Camaraderie on Tour
“4Five+ is what happens when strong women support strong women to be strong women. Women ripping the legs off men. Even men who were team mates.”
Mo.
Tour of Margaret River 2023 was another successful year for 4Five+. Both 4Five+ teams described themselves as “social”, but something strange happens when racers pin on a number…the 4F Femmes bringing home the silverware in Women’s B Division, and 4F Hot Mess collecting a bag of best in age group results.
Even bigger success was the camaraderie and consideration shown by the riders for their teamies, and this started well before race weekend. Busy life schedules meant it was impossible to come together and train as a group, but there was trust that riders would do the training required, and 4F would be there to offer the logistical support when it was needed.
It takes a team to put teams in the race. Many thanks to soigneurs Kate Boulton, Roberta Richardson and Vanessa Johnson, and our long time sponsors Ride WA, R&D Cycles and escape.cc - your support is greatly appreciated.
Below are reflections from Sherilyn Mathewson, Victoria Wilkinson and Greg Murray (Mo). A nice mix of the warm and fuzzies and outright hilarious. Enjoy!
4F Femmes wrap-up by Sherilyn, with extras by Vico
4F Femmes L to R: Victoria Wilkinson, Nikki Pursell, Jo Blacker, Carol Williams, Sherilyn Mathewson, Claire Sibbel
Friday Stage 1: After a last minute team shuffle and Giselle stepping up to the 4F Hot Mess, Sherilyn joined the 4F Femmes. The six of us (Carol, Claire, Vicko, Nikki, Jo and Sherilyn) finally met each other in person on Friday morning and instantly became friends! After pinning numbers on jerseys we set off to warmup and practice riding in a paceline together. We were soon lining up at the start line with cheers from our soigneur Kate. Leaving Nannup, we quickly got into our groove and looked like we’d been riding together for years (we thought so anyway). Some enjoyed the scenery, while others gasped for air until they couldn’t hang on any longer. The awesome foursome of Claire, Carol, Vicko and Nikki crossed the line together and Kate was waiting with her esky attached to her bike with our recovery drinks and snacks. After a nervous wait we found ourselves in B division in a close 3rd place. Off to a great start.
We look schmicko in this year's kit! Like pros. Seriously! We rode together with honest intentions to do well as a team for this year's TOMR. We agreed - 4 riders for a time. We went over the crest as 4 ... wished we were more ... a quick stop to check Claire's bike safety prior to strava filled PB's on the descent
Highlights: tailwind in the fast bits, lowlights, headwind for the slow bits.
Resting the legs in the shade
Saturday Stage 2: A drive to Greenbushes followed by a warm up ride down the highway to Balingup made for an early start. Before we knew it we were assembled at the start line. Off we rode and the aim of the game was to stay in the front half of the pack to avoid any splits, do our bit and stay out of any incidents. Up, down, up, down - we rode to Nannup keeping pace with riders from SPR, Trench G6, Gero Seabreeze Spinners, The Everlastings, CDF Masters, Trench WAGs and Tour de Friends. Turning out of Nannup it was onto the Brockman climb and this is where the larger group split into smaller groups. Following the Brockman Highway through the forest, we turned onto Maranup Ford Road and up Kandalee we went, trying to avoid eating sticky flies and just get UP THAT HILL. It was here that the stronger riders pulled further away as they rode into Greenbushes. Our first three riders over the line were Claire (2nd), Nikki (8th) and Vicko (9th). Thanks to their top 10 placings, at the end of Stage 2 we were in the lead by two and a half minutes over Trench G6, with the two Geraldton teams, The Everlastings and Gero Seabreeze Spinners, only a further 40 seconds behind. Now to put in place recovery plans (a cheeky visit to the Nannup brewery) to ensure we could ride our best again tomorrow.
SPR very dominant on the front, felt a need to represent our team, 4F rode honorably being present on the front for the easy bits ... feeling very strong in the slipstream, had no idea what was happening more than 10 wheels back ... Claire drops her chain, I had been wondering where she was ... we hit the base of Brockman and she rides back on, phew, says I've been chasing the last 10km ... l need a rest ... then the sea of pink (Trench G6) rides away up the Brock and Claire bridges over and joins them, and that is the last we see of Claire for this day.
Nikki and I find ourselves with SPR, pulling turns, making the most of their downhill pulls, we hit the important descent and Nikki encourages by calling out, "stay with them Vic", another strava PB sees us turning left with the group until Nikki says "I'm feeling good, I'm going to roll with it, are you coming?" Of course! But I can't give more than I have ... and I've a mouthful of food .. with puffing and team work, we held them off and hit the base of Kandalee climb with some advantage, but we can hear SPR behind us, hurting exactly the same.
Huge day out, and very proud of our riding. Claire's efforts on the Queen Stage got her a well-earned podium 2nd! AND a 40sec time bonus for the Team. So lucky heading into time trial day. Sitting in 1st.
Day 3: We met in Nannup with anticipation. How would this new format of the Teams Pursuit work? What was our strategy? After some quick discussion we were the third team off. We had 10km of neutral to warm up, throw out nerves and work out how best to tackle the three sections. In the neutral zone we passed one team and saw another pulled over checking their bikes (??) so we were the first to arrive at the official start line. Plans went into action and we worked flawlessly together as a team. We felt like we were playing a game of snakes and ladders with The Everlastings and SPR. They’d pass us, we’d drop back, they’d slow down, then we’d pass them. On we went, sprinting up the hill to the finish line. After regrouping and rehydrating in Balingup we set off up the highway, nice and easy, chatting to the motorcycle escorts. Turning off the highway it was straight into the second pursuit section. We all worked hard, some taking longer turns but everyone working as a team. Two down, one to go! By now it was getting really hot (37 degrees) so we regrouped in some shade, and filled our water bottles from the support vehicle. Onto section 3 – the last 10km of racing. Again, we worked hard together, pushing ourselves to our limits. With the final race section behind us, we meandered back to Nannup – commenting what a pleasant way it was to finish a race and to be able to all cross under the finishing arch together as a team. Then we had the nervous wait to hear the final results. We heard there might be a problem with the timing on the last section and so we weren’t confident where we’d finally finished. After a few ‘rehydrating’ drinks it was time for the presentations. To our delight, 4F Femmes were the champions of Women’s B Division, receiving TOMR medals and a very impressive trophy, congratulating each other on how well all 6 of us had worked as a team.
The 30kms was hard. There was opportunity to play games, a bit of team play, psyching each other out in the neutral, but we ignored it well enough to just ride our best ride. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the pursuit and multiple overtakings, we lost a key rider off the back and didn't realise until the damage had been done, the red zone was hit and we needed to regroup in Balingup. Everyone put in such a huge effort considering what we had ridden the previous day. Highlights: everyone giving it a red hot go. Huge Lead in's to section 2 and 3 from Jo, we hit the start of those sections at flying speed! Claire's amazing ability to find ANOTHER gear! (Just when you thought there were no more ... Machine!) Carol's legs, when they get tired they get stronger. Sherilyn's sprinting ability and how comfortable Nikki was on the bike, ( except after you dropped it )... your training paid off and your confidence really lifted the Team!
All of us had a fantastic time, getting to meet and ride with new people and being part of the 4F family where everything was well organised by the soigneur’s Kate, Robbie and Vanessa.
4F+ ToMR 2023 - The Hot Mess by Mo
Starring:
Margot - Biggie Watts
Tanya - Urban Camo (we love that olive green Cervelo), the Silent Assassin
Giselle - SoGood, TooGood, WellGood, NoGood
Julian - DrJ
Ann - Surgio
Mo - Mo
The premise for 4Five+ Hot Mess was - No training together, no team building. Let's wing it. Like the assembled heist squad in Reservoir Dogs, we were not known to each other, but we were ready to Team it. Except for the sliced ear, guts, and Tim Roth bleeding out, it was exactly like that. The plan (which is talking it up a lot) was Friday: Race; Saturday: RAAAAACE; Sunday: race Race RACE. Oh, and brewery. If we can’t win, then we make sure we take something away from the event - good photos. The rules were clear:
Get in the drops.
Know where the camera is.
Ride AT the photographer - don't hit them.
Look fast, don't go fast.
4F Hot Mess L to R: Ann Clifton, Julian Johnson, Tanya Birkbeck, Margot Biggs, Giselle Hosgood, Greg Murray
Stage 1, The baptism of fire. Hey - why don't we ride together? We get into formation, we race. The Dr, now a local tour guide, lead us out to adventure. We'd been warned of the white line fever at the Gold Gully turn - don’t even touch the centre line! For 2 of us, pinged for crossing the centre line last year, we stayed left with caution, and grumbled under our breath. Passing teams and picking off dropped riders like hungry Orcas snavelling seal snacks, we climbed. Surgio has a f**king KICK like a fresh Lorena Weibes and surged, Biggie Watts held some in reserve, The Goodness rolled like smooth caramel, Dr J puckered his usually very smart arse. Crested and ready to descend, the Silent Assassin riding on Urban Camo came back and the Group wound. It. Up. The only point of going up is to smash it back down, right? Smashy smashy. The reward was a banging run to the line. Mo sensed a camera - "To the FRONT!" Pulling harder than a stump-pulling farm ute, the Group hit a 48km/hr final Km. Much ouch. Super Swanny talked some rubbish about Kona Ironman. We, however, just drank Coke.
Stage 2. Personal Glory was the name of the game. Dr J was our climber, but there was 45km before that would go BANG BANG! Levels of bike handling prowess varied - for some a mystery that a 93km race won't be won in the opening 3km. Our Teamie SoGood, a TT-er and Cruise Missile from way back, seamlessly surfed the bunch - she was just TooGood. Until she was NoGood - a dodgy derailleur crapped and on arrival to Nannup NoGood disembarked, kicked a tyre and accepted she would have to grind out the climbing - WaaayGood. Some say she was stuck in 53/11 the whole way. But grind she did. WaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayToooooGood.
Leaving the bestest Brewery in the SW (we love you, Geoff!), up loomed Brockmans - 10 minutes of hell and todays' location of "LET'S ATTACK". The bunch surged with Dr J and Biggie Watts in it. By the crest, we had split. Surgio and Mo were soooooo close to getting on - 5 metres close - but missed the catch. We worked with others towing what resembled a Pilbara iron ore mining train - kilometres of carriages trailing long behind, but only 3 little engines. Toot toot!
Where eagles fly and turkeys gobble. The approach to Kandalee is a super-fast flowy down, then STRAIGHT UP! There were 2 leading bunches of Division I. Dr J and Biggie Watts ahead, Surgio and Mo in the one behind. As the bunch exploded on the steeper pitches, there was but a single photographer on the crest. Just one. We hang our head in solemn sadness, remembering when there were a dozen snappers jostling for the best angles of ageing, middle-aged egos. Punching the final 10 km to the line, Dr J would take 11th place, Biggie Watts clocked 18th place, Mo in 23rd place as 4F+'s First Three riders. Up the Teams list we climbed to 7th. BANG BANG.
Stage 3. A show in three acts. Three TTT's, 2*three riders, and there's three T's in TTT - coincidence? I think not. I think. OK, I'm confused. I'm calling it as Three Nannup Brewing Co Stouts ………… Stage 3.
Segment 1, neutral from Nannup, we had 9 km to warm up before the first timed segment. On the road, that meant 8 teams ahead of us sitting up and doing near track stand speeds. Hmmm. Reveley Bridge approached and we wound up. GO time. Stay together as best we can, if you feel good, pull longer, not harder. Biggie Watts had the legs, SoGood had a full tank of Diesel. Mo teased his Mo. Surgio chugged. Urban Camo was rarely seen (OH! There you are!), slipping up the pace line. Dr J on the hunt for cameras and dreaming of stout. The segment went smooth, albeit it with the heat turned up to 111. Water, comfort stop in Balingup, and we continued on the neutral roll to Segment 2. Very. Very. Slowly. Slower teams ahead meant a 15 minute neutral took closer to 30mins in the 35C heat. Yep, thanks guys.
Segment 2, we hit it hard. The turns get faster, holding the wheel is tougher. Biggie Watts and Dr J pull us past a bunch of second rate, middle aged blokes, then another, then another. One midlife crisis after another, mercilessly dropped by their team are swamped and swept by. SoGood hits the GO pedal and drops another Coal Roll as the diesel burns. Surgio hauls it. Urban Camo lurks, pulls, and slides back. Dr J is going so fast that his green zinc is sheeting off his cheeks and dripping from his earlobes. 2km to go, we get the Biggie Watts signature wind up, and she swings off for a one-trick-pony Mo. One Km to go. Let's haul. Let's TRACTOR THIS TO HELL, BABY!!! All I hear in my head is Metallica's Lux Aeterna, full blast. We done good.
Segment 3. Just 9km. 6 riders, half a km/turn = 18 pulls. 3 pulls each. We suck down the last caffeine gels and get ready to hold on. The segment starts with a short, fast descent. Niiiice. BANG BANG. The team clicked into the kind of mechanical oneness that would - by all intents and purposes - indicate scientifically that we had trained together. More than once. Take that, "Science". We hit an incline - CLUNK! Dr J drops a chain and it jams. There's only 4km left. "GO GO GO!! JUST GO!!", he yells. We look at each other, consider a shedding tear as we realise we're leaving him to die, but power away. Tears intact. Heartless.
And power we do. 3km to go. From quiet, sensible, modern, all EV style no-noise motoring, we get the REAL Urban Camo - shifting back to 2nd gear and dropping the clutch. Camoflaged no more, the Silent Assassin winds up for the absolute pull of the tournament. A km of ruthless, aggressive, rip your legs right the f**k off. So awesome. 2km, still pulling. 1.5km - Camo swings off. Mo comes forth, and there's headwind. There's only a few things I can actually do. Gardening - kind of. Style a Mo - well, yeah. Push into the wind - absolutely. HEEEEEAAAAAVVVVVVEEEEEE. 1.5km of mental Metallica, with James Hetfield our 7th Team member. AAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaand finish. Echoes of last year's Famous Five fade quickly, as Dr J appears behind. He punched a hard (and bloody fast) solo final 4km, chasing. For nothing. However, he maketh the Six.
Adjourning to Casa del Johnson, aka the Trailer Park, we chatted ToMR over a cold, tasty sports recovery drink. Or four. 'Twas another good one. Alas though, this year the trailer park trash did not bring with it kilos of beetroot hummus, nor lashings of ginger beer. Replaced by Trailer Park Trash, festoon lights and a cuppla dodgy spines.
Seriously though, 4Five+ is what happens when strong women support strong women to be strong women. Women ripping the legs off men. Even men who were team mates. Let alone the competition. I'm assured they got hurt more than we did.
The collective Blokes on podiums shouldn't be so smug. The Women we raced with have faced off so many more challenges than the blokes could comprehend - career, societal bias, body chemistry and physiology - and they still put blokes to the absolute sword. And kept going. Blokes are not the point of 4Five+, but we've been welcomed in with open arms to support, contribute, bond and race with these Women. I had a ball again this year and I genuinely appreciate the camaraderie of this bunch - Thanks Chix!!
Oh, and …….. LUX AETERNAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Pics by all the Team + PB Photography.
