Starting the season Down Under... Fair Dinkum!

Time trialling Aussie style

After much deliberation the end of February saw a trip to Perth, yes the one over the other side of the world, not up in Scotland. A holiday? I hear you ask... Well, not in its truest definition anyway. For those of you who have been following my musings, you'll know that I set my sights on a podium position in this year's World Amateur Championships in Perth, to be held in September. Well, who doesn't dream of winning the much coveted rainbow stripes that designate a world champion...! 

The Australian qualifying round was billed as a test event for later in the year, so the part of me that likes to plan to the nth degree thought this was an ideal opportunity to start this process. How would travelling 22hours+ across the other side of the world affect me, just how hot does 38 degrees feel, can I be competitive against the Aussies on home turf? These were just some of the questions that I sought answers to, along with how technical was the course, did I have the right wheels/tyres, where was the most convenient place to stay etc?

From a chilly UK to a balmy Western Australia

It was quite a (pleasant) shock to leave the UK in wintry minus temperatures and to land 22 hours later (well, almost two days later) in a 'cool' according to the Aussies, 28 degrees evening sunshine. Given the stress of trying to check in at Birmingham Airport the day before, it felt like nothing short of a miracle that I'd safely landed in Perth with the precious cargo of an enormous bike box looking relatively unscathed. To anyone watching Paul and I carrying out the meticulous operation of identifying the absolute bare minimum that I needed to take, then carefully packing it tightly, weighing it and working out where it could safely be stashed in the bike box this might have seemed like overkill. However, when your luggage allowance is 30kg and the bike plus box weighs 22kg there is little room for error!!

It was weighed, weighed again and weighed some more, but the gremlins must have worked overtime that night as despite leaving with it weighing in at 30.2kg it had miraculously increased to 34kg on the check in scales in departures. Cue much stress as the Emirates team were adamant that it wasn't going on the plane at that weight unless we parted with an obscene amount of cash for excess luggage (at £50 per kg this wasn't something I was prepared to entertain)! Frantic unpacking and re-packing ensued, could I physically wear anything else?! Clearly this hurdle was overcome and soon forgotten (until hauling said cargo around at Perth airport) and ironically I went to bed that night listening to the sound of rain on the windows; thankfully this was shortlived and the only time the weather was suitably British!

Perth skyline from Elizabeth Quay

I'd soon adapted to Aussie time and set about getting 'Lucy' the TT bike set up, checking out where the event village and race HQ would be and most importantly the course; it was hard to picture it on a 2D map. I was last in Perth some 14 years ago and it had certainly grown in that time, in fact it was far bigger, busier and more cosmopolitan than I'd remembered. The TT course took in the newly developed Elizabeth Quay which was a stunning addition to the city. In fact it was that new a development that it was still frantically being finished in order to be properly showcased on race day!

The infamous pedestrian bridge, Elizabeth Quay

Wandering around, map in hand, I was admiring the Sydney harbour esque pedestrian bridge when the realisation dawned on me that this was the only way over the water and I would therefore be racing over this... Closer inspection revealed the surface was wooden slats; it's a good job it rarely rains in Perth in Summer or I might be in for a swim! I'd been warned that the course builder was renound for designing highly technical TT courses and this was certainly proof of that - multi surfaces (Tarmac, cobbles, wooden bridge), 90 degree turns, big pavements to jump down, hairpin turns... Everything that a TT tends not to be in the UK! Add into the mix the Fremantle Doctor; the sea breeze that blows almost without fail every afternoon and it was certainly going to be a challenge (definitely entertaining for the spectators).

Fabulous cycle paths & quiet roads once out of the city

I soon learnt that Elizabeth Quay was a mecca for runners and if I wanted to get a feel for that part of the course I needed to be there before 05:30; thankfully I've always been a morning person and this wasn't a holiday after all... Although to my horror it was actually a cyclist that sent me flying across the cobbles one morning! Thankfully nothing other than injured pride and more importantly I broke Lucy's fall so the worst of the damage was a scuffed saddle.

Elizabeth Quay by night

Temperatures soared come race day, I was glad I'd booked an undercover trainer to warm up on but was still melting within minutes. I decided in this instance that perhaps less was more and tried to find some shade while waiting to be called to the start ramp. Finally it was my turn and just at the moment when I was due to leave the ramp the Garmin turned itself off... Arrrrghhh!! Major stress but too late to do anything other than start pedalling and wait until I could re-start it. Focus, focus, focus. I knew I had to be careful not to overcook the first section just because it was flat, I made the hairpin turn unscathed, back down on the aero bars again... The next hurdle was the 90 degree left which took us into the Elizabeth Quay development with the cobbles, twists and turns and the infamous bridge. The race wouldn't be won here for sure but it could easily be lost. To say I was relieved to bounce down the curb stone back onto the road was an understatement.


The rest of the course was head down and pedal hard, territory I'm much more familiar with! It was hard going into the wind, harder than it had been on my recce rides. My minute woman came past me, I couldn't respond, I tried not to let it worry me but I knew I had to dig in. The turn to head back, which I'd assumed circumnavigated the roundabout actually turned straight back on itself which caught me by surprise. However, there was no time to contemplate this, there was only 10 minutes of riding left; 10 minutes to make up some time! The finish crept up on me sooner than I thought; you might think this is a good thing but not today, I could have done with another 500m. I knew I hadn't done enough on the day, the crosswind and headwind had taken a lot out of my legs and I was lacking the 'top end' that I would normally have come mid racing season.

How I felt after the TT...!

However, taking the positives, 5th place probably isn't too bad for someone who's had to do most of her training in the garage whilst sheltering from rain, hail and snowstorms over the winter! I could quite get used to wall to wall sunshine, lovely cycle paths and far reaching views of the glistening Indian Ocean on my training rides!