Nicola, Author at - Page 5 of 50

Why are some riders more athletic than others, and what can I do to keep up?

February 20, 2020 Nicola Professional cycling, Women cycling

If, like me, you’re not that fast on the bike, you may have pondered why some riders are just more athletic than others, seemingly without even trying. I guarantee you that every one of those amazing professional cyclists that you watch in the pro peloton is the athletic type so don’t feel intimidated. Do it your way. That’s what I decided when I took up road riding a bit over 11 years ago, and I observed this phenomenon. So why are some people able to ride so much faster, even when they are relatively new to cycling? After doing a

Get excited about the Wollongong 2022 UCI Road World Championships

February 14, 2020 Nicola Cycling advocacy, Professional cycling, Women cycling

Although the Wollongong 2022 UCI Road World Championships are more than two years away, there are lots of reasons all Aussie road cyclists should be excited. Not only will the event be exciting and very accessible for many of us, but it will also have some great legacies which have been detailed in a policy released a couple of weeks ago by Cycling Australia. The legacy plan provides a top-line description of quite a few key areas including sport, transport, policy, education, tourism, people, and partnerships. To find out more I had a chat with Kipp Kaufmann who is the

Idyllic location for a women’s race camp – the south of France

February 7, 2020 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle racing, Cycle tours, Cycling Club racing, Women cycling

I had the pleasure of speaking to US Masters rider Sarah Chubb Sauvayre via Skype from her hometown of New York last week about women’s cycling and a women’s race camp she’s hosting in France in July/August 2020. One of the things that really struck me during our conversation was that despite the geographic distance and her focus on racing, and mine on riding, we had lots in common. Particularly regarding our shared passion for getting more women on bikes. Diane Best who runs DBest Cycling tours in France who will be running the camp is also of the same

Support the 2020 High Country Women’s Cycling Festival – sign up today

January 30, 2020 Nicola Bike skills, Bike travel, Women cycling

It certainly has been a horror bushfire season around Australia including the Victorian High Country and sadly it’s had a very negative effect on local tourism which will have a knock-on effect on events like the High Country Women’s Cycling Festival (HCWCF) to be held in March 2020. The good people of Bright where the HCWCF is held each year have a clear message – they are definitely open for business now the bushfire threat has been brought under control. This year’s HCWCF will be held from 20 to 22 March 2020 centred on the picturesque town of Bright. It’s

2020 Women’s Tour Down Under – a ride not to be missed

January 24, 2020 Nicola Cycle racing, Professional cycling, Women cycling

I’m just home from Adelaide after following the 2020 Women’s Tour Down Under (TDU) professional women’s road race, and I’ve pleased to say it just gets better and better. I also attended the 2019 race and I’m happy to report that this year’s was even better. In fact, last year and every other year I’ve attended the Men’s TDU, but this year I went just to watch the women and came home before the men’s race even began. So if you live in Australia or even overseas I encourage you to attend the 2021 Women’s TDU, but if that is

It’s smoking hot in the land of OZ – Here’s your Summer riding tips

January 17, 2020 Nicola Riding in the heat, Women cycling, Women's health

I often write a few Summer riding tips at this time of year because like many female road riders I’m spending a fair bit of time out on my bike. The thing that has been most obvious for many Aussie bike riders in the past few months is not sun exposure, but smoke exposure. After a number of years of drought we’ve experienced a horrible bushfire season so far this summer and it’s blanketed much of the east coast of Australia in smoke. So I thought it was important to address the ‘elephant in the room’ as well as my

Get ready for the Tour Down Under – tips for packing your bike to fly

January 10, 2020 Nicola Bike travel, women in sport

In January, road cyclists all around Australia get ready to travel to Adelaide for the annual Tour Down Under and for many riders that involves packing your bike to fly. If you’re not really confident about packing your own bike then make a quick call to your local bike shop and ask them to assist. They’ll probably charge you a modest fee so check that when you make the call to them, and make sure you allow plenty of time before your trip. If you want to give it a go yourself then keep reading. My partner and I have

You should commit to some 2020 Cycling New Year’s resolutions

January 1, 2020 Nicola Cycle groups, Cycling Club, Cycling Club racing, New Year's resolutions, Women cycling

Happy New Year to all the wonderful female cyclists who read my blog regularly, this post is all about committing to 2020 cycling New Year’s resolutions. New Year’s resolutions are often criticised for being a waste of time because they are hard to achieve, but I’m a keen supporter of goal setting and to me, it’s just an annual way to test your self-discipline. My own 2019 New Year’s resolution was to ride more than 5,000 km in total which I achieved, with a total of 5,481 km, so for 2020, I’m aiming for 6,000 km. Some of you might

What you should eat after a bike ride

December 26, 2019 Nicola Nutrition, Women cycling

This is the third post in the series about riding nutrition and focuses on what you should eat after a bike ride, and follows up on the best pre-ride food for cycling and the best food to eat during a bike ride. Like the previous posts, this one is a contribution from sports dietician Rebecca Hay from The Athlete’s Kitchen. Over to you Rebecca…. How do you recover after a ride? There is a lot of information around how best to recover …but how do you know if it is correct? Despite what you often read carbohydrate should make up the bulk

Women Who Cycle’s 2019 Last minute Christmas gift ideas for female road cyclists

December 19, 2019 Nicola Bike retail, Christmas, Christmas gift, Women cycling, women specific bike, women's bikes

I find that men are particularly prone to last-minute Christmas shopping so if you’re still looking, here are my last-minute Christmas gift ideas for female road cyclists. I guarantee she’ll like any of these much better than diamond earrings. I’m actually only joking about that. Buy her the earrings and something from this list. Voucher from her favourite bike shop If you buy her a voucher from her favourite local bike shop she’ll be able to select something she really wants like a new bike (or at least the deposit), new shoes, helmet or this summer’s most fashionable kit. You’ll