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Austral Wheelrace - Women's support races - Preview

To be held at the Vodafone Arena Melbourne

Saturday 4th February 2006

Cyclists International website

With riders starting to arrive in the Melbourne area for their Commonwealth Games preparations, the Austral will provide some with a welcome taste of the Games Velodrome. Kate Cullen and Katrina Hair from Scotland and Elisabeth Williams from New Zealand, plus Jenny Trew of Canada join a strong contingent of regulars on the startsheet for Saturday.

Riders

Roz Bradley

WomensCycling.net has been following the progress of relative newcomer, Roz Bradly with interest. In only her second year of riding, Bradley has been improving rapidly. We caught up with her a couple of times in recent months - these were the conversations >>

The Melbourne Cup on Wheels, 3rd December 2005

WCN: So how are you enjoying the racing tonight?

RB: I'm loving it.  This is my second year and I've got a long more confidence and I'm riding really well.  I finished the scratch race with the women and I've never done that before.  so it's awesome  

WCN: This is not a comeback you've just started racing that's right is in it?

RB: No I just started racing.  My dad raced pretty much all my life that I can remember.  I only just recently decided maybe I could have a shot at it and it's all coming together.

WCN: Is this your first time on Vodafone?

RB: No I raced here last year.

WCN: This is kind of the start of the track season, when you go from here what are your next events?

RB: Yes I'm concentrating on track.  The State titles are in three weeks and the keirin and is next Saturday night; I'm hoping to do well in the keirin. Then after 'States' I'm looking to break the 40 second mark in the 500 m time trial.  I did a P. B. last weekend and did 40.4, so I'm really close.  So that's my goal.

WCN: Are you riding the Christmas Carnivals?

RB: Yes and riding Horsham and Ararat.  I have to work so I won't write them all, it's unfortunate.

WCN: You're from Bendigo aren't you?

RB: Yeah, but I won't be riding.

WCN: Bendigo is a country town a while from here (a round a two-hour drive from Melbourne), is all the travelling difficult?

RB: It's all part and parcel.  You deal with it.

WCN: On a late evening event like this do you stay in town or do you go home?

RB: No I go home.  Anyway, my husband is riding a 24-hour mountain bike race right at the moment, so I'll go out and see him tomorrow and then track training tomorrow as well.

WCN: So is your training mainly done in Bendigo?

RB: Yep.  At the Tom Flood velodrome.

WCN: How many times a week to train on the track?

RB: Uhhm, about two or three.  Tim Decker coaches me.

WCN: So those are 'Decker' sessions are they?

RB: Yeah 'Decker' sessions. Then the club racing too

WCN: Do you ever ride on the road Roz?

RB: No (laughs) Ah, I do train on the road.

WCN: So you know how to change gear then?

RB: Yeah (laughs), but I'm now riding a fixed gear on the road as well.  (She seemed a bit embarrassed to admit this)

WCN: Is there any reason for that?

RB: I'm a lazy rider and if I ride gears I don't work.  It's the only way that I'll get the strength.  I'm riding a 71 inch gear (I think it's a 39 x 15).

WCN: That takes some pushing over.

RB: Yes, I was surprised because 71 sounds little, but it's not when you're on it all the time.  When you're pushing it over the hills it's still a reasonable gear, it's still an effort.

WCN: Does it help your cadence?

RB: Yes absolutely because you have to pedal downhill!  See, that's where I was getting slack, I was getting to the top and going " whoosh" and not pedalling.

WCN: Do you use an RPM / cadence measure of any sort?

RB: No not yet.  I might come to that, at the moment I'm just learning to pedal.

Ararat, 28th December 2005 - one of the Christmas Carnivals - click here to go to coverage

WCN: So Roz, how do you feel about the last race?

RB: I was just telling Jodie (her teammate) that I made a poor decision, a really poor decision.  There was a gap opened up between myself and Jodie and there was another gap between me and the next girl and instead of chasing Jodie I just decided to wait for the other girl and they all came at us.  I thought "Ah, what a goose!  There's the winner up there!" (laughs)  but that's what racing's all about, isn't it?

WCN: So are you looking forward to the final?  You seem to be improving with every event you ride.  Do you have your eye on that diamond?

RB: Ah, for sure.  It's a huge goal.  I think this is my third year here, my fitness is up this year, better than I've ever been.  So fingers crossed.

WCN: Will you be doing any road this year?

RB: (Reluctantly) I think I may have to to keep this level of fitness up.  Road's tough.

WCN: So have you entered anything, like the Bay Series?

RB: No, no way.  I work full-time and I can't use up all my holiday for racing.

WCN: So which races will you ride?

RB: Just club races, just to build some base and to build some ' learning how to grovel' (laughs).  I haven't had enough of that yet!

WCN: Thanks for your time

RB: Pleasure.

Click on the images below to enlarge >>