a lady translating into English the words spoken and she spoke with such gusto, she could of been addressing a crowd of thousands rather than the seven of us. It was a beautiful ceremony and the most important thing was achieved, Gail Chasley Robinson became a Faulkener and a wife and Mark found himself as a husband :) We all had some lovely photos taken down by the lake and throughout parts of the old town of Bellagio....such a spectacular setting!

Lunch followed...again, fantastic Italian food with an emphasis on the local seafood and wine. It was lovely to have such an intimate reception and we drank and ate until the sun came down.

The next morning we headed up the climb from where we were staying to Madonna dell'Ghissallo...the church and cycling museum that has quite a reputation, not just in Lombardia but in many parts of Europe and the world. Mass was taking place as it was Sunday morning and it was really good to be up there in the sunshine with the view down across the lake and across to the mountains, taking in the whole scene. I have raced up this climb twice, in 2003 and 2006 in the womens Giro di Italia...so it was nice to be there again under much more relaxing (and decidedly less sweaty) circumstances! We finished our day in Bellagio with a delicious pizza and then it was time for the drive back. We had decided to make the trip shorter by catching the ferry across the lake with the car and cutting across straight to Lugano. Things didn't quite go to plan and somehow (how do these things ever happen??) we ended up on top of the 2117 m Passo di Spluga. It was a winter wonderland up there, so beautiful and everyone was in high spirits as we headed to the very top of the pass and the border between Italy and Switzerland. Unfortunately we were not able to get over the pass as there was so much snow and no cars had been coming up the Swiss side to clear the road....mmmm...bugger. So we turned around and made our way back to Lake Como and started again. A bit of added adventure and some nice photos of the top...nothing lost luckily (except some hours)! We found out the next day that there had been a record amount of snow dumped in Switzerland within the day, so no real surprise that we couldn't cross the pass!

Sitting here now in 31 degrees and Sydney sunshine it is hard to imagine that that was less than a week ago. I am struggling riding the heat now compared to not being able to ride on the snowy roads....how strange. It has been great to get back, I haven't suffered from jet-lag too badly and I have had a few days to sort myself out with things and I am starting to feel as though I am back in the groove. After a good ride with little sis today I am enjoying a day hanging out at home, followed by a bbq this evening...life is good :) Gunnar comes over in 3 weeks which I am very excited about, and I know he is keen to hit the Sydney beaches again.

Elbstandsteingebirge

My last weeks in Germany are passing quickly. I spent most of last week getting back into training and trying to finish my last uni assignment. The weather was more conducive to studying than exercising outdoors but it is scary how quickly you get used to it. This morning I woke up to sunny blue skies which was exciting and exclaimed to Gunnar, "its 5 degrees - that's warm!"...and I wasn't being sarcastic! Oh my....

Yesterday I had a lovely catch up with some of the girls from my team from this year. We met in the east of Germany near Dresden for some hiking in the 'Elbstandsteingebirge' which is part of the Saechsische Schweitz. It was dry for most of the day, and we warmed up quickly with some hiking and chatting. Autumn really is a magical time of year in the forest...the colours are so pretty. We came across a really nice little cafe with a great view across the valley and were reinvigorated after some pancakes and gluhwein (actually inside was so nice and warm that I felt like curling up for a nap). I was glad to be able to see a bit more of Germany in my last weekend here for the year. At the end of the week we head to Italy for the big wedding....(not mine!)....photos will follow...

This week will be filled with training, packing up all my things and getting organised & excited about coming home!

Ice fast run

The weather has been decidedly wintery this last week or so in Germany. It was been as cold as -2 degrees at night with max temps climbing up to a not-so-balmy 4 degrees which has taken some getting used to. The good news is that the house is very warm and cosy, and when you go for a run in 2 degrees you don't get up too much of a sweat! Michelle, my Aussie friend was here for a few days this week. She had been in Salzburg last weekend and I had a SOS message from her when she found herself in the midst of a winter wonderland, snowing for 3 days and she didn't know what to do...she definitely didn't have the clothing for such weather and so she jumped on a train bound for Germany.

We had some pretty funny days, I tried to take her up the mountains to show her how pretty it is around here....about 5km from home we encountered a pea-soup like fog. We persisted, drove up there and in the end could not really see past our toes....bit of a shame! She was not too sad to say goodbye and head home to some Sydney sunshine after 10 weeks of travel.

Tonight we went to watch the Deutsche Meisterschaft Eisschnelllaufen (literally ice-fast-run)...in normal speak, German National Speed Skating Championships.... It was a bit of a thrill for me...I have never seen speed skating live and it is just so fast! The ice was like glass, and the skaters were great to watch, I even got to see a crash. I did the appropriate sport spectator things (German style anyway)...ate bratwurst and drank Gluhwein...and had to leave when I hadn't been able to feel my toes for 20mins.

This weather isn't super motivating for bike riding but I have been doing a bit to get back into it. Hopefully the weather forecast isn't wrong and there will be some sign of sunshine and temperature in the double-digits...this little Aussie is hopeful :)

Home time

The holidays are over and I am back 'home' in Germany, time to adjust back to 'normal' life (I'm not sure that I know what one of those entails!).
The last days in Rome were fantastic. The days flew by in a whirl of ancient ruins, amazing museums, cappuccino's, great pasta, yummy pastries, delicious gelati, creamy cafe macchiato's, smooth red wines....this list definitely has a bias towards items of an edible or drinkable nature and that is not really an accident. We ate and drank hours away, interspersed with walking at least 15km a day through the winding backstreets that make up Rome. It is no surprise that we did some of the eating whilst on the move....it was the only way to fit it all in!
We managed to see all the sights and were lucky on more than one occasion. I did a little 'woe is me' time after having to wait more than 2 hours to get into the Vatican Museums and then realised how lucky we had been when we stopped for a bite to eat on the way home and it began pouring with rain, a surprise afternoon downpour came from vibrant blue skies. The pour sods who were still waiting in line would have been soaked....what to do in that situation? Do you stand and get wet through because you've already been waiting 2 hours or abandon post? Luckily we didn't have to make that decision as we were in a cafe with Gunnar silently pleading with the staff to serve me asap (a certain someone gets a little cranky when the blood sugar drops!).
I could write pages on all that we did and saw but I can just summarise and say that Rome is overwhelming in so many ways...the amount of: history, amazing buildings, crazy women driving in stillettos on a vespa, good coffee available at every corner, well-dressed Italian men (love a man in a suit!), great, fresh food etc etc. We finished off our trip with drinks in Villa Borgehese watching the sun go down, dinner at a little Osteria we found which had fantastic pasta and then gelati at a gelateria we couldn't believe we hadn't found earlier (probably a lucky thing).
Now it is time for reflection on the season of racing, time to get things in order for next year and enjoy my last weeks in Europe. As much as I look forward to being in one place, I tend to get restless after 4 or 5 days so we will see how it goes :) I was thinking about where I have been this year..apart from Australia I have raced in Germany, Holland, Italy, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Canada and Belgium this year. I have been able to explore Prague, Slovenia and Rome and am soon to visit Bellagio on Lake Como. How am I ever going to settle down to a normal life? That will be a challenge indeed :)

Just a short post to wish uncle Graham a very Happy Birthday for Sunday....whatever you do get up to, I hope you enjoy it :) For aunty Cheryl, we did have gelati from the place close to Trevi Fountain last night....the meringue with hazelnuts was spectacular :)
Have a good weekend everybody

The craziness that is Rome

I have journeyed some to Rome, a crazy, fascinating and enchanting city. My Sydney friends, Sam and Heather McGovern are based here for a few months for work and it has been great to see them and see how well they have integrated themselves into the city. I think it is well and truly agreeing with them....Heather has charmed all the local old men, from doorman to butcher and Sam has nearly figured out the direct route to the best gelati in Rome. The weather has been much more agreeable than in the more northern parts of Europe....sunshine and 25 degrees which for this Aussie is just about spot on.
The first few days I was not too much of a tourist, I enjoyed following Sam around through the little streets from the laundromat to the fresh food market and in search of a 'good' bike shop in order to find out how it is possible to go for a decent bike ride in this city. All of these tasks involve passing the many 'sites' of Rome...Piazza del Popolo is a stone's throw from their 'home', the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Via del Corso...and numerous other amazing old buildings and churches....there is just too many to know the names of them all. One of the treats has been staying with people who have already explored and know where the best local cafes, delis and restaurants are. It saves playing hit and miss and means enjoying plenty of fantastic fresh Italian food, wine, coffee and gelato every day....what a life!
Gunnar arrived last night and today we played tourist. With backpack in tow be headed off to the Vatican to try and get a glimpse of the Sistine Chapel and St Peters Basilica. We were prepared that it would be busy but we were overwhelmed with just how many people there were. A 3 hr long wait to get into the Vatican Museums to see the Sistine Chapel and 2+hrs just to get into the church. We were not super enthused about this, so took in the piazza and headed off for other city sites with plans to get up very early for the lines tomorrow.
We have had a great day taking in everything, and we still have dinner tonight to look forward to, always an experience within itself.
I can't wait to get 'home' to Germany and post some photos of my last weeks of adventures.

Lovely Ljubjlana

It is my morning of departure from Slovenia and I am sad to be leaving. As with most places that you travel to, you think that of course you will be back again but often that is not the case...there are so many places to see and explore in the world.
Since my last blog we had some more amazing days in Bled and its surroundings. Lake Bohinj is gorgeous, and the hiking around the area was beautiful. We had planned to do a big walk for the day but unfortunately I was the weakest link. It happens to me at the end of every cycling season, I attempt to do some other form of exercise and end up hobbling around for days after pushing those muscles I haven't used for more than 6 months a little too far. On this holiday, I am not sure what I did but I woke up on Wednesday morning and my right quad was not happy with me at all. Walking on the flat or uphill was fine but going down was terrible, I had to do a funky kind of hop just to get down to breakfast. Due to this we had to settle for hiking up to a waterfall and then around one side of the lake...it was a lovely day again and the 10km or so that we did was satisfying enough.
The next day in Bled we headed out to Vintgar Gorge, the walk from Bled out throught the little villages, surrounded by the mountains was a great way to start the morning and the gorge was all that is cracked up to be. We finished the day off with hiring mountain bikes and riding around the lake....all in all another happy day in Slovenia.
On Friday we caught the bus here to Ljubjlana...we had booked to stay at Hostel Celica, which is the place to stay here. It was previously a prison and has been renovated, with the help of 18 top Slovenian artists to become the coolest hostel I have ever stayed in. Some of the rooms are the more traditional dorms but the first level is the converted 'cells'...quite an experience. We explored Ljubjlana in the late afternoon and followed the masses by pulling up a stool at one of the many bars next to the river and drank some of the local beer, 'Union' while people watching. Saturday we awoke to the sound of heavy rain...for Michelle it was a bit of a godsend, she has been travelling for more than 7 weeks and was in need to an enforced down day. We have been so lucky with the weather, at this time of year you have to be grateful for every day of sunshine you get, so we weren't too worried. We did venture out into the rain to check out the fruit and vege markets...very worthwhile but we were soaked and spent the rest of the morning drying out, reading on the couches in the cafe in the hostel.
So now I head to Rome...I'm very much looking forward to this week as well. I am so glad that I decided to come to Slovenia, I would be back here in a heartbeat...it feels like much more than a week since I left Stuttgart which for me is the sign of a good holiday :)
Photos still to come....

Beautiful Bled

It has been a long time since my last blog and so much has happened....Tuscany for racing, Novellara for visiting, Stuttgart for spectating and now I am in Bled, Slovenia for some holiday time.
My uni friend Mich and I arrived here early on Monday morning after quite a comic train trip from Stuttgart.

The first day here we walked around the lake which is incredible, sussed out the town, walked up to Bled Castle for a fantastic view over the region and then rowed out to Bled island and rang the bell in the church for luck...its the thing to do. Yesterday we joined a group for the 'Emerald River Adventure', there were 2 van's of us, and not surprisingly all but two in the group were Aussies...can't escape them. We did some hiking in several beautiful spots, climbed up to waterfalls, white-water rafted down the Soča river (beautiful green colour), fell into the 6 degree water several times, watched a few of the others jump off a 14m high bridge into the 6 degree water (one of the girls bent her legs at the last minute and had some big bruises down the front of both legs from where they hit the water, ouch!), caught a car-train through a tunnel that cut through the mountains, drank some local beer, ate some local soup for lunch and met some really nice people. We were away for 11 hours and it was a fanastic day. We have been blessed with sunshine, clear skies and no wind....there is that lovely mountain freshness in the air in the mornings and evenings and the days are glorious. Can't wait to post some photos....
Today we are going out to a place called Lake Bohinj for some exploring and some hiking. I am sold on Slovenia already, the people are lovely, the autumn colours are magic, the scenery spectacular. On Friday we head to Ljubjlana for 2 nights and then Mich travels on to Croatia and I catch the train to Rome via Venice. I am back in Germany in just under 2 weeks...so still some adventures to be had :)

Another big hair day

Racing in Holland

It has been awhile since my last blog, I have made the rounds around western Europe and packed in quite a few racing days. I was meant to head to Italy for a week of training and catching up with some Italian friends, however my plans were changed as our team was down one rider due to injury and so I headed to Holland for 6 days of racing. I raced in Holland for the last two seasons with a Dutch team, but 2007 has seem me stay well away from the windy craziness that is Dutch racing.
The weeks away racing began with the journey to the far western point of France, Plouay in Brittany. It was the penultimate world cup of the season, and with 3 climbs every lap, it always makes for a tough race. I started rather nervously amongst the 165 other women who had pinned the race numbers on for the day, the biggest field I'd raced in for awhile. The race began quickly and the field gradually began to diminish....I hung on for dear life on the climbs and was happy to finish in the front group. Noemi Cantele, an Italian who rides for Bigla, powered away from the break on the final climb to take an impressive victory.
We headed north from France to the south of Holland to begin the Holland Ladies Tour in the hills around Valkenburg. Day 1 of racing in Holland and after raining all morning, we were lucky to race mainly on dry roads. I had my first race crash in a long time when I came down in a bit of a pile up, I hurt my left pointer finger (no laughing!) and broke my derailleur hanger but apart from that was unscathed. The rest of the week was a bit of a blur of rain, wind, cobbles but luckily not too much craziness. We didn't have too much success as a team however the racing was good to get some speed and power in the legs.
I got home late on Saturday night and on Sunday went to Leipzig to pick up little sister and bring her back here for the week. We have done a few rides under grey, cloudy skies this week but sunshine is predicted for the next days which will be nice. I have only 4 or 5 training days left in the season....the last World Cup of the season is in Nuernberg on Sunday and then we head straight to Tuscany for the Tour of Tuscany which runs from Tuesday to Sunday.
The end of season has come about quickly, but I am looking forward to wrapping it up on a good note and hopefully I can pull out some strong resultss in the next week or so.

A week close to home

I managed to survive the tour in France....all in all it was a good tour. We had some long days toward the end, a double stage day on the Wednesday in the rain and then 155km stage the next day. We finished the tour in the mountains on the eastern border of France, a really beautiful place that I would love to go back to and explore. The last two days we finished and then started in a place called La Bresse which is a ski-resort in the winter. There was, of course, no snow to be seen, just lots of very green, picturesque hills and cute little mountain houses....aaahhh.
It was good to get home after the racing and travelling around the countryside which definitely takes its toll. I have had a quite week since. Some recovery days off the bike early in the week, some catching up with uni and not straying too far from home. The furthest afield I went was to Jena (50km away) to visit CJ in hospital. I baked her some scones (she is from England) and had a nice afternoon chatting to her and examining photos of the amazing pins she now has holding her leg together. She is back to Australia tomorrow which is great news and a relief for her, I think she had had enough of the German style hospital food.
I am at home for the weekend which is a rare treat in the racing season. I can do some rides with the bunch, which always has its comic moments (lets just say its no Coluzzi) and I think a bbq is in store as the weather has been quite good, still sunshine prevailing.
Next Thursday I am off to Plouay, in Brittany in France for the second last World Cup of the season. It is tough race, definitely a race of attrition on the hilly lap and after the 1500km drive there I am hoping to have good legs. From there I will head down to Novellara in Italy for a week of training with Liv Gollan and to see some good friends, Baby and Massimo...can't wait for the coffee, pizza and gelati (not sure in which order).

Route de France

I am in Beauvais in France having completed the prologue and the first two stages of Route de France. We began on Saturday in a lovely coastal village called Fecamp in Normandy and we are working out way south-west to finish in the Vogesen region (much hiller than where we began). So far the racing as been pretty fast (thanks to the tailwind for much of the last 250km of racing)…it is a little shock to the legs after some slower, hillier tours but good nonetheless. I have still not mastered the bunch sprint (and after many years being a cyclist I am pretty sure that I never will) but I have been having a go and enjoying racing in the sunshine in such a pretty area.
Tomorrow we race to Argenteuil, very close to Paris and I think after that the racing will get a bit nastier…a double stage day with 95km in the morning and a 22km time trial in the afternoon is Wednesday’s treat and then 150km in the hills on Thursday.
The team is racing well, our young one Steffi Pohl has the Under 21 white jersey and we have to make sure the likes of Peta Mullens (fellow Aussie) keeps her hands off it! The Aussies have a development team here and they are getting amongst it and racing really well. I will report more when I have some internet access (not so easy in France)…

Thueringen Rundfahrt

I've just gotten home after racing a tough 6 days through the eastern part of Thueringen. We did lots of climbing, suffering in the cross-winds and racing through torrential rain...I tried my luck on the first few days with some break-away attempts that were unfortunately not fruitful. I wore the white sprinters jersey for a day (very funny for everyone who is aware of my sprinting prowess) and altogether the team had a very successful tour. I am home for most of the week and will try and get some R&R before heading to Sweden for a World Cup on the weekend. The little sister is staying here for the week in Arnstadt, it will be good to have her company and I might even be able to convince her to update her blog!

The photos are courtesy of CJ Farquarhson from Womenscycling.net.