The Champ is back... 

Article By Adam Kavanagh..

Skincare is healthcare...

I'm excited about new partnership I've developed with Slovenian skincare experts Afrodita Cosmetics by (www.savkabeauty.com.au) Savka Beauty... Here's why!

Part of the job in being an elite world class athlete striving for ultimate performance is the daily need to extract the most out of your body.

It does not happen by accident, it is research, knowledge, planning, understanding, organisation and the knowing that body mind and spirit need to be aligned. 
All facets of physical performance are the first things in the daily grind – adequate nutrition, muscle activation, flexibility, the training session, followed by recovery.

One aspect overlooked is skincare and in fact skin health. Skin is the largest organ of the body and therefore is exposed to everything we touch and do! Skin both absorbs and protects and is therefore an important part of the body’s homeostasis.

For outside performing athletes we are exposed to sun, sweat, wind, rain, dirt, road dust, mud, grime, sunscreen, massage oil and the list goes on. Attention to the type and amount of substances used to protect and remove the former is imperative. 
After coming to this realisation a few years ago, a girl with fair skin exposed to the elements and a big user of products after daily vigorous training - I have invested time and interest into optimising skin health.

In looking to the ultimate health of my body I understand the absolute need to refrain from all chemical and paraben exposure in skincare products. If they are not meant to be on the inside why put them on the outside?
Skin is a beautiful way to express radiance and emotion, attaining authentic and healthy pride in one’s skin is a must.

I treat my body like a temple, it is a machine which needs to be kept in optimal functioning order – not to be underestimated are the tiny processes the body is undertaking every second to perform at its best. I work hard in my daily training regime, use of harmful products not organically meant for human skin exposure would only negate my efforts.

I came across Afrodita Cosmetics by Savka Beauty (www.savkabeauty.com.au) a local skincare specialist. Afrodita is a Slovenian company with over 40 years expertise in organic skincare, and world leaders at that. I am enjoying discovering the sheer beauty, effectiveness of Afrodita and excited to add it to my performance regime.

Matching my philosophy for loving, living and breathing the skin you’re in to the best of your ability each day Afrodita is now helping me exude beauty, passion and performance inside out and outside in!

World Championships 2015

•  Neylan goes long in World Championship bid - Cycling News
• Three in top 20 at Worlds Women's Road Race - Cycling Australia

2015 world road championship team selection - richmond here we come!

Australian Team for 2015 UCI Road World Championships

A debut win, bringing home the yellow jersey from trophee d'or in france

• Neylans Gamble Pays off - Reece Homfray

giro rosa completo! 

Check out a few interviews I gave during the tour to my friends at Bikeexchange!

• https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/blog/giro-rosa

• https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/blog/giro-rosa-wrap

The Giro Rosa, which we completed on Sunday afternoon in northern Italy, is the most prestigious and longest tour on the women’s UCI calendar. Heatwave weather, post race transfers of 2-3h and finishing the race with only 4 riders were part of the daily challenges we faced and embraced. 

The race was full of action as only seconds separated the GC contenders until the final day. Racing 10 days looking for opportunity on a daily basis is challenging. We (OGE) were opportunistic daily and looking for moves where and when we could. 

We came away with one stage 2nd place and in total 5 top ten finishes. Without a designated GC rider in the tour we all helped each other to facilitate these opportunities. 

I have embraced another chance to gain resilience mentally and physically. It reveals another brilliant lesson confirming that anything can happen in a tour, after GC unexpectedly exploded in the 40 degree conditions on stage two where I finished 10th - a satisfying and encouraging performance 😊

On the flipside, dealing with curveballs during a tour, being able to positively bounce back from disappointing days is always experience in the bag. For me, developing a niche as a one day championship racer, while podiums are always at the forefront of my mind, I need to be content. 

In essence a long tour is an invaluable notch in the belt and an integral part to building body mind and spirit onward to bigger goals for the remainder of the season.

SUCCESS STREAK FOR OGE

Its been a whirlwind few months since joining Orica AIS. New teammates, new equipment and a new environment always requires patience and diligence but I’ve loved every moment!

Following a terrific, fun, positive but not to mention tough Tuscan training camp in May the results started flowing. With a spring in our step we attacked the races that followed with an almost tangible strong and unified impulse!

Four one day races were won in the proceeding weeks, Spratty, Gracie, Lizzie and Emma all putting their hands in the air. I was thrilled to race in three from four of these races and execute my role and contribute to the successful race tactics on all occasions. In addition to this we brought home a swag of podiums in Spain at the 5 day tour in Basque Country, Bira.

It is a great feeling embracing the new experiences of what is possible in a cohesive fun challenging stimulating environment, ultimately a culture of success evolves and becomes contagious, the law of attraction exemplified!

Up next; the longest and most prestigious tour on our UCI women’s calendar, 10 day Giro Rosa…

RACHEL NEYLAN JOINS ORICA-AIS

View full article here

PROCYCLINGTOURS.COM – PARTNERS ON THE ROAD AHEAD!

 
This fab pic was taken immediately after LaCourse in Paris after the inaugural Womens Race in the 2014 Tour de France. Having a procyclingtours group lining the Champs every lap cheering for me and hugs over the barrier after the race was incredibly special!

Thank you Steve and Michelle for your belief and support, bring on 2015!

Globally cycling is becoming the new way to see the world - for the love of watching bike races, taking time to pedal with mates up iconic mountains or simply to wine and dine through European gastronomic countryside.

Having spent the past five years racing, training in Europe I frequently get asked for recommendations, advice, tips and have the pleasure of shared stories entailing cyclist’s travel plans and trip memories particularly with their European adventures. 

Often a trip of this kind can end up a trip of a lifetime. It can inspire, empower, kick start lifestyle behaviour changes and embed new challenges in hearts and minds – hence cycling travel is something I always embrace. There is absolutely no downside to a suitcase, a bike and a planned adventure! 

Through my travels living and training in Adelaide and now in Europe I have had the pleasure of getting to know the dynamic duo Steve and Michelle who established a premium cycling travel business procyclingtours in 2010.  They are two incredibly passionate people delivering the very best experiences throughout Europe. 

In 2015 as we both continue to climb towards greater heights, I am thrilled to have this relationship evolve into a brand ambassadorship with procyclingtours.com

THE NEXT LEVEL WITH POWERBREATHE...

Being an elite world class athlete is not just about putting the body though rigorous protocol day in and day out. It is about managing strengths and weaknesses, learning and applying selected strategies to improve performance around the regular on bike work. Question is always pending what training adjuncts or one percenters can open different pathways to a next level in performance?

Breathing is one of the most critical facets of cycling that can propel or hinder performance at any one time. When critically hard moments of the race arrive the ability to freely go to VO2 max (the maximum volume of air going in and out of the lung in one minute), good functioning of the airways are pivotal to this rapid movement of air in and out.

After numerous heartbreaking races with performance being severely limited by unpredictable bouts of EIA (Exercise Induced Asthma) and one particular incident having an asthma attack mid race where I sorely watched the peloton disappear before my eyes, my legs still had the power to go but my respiratory system had failed me. 

Subsequently I tried a cocktail of medications and have been able to deal with the issue reasonably well. However, being fairly opposed to taking medications I figured I needed to turn this situation around from reactive to preventative and proactive. Strengthen the weakness rather than sugar coat it. 

In recent months I have been fortunate enough to meet the fine gents from Better Breathing Australia who are the distributors for Powerbreathe.com originally developed in the UK. Equipped with Exercise and Sports Science expertise we quickly figured this would be a partnership worth investing in. 

I began using the new Powerbreathe K5 in December, being the latest model with power and volume feedback, and me being a numbers girl when it comes to training, it was a match made in heaven. The numbers help track and encourage progress and are a great enabling compliance towards ongoing use. 

Aside from strengthening respiratory muscles to be able to hold a greater VO2 max I believe it also allows the airways to be less reactive to EIA stimuli. Quite simply there is no reasonable difference in training the muscles that push the pedals to those that pump the air. 

I am extremely grateful to Better Breathing Australia for this new and exciting performance product partnership with Powerbreathe and thank the guys for their interest and support in my career progress!

For more info:

www.facebook.com/betterbreathingaustralia

www.facebook.com/POWERbreatheUK?fref=nf 

betterbreathing.com.au 

powerbreathe.com

RACHEL NEYLAN TAKES THE HONOURS IN THE WOMEN'S RACE

Full Article Here

INAUGURAL CADEL EVANS GREAT OCEAN ROAD RACE WINNER!!

Woooohooo finally on the top step!! Couldn't be more honoured proud & excited to win the inaugural Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Thank you to so many who have stood by me. This win is a long time coming... it means the world

• Rachel Neylan wins first Cadel Evans race
• Hill attack sets up Rachel Neylan's victory
• Neylan wins inaugural women's Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
• Neylan returns to the top at Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
• Rachel Neylan continues to make inroad with first senior win in women's Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road race

2015 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - A SILVER MEDAL!

• Neylan Yet to Sign a Cycling Deal

• Peta Mullens bests Rachel Neylan in two-up sprint for gold

• Neylan Credits Brad McGee for comeback success

• Peta Mullens wins Australian women's National title

• Seventh Heaven - Mullens breaks through for career crown