Report by Lorraine

I think it would be fair to say I have had a somewhat crappy week and my efforts at Renae’s Race were well in keeping with it!

After Ryan’s spin class on Weds night at South Perth a couple of us headed to the pub for a quick drink.  I get back to the car to find it had been broken into!!!
Amazingly my bike was still there… something for which I am still eternally grateful.  However ALL my bags had been stolen.  All my cycling gear including shoes, running gear, several sets of clothes, toiletries, makeup, cash, my groceries…the list goes on!!! It has added up to an amazingly large sum.

Note to other riders:  even if your house and contents insurance covers items stolen from your car there may be a cap on sporting goods…  in my case only $3000.  Not even a deposit on a new R3 these days!!!

The fact that

I still had a bike and managed to have shoes and cleats organised by Friday was nothing short of miraculous.  However, bad sleep, going hard on Saturday’s ride, working until midnight on Saturday night  and waking up with a touch of gastro on Sunday was hardly going to the best build up to any race!

I rocked up too late to see James’ spectacular finish… thanks for the photo though! Probably more of James’ arse than I need to see on a regular basis. Then I look at who’s racing in women’s… Emma Pooley, Josie Tomic, Sarah Kent, Sally Robbins, Melissa Hoskins…. Shit!!!

I struggled from the word go and got dropped after about 4  laps.  After about 15 min I had just been lapped by the bunch and decided I was going to call it a day.  As I came round the tightest corner I saw a rider lying on the verge…. LISA!!!!
I must have just missed seeing her go down. She had been on the outside of the bunch as they went wide on the corner.  She got pushed into the curb and flipped up and onto the verge. I jumped off the bike to help (nothing to lose at this stage).  She wasn’t moving at all and I think may have been out for a few seconds.  She was very shaken up and had knocked her head badly as she came down.  Her Bell helmet is history with 2 huge cracks in it!

Kept her still and waited for her to be checked out by the first aid officer.  Eventually we got her into a car and back to the start/finish.  She was very upset and dizzy and had to lie down. She looked up at me blankly and had the worst blonde moment of her life… “What happened?… How did I get here?”  She had completed lost the previous 10-15 min… a sure sign that her brain had well and truly been rattled!

Alex (hubby) took her to SCGH and had her checked out. They kept her in for observation for a few hours but then let her go home on the proviso that she rested.  Even though they confirmed it was a nasty concussion there was apparently no objection to her racing at Pemberton next weekend!  She even managed to persuade Alex to take her into TBE on the way home and buy a new helmet… What a girl!!!

Bec Halliday had had the worst luck!  She was in a great position in a breakaway and got a puncture just a couple laps from the finish… she was fuming!!!!

On a positive note though, it was wonderful to see so many SPR supporters on the side lines too to cheer us all on! Thanks guys.

So… I am choosing to reflect on what I should be grateful for this week…  Still having a bike that I love, still have my friends and team mates in one piece (although some are a little beaten up)  and still loving cycling whether I am crap or not.

Keep safe

Lorraine