Contributed
Female riders (from left) Rachel Hernould, Alexandra Consten, Yolande Lloyd-Small and Dr Lesley King.

Avia Collinder, Outlook Writer

Come July 9, for the first time in our history, a female cycling team - the BRADAGirls - will enter and compete against men on an equal footing in the all-island one-week tour organised by the Jamaica Cycling Federation.

From July 9 to 13, team members Rachel Hernould, Alexandra Consten, Yolande Lloyd-Small and Dr Lesley King, plus two overseas-based team members, Iona Wynter Parks and Tina Pic, will tackle the island's highways.

BRADA - meaning Bike Racing Against Drug Abuse - was started four years ago by the Cycling Federation. Only male teams have competed in this endurance race that benefits the National Council on Drug Abuse. But, this year, six women will be included among the 60 professional and amateur cyclists from Jamaica, the Caribbean and the USA, who are expected to compete.

The idea

The idea for the all-woman team came from teammate Alexandra 'Animal' Consten, a German transplant (now employed at the German Embassy in Kingston) who says she has always enjoyed endurance sports. Since moving to Jamaica in July 2006, she has been a regular on morning bike rides and has earned respect from male counterparts on the cycling circuit.

A strong and skilled rider, Alexandra came up with the idea of the first women's team for BRADA earlier this year, recruited her teammates and is currently the captain of Team BRADAGirls.

Stating that their primary aim is to encourage young women to embrace the sport of cycling, the women have all endured a rigorous training schedule, which demands that they eat, sleep and train well.

Admitting that they consume 4,000 calories daily, the women told Outlook that their intake of primarily protein and carbohydrates is intended to provide daily training and competing strength.

Enduring long morning rides on such routes as Kingston to Newcastle, and also from Kingston to Mandeville, in preparation for this endurance event, the BRADAGirls say they are ready to hit the road.

The women's training schedule includes several local road races and a simulated race ride over three days. The weekly training programme featured five days per week of flat road, hill work, intervals and high cadence work.

Workouts also included core conditioning two days weekly, to increase upper body strength. The women regularly consult with nutritionist Patricia Thompson, who has given them the go-ahead to indulge in such treats as fresh hard dough bread and bun and cheese in order to reach their daily caloric requirements.

But, just who are these women?

The BRADAGirls team members include two top-rated pros, Tina Pic of the USA and Iona Wynter Parks, former Olympic triathlete from Jamaica, who both race for the Colavita/Sutter Home Cycling Team, plus four local amateur endurance athletes from running and triathlon backgrounds who have banded together to take on this challenge.

Ranging from 31 to 45 years old, the locals are amateurs Rachel Hernould - a personal trainer, Dr Lesley King - a medical doctor, attorney Yolande Lloyd-Small and Alexandra Consten from Germany. These four women are new to road racing.

The women are coached by Carlton Simmonds, national coach for the Cycling Federation, who told Outlook that he has been impressed by the form the women have attained in just three months of training.

All the women have careers and family responsibilities as well. They show, coach Simmonds states, that women are really easier to train than men!

All the cyclists are fitness fanatics and several have previous athletic and other sporting experience.

Rachel 'Focus' Hernould started competing in triathlons at age 32, and fell in love with the multi-discipline endurance sport of swimming, riding and running. She is a personal trainer, and mother with two teenagers to boot.

Lesley 'Doc' King is a paediatrician and clinical research fellow in Kingston, working with children with sickle cell disease. Her interest in cycling began just over a year ago as a form of cross training for a running injury. A member of the Jamdammers Running Club, she has also run three marathons.

Yolande 'Chill' Lloyd-Small, a lawyer by profession, is accused by her teammates of always begging others to 'chill'. A breast cancer survivor, Yolande loves a challenge. She is also a member of the Jamdammers Running Club, and has run four marathons - New York City, Venice, Marine Corps and Chicago.

Rachel, Lesley, Yolande and Alexandra live and train in Kingston, Jamaica. Three of the local BRADAGirls are members of the Cutters Cycling Club, which has provided constant support for the girls on their many training rides and races.

Overseas-based team members include Iona Wynter Parks, a former Olympic triathlete who represented Jamaica at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

On the cycle track, Iona is the Jamaican pursuit record holder, Central American and Caribbean Scratch Champion, and currently ranks 9th in the world in scratch. In road racing, she has achieved numerous top 10 finishes while delivering teammate Tina Pic to countless victories and podium appearances in major race events.

The final BRADAGirl member is American Tina Pic, a five-time US national criterium (a type of bike race held on a short course - usually less than 5 km - and often run on closed-off city centre streets) champion (2002-2005, 2007) and a four-time USA Cycling National Racing champion (2000, 2004-2006).

As of June 8 2008, Tina is tied for first place in the USA criterium rankings and rated third in the USA Cycling National Race Calendar standings. Tina aims to represent the US at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, for which she has earned an automatic nomination.

According to coach Simmonds, "The BRADAGirls take the challenge of competing against men seriously.

"They have shown nothing but 100 per cent commitment and I have seen major improvements since the start of training in March 2008."

He continues, "With the complement of professionals Iona Wynter Parks and Tina Pic, the men will need to take them seriously, come race day."

The women have told Outlook that their collective intention is to finish the race within the cut-off time, which is within 25 per cent of the winner's time.

Inciting other women

According to Rachel, "Men and women are built differently. Men will always be stronger and faster. Our better intention is to be an example to women and young females, so that involvement at this level is possible."

They are inciting other women to enter competitive cycling, although they advise those interested to do so in groups. The women practise safe cycling, always having a car or two following them on their morning journeys, which start at 4:30.

"We love the sport of cycling," says Dr Lesley King. "Our motivation is the true spirit of competition and, through our participation in BRADA, we can show our support for the fight against drug abuse."

The women express thanks to their many sponsors, including Air Jamaica, the Point Village and Rose Hall Resort and Country Club who have - with the provision of accommodation, transport and other resources - made their dream of participation come true.