Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Feb 9, 2012, 4:47 pm
After a friend peer-pressured me into signing up for Strava so he can follow me around Europe, I'm now chasing Superfast Jellyfish on various small and big climbs around town. No idea who she is but she is a good climber and she is always just ahead of me. I'd love to meet her and go for a ride toge...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Feb 7, 2012, 4:42 am
In less than 24 hours the eBay auction closes for my Canyon. For the savings of excess luggage, one lucky cyclist in Brisbane is able to get his or her hands on an inexpensive and great value Canyon without having to make the trip to Europe. If the bike sells then I will buy another Canyon in Germa...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Feb 4, 2012, 11:15 pm
Days are flying pass. In less than four weeks we will be on the plane to Germany. Before then, the house will have to be packed, everything will have to be put in storage, the car sold, and amongst all that I'm still trying to get some rides in. Must make the most of beautiful summer weather while w...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jan 26, 2012, 12:52 am
The weather didn't look promising for a ride. The entire week it had been raining heavily, bringing back memories of last year's floods. Cranky moods and flying tempers weren't all that...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jan 22, 2012, 6:52 am
"Have you noticed cyclists getting ruder and more inconsiderate lately?""Yes, it's a good sign that more and more drivers are swapping their cars for a bike!" This joke was published in the German...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jan 18, 2012, 5:58 am
Now that the bomb shell dropped at work and the cat's out of the sack, I finally feel free to write about our 2012 plans and goals here. It has been burning under my nails to tell but I've been too...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jan 10, 2012, 5:32 am
We all know, coffee is part of our culture, the cycling culture. Hell, coffee was the reason for many of my rides in 2011. Whenever there are cyclists, there is coffee. Coffee is part of the...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jan 8, 2012, 8:03 am
A few months back when I put my new Canyon together at my parent's place in Germany, I garnered admiring looks and words from mum and dad. Sure dad was proud of his 'lil girl to put a bike together,...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jan 5, 2012, 8:01 am
All too often I take the same old familiar routes to get from one side of town to the other, without realising that there may be far better, faster, more convenient, or simply more enjoyable ways....
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jan 2, 2012, 7:12 am
Canyon Ultimate vs Time Edge My Time Edge sat patiently at home (at least when it wasn't shown some love by Alberto) while I was getting Canyon out of my system. Alberto's comments after his short...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Dec 31, 2011, 12:18 am
I'm not a big fan of any My Year in Numbers posts. Performance Management Charts are mostly interesting to the rider/writer only (and maybe the coach). I'm not saying I don't nerdily peruse my...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Dec 27, 2011, 4:58 pm
... was time to ride my bike(s). I must have been on the "nice girl" list because I was given plenty. An Urban Fixie Adventure on Christmas Eve Roma Street - underpath Bicentennial... ...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Dec 23, 2011, 6:50 am
An invite went out on Facebook and Rapha Rendezvous and some other forms of modern and old-fashion communication. The occasion? A Christmas Lights Ride - all bikes welcome! I know the invite said to...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Dec 20, 2011, 6:16 am
Sure, most of us have probably been in this situation but I am the authority on this topic. After I chickened out of many a Sunday ride in the past few months because I allowed lengths or...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Dec 19, 2011, 3:26 am
I'm no huge fan of handicap racing despite having fond memories of the Avanti Classic and Soldier's Honour handicaps, which were some of the most painful yet satisfying experiences on the...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Nov 1, 2011, 6:59 am
During my recent four week holiday in Germany I managed to ramp up close to a 1000 km on the bike, that's more kilometers than I would have ridden had I stayed home and worked. My fitness must...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Oct 30, 2011, 7:00 am
I'm back. Back online and back in Oz. And I'm feeling very lucky, considering I flew with the big "spirit of Oz" kangaroo and could be sitting in Heathrow or Hong Kong for the next couple of days had...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Oct 14, 2011, 4:11 pm
Don’t be fooled by my hometown’s name Senftenberg. No bergs anywhere near. Dad announced over breakfast that he had a surprise for me and after lunch we packed the bike and Mum and headed for...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Oct 8, 2011, 3:12 pm
As you may have gathered from the photos of the previous few posts, there are absolutely no hills in the radius of 50km around here. The Garmin recorded a total of 96 m of ascending for yesterday’s...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Oct 5, 2011, 7:16 am
In grade eleven I spraint my ankle badly. I remember how upset I was because I couldn’t walk, run or practise karate for three long weeks. But riding my bike was relatively pain free. I had a silver...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Oct 2, 2011, 2:22 pm
In some cases jetlag is a wonderful thing. I was wide awake at 5am and what better way to make use of an early start than to get out on the bike to (re)discover my old home town. Balmy 23C inside my...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Oct 1, 2011, 7:22 am
The Canyon was put together in no time, before I had even unpacked my bag, but that’s a different story. A quick phone call to Canyon and the friendly guy from their customer service centre confirmed...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Sep 22, 2011, 6:09 pm
What's the most torturous thing one could possibly do to a cyclist? Cleaning out road rash comes to your mind? Riding up a 15% gradient climb? Bonking, hitting the wall 100km from home? Getting...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Sep 18, 2011, 6:11 am
Mum recently went through an old family photo album and emailed me this little perl. Obviously, the passion for cycling is running in the family, and it's passed down through the female line. This is...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Sep 12, 2011, 6:28 am
What day of the week was it again?Checking over my shoulder to make sure I was putting some hurt on John - lovely little 16% gradient and looking so innocent from this...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Sep 7, 2011, 7:14 am
Photo taken with my phone camera on a Sydney flight not long ago I visited a homeopath last week, mainly to tackle my recent three-weekly virus attacks from a different angle. She is a nutritionist...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Sep 3, 2011, 2:38 am
A setting sun in the back is as good as a tail wind A rough surface is acceptable only when it is an empty road Knowing what lays ahead is half the battle Tagging...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Aug 27, 2011, 4:59 am
Oh, the heartache! It all started with Jim's post over at 400000 Miles And Counting a couple of months ago about his seat post having slipped and caused a knee injury. My seat post used to be...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Aug 21, 2011, 5:51 am
The header does not refer to my absence here. This was caused by yet another illness in this illness-ridden winter of mine. Yes, I hear the chatter She is so sickly! I'm not! Well, not usually I'm...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Aug 7, 2011, 7:43 am
My most curious discovery Sometimes you observe something and you kinda know it's out-of-place but you don't immediately figure out, what causes the oddness. We had just finished our coffee at the...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Aug 4, 2011, 8:05 pm
It was going to happen sooner or later. It was just a matter of time. Show hands, all you regular bicycle commuters out there, who can seriously claim that you never found yourself in this precarious...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jul 30, 2011, 6:17 am
We all have our strengths and weaknesses. And we usually get better with practise. I practised putting time trials bars on my bike these past two weeks. I'm really good at it now. Last night,...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jul 22, 2011, 10:27 pm
I wonder if this is what my chiropractor had in mind when he recommended that I take up rock climbing? Thanks, John, for sending the link. What a huge suitcase of courage! I wish I had no...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jul 19, 2011, 6:27 am
While Alberto is out on his bike discovering new roads, I have been re-familiarising myself with old battle grounds: the Closeburn to Dayboro time trial course - an out and back course with a total...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jul 16, 2011, 7:17 am
Since I decided to take the HPRW Women's Series a little bit serious - not the type of all out competitive win-at-all-cost fervour but a more humble I'd like to do well seriousness - I've naturally...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jul 10, 2011, 6:01 am
Elimbah is a tiny rural community at the foot of the Glasshouse Mountains, just 45 minutes north of Brisbane and the race is a 17 km (give or take) loop with a nice mix of hilly stretches and some...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jul 2, 2011, 1:06 am
I have been having this itch, a 12 months itch, and I have been resisting to scratch because, you know what happens when you scratch an itch: The itch gets worse! Saturday mornings have been...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jun 30, 2011, 6:49 am
Now that I'm getting a little stronger, it's probably time to do something about getting faster, too. Seriously, I have just done about the longest base training anyone has ever heard of, about a...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jun 29, 2011, 7:02 am
McAfees is a lookout on the road to Mount Nebo. It's conveniently located because from our place to the bottom of the climb it's only 13 km, far enough for a warm up to a hard workout and close...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jun 26, 2011, 3:49 am
So it was cold in Brisbane last week! Facebook status updates were dotted with single digit temperature reportings from all corners of the area: Caboolture 3.6C, Inner city Brisbane 6.5C and 5.8C...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jun 20, 2011, 4:07 am
In time for the start of another work week, here are a few things you need to know about bike commuting. The single most important consideration for successful bike commuting is the choice of...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jun 18, 2011, 5:30 am
Do you ever wonder How on earth do people do this? Give it time and it will come. Keep trying! Don't get discouraged. Don't force it, just work on it. Things will fall in place. And you then...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jun 13, 2011, 6:20 am
Sometimes a gamble pays off. Well, maybe I missed out on an even better ride, I will never know. But I do know that what I got was pretty good. The choice? A 120 km ride to Mt Crosby where I had...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jun 10, 2011, 6:21 am
No, seriously, I'm not sarcastic or anything. I'm loving winter. Maybe it's my European heritage finally finding a voice and way to express itself, or several years in Australia have caused heat to...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jun 5, 2011, 5:33 pm
Five years ago I never saw a cyclist on my way to or from work. In the city, sure, you see commuters, but not in the suburbs. Too dangerous to ride your bike in peak hour traffic, most would have...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - Jun 4, 2011, 1:32 am
Today's post is provided by a new site sponsor Primera Sports. Every market has a brand that stands head and shoulder above the rest and is the brand that first comes to mind. In the competitive...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - May 31, 2011, 5:07 am
I've been wondering all day why I've got this achy feeling of a solid gym workout without having set foot in a gym in weeks now. It just dawned on me that my Saturday activity could have something to...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - May 28, 2011, 7:31 pm
When I arrived at the Nundah bike track straight from work on Thursday afternoon, the sun had already set. A disco of flashing lights went around the dark track and I could hear someone yell out...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - May 23, 2011, 6:25 am
Julie, my massage therapist, found my tight hip flexors and poked and prodded with her thumb... and then asked me if we were still friends. She also once said that some cyclists have the incredible...
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Sandra F. posted an article on Competitive Cycling - Goals and dreams and Hard Work! - May 22, 2011, 6:35 am
Sometimes, when I look at maps, I feel a little twinge of homesickness. The below map may not mean much to you but when I look at it, all I see are images of places and people and past events....
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