What an adrenaline rush!

Have you ever dreamt of something but never really thought it possible? That was me at the Tour of Malta. I'd participated some 7 times previously, but never hung on to the front group for more than a few minutes at best.

And then there was this year...

Stage 1:
A hilly 4 loop 17km time-trial. And I do mean hilly - max gradient around 12.4%. Owing to the turns being rather tight and midway through downhill sections, I chose to race on my Scott Foil 10 road bike with tiny aero bars attached. A dreary, windy, drizzly day.
First obstacle, the starting ramp looked slippery. They MADE me start from there. Somehow managed to get started safely. Straight into a downhill super windy section. My windpipe narrowed and I started wheezing badly - an asthma attack. I'm not sure how on earth I got round in one piece - in a hypoxic state (thank you Neil for all the hypoxic 25's in the pool!). At the last turnaround point I managed to pop out a contact lens, cue a miserable slightly foggy climb to the finish convinced I had done really badly.

Result: To my absolute astonishment - 3rd place overall having held 33km/hr. The smile on my face was wider than my handlebars ;)

Stage 2:
6 times round a hilly (note the recurring theme) 9km loop with the finish up a 1.7km climb that averaged 7%. The race tactics were funny - super slow in a windy section (the other recurring theme), nice and easy down the hill (against the wind), easy but much faster on the flat with the wind at our backs and then...sprint like mad up the hill - we were averaging about 20km/hr up the climb. Last lap: same thing except the climb was mental - it ended up being myself and the leading girl sprinting hard to the finish line...

Result: 2nd place in the stage and 3rd place in the GC maintained! My smile grew even wider :)

Stage 3:
Well, a gale force wind, thunder and lightning through the night, strong winds and drizzle, a road that was not in the best conditions (to put it mildly) - stage was cancelled. A difficult but correct decision.

I took the time to google my competitors. Turns out the race leader, Henrietta Colborne is a 16 year old cycling prodigy in the UK - races on the velodrome aside from road and is a multiple youth national champion. The 2nd place, Lou Collins has a marvellous 2nd place in Lanzarote, won her age-group in Kona, multiple national championships in triathlon and even raced Ironman pro for a while. I was in good company!

Stage 4:
Sunny! and windy...super windy. Race tactics were pretty much the same as in stage 2, except in the 2nd lap of 6 super hilly loops when Lou bravely attacked going up the (again) average 7% gradient so that Henrietta and myself had to work hard to neutralize. Last lap meant another gut busting super sprint uphill but they were that little bit stronger - both finishing 5 seconds ahead of me.

Result: Another bronze and 3rd place in GC held - my smile is now permanently fixed onto my face.

It was awesome!

I have to also praise all the other cyclists participating, particularly my other Maltese fellow cyclists, who supported me as best they could and made the race more interesting :)

Onwards...and upwards!

Of comfort zones and Sicilian Adventures

So last weekend I tried something new. I caught the ferry to Sicily. Believe it or not, in 33 years I had never got round to doing this. And it was somewhat of an experience, given the rough seas. And then I tried another new thing - I used my Garmin Edge 1000 to navigate my way from Pozzallo to Scicli. And the biggest new thing of all was participating in a Gran Fondo. 126km, lots of lovely long climbs and long downhills. A few switchbacks and the experience of riding in a group of about 16 cyclists - none of whom spoke English.

It was fun. It was also tough - especially the first and very hilly 60km. The start was quite fast, despite the fact that we were climbing up a 4 - 6% gradient for about 7km. This is where we all sorted ourselves into groups. I wasn't very sure of myself at the start and held back a little. But then I spotted a group of guys just ahead of me and I knew that I had to catch them and team up, or risk cycling alone. It was the right decision. The hills kept coming and after 20km I was wondering how on earth I was going to do another 100+ km. We hit the highest point at 70km and then it was mainly descents with short climbs here and there. Somewhere along the line we caught up with two cyclists - a guy and a girl. At this point it was game on. I tried to crack her - some hard climbs to see if she got dropped, but she held on. Towards the last 3km there was a short steep climb. I thought it was going to be longer so dropped to the small chain wheel. Big mistake, she attacked on the big gears and flew away. I sprinted hard but she and another three guys got away. Turns out she's a Scicli native and knows the roads very well. And she had done this event before, as had the girl that came first.

So I finished 3rd, having held 31.8km/hr for 126km. I'm well pleased though - especially with the box of lovely Sicilian tomatoes, aubergines, cucumbers and peppers that was part of my prize. The taste is beyond compare :)


It bears recognising that for a number of reasons - I was well out of comfort zone during the event. Firstly I live in Malta. Malta is tiny and we cyclists know all the roads by heart. We know exactly what is coming and what effort is needed. This makes for lazy reactions. Now being with a group, not always having full view of the road - and especially not knowing whether we were about to hit an uphill, downhill or corner was an excellent nervous system stimulator. Secondly, the longer absolute time spent in the same gradient - in other words simply longer roads. Those who know me will attest that I have a strong preference for long straight roads with no kinks. I gaze with envy and those who seem to enjoy twists and bends and technical sections. I also realise that the best way to learn to enjoy it - is to do these sections often. 

I'm also so glad I went up as part of a group. Great guys, no ego - plenty of communication, plenty of good humour. As an Ironman athlete - the journey is often lonely. Long hours spent training hard with no one to share a joke with. I have made an effort to spend Sundays cycling on my road bike with other club cyclists. Not only is it more stimulating but quite frankly nicer.  Will it pay off? I think so.

Thank Yous

It goes without saying doesn't it...no man is an island. And I would have got absolutely nowhere without all the persons who have supported me in various ways. Maybe it sounds funny to a lot of people when an athlete posts a long list of thank yous, to coaches, sponsors, family. But where would be without them?

I understand the need to make fun of this too. I myself am amused when friends post thank yous to the local fast-food supplier. But do understand. Every time I get a taste of the holy grail that is sponsorship, I am working. I have signed a contract, and this contract is a responsibility. I am obliged to bring attention to the brand, to play a role in the marketing and promotion. In certain cases I am also obliged to use their products and to give feedback on them.

Therefore, while I appreciate any sponsor I get and do my best for them, it must be kept in mind that I would only accept a sponsor that aligns with my principles and whose brand is of value. This is important both for my own reputation - and for the reputation of those brands and companies that do sponsor me. Only in this way can I truly promote them, with confidence that they provide a solid service and product. It can therefore be understood that BMIT Ltd and Mochika-Outdoor Life posses these qualities and I am proud to represent them.

Of course, for every athlete, the biggest sponsor is always their own family. In my case, the value of the time donated by my husband, parents and siblings in child care is of infinite value. At a young age my parents supported me financially - buying my shoes, my first ever racing bike, my first ever swimming lessons. For this I thank them heartily. And the same goes for my husband, Philip. It wasn't easy taking the decision to stop working and focus on a PhD and full time triathlon training. His support was crucial to this. I doubt I would have got anywhere without him.

I can go on and on about my friends too. Too many to mention really - and I'm sure I'll forget someone. But I've been helped with time, transport, marketing myself, coaching, bike fitting, and simple support and belief in me - which counts for a lot.

Maybe I should stop before it gets sentimental. But I could never make it all about me me me. Because it isn't and it shouldn't be. Therefore I will stop with a huge THANK YOU to all of you. xxxxxx