THE BEAUTY OF BRIGHT IS...

…sleeping in, sunshine, friends, incredible scenery, arduous climbs, good food and no worries in the world… Smyth (Alex Smyth) was late to the airport, by the length of my sketchy flight home; 1hr20min. We were finally on our way to Bright, for what was a relatively ‘secret’ VIS training camp; seven boys and one girl. First up was falls creek. Just 200mtrs into the ride, my tyre blew. It was easily fixed with a $50 note in the lining, but that didn’t prevent the others from suffering a combined three punctures for the day! On the climb to Falls, PJ (Pete Johnstone) found reception and spent some time on his mobile, I cherished the long-awaited return of my SRM, and Howard (Leigh Howard) spent a good 25 mins waiting for us at the top! As Howard heads o/s soon, we allocated him head chef, with female assistance. Our chicken curry risotto was made difficult when he forgot the recipe, compelling us to estimate the quantity of ingredients, which is a dangerous situation when cooking for seven people! To say the least, it was successful.

Wednesday arrived, and while well fed and well clothed for morning departure, we made our way out to Harrietville where Mount Hotham beckoned. After the Meg, the mountain, and the monotonous descent, I hurried back for a warm shower. Shrek (Sean Finning) settled for the ice cold selection, while Langas (James Langendyk) opted to visit the caravan park across the road as we had run out of hot water! The following morning, after loading our bags in preparation for departure, we headed over Tawonga, Rosewhite and Buffalo, before some entertainment finally prevailed on the way back down. Langas hit into a corner too hard, headed for a brick wall, hit a pothole on his way, completed a forward flip and merely bruised his arse! After 7hours of travel, my arse wasn’t in great condition either. Smyth had got us lost on his way into Melbourne, twice, which meant that my head didn’t hit the pillow until after midnight. Sweet dreams overcame tiredness, as I knew I would wake to the sweet aroma of my Mum’s baked Anzac biscuits! And oh how sweet they were… =)

SASHA JANE

My youngest sister Kerry, 17, has returned home with a dog. She came with no bed, no toy and no food, just a name…Sasha (pictured). She urinated in the kitchen, left her faeces at the base of the stairs, and tried to help me wash my bike, leaving her covered in grease stains. She is a 10-week old golden Labrador retriever, who is SUPPOSED to be gentle and intelligent, and respond well to praise and attention. The latter are obvious, so maybe the former will come eventually? Granted, she is gorgeous and we love her to pieces, but she will grow, and she will bark, and she will tear all of my existing shoes to pieces! So for this reason, when she is naughty, she adopts a middle name, making her our precious Sasha Jane =) Mum walks her, bathes her, and is trying to teach her the words bed, sit and NO! My Dad pampers her, allows her to sleep on the couch, and feeds her KFC! But, unfortunately, 3 days into her stay, I had to say goodbye.

It was a foggy Monday morning, so I wasn’t surprised when my flight to Canberra was delayed by the length of my journey; 1hour. I was impressed however, that the pilot was able to find 19 different ways to describe the weather, before giving us 3 different predictions as to what the sky would look like by lunch. Upon landing, I had 4hours in which to undergo skinfolds, Hb mass, lunch with Laura, gym with Ross, and a catch up with Dr. Dave, before returning to the airport, tired and suffering a severe headache. Two flights to Melbourne had been cancelled, but I managed to score a seat in an emergency aisle. When I stepped out onto the tarmac, approaching a small old plane capable of seating a mere 36, I couldn’t decide whether I was more concerned about the large external propellers, or where they could possibly have stored the light refreshments! I couldn’t sleep for two reasons; I was afraid of crashing, and my head was swelling as the groan of the propellers pierced through my ears…

SUICIDE AT BAW BAW, TWICE IN ONE DAY

Checklist: Clean bike. Compact cranks. Eight bidons, including flat coke. Jelly beans. Honey crackles. Chocolate muffins. I was prepared, but that doesn’t mean that you’re in for a good day at Baw Baw! I arrived early, which proved smart, as the start time for the small women’s field of 7 had been moved forward 25mins. I’ll cut the 4hour story short for you…I won the prime, suffered up Vesper’s, saw to it that I didn’t walk, and finished in third. Carlee Taylor (pictured), U23 Australian Road Champion, broke clear of the bunch 45kms into the race, I lost contact with Lisa Jacobs at 60kms, and from there we all rode solo to the finish. I broke 40minutes for the 6.2km Baw Baw climb, which was 5minutes quicker than when I won the race last year, and a hell of a lot faster than my walking days two years back! As you labour past the spectators, the walkers, and those that resort to resting roadside, you realise that repeat offenders of this race are simply here for the challenge =)

This year, there was no snow. As we descended the mountain however, there was smoke, evidence of the burning off that has been taking place in the local area of late. As Mum and I drove along, joined in company by my brother Matt, and his girlfriend Laura, we discussed the winners (those that finished), and the losers (those of which don't exist at this race). The back roads cut a half hour from our drive, so despite the car sickness that I could feel coming on, we turned to head for home. The smoke grew thicker, and it wasn’t long before small spot fires had us slightly concerned. As we veered right to round a corner, we were faced with a wall of thick smoke, flames engulfing the trunks of trees, and a small white car reversing into us. It wasn’t until we jumped from the car to assist in a u-turn on the narrow roads, that we heard the choppers in the sky, and the sound of fire engines in the distance. It was like suicide, for the second time in one day!

Results: Mount Baw Baw Classic, 97kms

COLERAINE STAGE 3-4: TOUR VICTORY

By the time Sunday morning had come, after consuming the famous Chicken Parmigiana that has led me through every stage in Coleraine, and a restless night’s sleep, I was prepared to take the yellow jersey and back to back titles. I felt strong, was climbing well, but had 20 other girls to worry about. Once again I went head to head with Kathy for QOM bonuses, where she ran me off the road…twice…and after some malicious words, I took out the QOM classification. Christine Foster and Simone Spikers were the aggressors today, but with desperate time bonuses still on offer, a bunch kick was bound to prevail. Nic played the early role in our lead out, before Tess took over her duties. A look left, and a look right down the finishing straight, showed that Kathy was out of contention, so we were able to hand Tess stage victory, obtain critical bonus seconds, and claim the yellow jersey by 2 seconds!

What would prepare me better for a criterium than a beef pastie? Well almost anything would have been more appropriate, but they looked SO good, and must have been made of something special… The opening minutes of our 18km criterium saw Tess trying for a breakaway. Even with a stage win, she needed to escape Kathy by 22seconds to move to second on GC. So after claiming the intermediate sprint, I continued on the attack, taking 6 girls with me, and leaving Kathy to chase. Nic and I worked hard to extend the margin, with the gap at 16seconds with 2kms remaining! We assured Tess the stage win, and waited nervously as the seconds counted down to Kathy’s finish. The verdict? 24 seconds! A successful tour for the team! The VIS claiming three 3 stage wins, the QOM classification and 1-2 in the overall classification! Now I can look ahead to Baw Baw, and merely hope that Frank Cipriano doesn’t beat me, as he’s one up on me after a four second margin separated us in the time trial in Coleraine!!

Results: Tour of Coleraine Stage 1-4, QOM & GC