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Kaarle McCulloch Nationals Blog




Australian Team Sprint World Champion Kaarle McCulloch is currently competing in the Australian National Track Cycling Championships. She is regularly updating her new website (www.kaarlemcculloch.com.au with the following blog

Kaarle is sponsored by Bates Bikes, Bont, Team Jayco, the Australian Institute of Sport and the New South Wales Institute of Sport


4 Australian Titles and 2 Australian Championship Records!
7th February 2010


The last day of the 2010 Australian Titles ended for me with my pet event the 500m Time Trial. I thought going into the race that anything below a 34.5 would be realistic considering the week I have had and the training that I have done as well as the shocking 9am start! Well I didnt dissapoint! I rode a new Personal Best time of 34.208seconds to take home my 4th Title of the week in an Australian Championship Record time. I smashed the old record by 3tenths of a second which was very satisfying!

I am pretty stoked with my efforts this week and I would like to put a special mention out there to my coach Gary West (Westy) who puts up with me! I have told Gary this many times but I believe in him and his program 110% and I think this week is a testament to him, the program and his belief in me. There is much more to come though!

I would also like to pay a special mention to my young up an coming sprinter friends in Madison Hammond who won the coveted Champion of Champions crown today, pipping me on the line with a silver medal in the Omnium to go with his 4 Australian Titles! Well done Madison! And also to Holly Williams who won 3 Australian Sprint Titles this week and who is showing some great potential! I wish you both and the rest of the team the best of luck in Italy later this year at the Junior World Champs! AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OI OI OI!

For me now I get a nice 4day break from track! And I start the recovery and rebuilding process tomorrow. With 6 weeks to go till the worlds I am looking forward to the fine tuning and speed work of this phase! I will update from my pre worlds training camp in a few weeks everyone! Take care and ride fast!



National Keirin Champion - 6th February 2010

Last night I won my third Australian title of the meet!! In the heat the first three riders to cross the line made it through to the final. My tactic was simple, lead out and let them try to come around. They couldnt get around! I finished 1st to set myself up for the chance to win my third Aussi Title.

In the final I lined up with some great opponents including Nettie Edmondson, Cass Kell and Melissa Hoskins. I had a different tactic going into this race - to race from behind. I knew that I could probably defintley win it by leading out and I thought that that is what everyone would expect from me. So as the gun went off at the start I slowly went off the line to sit in at third wheel. There was a bit of rough riding at the front between Melissa Hoskins and Caitlin Todd fighting for second wheel, but Mel decided to sit out in the wind two abreast next to Caitlin for the entire motor paced 5and a bit laps! As the bike went off I was biding my time watching the front girls and keeping an eye on the girls at the back. I struggle a little bit with patience in Keirins and as we came down the back straight with one and half to go my impatience got the better of me a bit and I made my attack around the field. It was a strong move and I got to the front easily when all of a sudden I heard what I thought was the commassaires gun going off. As I looked behind me I saw that there had been a crash. What I thought was the gun going off was actually Cass's wheel puncturing and I had backed off the gas so much that the girls chasing me caught up to me! AHHH! so down the back straight I made my last move which ended up being enough to hold off Nettie and the young Chinese Taipei rider. I was a little confused after the race as to wether it would be re run or not, but the rules in the Keirin are that the race will only be restarted if something dramatic happens in the first 30m. So I learnt something last night - in the Keirin its hell for leather all the way and you should never look back!

Young Madison Hammond from Victoria also won the Junior U'19 mens Keirin last night and he matches me this meet with his Australian Titles in the Sprint and the Keirin. I mention this because Madison and the young Victorian male sprinters have a bit of a rivalry between Anna, Nettie and myself! At the last Revolution event in Melbourne we lined up next to them in the Keirin for a men V women race. Madison took the race that time BUT on Feburary 27th Anna, Nettie and I will get our chance for some revenge at the next Revolution. Madison and I have had a few words over this rematch with some lines being thrown out there like 'BRING IT!' and 'ITS ONNNNN!'. Haha This time I believe we will be racing the men in some sprint rounds so a word of warning boys: "I hope you like the fence because us girls will showing you what looks like!" hehehehehehehe

I am lucky enough to have a day off today - sort of! I have no racing today but I am off to the track to train with Anna! 7days straight of track! I love it! On Sunday morning I will have my shot at winning my 4th Australian Title in the 500m Time Trial. I will be trialling some different things again in this event and I wouldnt mind having a crack at setting the Australian Championship Record held by Anna Meares of 34.5...we shall see how I go!

This afternoon I have a radio interview with Simone Thurtell on ACS Radios' Grandstand show, so tune in and listen this afternoon between 2 and 3pm.

Until Sunday everyone!



National Sprint Champion - 5th February 2010



Last night I won my 2nd Australian Title and my 5th one all up by winning the Sprint. I really wanted this jersey the most as it is an event that I see unlimited potential in for myself.

In the quarter finals I met ACT rider Caitlin Todd and defeated her two nil to progress through to the semi finals. In the semis I met an international competitor from Chinse Taipei who had also competed in Beijing with me a week and a bit ago. She had qualified quite well so I wasnt going to leave anything to chance against her. I defeated her also in two straight rounds to set myself up a spot inthe gold medal ride off against fellow NSW team mate Cassandra Kell. Cass is a powerhouse and after watching her semi final rides against Netti Edmondson from SA I put my gear up a bit in order to keep the speed high to take the 'oomph' out of her jump. This worked really well for me and I again defeated her two nil in the final to win another Australian Championship Jersey!

I was lucky enough to have quite a cheer squad in the crowd last night with Meg Thompson, with whom I used to live with when I first moved to SA - Meg could be heard a mile away with her "go Kaaaaaaaarrrrrlllleeeeeeeeee"! I also had my step dad Ken and my brother Jack cheering for me. My brother has just taken up cycling recently and now he is an avid cycling fanatic. I also had my dad, Grahame and his brother Robert (My uncle), his partner Ruth and a family friend John who builds Penny's Farthings for the current womens World Champion Penny Farthing racer! I also had many friends in the crowd as well so it was nice to win in front of them. I havent seen my Uncle in many years so it was great to catch up with them and see that they are doing well!

I was a little surprised by mylegs last night, they felt not too bad which I think is a good sign going into the next 6weeks. I am defintley still slightly fatigued from Beijing and the training load prior to Beijing but I have worked hard through this meet here and my legs feel like they are adapting to the load. Next week will be well watched and managed because going into our last phase of prep for the worlds its all about being able to give 110% in every effort and recovery is crucial.

Tonight I compete in the Keirin and I will be after my 3rd title for the week! Last year I got stitched up a bit with the QLD girls so no matter who is racing tonight I will be out for some revenge! Wish me luck!



Sprint Qualifying - 3rd February 2010

YAY! Finally I have cracked the 11.4 barrier, even if only by a little it feels good to finally ride a PB in the 200 after two years! I set a new Australian Championships Record of 11.383 to qualify first for tomorrows racing.

As they say though medals are not won or lost in the qualifying and I still have some formidable opponents to come up against in the racing tomorrow. I am looking forward to the challenge.

I draw some very big positives from todays ride. I tried some new things and whilst they were pretty big risks, they seemed to have paid off and from my point of view I have tapped into something that could be a very big weapon for myself in the future and this is just the beginning. But most of all I think I have a lot more to give this season in terms of time, we enter our last phase of prep for the worlds next Monday which sees finally more speed work being introduced. Today I rode a PB off no speed work...I reckon in 7weeks time I should be flying!

Well I am off to go training (you would think I would get the afternoon off but no!)...this meet for me largely is just a training phase and there is no better training than racing.

Take care all, my next entry will be tomorrow after the sprinting is done and dusted...wish me luck!

Karls


National Team Sprint Champion - 2nd February 2010



Last night I teamed with up with fellow NSW team mate Madison Law to win my first Australian Title in the Team Sprint - my 4th in total and Madisons first ever. Having never ridden together before, the qualifying round was always a bit of a suck it and see type of race. We ended up qualifying 2nd to SA in a time of 35.9.

We both knew that we had to pull something special out to take home the title, so after a brutal 12minutes recovery between heat and final (IT HURT! ) we lined up again, this time on the backstraight to ride the final. This time we both nailed everything (despite myself hitting a marker down the home straight on the last lap - OPPS! ) to take home the title in a time of 35.657 - over 4tenths of a second faster than SA. Madison rode a very good first lap and I rode a much better last lap than I did in the heat so it worked out perfectly.



To say that we were both stoked is an understatement! I was so happy to team up with such a young talent in Madison and standing on the podium with her was an absolute pleasure. I hope next year we can defend that title together!

Today I have the sprint qualifying, and with the legs a little sore and sorry from gym two days ago and a late night in drug control last night I am looking forward to the challenge of the 200m TT. Today its about experimentation for me and I am looking forward to seeing what I can do.

Until this afternoon...wish me luck!

Karls


Australian National Championships 2010

Hi all,

The Australian Championships kick off today with the Team Sprint for myself and fellow NSW junior up and comer Madison Law. Originally I was not scheduled to ride Team Sprint, however having been a junior myself its always a great opportunity to ride with the senior riders and hopefully learn a few tricks of the trade. Madison and I are very excited to be riding together and I hope that I can teach her a few things to help make her Aussie Titles a success. I also get to don the Rainbow Skinsuit for the last time this season in my World Championship winning event and so its an honour and something I take great pride in doing.

Throughout the week I have the Sprint over Wednesday and Thursday, the Keirin on Friday and the 500m Time Trial on Sunday morning. With Beijing over and done with I am training through these championships with my sights set firmly on riding at my peak in Copenhagen in March for the World Titles. My form is a little unknown at this point in time, Beijing was definitley not a true indication of where I am at currently and so I go into Nationals with an open mind and with no expectations, this event for me is largely a time to test new things, going through the motions and testing myself under expectation and pressure.

Tonight, with Emily Rosemond and Anna Meares not riding the Nationals, our biggest competition will come from young guns Annette Edmondson and Steph Morton from SA. Since the Team Sprint was introduced into the Nationals 7years ago it has been won by QLD every year! This year (finally!) it will no longer by a QLD title! Stay tuned for an update tomorrow morning on how Madison and I go together in the Team Sprint! Hopefully we can bring the Australian Title home to NSW for the first time ever - although I am sure no one will be going down without a fight!

Karls Source: Kaarle McCulloch, Photos: Cycling Australia

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