Spring into Racing
It’s been great to see our members pinning on a number and making the most of the Spring racing on offer - Cape to Cape MTB, Tour of Margaret River, Backroads Gravel and UCI Gravel World Championships (granted, it’s autumn in the northern hemisphere…). Below is a capture of some of the results, and reflections on how the racing has been for our ageless athletes.
Cape to Cape MTB
Masters Women - 1st Tracey Chapman
Grand Masters Women - 1st Allie Cormack
Worth noting that Tracey finished 4th female overall, and Allie came in 6th! Commendations also to Turi Innes-Manning and Jodi Earnshaw for finishing just outside the top 20.
Tracey & Allie. Pics by Daniela Tommasi
Backroads Gravel
160km 50-59 Female- 1st Allie Cormack
100km 50-59 Female - 3rd Nicola Stanley
100km 60+ Female - 1st Giselle Hosgood
UCI Gravel World Championships - Belgium
From Vanessa Johnson:
A big day out. An early arrival at the start, with great camaraderie among the W50+, and the many husband-soigneurs.
With the run of sunny days, the course ran drier and faster than it had during recon.
I got away to a great start, although as I rolled off the line the front tyre felt soft - later discovered it was down to 21psi. I was caught in the shambles at the first turn, a fought through a tight & technical first 5km that took its share of casualties. More fighting to stay in the second bunch, only to lose touch as we hit the first set of climbs (Belgium isn’t flat). I settled into a brisk moving group, which ebbed & flowed for most of the race. Throwing everything at the climbs, sending the descents where the traffic allowed, loving the party crowds & shout-outs on course. I attacked the cobbles (maybe that soft front tyre wasn’t all bad news) & the bike held up well - carnage all around me. I upped the effort in the last 10km to finish up fastest Australian W50+, 16th in W55-59. It's been great to see the strength-skill-size of the women's bunch grow over the past three years.
Pic by Greg Macsok
Tour of Margaret River
It was fantastic to have two teams representing 4Five+ AC at the 2024 Tour. Many thanks to our supporters Fuel for Life and FTP Training for coming on board to support our teams with nutrition and training advice.
The 4F Femmes had a solid tour, with Jo and Denisse finishing 2nd & 3rd across the All Female GC, KOM & Sprint jerseys for their age group, and a 3rd place in WB for the team. From the team:
We had a fantastic, fun weekend and there were many PBs and great performances all round! We rode really well as a team and I think that was one of the highlights for everyone. We also really enjoyed training together, and it was great to have flexible and personalized training plans from Sarah Hunter [FTP Training]. The support and advice from 4F made the event feel more accessible and manageable.
4F Femmes Team: Jo Blacker, Sue Broughton, Denisse Knight, Sherilyn Mathewson, Penny Spicer, Nicola Stanley, Tony Spicer Team Manager. Pics by Patrick Boere Photography & Tony Spicer
The 4F Farragos also had an excellent tour. Great teamwork saw the Farragos collect a clean sweep of Open Female GC KOM & Sprint age group jerseys for Sarah and Giselle, with Sarah also achieving her personal goal of fastest QOM time across all women on tour.
In his inimitable style, here is the race report from Farrago Greg Murray…
I Know What We Did Last ToMR; AKA WINNERS!; AKA Some BS about a broken arm.
Starring:
Ness - Our Fearless Leader
Tony - Gilligan
Sarah Mac - The One Armed Bandit
Giselle H - TooGood
Mel R - The Fraction
John D - Big Dog
The Doctor - The Doctor [aka Julian. ed.]
Mo - Obvs [aka Greg. ed.]
Act 1 – Combine.
Breaking with long established 4F Mixed Team tradition, dating all the way back to 2022, the Perth based 4F Farragos teamies rode together the week before race day. It was odd but perhaps cursed. In Funsborough, Sarah Mac goes full-bore Annemiek van Vleuten, falls and (allegedly) "breaks" her arm a week out from the Race - ala AvV at Wollongong UCI Worlds. Will she or won't she? Vanessa stepped up to #1 Reserve, but was she ready? Spoilers, Sarah's fine and raced…..
The Flamingo adorned Farragos arrived at ToMR with modest goals and inflated egos. Between us, we knew everyone racing and everyone running the event. I don't know how to put this…… We're kind of a big deal. But are we a Team?
Act 2 – Racing.
Stage 1 Starline, GO TIME. Hang on, what are we doing? The Bandit is hanging out far right, there's some chit chat down the back…. What is this? Corner turned, First Segment start comes in view, and the punches begin. Single file, power down, the turns roll through to the Second Segment QOM like a Silca Waxed chain. Then we paired off - Big Dog leading out The Bandit for a QOM Raid, The Dr supporting TooGood and The Fraction climbing a 1:7 incline with Mo. Climbing some, chatting mainly. Remember AvV's broken-elbow-race-winning blast in Wollongong? Yeah, broken my ar…… Aaaanyway, it was then that we all learn that The Bandit only needs one hand to climb. Climb, you ask? Emma Pooley's 7-year-old QOM tumbles like a sugar-drunk 3-year-old on a seesaw. No one else came close - pro-contracted or not, didn't matter. The breathless rest of us would arrive to regroup like a Asthmatics Convention in Kirup. Third Segment, The Fraction is 9/10 done, isn’t having a bar of it, The Doctor ponders life choices, Mo follows without understanding the implications of Big Dog presenting as this year's Bogged Orange Tractor, hauling bottom. The Bandit and TooGood justify and power all the way to the finish line. First. Both of them Way Too Good and leading their Age Categories! We got ourselves some results to target.
Stage 2 No Country for Old Men. But here come the 4F Flamingos Mixed Team. We qualify in F Division. F for F***….. I mean, FAR OUT that's a lot of climbing ahead. At 10km in, we catch the Elite Women's Division who started ahead of us. Division G would catch them shortly after. WHAT are they doing?? I conclude the Elite women are all with us Farragos and I should pedal harder to stick with them. Then, chain drop. Like a toddler on a bone-dry slippery slide, Mo stops. Chain on, chase on, we're back. The Division F’n group lit up on the approach to Nannup. Is the Brewery opening early? The Doctor follows the bunch in desperate hope. TooGood has all her gears this year, and with Mo, settles in for the climbing ahead. Much climbing. Then some more climbing. The days results are good - The Bandit retains the Age Category lead, no other Woman is close to her climbing times again. TooGood holds onto her slender lead. Clear evidence where the Elite Women really are. However, we discover at the finish line that The Fraction suffered a torn quadricep 1/4 of the way into the stage but still finished the hilly back-ended course. She'll be out for the final 1/3 of ToMR - no last-day stage. We are 5/6 of a Full Farrago. Vale, The Fraction. Our MeatLoaf …… 'Cos 2 out of 3 (stages) ain't bad. We settle into recovery mode with sausage sandwiches, donuts and Coke. The Fraction, a Nutritionist, shuddered. The gluttony is so good that the Earth moves for us too. Or was that the explosions from the mine?
Stage 3 - Time is but a construct of the miiiiind. Start Times are chill, man. Uh, oh - they're not. Three minutes before start time, in a swirl of panicking Team Management, Mo saunters to the start line. No problems, or Mo problems - only in Our Fearless Leader and Gilligan could answer that. 3. 2. 1. GO. With a wave and (allegedly) a tickle of the white lines, we depart. LEEEEFFFTTT! Oh, no Big Dog - straight ahead please! Bad dog. Bad, bad dog. Apologies to the marshals that dived for cover at the prospect of getting Mowed down (see what I did there?) by the Big Dog. Without much chatter, we straightened ourselves up and Hit It. Farragos no more - we suffer no confusion and know what to do. Segment 1 is Flamingo bollocks out, all the way to the line. 42km/hr average (so that's why it hurt). Segment 2, climbing. Oi! Bandit - over to you! Segment 3, Big Dog and The Bandit go for it. TooGood, The Doctor and Mo Teamwork it to make the Dream Work. The pain can go and Division F itself. All the way home, rinsing it out., we're done. That'll do Pig. That'll do.
Act 3 – The Wrap
And we did it. TooGood took the clean sweep of jerseys in the 60+ Open Female category. The One Armed Bandit also stole a clean sweep of the jerseys for 40-49 Open Female category. For those playing at home, that's ALL OF THEM - the Green Sprint, the Polka dot and the Yellow GC jerseys – more colours than the proudest pride parade!!!! The Bandit also snavelled best QOM times for the combined three climbing segments. Decisive. However, let’s acknowledge that The Fraction was racing at 50% with one leg - significantly more important than arms in a bike race! There were Heroine Vibes all around.
We thought the Flamingo socks said it all – we are form over function, looks over substance. But it turns out we're not. We Got Game. We be pretty and ballin’. 4F is strong women supporting strong women to be strong women. Tagging along, three blokes rode as allies of strong sportswomen (all of us "of a certain age!") and were all valuable parts of the Team effort achieving "Awesome". Allied - yes. Proud - hell yes. Farragos - more or less.
4F Farragos: John Doyle, Giselle Hosgood, Julian Johnson, Sarah McLachlan, Greg Murray, Mel Raybould, Vanessa Johnson (Team Manager). Pics by Patrick Boere Photography & Vanessa Johnson
