Courage takes many forms. Sometimes it is easy to see, and sometimes it is hidden like some of our fears. Whether it is the physical courage needed to take on a new sport or skill, the mental courage needed to overcome anxiety as you stand on the start line, or the social courage to challenge expectations around being female and ageing and performance - the 4Five+ Athlete Collective is here to offer support. You can help us continue to grow by joining as a 4FIVE+ member, or encouraging others to do so as a full or associate member (YES anyone can be an associate). Send us through your ideas and thoughts, or just come along to an event and have a chat. We hope to expand the collective to other sporting endeavours such as swimming, triathlon, running, and strength training in the future.

Read American mountain biker Kate Courtney’s post-Tokyo reflection on What it feels like to lose at the Olympics - there is a message there for all of us to take away.

“...we can all relate to the feeling of struggling to accomplish hard things or get through a rough patch where nothing seems to go our way. In my own disappointment, I am learning to appreciate that some seasons of life are not about triumph, but about holding space for the struggle and acknowledging the courage it takes to pick ourselves up and risk our hearts again and again. As David Whyte describes it in his book “Consolations,” “Courage is a measure of our heartfelt participation with life.” The depth of my heartbreak is not just evidence of my failure. It is evidence of my courage...”

— Kate Courtney, Washington Post

Group rides are back now that we have the necessary insurance coverage through affiliation with AusCycling. Yay! Watch the socials as there will be plenty of rides popping onto the calendar - like Friday Hills for Breakfast (roadies, early start), Friday Gravel Joyrides (CX/gravel/MTB, late start), weekend MTB rides, and some introduction to racing sessions as the summer season begins. If you are planning to join us on a group ride, please read the Group Ride Etiquette and MTB Etiquette guides on the Resources page.

The AusCycling affiliation also means that soon 4Five+ members will be able to add 4Five+ as a nominated club on their AusCycling membership - more details on the Membership page. AusCycling membership is not mandatory to attend 4Five+ rides, but without it proof of third party insurance coverage through an appropriate cycling organisation may be requested. You can find information about cycling organisations on the Resources page.

Benefits of adding 4Five+ as a club to your AusCycling membership:

Rolling 12 month membership (currently Jan-Dec)
Less admin - less stuff for you to fill in on forms when coming to our events and renewing your membership
AusCycling is the 4Five+ preferred provider for cycling-related insurance, as it aligns with 4Five+ public liability insurance.

4Five+ femmes have taken advantage of valuable learning opportunities during the past month.

Mel Raybould gave an excellent summary of the changing nutrition and hydration strategies required as women transition through perimenopause and beyond. Changing hormones (especially falling Estrogen) impacts the way our body functions, and this includes the way it takes on nutrition: we need to pay particular attention to calcium & vitamin D for bone health, protein & BCAAs for building lean muscle mass, and changing the type of carbohydrates we consume to combat insulin resistance.

Professor Sophia Nimphius gave an inspiring presentation at the ECU Seminar Series: Are we failing by design in understanding the capability of women in sport? There are two ways this question can be interpreted. 1. Are we failing to design research studies to correctly understand women’s capabilities? or 2. Are we failing women by the design of the sporting ecosystem (equality between men & women’s sports in funding, training opportunities, facilities, progressions, career structures, social attitudes)? The answer to both these questions is an unfortunate and resounding YES. 4Five+ is passionate about the value of research, and hope to play a role in redressing the lack of research into fit women 45+ - more on that soon.

Preparations are underway for Tour of Margaret River, with 4F Racing SQUADRA riders meeting for their first get-to-know-you TTT session. Pleased to report it ended with smiles on faces and some new skills to practice! This will be a team with a difference, with all riders aged 45+ (aiming at a total of 300+ years!), challenging the expectations around high performance and ageing in a racing environment. The team also hope to participate in research that will inform and promote our understanding of female athletes, so it can be shared with the wider sports science community. Look for a separate post about the 4F ToMR journey, and the wonderful group of people who are supporting our endeavours.