ONE of Tamworth's popular cycling power-couples has starred at the National Masters Championships in Adelaide.
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Tamworth Cycle Club members Katrina and Fraser Ashford took home a swag of medals from the annual competition.
Katrina snagged a silver medal in the road race, as well as a bronze medal in the criterium and the time trial.
Meanwhile, Fraser claimed silver in the time trial to go with a seventh-place finish in the road race.
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Fraser said "the best of the best" competed at the event.
"I had really put a lot of my focus during training into doing well in the time trial, so I was really pleased with that result," Fraser said.
"As for the road race, I didn't get the result I was after, but it was really pleasing to see Katrina go as well as she did.
"We sort of used the masters as a bit of a family holiday, so it was really nice for us and the kids to have a break, and enjoy a really high-level competition."
The event marked the second consecutive year the Ashford family has competed at the masters.
"This is only my second year of riding competitively, so I guess you could call me a bit of a late bloomer," Katrina said.
"I guess it's better late than never, but overall I was really pleased to go from finishing seventh last year to coming second this year.
"We were both up against some pretty stiff competition, so we were really pleased to come away with the results we did."
Fraser said the couple had "put in a fair bit of training" leading into the event.
"With work and having three kids, it is pretty tough to fit in training sometimes," he said. "However, when we could manage it, we were able to do some 5am rides and evening rides as well.
"On top of that, we tried to get along to as many of the Tamworth Cycle Club's meetings as we can and support the club. As well as that, every Sunday we try to do our usual 90 to 100 kilometre ride as well."
Katrina said the couple was grateful for the support they had received from the Tamworth Cycle Club.
"It's a really supportive club, with a lot of great people," she said.
"We really enjoy coming out and getting involved with the meetings and races they hold."
The pair agreed the opening of Tamworth's new velodrome would be a major boost for the local cycling community.
"I think it's going to bring a lot more exposure to the sport and to the club," Katrina said.
"It really is wonderful."
Fraser said the centre would allow the next generation of riders a chance to train at a "state-of-the-art facility".
"I think this track will see more people cycling on a weekly and monthly basis," he said.
"It will be a really great platform for young kids to learn in a safe environment, away from the roads."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
