Cycle racing Archives -

Meet Australian female road cyclist – the fabulous Lauren Kitchen

September 3, 2020 Nicola Cycle racing, Professional cycling, Women cycling, women in sport

It’s been a while since I interviewed one of my favourite Australian female road cyclists so it’s about time I caught up and this time I’ve been speaking with Lauren Kitchen. I was lucky enough to see Lauren race in person at this year’s Tour Down Under in January, and was thrilled to meet her mum who was cheering her on. Lauren and I chatted via email because she’s in Europe at the moment. Before I share our conversation I’d like to highlight her great work on social media and namely Instagram. I picked up this great quote on a

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

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

Anything is possible with the talented Sarah Gigante

November 28, 2019 Nicola Cycle racing, Professional cycling, Women cycling

It’s always an honour to interview Australia’s best female cyclists and Sarah Gigante is no exception. She upset the field in the National Road Nationals at the beginning of 2019 to take her biggest victory and she’s got a great future head of her, both on and off the bike. Q: You started this year with a fantastic victory at the Road Nationals in your home state of Victoria, was that the highlight of your year? A: Winning the Road Race Nationals in Buninyong in my first year racing against the elite women was definitely the highlight of 2019 for

An interview with tracey Gaudry – UCI Women’s Commission President

August 23, 2019 Nicola Cycle racing, Olympic Games, Professional cycling, Women cycling

I was lucky to have a face-to-face interview with Tracey Gaudry who is the UCI Women’s Commission President, as well as the President of the Oceania Cycling Confederation, a member of the UCI Management Committee. And that’s just her volunteer role, she’s also the CEO of Respect Victoria, a new Victorian Government initiative to combat family violence. So I was grateful to sit down for a chat in between meetings. Her achievements in the sport of cycling speak for themselves as a competitor and now an administrator. She’s also a mother of three and typifies that adage that if you want

Meet the tenacious aussie pro cyclist sarah roy

July 25, 2019 Nicola Children riding, Cycle racing, Professional cycling, Women cycling, women in sport

For those who follow this blog you’ll know that I really enjoy interviewing female Australian pro cyclists, and this time it’s my absolute pleasure to profile Aussie pro, Sarah Roy. Sarah’s busy schedule and the time difference between Europe and Australia where Sarah is based, meant that the interview took place via email rather than face-to-face or over the phone. Although I was lucky enough to speak with Sarah face-to-face at this year’s Tour Down Under. Q: I’ve read that you were rejected many times from the AIS. What kept you going back until you succeeded? A: I’ve always been quite

I’m very disappointed with ASO’s La Course by Le Tour De France

June 27, 2019 Nicola Cycle racing, Professional cycling, Women cycling

I’m very disappointed with the Tour de France organisers ASO for their lacklustre efforts with the women’s race La Course by Le Tour de France. The race was established five years ago by ASO and was applauded by the women’s pro peloton and cycling fans as a great step forward for women’s cycling, but in those five years, they seem to have been going backwards with the race. I emphasise that I write this post as a cycling fan rather than an expert on women’s pro cycling, but I’m assuming that the female pro riders as equally disappointed. And while

FEMALE ROADIES – YOU SHOULD TRY CYCLOCROSS IN AUSTRALIA

February 5, 2019 Nicola Cycle racing, Cycling Club, Cycling Club racing, Cyclocross, Mountain bike riding, Women cycling

The sport of Cyclocross in Australia is relatively new to the local cycling scene. I first wrote about it in 2014 and have my interest reinvigorated by my friend Niki (who I met on a cycling tour in Japan last year) because she’s very enthusiastic about cyclocross and its potential to grow in Sydney and Australia. So what is cyclocross, I hear you ask. Some describe it as a combination of mountain biking, road cycling and criterium racing into one challenging event. Most races last for 30 minutes to an hour on a closed, twisty circuit of 2.5 to 3.5

The final word on the women’s tour down under – an interview with race director Kimberley Conte

January 30, 2019 Nicola Cycle racing, Cycling Club, Professional cycling, Women cycling

If you’ve read my last few blog posts you’ll know how enthusiastically I embraced the Women’s Tour Down Under earlier this month and you’ll also know that I’ve been trying to catch up with the Race Director Kimberley Conte. The good news is that I spoke with her late last week and got some insights into the future of the race and the exciting plans ahead. By speaking with Kimberley I could tell how passionate she is about the race and women’s cycle racing in general. She revealed that lots and lots of planning went into the race. She and

Chloe hosking gearing up for the spring classics

January 23, 2019 Nicola Cycle racing, Professional cycling, Women cycling

When I was in Adelaide for the Women’s Tour Down Under, I was lucky enough to catch-up one-on-one with Australian female pro cyclist Chloe Hosking. I’ve written about Chloe before and have followed her career with interest, so it was really great to sit down with her for a chat after Stage 2 of the Women’s Tour Down Under. Chloe had a great start last year – the best in her career, but after winning Stage 4 of the Women’s TDU, the Cadel Evans road race and then the coveted Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games. After those three great