Interview with Loren Rowney - Winner of Celtic Classic de Femme

LR: Yeah the form has been good the last few months, had a bit of a rocky start to the season being tied down with full-time study, so have changed to part-time and am reaping the benefits cycling. This race is just the start for me I believe, breaking away with Jo has given me a lot of confidence going into the summer season.

MG: You were up against a couple of big teams such as the new Virgin RBS Morgan and Bundaberg sugar teams, how did this affect your race tactics with fellow MB team mate Zoe Watters? 

LR: Definitely, it was just us up against two teams of 6 which is always going to be hard, but thankfully Lauren Kitchen, yourself and Jo Hogan were in the same boat, so we could use it to our advantage. Zoe is sitting 2nd overall on NRS GC behind Jo Hogan, so our main priority was to ensure Simone or Laura did not win otherwise they would accumulate enough points to beat her. If they placed second or third Zoe's spot would still be secure. Also there was the potential to get into 3rd on GC if I won. So we achieved all three goals, a win and 2nd and 3rd 

Loren and MB team mate Zoe Watters

MG: After winning the final race on the National Road Series calendar and starting off a bit of a break from the bike– there must have been a reason to celebrate. Did it go off post-race in Inverell??

LR: Haha, you could say it went off with a bang as soon as the champagne burst in my eyes. It was a great event, being the 50th anniversary was iconic, so I think that was definitely something to celebrate lol.

MG: Not many people may be aware, but you actually placed 3rd in the U/23 category in the Australian National Open Road Titles. You obviously started your year off on the right foot, how has the rest of your season been leading up to this point? 

LR: Yeah, that came as a bit of a surprise, I mean I went into the race with expectations, but it's always great when you actually achieve your goal. This season started off rocky as I was studying full-time and had a manager's position at work. I did the Mersey Valley Tour and managed to win Stage 3, and went to the Canberra Tour but was unwell. It was mid year when I was run down, around exams I realised I had to make a choice...uni or cycling. I chose cycling and since then have moved to part-time uni. At Geelong Tour I finished 4th on GC and claimed 3rd in the road race, then went on to the Herald Sun World Cycling Classic and was 4th best Australian finishing in the main field.

MG: You are relatively new to the cycling scene, how long have you been riding and what got you in to cycling?