4F Twilight Series version 2.0
By Vanessa Johnson. Photos Lyndon Greeshaw, Toby Brown, Daji Yu, Belinda Evans, Deb Kempe, Mandy McEvoy
Following on from the success of Version 1.0 in early 2022, the 4F racing enthusiasts decided another series at the beginning of the 2022-2023 criterium season would be just the ticket to get riders ready for a hot summer of racing.
The 4F Twilight Series is designed to be a safe and supportive space for female riders to enjoy all that criterium racing has to offer. Version 1.0 was an exploration of what might work for a female-specific event, and Version 2.0 was an opportunity to make it better, based on rider feedback.
The 4F Twilight Series V2.0 had the same great teams format, same affordability and flexibility, same relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. The things we changed were all designed to increase accessibility for those new to racing:
Separate races for D & C Grade
E Grade and Junior categories added
Series within 4 week period to take advantage of AusCycling trial licence
More skills sessions
Scheduling a series between Tour of Margaret River and Christmas (and Busselton IM, and mixed in amongst the regular start to crit season) was always going to be a challenge for participants and organisers alike. We were prepared to wear reduced numbers as a trade-off for providing a valuable introduction to racing at the start of the season, where it belongs. Saying all that, we still had 13 teams, 55 racers, and at least 14 first-time racers. (And we’re super proud to see some of these first-timers now racing in the crit season proper).
For 4Five+, the greatest success of the series lies in the KPIs that can’t be measured in a spreadsheet. It was fantastic to see new racers gaining confidence and growing in race awareness after each skills session. The camaraderie between riders was outstanding, and the smiles on faces were prolific. The feedback we have received from riders, spectators, and the WA cycling community has been positive across the board.
Series Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors who generously provided the riders with wonderful prizes and support. If you have the opportunity, please support those who support us.
Supporters & volunteers
Racing doesn’t happen without volunteers and support from the racing community. Teams who supplied volunteers were awarded points, and it was great to see riders, family & friends all contributing to the running of the series. Chapeau!
A special thank you to the volunteers in the key roles: Commissaires - Sam Bolton, Richard Barville, Claire Sibbell, Nicholas Connan; First Aid - Ann Clifton, Jane Graham.
Thank you to the clubs & community who supported 4Five+ through equipment loans and promotions: Midland CC, Roues Chaudes CC, South Perth CC, Northern Beaches CC, Peel District CC, AusCycling WA
Series Results
Inevitably with racing, there are also results! Congratulations to all who took part. You can find round by round results on the 4Five+ Facebook page. Below are the series results.
Juniors U11 - 1 Suzy Harding, U13 - 1 Ruby Gallagher, 2 Annabelle Atkins
Rider 45+ 1 Vanessa Johnson, 2 Mandy McEvoy, 3 Rebecca Kelly
Rider of the Series Claire Rapson
4F Twilight Series Teams Prize (recognizing all riders that contributed to team points)
1. X-Speed (130 points)- Charlotte Khorshid, Charlotte McFarland, Madeline Pitt, Scarlett Sibbell
2. Freo3 - (128 points) Jodie Chipper, Kinga Hague, Nikki Pursell
3. Chaotic Energy x Trench (123 points) - Lauren Humphreys, Natasha Lie, Marion Mundt, Manou Rosenberg, Kirstie Robson
A parting thought for those who are race curious
Why race bikes? Believe it or not, it’s not all about winning! It’s never too late to try a new challenge, and you don’t have to be super fit or fast or a youngster to take up bike racing.
For the 45+ crew, I’d thoroughly recommend listening to the Wisdom from the back of the pack podcast.
I also enjoyed reading Alison Tetricks’s article Why do you [still] race bikes?
But it isn’t the results that drive me forward. Results, deliverables, and winning are like rainbow sprinkles on a chocolate sundae. They sure look pretty and are externally validating, but they aren’t the substance of the dessert. There is a greater purpose to bike racing than results themselves…There is an invisible force that the bike conjures and as sweet as a siren song we follow along. Bikes just foster this rare set of emotions that we cannot describe. We aren’t brainless, we aren’t enchanted, but we continue following something we love for the very sake of it all. There are many mysteries in sport, and perhaps this is one of them…Passion cannot be always be verbally defined and sometimes can only be felt.
If you would like to try some bike racing in WA, go to the AusCycling WA Road & Track live online Teamup calendar with all the dates HERE
Photos!
A massive shout out to the photographers who spent hours taking photos, and then more hours uploading and editing them so we could see how strong we all looked, and how much fun we had. Kudos to Lyndon Greeshaw who captured spectacular images every round, and our friends & sponsors Daji Yu (escape.cc) and Toby Brown (Dome Westralia Plaza) who captured quality pics in round 2 & 3. You can see the albums on the 4F Facebook page
