Retirement brings new challenges for champion cyclist

by Pip Read - Champion cyclist

This year, for the first time in seven years, I was unable to participate in the Australian Masters Cycling Championships and defend my titles. Not only was I ill but I was incredibly frustrated and disappointed that all of the training I had put in during the off season was now not going to be used. It also felt really strange knowing the racing was happening just down the road and I was unable to get out of bed.

In what I thought would be my retirement years I have found myself back at work. I think I was missing the social contact and the discipline of needing to be somewhere regularly so I found a job in a local bike shop. Cool! I now get paid to fix and build bikes and talk cycling all day. My commute to work is a round trip of 52km, and with ergo sessions on Tuesdays; and a bunch ride on Saturday that's my training done. I've often dreamt of working in a bike shop. My boss is a cyclist, coach and a team manager so we spend most of the day talking bikes. So now instead of having my bike beside my desk, as was the case in the last job, it now lives in the back showroom with the SheSpoke Kit draped over it.

I have just returned from the Bright Boot Camp, a cycling training camp in Bright, North East Victoria. I attended the same camp last February as a participant and completed some great climbing. This time I was one of the support riders and had an absolute ball, despite the weather. I found that I'm much more suited to this hands-on type of coaching, rather than sitting in front of a computer writing training programs. It was rather lovely when; after the first days ride (in pouring rain) my group approached the organisers and requested that I stay with them for the remainder of the camp. Normally support riders are rotated between the three groups, so I was much chuffed at that request.

Sometimes you tend to forget the little tips and tricks that you learn along the way, and I found myself riding up some steep climbs beside the participants and helping them change pedalling technique, their breathing rhythm, how they were holding the bars, how you can make the climb easier by choosing the correct camber, and the technique that I have developed for myself over the years of descending safely and fast. I really enjoyed myself. The only tricky thing from now on is how am I going to get some more time off work to go to the next Bright Boot Camp. I may have to do some more talking with my boss when it's quiet in the shop!

We are again heading up to Bright this coming weekend. This time my club team have asked me to run another camp. Our club has an elite camp on the same weekend so some of the girls have asked me to conduct one for them. I am really hoping that the weather is better last time. Then we had water flowing over the road on Mount Buffalo, snow on Mount Hotham, and problems with stray dogs!

Hope you are out and about in this better weather and please stay safe on the roads.

Talk soon

Pip