Jim Beer

On Thursday this week the funeral for Jim Beer will be held in Sydney.  Unfortunately due to my training commitments I will be unable to attend the funeral so I wanted to contribute something to a man who actually made the deciding comment to me that made me chose to become a cyclist.

Most people are familiar with how I began riding 8years ago, but few people, if any now the following...

The first day I was 'forced' to try the track was the most influential day in my life to date.  I remember the day clearly as Ken, my step father drove me to the track to give the bike a go.  I was pretty adamant that I wouldn't like the bike and that I was going to be successful as a runner and go to the Olympics as a runner (although my dream was dissipating quickly after a few tough seasons on the running track where I could make the nationals but couldn't even place in a reasonable enough place to get recognition from academies).  

So here I was on Monday afternoon at Sydney's Hurstville Oval, in late January or Early February 2005.  When I arrived at the track I was quite despondent and pretty uninterested, I was given a bright red steel frame, which Jim Beer would lend me indefinitely.  As I rolled off the fence after clipping in rather awkwardly all I can remember for the first 5laps or so was telling myself 'stay away from everyone and KEEP PEDALLING!'

All I was supposed to do was roll around but somehow I was convinced to actually participate in the training session, which ended up being a start session.  This involved doing 2out of the seat starts and 2in the seat starts for 200m followed by a one lap time trial of 400m.

After the first start or two I was actually starting to warm to it and as it turns out the start has ended up being one of strongest attributes to date, although I tried very hard not to listen to my instinct, I was going to be an Olympian in running not in some stupid sport where you ride around in lycra!  I hated the idea of wearing lycra knicks (bike shorts with padding in them) without underwear that for the first 3weeks at least I wore underwear, much to my embarrassment now I must say as this is very much a no-no in the cycling world!

So I lined up to do my 400m time trial which every one did, including all the boys and girls and Jim would record everyones time every week and if you did a PB you would get a small gift and a piece of paper with the time and date of the time you recorded.  I did my time trial and I have no real memories of the ride other than it seemed like such a bloody long way!  I rolled up to the fence afterwards and Jim walked over to me and said the following statement which was the single most influential factor in my decision to become a cyclist...

"If you had ridden that time over 100m more you could be an Olympic Champion like Anna Meares."

I sat on that fence in a kind of stupor.  Thoughts started rolling into my head like a whirlwind, and that was it...I was a fully fledged cyclist from the moment on, there were no ifs or buts or maybes or what ifs.  It was decided in that moment, thanks to Jim, in my thoughts that I would go to the Olympics as a track cyclist - full stop end of story.  Jim reignited a passion within me to represent Australia at the Olympics that I really had thought that maybe I would never achieve - I can't tell you or anyone else for that matter how much that one small comment meant to me.

And so now as I sit here tonight writing this and remembering that day with fond memories and looking back at what I achieved in such a short amount of time and what I hope and dream to achieve in the future I remember Jim Beer.  I remember the man who was with no fail at every Monday afternoons track session, who over the time of that first track season would have to give me 4 small gifts as I continued to improve my time over the 400m - and of which I still have.  I remember a man who gave so much of his time and energy and effort into making sure every kid who passed through the St George club had a bike or equipment or just felt welcome in general.  I remember a man who even when he had half of one leg amputated could still be found with his stopwatch in his hand and holding gruelling ergo sessions at his house in Gymea.  A man who was so passionate and caring and loving.

I send my love to Elaine and all of Jim's family and friends for his funeral on Thursday.  I wish that Jim could have seen me ride at my first Olympic Games, instead I dedicate my first Olympic experience to him and I will be working hard to do something special in his memory.

Women on Wheels

I was fortunate during the Nationals to get to spend a bit of time with 2004 Olympic Road Race Champion Sara Carrigan. I had only ever met Sara once before and I remember being in awe of such an amazing athlete and I was the same sitting down with her.

Sara was such a joy to talk to and I have had a lot of positive comments from our interview but I have to say I think the interviewer always makes the difference between a good and a great piece.

Sara made me feel really comfortable and I could definitely connect with her and not only that but was really inspired by the project and delighted to be a part of something that encourages and promotes women in cycling.

Women are really under represented in Cycling, from a media point of view. Mens cycling always takes the limelight and whilst I could have an ongoing argument with men about how they are better than women etc etc, it doesn't mean that women don't work as hard as men, and to me thats what it comes down to. Sure women are not as fast or as strong as men but the best female in the world, to me, is as amazing as the best male in the world.

I have seen many women in my time who work much harder than some males and I have such respect and admiration for those females. Women must remember that when it comes to being successful in a male dominated sport that we must come together and stand for what we believe in and what we do. I think womens cycling on the track in particular is becoming really great to watch and I feel like people like Sara and Kate Bates (who commented for SBS during the nationals) are great role models for females in our sport and I commend them for their work and what they are trying to achieve.

Onwards and upwards for females! :)

Please follow this link to watch my interview with Sara Carrigan courtesy of Cycling Central on SBS:

http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/video/2193327471/women-and-wheels-kaarle-mcculloch

Australian Championships Day Four

Day four like usual is always the Keirin. I like that the Keirin is the last event because it requires not as much mental energy as the sprint, its still a mental battle of course and lining up against Anna as the World Champion amongst the other Australians was going to be a tight battle.

To make it through to the final without having to go through the repecharge I had to finish in the top two and thats all I focussed on! One less ride was on mind! Keirins are very cut throat on the World stage these days with 6heats and only one girl processing through to the send round so I know the pressure that there is to perform well in that first race. I won my heat fairly comfortably to go through to the final and I was surprised at how good my legs felt and knew I had a good shot in the evening to take a win.

The final was much anticipated BUT not before my brother teamed up with Tirian McManus in the Junior Men's Madison. HE WON! I am so proud of Jack and Tirian that words can't really describe it! They rode so well and had to have some serious guts in the last 20laps when they made a few mistakes with their changes. They won by one point over the other NSW team of Nathan Bradshaw and Caleb Ewan. Jack was so happy and as he came over and gave me a big hug he as usual said to me: 'That was the hardest race ever.' I was inspired by Jack and Tirian and really wanted to stand on that top podium with them at the end of the night.

I had a plan in the Keirin and I have to say I executed it with precision. I was really happy with the patience I displayed and the way in which I tackled quite an adverse situation. Anna had the bike and I was in 6th position, not ideal as I wanted Anna only 2 people ahead of me so I could try to out jump her first. As it turned out I found myself about 20m off her coming into bell lap and with her committing early I had a split second thought that I had stuffed it up because I was waiting for her to commit so I could run her down. But as I went down the back straight and realised how quickly I was gaining I had a glimmer of hope that I had this!! Anna won her World Title in the Keirin in 2011 by riding from the front and rightly so because she would have to be the hardest person EVER to come around and as I came up onto her hip and realised that I wasn't going anywhere my heart sunk but I fought on to lose by less than half a wheel. I was pretty devastated but as usual I walked away knowing that I did everything I could, I could not have ridden that race any better and was content knowing that I will be better for every race I ride against Anna.

So I got to stand on a slightly lower tier of the podium next to my brother that night and celebrate his first Australian Championship with him and our parents! It was a great way to end a fantastic Championships and I look forward to next years Australian Titles as always with vigour and anticipation. Perseverance they say is what separates the great from the greater.

Australian Championships Days Two and Three

The sprint as usual was spread over two days for this meet and Day two was the Sprint Qualification and 1/4 finals. In the QF I rode a solid time of 11.219, I really wasn't expecting to ride that fast so I was pleasantly surprised and I slipped into second place behind Anna who ride 11.176.

In the 1/4 finals I met Riki Belder from South Australia who beat Cass and I the previous night in the Team Sprint, so I was for sure not taking her lightly. Riki rode two quite sound tactical races but I was able to overcome her in two races to progress through to the semi finals against new up and comer Ziggy Callan from Victoria.

Ziggy has just transferred over from BMX and she rode an 11.6 in her first sprint QF so she definitely has a lot of talent and is one to watch in the future. I defeated Ziggy in two straight races to set myself up for a chance at grabbing the gold medal against Anna.

Anna always seems to bring the best out of me as I desperately want to beat her and she wants to remain unbeaten! Its always a fantastic match up and a rivalry that is really so great for me and my development. Anna beat me in two straight races and whilst I was happy with my races tactically I was a little disappointed that the races weren't a bit closer. Anna rode really well and she is in great shape leading into the pointy end of this season and she is definitely (if not already!) a force to be reckoned with.

So the sprint was over and one more day to go, the heat was starting to pass and a cool change was heading in for the last day - and welcomed with much appreciation!

Australian Championships 2012 Day One

Day One of the Aussie Champs was the Team Sprint. For the last two year I had been successful with my NSW team mates, in 2009 with Maddie Law (who was a Junior at the time) and 2010 with Cass Kell. This year I was to team up with Cass and after breaking the Australian Championship Record last year we were hoping for another cracker of a year.

Today was ironically and most fitting Australia Day and so Cass and I were definitely out to be Australian Champions on Australia Day!

In our heat we qualified in second behind the South Australian duo of Riki Belder and Anna Meares, my own fellow Team Sprint World Champion partner, and we were only something like .005 slower so we new we were in for a great battle in the final.

In the final the South Aussies pipped us on the line to win by only 2tenths of a second. It was a great result for the South Australians with Riki winning her first Australian Title. It was sad to lose the Team Sprint Title but Cass and I did the best we could and Cass rode really well considering her bike was making all sorts of weird noises!!

Day one wasn't over for me yet though with the 500m Time Trial up in the evening. It was a super hot day and I was starting to feel the effects already that the heat was having on me. I was out to defend my Australian Title for the third year running and I felt confident as I left the gates. Having not ridden a 500 since Worlds two years ago I definitely forgot was I in for and as I got the bike up to speed I thought to myself, damn isn't it nice to follow someone in the first lap! I had quite a slow start but brought it home with a sold time and finished 1st in a near PB of 34.244 which I was quite happy with.

I was happy though that my hardest day was out of the way and was looking forward to seeing what I could do in the rest of the events.

My brother Jack also competed today in the Junior mens Individual Pursuit where he did a PB by 4seconds! He was very happy and also glad to get day one over because he really enjoys the bunch races to come.

AIS Awards and Cycling Australia Awards

Anna and I were very honoured this year to win the AIS team athletes of the year award.  I was very humbled to receive this award considering the depth of the teams and success that other teams from across all Australian AIS sports.  I didn't understand the enormity of this nomination, let alone receiving the award until I got to Canberra and saw the calibre of athletes in the room.

I brought my dad along with me and he was pretty proud of me and looked very nice in his newly bought suit!  Anna's parents also came along and it was one of the first times both our families have been able to meet in circumstances other than at a race and celebrate what we have achieved.

My first attempt as the 'A-Mac' team spokesperson!

Its a bit blurry, Anna and I with my father Grahame.

L-R Anna's mother Marilyn, Anna, Anna's father Tony and me. 

Anna and I with our coach Gary West.

Anna took out the major award and was also inducted into the hall of fame - which was amazing for her!  She should be so proud of what she has done in 2011 and really since she has started riding.  Because she knew she was up for a few awards she got me to speak when we received our award.  Which I wasn't very happy about and now because she says I did a good job I am now team spokesperson!  Thanks Anna!  But seriously I was very proud to speak on behalf of Anna and look forward to hopefully having to do it many more times in the future!  

This is my backstage interview after winning the Team Athlete of the year award with Anna.

Talk about doubling up...the following night was the Cycling Australia Awards.  It felt very strange to be getting dressed up two nights in a row!  I felt very feminine for a change!  This time I brought my mum, Karen, and stepfather Ken along with me and whilst I didn't receive an award at this event, I was grateful to be able to present a category.  I got to meet Daniel Macpherson who was hosting the event and catch up with people I haven't seen for a long time as well as speak to many people who share the same passion as I do with cycling.  Anna again took out a major award as well as Female track athlete of the year - both highly deserved.  I was nominated once more this award, and one year I hope to win it!

I got to spend the rest of the weekend at home where I went and watched my brother Jack at some of the NSW state titles.  He won the Team Sprint with our club St George and he came 4th in the pursuit!  I am very proud of him!  I also got to present some awards and its always nice to go and support and watch these events as it brings back some fond memories of when I first started.

Me with fellow St George CC teammates Brie Dutton and Imogen Hines who won the NSW State Team Sprint Championships (Stars of the future?!  I think so!) 

Me presenting my brother his medal (I also gave him a big kiss on the cheek to embarrass him!) 

Me with the NSW Team Sprint Champions, St George CC riders Jacob Abramovic, Jack (my brother) and Nathan Bradshaw.

Astana World Cup

The path to London just seemed to get a little shorter last month when I travelled to Astana for the first World Cup of the 2011/2012 season.  A long off season was rewarded with some great performances for all of the Aussies and as I sit back home in Adelaide and reflect I can happily say that things are on track.

Day one saw Anna and I don the rainbow jersey for the first time this season in the Team Sprint.  Whilst I was nervous I was pretty happy with how I had recovered from the 50hours of travel, despite an issue with my stomach as a result of something I ate.  I spent the remainder of my time in Astana eating plain rice with soy sauce after that! The heats were pretty hotly contested with over 16teams lining up and some fast times posted, and also unusually a lot of re starts due to teams false starting.  Anna and I rode a great time of 33.0 in the heat to qualify in first which saw us line up against the Ukraine team in the final.

Warming up for the Team Sprint

Gary Sutton holding me on the start line.

In the final, as usual, Anna and I knew we had more to bring to the track and we certainly did that with both of us riding marginally faster each to finish in a time only 0.019 of a second off our World Record.  To say that that was a great start to the season is an understatement!  Whilst a World Record would have been lovely it was unexpected that we would ride that fast so early in the season, which is good because we were not preparing to be in good form in Astana.

On the podium!  This was taken of the big screen!  Ukraine 2nd and Germany 3rd.

Here we go...final time!

It was the boys performances on Day one that really lifted the spirit in the sprint team with the team of Shane Perkins, Scott Sunderland and Matthew Glaetzer finishing second behind the in form German team.  Its great to see the boys getting a result they are deserved of and as a group in general we were happy to see some results from a long tough off season.

Day two was the sprint, and my sick stomach was turning to a bit of a stuffy head and I was unsure of how I was going to go today.  I got myself in shape and told myself that if I got to London and got sick would I just give up?  The answer was easy...no way.  I battled with my head and body and pushed through and ended up riding a personal best in the 200m qualifier of 11.173seconds!  Finally I had ridden a PB and finally I was in the 11.1 club!  For the first time in a long time I qualified in quite a good position which meant I got a bit of a better draw in terms of opponents.

In the first round I met Daniella Larreal, and knowing her history as a strong competitor a few years back I wasn't taking her lightly.  I won my race, not quite as comfortably as I would have liked and progressed through to the quarter finals where I met Lithuanian Simona Krupeckaite.  Simona pretty much out schooled me to defeat me in two straight rides, I was slightly despondent after these races as I felt like I had the speed to win but just couldn't put together a strong enough race plan to achieve what I wanted.  I also embarrassingly had a nice little fall when attempting to do a standstill and force Simona to the front.  the race had to be re started and I tried again - successfully this time!  I was happy that I had been able to achieve what I wanted in that phase of the race after having a set back in the first attempt.

The Opening Ceremony, you can appreciate the enormity of the venue in this shot, there are not too many (if any) Velodromes in the world where seating goes around the bends like in Astana!

So I raced in the 5th-8th final where I finished 7th overall.  I seem to always be in that 5th-8th ride off and I hope that some time in the near future to make it through to the top four...that would really make me happy!  Anna donned her rainbow jersey for the first time in the sprint, where I think she was definitely the best rider out there, defeating 10.7 rider Olga Panarina in the semi finals in the fastest times ever ridden in a sprint match.  Anna ended up finishing second but I think she can take some huge confidence from her semi finals performance to know that she really is tactically trumping everyone at the moment.

The last day as usual was the Keirin and I was really feeling not great today.  I had a poor sleep and my body was not happy.  Still I turned up and tried to have a positive mindset.  For me the opportunity to race are so few and far and I don't train because I love to...I train because I love to race, so rain, hail or shine I was going out to race.  With such depth now the Keirin heats are proving to be the most hotly contested rides with only one person progressing through automatically to the second round in each heat.  I won my heat fairly comfortably (but had to do it the hard way by leading out) and spent a good 10min with my head in the bin dry heaving because the lactic was coursing through my body.  I was really happy to win and to have one less ride to race through the day.

My second round ride didn't quite go as I would have liked, I ended up finishing 4th which meant I was into the minor final.  I finished 10th in the minor final, where I just seemed to run out of legs after putting myself in a reasonable position.  I am still learning to have some 'feel' in races as I tend to panic a bit, one I day I will master this and I believe when that day comes I will be quite hard to beat.

So Astana was all over.  I have some fond memories of the trip, one is definitely the best prize I have ever won at a race which was a Sumsung phone.  My brother, Jack, will be lucky enough to get one exactly the same off Santa this year!  The hotel we stayed in was quite literally amazing.  It was 18 floors high (Anna and I were on the penthouse floor as well!), and the elevators were glass so you could see out into the lobby.  It was really frightening at first but like anything I got used to the sick feeling in my stomach every time I looked over the balcony!  I think the highlight of the elevators were when we found out that Mitchell Mulhern got stuck in the lift on the 17th floor...not funny I am sure if it were me but funny because as he said he was 'shitting himself!'  Astana itself surprised me, I am not sure what I was expecting...something like out of Borat, but in fact the country was quite nice, very very cold!  But nice.  I think the capital itself, Astana, will be a really lovely city in 10years time, at the moment it is quite new and still being developed.  It is quite strange to be driving down the street surrounded by these amazing buildings and then all of a sudden it turns to flat wasteland...weird!  The Veoldrome itself is quite spectacular.  I have never seen anything like it.  It seats 15000 people and was a beautiful venue.

Cold?  Heck yes!  View from my hotel room

The team!  L-R  Sarah Kent, Michael Frieburg, Katherine Bates, Matthew Glaetzer, Mitchell Mulhern, Amy Cure, Scott Sunderland, Shane Perkins, Glen O'Shea, Edward Bissaker, Alex Edmondson, Me, Anna Meares, Ashlee Ankudinoff

Snow ball fight?!  You can't hardly tell we are Aussies and don't get to do this often!  Amy Cure with a rather large snow ball!

View from the 18th floor!  Notice the 4elevators on the right and on the left is a big glass window that you can see right out of.

The trip home of another 50hours of travel was daunting for me.  However I kid you not I spent probably 40of those hours sleeping.  I was absolutely wrecked and still feeling ill and every time I got on a plane I was KO'd within 5min of sitting down.  It was the best trip I have ever had because it felt like it went so quickly.  I was lucky enough to get a little bit of rest after the trip, going home to visit my family, after attending a few awards nights.  I will write about those in my next blog.

As for now I am off to training.  I hope everyone is well.  Take care and ride fast! :)

Karls