The womens bunch set a good pace from Ararat to Moyston (the town where Aussie Rules Football originated) not losing any time on the Masters men who had started 5mins ahead. At Pomonal, Mary Rogers (KWPT) launched the first attack. After being reeled in by the bunch she went again taking Anna Sutton and Alicia Evans with her to get a head start before the hill. Stefanie Frawley rode up beside me and made me laugh when she said "Gee you'd have to be Lance Armstrong to catch that break!I won't be trying it alone."

After passing through Halls Gap, Claire Baxter (KWPT) set the pace on the early part of the 5k climb until there were only 3 of us left. Then I went ahead to catch the leaders. Claire then rode Helen Kelly (Aust representative at 2005 World Road Champs) off her wheel. Claire and I caught 2 riders on the climb and Anna Sutton on the very narrow, twisty and wet 8k descent.

With the songs of my new CD, Tea & Sympathy by Bernard Fanning ringing in my ears I managed to catch quite a few Masters men by myself on the 5k flat and 12k climb up Mt William. The final 2k was brutal (16% Average Gradient, 22% Max Gradient) and as my revs dropped to the 50s, I wished I had a dinner plate for a cog on the back. One guy ahead of me reached out one hand and balanced on a big boulder to get his breathe back (too bad there wasn't another boulder!);then 100m up the road another guy keeled over off his bike. I thought walking may be quicker but then just toughed it out to the top. As my physiologist used to say to me when it gets this steep it's just "lungs on legs."

Anna passed Claire on the climb to come second. With Alicia Evans, a triathlete who recently took up cycling in her amusing "Tri 2 Cycle" Knicks finishing just ahead of Helen Kelly. Mary put in a great ride to come 6th catching Stefanie who only had a 23 cog and had to walk the steepest section.

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© copyright 2005 Kathy Watt Cycling ABN:87 058 550 628