The Weekly Rider - Jessica Lane
Photo Kirsty Baxter
After a few years away from the racing scene Jessica Lane is back and loving it! Riding for BikeBug, she's planning to make her mark on the 2015 National Road Series. La Velocita caught up with Jess to find out why she loves to ride at December's Shimano SuperCrit hosted by SKCC.
Name - Jessica Lane
Lives - Northcote, Victoria
Dream Bike - I've been a very good girl so Santa, aka my new team BikeBug, are bringing me a Next Gen Ridley Helium SL with Shimano Di2. It will definitely be nice and light!
Favourite local ride - I love riding out to Warrandyte and then over to the Dandenongs, with a stop at the Emerald Bakery of course!
My current cycling goal is... First up- I just want to be in as many 2015 NRS races as possible! Beyond that I'm aiming for top results at both the Tour of Murray and Tour of King Valley.
The Tour of Murray this year was my first NRS tour, and I didn't get to finish it due to crashing in the criterium, the last stage. That's definately made going back there and getting a good result a priority!
When I am on the bike... I am normally talking to the friends I'm riding with about where we are going to be stopping for a coffee. Since moving back to Melbourne two years ago, I'm definitely enjoying all the different possible options for that all important caffeine hit!
How did your love for bikes come about? My brother had been riding for a few years and during a school holiday dad asked if I wanted to come down to the Edithvale track. I did a few laps on the velodrome and was hooked! I started racing that summer as a first year under 15. Hard to think I have been racing off and on for 15 yrs!
Share a cycling memory - This is a hard one...! When I think of my best and worst racing moment they both happened in the same race, the Junior Canberra tour of 2005. We were set for a start in a short crit featuring the likes of Peta Mullens, Carlee Taylor and Tiffany Cromwell. At the time I was under 17 and perhaps more importantly for this tale was the fact that I had just lunch from a rather famous sandwich chain store!
The short 30 mins plus 3 laps crit started and I was all set up the front when all of sudden I was just so sick I had to pull over. Luckily I found a bin! (I haven't had a ham sandwich from said store since) While there was a commisaire there it was decided that vomiting was not a good enough reason for a lap out.
So I had to chase...
I only had about 5 meters on the bunch by the time I got back on the bike, so everyone thought that I had attacked and they were cheering me on! By two laps to go I finally got onto the back of the bunch and thought "wow I have really good legs here!" and with youthful enthusiasm I attacked on the second last corner and promptly slid off into the gutter. Good lesson! That final disappointment aside, I am still amazed to this day that I got that lap back.
I love to ride because ... of the social and competitive nature of riding and racing. One moment you can be having an awesome conversation with a friend the next you can be trying to beat them on a climb or in a sprint! Cycling has it all!
