When I found out I had got a gig at the GP I was soo excited this however was soon replaced by nerves.

My lead up to the GP wasnt what you would call smooth, crashing at the State TTT mid October  and then being sick for 2 weeks and the Monday prior at track training having a self confessed hubbard moment and hitting the boards…. 

Saturday came around pretty quickly though and it was time to try and replace my nerves with that initial excitement I had…. 

Registration done now lets check the timetable for the event….. 7.15pm Scratch race…. 9.05pm Point score…….9.05pm……. do they not know that cyclists have had at least an hours sleep by then!!!!   I was on my wind trainer and Amanda O’connor was bringing round some complimentary health drink (the name escapes me, sorry) anyway the added bonus….. CAFFIENE….. I knocked it back and hopped on my bike for the warmup!

Ok so the scratch race was first…. 30 laps.   I had been prewarned that with the field that was there the pace would be on…….that was an understatement……..the rolling lap prior to the start of the race was somewhat faster than I had thought it would be and when it came round for the gun to start the race it kicked and it kicked bad!    My down fall is always peeling off the front and dropping back onto the train – I have never been able to master this to perfection and this was to be the reason for the race ending for me (that and me chewing stem!)….. I swung up and when I went to jump on the back, the wheel had gone and that was me done…

An hour and a half later and the pointscore was up.   I did better in this than I thought I would and when your best mate afterwards confirms this (thanks Dee!) you must have done ok!!!    The thing that got me after being in there for 30 laps was the attack that happened straight after one of the sprint laps.  I like to recover after a sprint not follow it with another one!!  So my legs had popped and that was me done.

It was comforting to look back and see that out of the field of people that started not many were left at the end especially in the point score!!

Thank you to everyone who was yelling, I heard “Go Lise” several times which made me relax and smile – well smile on the inside I might have been gasping for breath on the outside!

Until next time

Lisa