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My fleeting days as a 'trackie' on the velodrome are now finished but I had an absolute ball! I have wanted to have a go at the track for the past few years but my road goals were always a priority. However, this year things seemed to fit in and I decided to fly down to Adelaide to compete in the National Track Championships.

1997 was the last time, when I was a junior, that I rode on an indoor board track. So, I made the decision to spend a week on the 'boards' a week before the championships and I am so glad I did! Track training is totally different to that of a road program in that each day consisted of a double training session with 1-2hrs in the morning on the road and then 1-2hrs on the track in the afternoon. Ian McKenzie, the National AIS Track Endurance Coach, lent me a bike to train and race on and my first training session on the track was a spin-out - literally! I wasn't used to the G-forces in the bends, which made me feel dizzy and disoriented! However, I did feel better and more comfortable after each day on the track and by the time race day came round, I was looking forward to seeing what time I could post.

The championships run from Monday 7th to Saturday 12th and the event for which I had been preparing was the 3000m Individual Pursuit on the Tuesday. Qualifying was the 1:30pm session and whilst I was unsure as to what would be a realistic time for me to achieve, I was aiming at 3min40sec. I qualified in 3:42 and my first reaction was disappointment. However, my time was 2nd fastest, which meant that I was in the final for the gold/silver medal ride-off. These were the qualifying times:

In August last year, Sara Carrigan reached the pinnacle of her sporting career by winning the women's Olympic road race title in Athens. Turning professional for Team Ton van Bemmelen-AA Drink shortly afterwards, Australia's golden girl will be searching for similar success as a co-leader on one of the most powerful teams in women's cycling.