The Junior Track Nationals was an incredible experience and I have learnt so much, varying from tactics and racing, to team culture and spirit.
Although my racing experience didn’t quite go to plan with two high-speed crashes on the same day, leaving me unable to race for the rest of the competition, I was still able to compete in a few races prior, and for the following days I could contribute to the awesome SA team spirit.
The team was a major part of the Nationals experience and I now consider the cycling community as my second family. The coaches commented that they had never before had a team that was as united and supportive of each other. Competitors and coaches from the other states also commented on our great team spirit and we even got added to AusCycling’s Instagram story.
The races prior to the crashes taught me many things such as pacing, yet still pushing myself enough to achieve my best performance. It also gave me lots of racing experience, being able to race against other strong girls l who are much more physically aggressive competitors than in SA.
I was happy with how I placed in the races given this was my first track nationals as well as having limited track exposure outside SA.
I feel like this experience really built my resilience and determination and will help with the upcoming road nationals which I hope to make amends in, as well as next year in U19s.