Team Novo Nordisk - One Team:One Goal

Hey everyone,

The women's team that were available for
our first team camp 

As 2012 comes to an end I am very pleased to announce that I will be part of Team Novo Nordisk  for 2013. I will be representing the team on the track when possible. Since becoming a part of this team it has made me more determined to motivate people that have Diabetes especially young children. As a team we want to raise awareness about diabetes; One Team:One Goal - To educate, empower and inspire everyone affected by diabetes around the world!

After a quieter year which involved just under 2 months of training overseas alongside the New Zealand sprint squad as they built up towards the London Olympics I gained some valuable experience both on and off the track. I have been very fortunate enough to have traveled for the first time ever to Newport – Wales, Valencia – Spain, Cottbus – Germany and I am about to leave Alicante – Spain after a 10 day camp with Team Novo Nordisk.

Some testing - we need you do go hard for 20mins? What's that? Go hard means sprint full gas?!

CHANGING DIABETES. History lesson on how this all evolved 

Some of the kit - how I got it to fit in my luggage? I don't know!

Our accommodation for the camp

Looking towards Alicante

Get on board and support this newly formed team! Watch out for Team Novo Nordisk's new website coming out in the new year!  Make sure you 'follow' the team on Twitter or 'like' their page on Facebook

Here is a recent write up from Road Cycling Magazine NZ 

I am really looking forward to the rest of the track season currently training for the New Zealand Elite Nationals (Jan 31st - Feb 3rd) and will also be racing on Denton in Christchurch at the New Year Carnival  on the 3rd and 4th of Jan if your in Christchurch come along at 7pm each night - see ya there :)

Thanks for tuning in, I hope everyone has a safe festive season - Merry Christmas and a Happy New year! Catch you guys over summer!

Adios xx

Adelaide - Alicante

 Well what a week it has been, I have just returned from Oceania's where I leant heaps. I then stayed a few days in Christchurch and have now arrived in Alicante, Spain for a few weeks.

Thanks for checking my blog out. Sorry there's a bit of writing but lots of pictures at the end, I hope you enjoy! :)

500m Time Trial Podium - Katie, Kaarle and I

I arrived in Adelaide on the 25th November at 1130am along with Cathy and Bradley, we were ready to set up camp at the airport because the rest of our awesome Southland team mates didn't arrive until 730pm! As bad as it sounds the 8 hours at the airport wasn't actually that bad after a few too many coffees haha. Crazy Cathy went for a run during the hottest point of the day, whilst Bradley and I just kept ourselves entertained inside. Cathy was already sunburnt after her 24 hour adventure race the day before in Southland! 

We meet up with the rest of the team and headed off to our accommodation....the Palvos Motel. Once we arrived we got settled in and prepared ourselves for a early wake up call for the most important journey - the food run! We were later warned about the snakes that have been hanging around the track, not just any snake but the brown snakes. One of the most venomous snakes in the world - If you were bitten you had 15mins to live!!

Racing was kicked of with the men and women's team sprint and followed by my first event in session 2 - the 500m time trial. I recorded a 35.562 just inside my current PB and placed me third. I hadn't done a 500 in a while it just reminded me why I don't do them often!

Keirin Round 1 

The following day I had the Keirins (riders are paced by a Motobike/derny then race for 2 1/2 laps). I was very keen to do some racing, my first round went very well I had Kaarle NSW, Katie NZ, Victoria NZ & Tian WA. The top 2 go straight through to the semifinal later that evening. If you don't make it through the riders go through the repercharge to get a second chance of getting into the semifinal. I was lucky enough to make it straight through to the semi's along with Katie, that meant we were both able to go back to our motel to relax and recovery for the evening session.

Keirin Semi-final

My semi final managed to have all the Steph's! Steph Morton SA, Stefanie Fernandez-Preiska NSW & myself also Henrietta NZ, Tian WA & Taylor QLD. The first 3 people go to the 1-6 final and the rest to the 7-12 final. I was just able squeeze in front of Stefanie NSW to get into the top 3 and go through to the 1-6 final along with Taylor and Steph Morton.

The final was in about 90mins so enough time to relax but not enough time to go back to the hotel. The other 3 that joined us in the 1-6 final were Katie NZ, Cassandra NSW and Kaarle NSW - this was sure to be a good race!

I drew 1 so had to take the bike if no one else's wanted it - I had to keep and eye on what was going on behind me, Kaarle came over the top of me with 2 laps to go i then stayed behind her. I was then 'boxed in' I had to be patient until coming into the finishing straight and managed to maneuver around and get 3rd! With Steph Morton taking the win from Kaarle.

Keirin Round 1

Keirin Final, Podium - Kaarle, Steph and I

Keirin final result

Medal winners for the last bit of the session - I'm the lonely New Zealander!

Nick's crash!

The following day was a rest day - I went for a wee coffee ride and that was the highlight I my day. Rest day means feet up and stay off my legs so that's what I did, oh I also did a wee food shop - pretty exciting!

One of my fellow Southland team mates were unlucky and crashed in the U19 Men keirin heats. But Nick Kergozou made it a very spectacular one indeed, unfortunately he came out worse for wear with a clean break in his collarbone - OUCH! It was his first broken bone so being a boy he was pretty stoked, but not so stoked when he was only given panadol to ease the pain! Hope he heals up quick it seems to be he season of broken collarbones after Racquel Sheath's unfortunate crash and then Hayden McCormick the night before. Hope everyone has a speedy recovery!! :)

200m qualifying for sprint rounds

Qualifying and sprint rounds followed my rest day - this was going to be a very, very long day! I recorded a 11.574 not a PB for me but it has been my fastest time for just under 2 years, always got to see the positives! This qualified me 4th just behind Natasha Hansen NZ. Only the top eight go through to the 1/4 finals which is a best of 3. First I was up against my own team mate Katie Schofield NZ - both races were different but I was able to win 2-0.

I meet Kaarle in the semi-finals, I've been very lucky enough to race her a couple of time over the past year and a half and I'm still learning! Kaarle bet me 2-0 but I left everything out on the track, both being close races. I would now ride off for 3rd & 4th against Taylor Jennings QLD.

1/4 final against Katie best of 3

Katie and I - Round 2 

Semi-Final against Kaarle, Round 1

Semi-Final against Kaarle, Round 2

Taylor has been very successful throughout her Junior years becoming double junior world Omnium champ and also other junior world titles to her name. She has now chosen to move back to sprinting, she's a very classy rider. That showed with both of us winning a ride each and having to go to a 3rd and final decider. I ran out of legs in the last race but did what I was told and learnt a lot, Taylor won 2-1 to win the bronze and I settled with a 4th.

3rd & 4th Final, Taylor and 1

Sprint rounds - Stu taking me up to the line

Overall I had a great week on the track coming away with 2 bronze medals and a 4th, I learn't heaps! The support crew we had were wonderful and very talented tire pumpers hahaha. Thank you so much to Dale and Cathy for sticking up with the heat, pumping our tires  running around for us and being super awesome! And also to Stuart my coach thanks for helping and being my coach haha it was a good wee week!

Thanks again for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you have enjoyed reading it and have caught up with what I've been up to.

Catch you soon!

P.S. Photo credit to Mr. Richard Morton (Steph's dad) for most of the images - some awesome pictures!

Steph :)

Keeping healthy with Blackmores!

I am very pleased and grateful to announce my recent partnership with Blackmores New Zealand.

Blackmores New Zealand provides information, advice and knowledge on natural health. Blackmores New Zealand are leaders in developing and marketing innovative products and services that deliver a more natural approach, based on their expertise in vitamins, minerals, herbs and dietary supplements.  

Blackmores New Zealand products will help keep me healthy and stress free so I can train to the best of my abilities and not let a boring cold get me down! Keep healthy during the late winter blast with Blackmores New Zealand. Find the right healthcare product for you by checking out Blackmores online and order your next batch here http://www.blackmoresnz.co.nz/

SO, here is how Blackmores came about:

Maurice Blackmore (1906 – 1977) was an English immigrant who had ideas about health way ahead of time. He would be truly proud that Blackmores today is Australia’s most trusted name in natural healthcare.

Maurice Blackmore was responsible for starting Australia’s first health food store in Brisbane in 1938 and he worked with colleagues and friends to establish the first naturopathic colleges in the country. His beliefs are still valid today and his teachings are incorporated in the training programs of many natural   health practitioners’.

Marcus Blackmore, Maurice’s son, followed closely in his father’s footsteps studying naturopathy and dedicating him-self to the business. With an innovative mindset and as a respected and a passionate industry leader, Marcus has not only grown the company, but helped to make natural healthcare and important part of many people’s lives.

Today, as Blackmores Chairman, Marcus oversees a management team committed to the company’s founding policies. As the company continues its expansion locally and into international markets, Blackmore’s passion for natural health care, quality products and commitment to sustainability will continue to touch more and more people’s lives empowering them to take more control on their health and well being. 

Talking tactics with Olivia Podmore, Ione Johnson and Madi Farrant.

I'll also take this opportunity to give you a wee update on what I have been doing and what's next for me!

Just last week I volunteered alongside with Racquel Sheath and helped out with the female Junior track development camp. It's great to see so many young riders coming through and wanting to give track a go! I took the riders through a few basic skills that can be used both as a sprinter and also an endurance rider. By the end of the 4th day the riders were all confident on their bikes and could ride in a close bunch and also ride around the top of the banking, even though it was a short camp they all gained some skills and also was a great opportunity to get back on the boards before Nationals! Personally I has lots of fun and no one fell off, well there were a few near misses, so I thought that was a great success!

Next on the cards for me is Oceania's which will be held in Adelaide, Australia from November 28th - December 2nd! I am heading over there as part of the Southland team, which I am really looking forward to having such an awesome support crew over there with me! :)

That's all from me for now,

Thanks for taking the time out and reading through!

Cheers,

Steph :) xx

Pit to the Peak.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently on route back to New Zealand, i said my goodbyes to my teammates and Stu Mac in berlin as they were also making their way to Bordeaux to start their final preparations for the Olympics. This trip for me was such a good opportunity to gain valuable experience both on the bike and off the bike and i was was also able to get to know my teammates better! I am lucky enough to have been a part of the first big trip/campaign for the NZ Women's Sprint squad if this trip was awesome I'm hoping it's only going to get better and I'm sure everyone is looking forward to what we are going to bring!! :)

So, as much as I didn't want to end this trip I got the feeling that the Germans didn't want me to leave either since it was a bit of a mission to get my bag and boxes checked in, as im use to travelling with a team with lots of oversized pieces it just seems like it all works out when your in a big group but today I was traveling alone....After not having Internet available to us for the week I felt so lost and forgot to transfer money into my account to pay for excesses luggage.... at the time it was a little overwhelming and tested my airport patience, but I was lucky enough to have met some young New Zealanders which thankfully helped me out and I was all under control...

Until we started to board, the lady checked my passport and noticed that I didn't have any stamps for leaving Spain and entering Germany.... It's because we didn't get any so i have no idea what was going through her head, but in the end she gave me a stamp and off I went.....And it didn't exactly help she spoke no English!

Waiting to race!

So the reason we were in Germany was for some racing and for myself to gain experience... First weekend of racing was hard, you learn the hard way and have to make the mistakes to actually learn, which I did so I was really keen to have a good race the next weekend. I started the next weekend average and made another mistake during the first round of the keirins, which I learn't from but it gave me something to work at for the next round. The senior women were also racing some local junior men which made the racing a bit more exciting and hard!

I went into the next round angry and annoyed at myself for making the previous mistake. I didn't want to be the last rider whilst behind the derny so I was able to position myself second to last but was then challenged by one of the guys... I had never been in a situation like this so I just stood my ground and didn't let the sneaky German in, the race was then stopped and he was disqualified for crowding me.... the race was then re-started with one less sneaky German! Later that day I made it through the rounds safely and made it to the final which then didn't go so well and finished up 6th behind my teammate Natasha :) Katie won the 9-12 so we all ended up in the top 10... Boom.

Oh SNAP! Casually looking at the photographer, ready to race

The second day of racing consisted of sprints which started earlier in the day and we were also combined with the junior men again. My sprint qualifying time (11.68s) was faster than the previous week which gave lifted my spirits and gave me more confidence....I also bet my sneaky German friend! But lucky for us we were up against each other along with another German junior, to be fair I got bullied by the too riders and i was sent to the repercharge along with my german friend.

I successfully made it through the sprint rounds, again they varied from 2-4 ups which keeps the sprinting exciting.... Although both Natasha and I ended up racing together for 3rd, we were both relieved that the race was only 1 sprint as we were pretty tacked by the end of them! I finished up 4th but it was a great sprint and was happy to finish off on a good note. Thanks Eddie for the weekend and just being there and being he Dawk...Keep up the good work and train hard yaaaya!

Lining up for my final Keirin of this Germany trip 

So my pit of my trip was probably the whole bike situation and not being able to start and finish the first day of sprints 110% but everything ended up being all under control and things like that do happen! And the peak of my trip... Well there are a few, so here they are; the beach in Valencia, Spain; traveling as a team for the first time; the oversized ice-cream sundae and last but not lest the last night, all thanks to Dawk and stu for their persistency and getting us to Al-Toronto! Best dinner ever whilst being away and must admit I'm going back. I'm sure I've missed maybe peaks of my trip, but this trip has gone super fast but Wales seems like it was ages ago!

I just want to say good luck to all the Olympians heading to london! GOOD LUCK :D

Thanks for taking the time to read through :)

Steph.

Germany

Guten Tag,

Greetings from Cottbus, Germany! Just thought I would let you know that we are still alive as we haven't had much luck with connecting to any Internet so we came up with an idea to head to a cafe just in the square and hook into their wifi and connect with the outside world and have a coffee whilst doing so.... we all thought it was a genius idea!

So here I am having a coffee at a cafe called the Mosquito, we have also had dinner here a few times which was pretty amazing, but it seems like the Europeans don't have much consistency with the size of their meals or maybe the chief gets bored with making that same meal because one of us would order a meal one day and the next day we would order it again and boom it's completely different, but hey we didn't have to cook so that was a bonus. I'm not going to lie but one of my favourite dishes was the massive desserts we got after racing! Both stu and I got the fresh strawberries and chocolate ice cream, we all looked at the prices and they were nearly the same price as our main dish!!...... But once we got our dessert we knew why, check it out! And it was amazing, just to let you know :D

I have to say that Germany could be one of my new favourite places! The square is only a few k's away from where we are staying, it has all sorts of shops and a really good variety of restaurants and cafe's it's just so convenient... Just sounds like Invercargill...

Sooo we arrived last week a couple of days before our first weekend of racing in Cottbus we were lucky to have landed in Berlin because just as we arrived they closed the airport because there was a massive thunder and lightening storm that greeted us. The track here is semi covered which leaves the middle of the track open it's also 333m just like Moscow's track buuuuut here you don't feel like our falling out of the sky when doing your 200m! Even though it's summer here and the weather is now bearable compared to Spain they still have to deal with all sorts of weather conditions, if it's raining or even hailing you just have to get over it and still ride our bike which I think is awesome! Some crazy Germans will still ride on the track when it's covered with snow up to the red line they just ride high!

Racing last weekend didn't go so well for me I qualified just over half way in the field with a 11.76, plenty of numbers and an awesome quality field! The sprint rounds here are a little different but a great opportunity to learn they tend to make them 3 or 4 ups match sprints unfortunately, between my qualifying and match sprint we had a little disaster with my bike, it was misplaced in our pen and fell onto the forks causing the bottom of the fork to snap off....so it looked like I wasn't going to be riding for the rest of the weekend which was a bit of a shame! But thankfully I was lucky enough to be given a spare bike, I was expecting to be given an old steel frame but was so thankful to have been given one of the German FES bikes! Lucky they had one there that was rideable and my size and just so happens to be Miriam Welte's old bike. So after all that sager I was able to make it to the repercharge and race the rest of the weekend :)

On our rest day we had a wee ride in the morning and just followed our noses around the outskirts of town then later in the day we caught the train and headed to Berlin for the day, what an amazing experience we were lucky enough to have gone on a sunny day and see such an historical city!

Now I am looking forward to rest of the week here in Germany and also the last weekend of racing this Friday and Saturday and then it will be my time to say adios to the team and head back to New Zealand.

Lifting some tin before racing..Whilst Stu tries to do some core with Katie

Cottbus Track...Track is covered, the middle is open. Can still race and train whilst its raining

Berlin adventure day

Radsprint Grand Prix, Cottbus

Strawberries and chocolate ice-cream sundae. It was Delicious 

Centre square in Cottbus

FES bike that I was fortunate enough to borrow for the week

The Brandenburg Gates

6 person bike!

The Aquarium

So we had another rest day yesterday and thought we would head along to Europe's well known aquarium here in Valencia. It was another hot day so only spent a few hours looking around also watched a dolphin show to finish off the visit... I just thought it would be easier put a few photos up on here.