Winning Iceman Cometh

To fully understand my elation post win this year you have to go back to 2021 as Cole and then Kerry and lastly Brian edged me out over the top of Icebreaker with about 30secs left to race…I thought I had that year won. I told myself I did. Taking chances isn’t just about betting on yourself, it’s about believing in yourself too; and being able to risk it again after what felt like a failure a year earlier. This year, unlike ‘18, ‘19 and ‘21, I had no plan, I wanted to race by gut feelings and instinct. No power meter, just speed and distance to go on my Wahoo - a reminder that the only thing that would tell me how I was feeling was ME! As I decided I was going to make the move with 12km to go, I found myself on the front and said why not? The pace had lulled a bit, I figured most people were waiting for the finish and I wanted to take my chance. Very luckily, a ripping Brayden Johnson came with me which sealed the deal. 

Bike racing is consistently about relationships, without speaking in a matter of seconds, we were in it together. As we rode towards the finish I knew I didn’t want to test myself against Brayden in the single track or a sprint finish and managed to find separation with about 5km to go. This is where the belief in yourself comes in, because remember I had been in this exact same position last year…solo off the front with a couple guys chasing with less than 5km to go. I use “Let Op” as my constant in these moments - which means pay attention in Dutch (an ode to my Opa who got me into the sport). Pay attention to line choice, gearing, and above all how hard you are going at a given time - not all power files are equal even if time is! My explanation of all this is for kids growing up, but also any racer. I hear lots of people say you made it look easy or you won it by so much, but at the end of the day it’s the little things that add up and above all taking chances on yourself."