i ride, you ride, we ride together

When people at their first cyclocross training session ask about bunny hopping barriers, you know the session is going pretty well.

Close to 30 women came along to the CycloFemme Mother's Day CX skills session at the Brunswick Cycling Club Velodrome. Run as part of Cycling Victoria's Chilled Tapas program to encourage new road riders to try a range of winter cycling disciples, the session was the second in Dirty Deeds women's development series.

It was great to see another big turn out of new faces, keen to try cross out for the first time, as well as those coming along to build on their skills from the last session. We also had a good turn out of young cyclocrossers who brought the energy.

The newbies were super quick to pick up the dismounts and running remounts, keen to put it together with barrier jumping.

After a quick barrier refresher, the skill development crew got to work on some bike handling skills, cornering at speed, some shouldering technique work with run ups and down. A few brave souls even gave some down hill remounts a go. No easy feat on the concrete velodrome bank!

The session was finished off with some racing around a small course on the inside of the track. If the mock race starts seen today are anything to go by, the competition is going to be fierce in 2013.

Thanks to everyone for coming out, especially Alan Mok and Monique Hanley from Cycling Victoria, and of course the Dirty Deeds crew, Blakey, Jez and Duggan for their expert coaching.

More photos of todays event can be found here.

Next Saturday 18 May is the last of the DDCX women's skills sessions at Darebin Parklands from 10am-12pm. It will be a great chance to practice new skills before the 2013 season Prologue.