SeVen here we come!

It has been a joy to witness the enthusiasm and generosity of the 4five+ femme community in preparing for the challenge of SeVen.

In Perth, we have enjoyed gravel Wednesdays, making good use of the wonderful Heritage Trail and Pipeline Track resources, and occasionally challenging ourselves with a climb up O’Connor Road. Alison Dyson has shared her technical knowledge in the Kalamunda Hillz & Skillz sessions - some tough work (you have to climb in order to descend) but enough fun to keep the smiles broad. Read more about that here.

The two events firmly focused on SeVen prep were the Nannup Recon Ride and the Kalamunda Cycles Trail Mechanics Session.

Our Trail Angel for the Nannup ride was Sarah Hunter. Sarah will be riding on the day as part of the SeVen Team. The ride followed the Nannup Training Route, 49km with 1220m vert, taking in the Revely Loop and Glacier Valley. It was a great opportunity for riders to experience the terrain of SeVen, with plenty of opportunity to talk about preparation, nutrition and pacing with Sarah during the regroups. A summary of Sarah’s advice from the weekend:

• Tyre pressure: not rock hard! 20-25psi for most MTb tyres.

• Nutrition and hydration: don’t do anything you haven’t practiced before.

• Food: take extras. You never know when a muesli bar may eject from your hand or pocket!

• Pace yourself, remember we do this for fun! If you are going up the first climb thinking it’s really hard work then you are going too hard.

• Five and SeVen riders - utilise the 50km food stop. Pack your bag full of goodies that you will look forward to eating, have some wet weather gear in there as well, a spare inner tube. And make sure your bag is really well labeled so you can find it. [SeVen confirm ziplock bags of goodies can be dropped at registration - recommend nothing perishable or precious].

More information in the SeVen Survival Guide here.

Jo and Tim Bennett opened Kalamunda Cycles out of hours for an excellent Trail Mechanics session - thanks to Alison Dyson for coordinating this. Jo & Tim ran through mechanical issues commonly faced when riding off road - punctures (so many ways to fix!), chain break, disc rub etc. It was a perfect afternoon for a 4five+ femme - bike chat, grazing board, refreshing drinks and a discounted shopping opportunity. Below you will find Jo’s saddlebag must-have list, and a pre-race check list to ensure you start with a mechanically sound bike.

Pre-race morning check over of bike:

• Chain lubed

• Tyres pumped up

• Wheels in straight / not loose, spin wheels before event

• Gears running smoothly - go through all gears on a warm up

• Check headset isn’t loose - to test, stand with front wheel between your legs, hold brakes, wiggle handlebar

What to carry in your spares for race day:

• Tube

• Tyre levers

• Gas canister + head / pump

• Money - $5 note to line tyre if it’s cut badly

• Multi-tool

• Chain link

• Tyre plugs and driver (tool)

• Food!

Good luck to all the 45+ Femmes taking on the challenge!

[As at Monday 10/05] Di Fry SEVEN FEMALE 60-64 MTB Anna Heitz SEVEN FEMALE 60-64 MTB Deb Kempe SEVEN FEMALE 60-64 MTB Kea Mumford SEVEN FEMALE 60-64 MTB Jane Hardy SEVEN FEMALE 55-59 MTB Kerina PUTTMAN SEVEN FEMALE 55-59 MTB Zoe Stolton SEVEN FEMALE 55-59 MTB Susan Thomas SEVEN FEMALE 55-59 MTB Juliana Austin-Olsen SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 CX or Gravel Bike Tanya BIRKBECK SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 MTB Bizzy Butterworth SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 CX or Gravel Bike Sandy Carlton SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 MTB Jo Chisholm SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 MTB Ann Clifton SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 MTB Jodi Earnshaw SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 MTB Vanessa Johnson SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 CX or Gravel Bike Luba Kovalenko SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 MTB Nathalie Laurendeau SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 MTB Karen Mcculloch SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 MTB Ruth Murdie SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 MTB Helen Shelley SEVEN FEMALE 50-54 CX or Gravel Bike Shannon Arnott SEVEN FEMALE 45-49 MTB Alison Cormack SEVEN FEMALE 45-49 MTB Claudia Cortes SEVEN FEMALE 45-49 MTB Yael Gardner SEVEN FEMALE 45-49 MTB JAN Obrien SEVEN FEMALE 45-49 MTB Natasha Pertwee SEVEN FEMALE 45-49 MTB Jill Pope SEVEN FEMALE 45-49 MTB Vanessa Tysoe SEVEN FEMALE 45-49 MTB Kathryn Whalley SEVEN FEMALE 45-49 CX or Gravel Bike Fiona Yard SEVEN FEMALE 45-49 CX or Gravel Bike Carol Baker FIVE FEMALE 60+ CX or Gravel Bike Meg Carrigan FIVE FEMALE 60+ MTB Dianne James FIVE FEMALE 60+ MTB Gesine Montgomery FIVE FEMALE 60+ MTB Kylie Anticich FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Louise Black FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Jo Blacker FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Michelle Bonner FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Lisa Brooks FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Sue Broughton FIVE FEMALE 50-59 CX or Gravel Bike Tze Quen Chung FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Caroline Clark FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Rowena Cole FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Sarah Collins FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Angela Daly FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Kaye Holden FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Anke Hoskins FIVE FEMALE 50-59 CX or Gravel Bike Sherilyn Mathewson FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Sandra Mcmanus FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Meg O'leary FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Terri Quinlan FIVE FEMALE 50-59 E-Bike Leith Wolpers FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Cate Wray FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Catherine Zainudin FIVE FEMALE 50-59 MTB Kathryn Batchelor FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Tracy Ebsary FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Tiffany Gardiner FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Hazel Grove FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Maz Hearn FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Yvette Hugo FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Sarah Hunter FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Turi Innes-Manning FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Kristy NEW FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Pene Newitt FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Penny Spicer FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Sharon SUTHERLAND FIVE FEMALE 40-49 MTB Liz Sheehan THREE PARTICIPATION