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LESS than a year after switching from mountain bikes to road racing, former Tasmanian Felicity Wardlaw already has a national medal and a state title to her name.
Now based in Victoria, the 35-year-old surprised many when she took the bronze medal in the national time trial at the Australian road championships in Ballarat.
Nine days later she raced up to her bronze medal performance by winning the Victorian time trial held over a weekend of cycling at Bendigo.
In what was to prove a big weekend, Wardlaw also finished fifth in the road race and second in the criterium to take out the Grand Prix awarded to the most consistent cyclist at the titles.
"I'm really enjoying road racing and I keep asking myself why I didn't switch to it earlier," she said.
"It's been quite amazing, the results I've been able to achieve so far."
Wardlaw grew up in North- East Tasmania and after she attended Launceston Church Grammar School her family lived in Devonport before moving to Victoria five years ago.
Her earlier sporting involvements included triathlons and mountain bikes, and she said it was during some cross-training that she took an interest in road racing.
Now employed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment in Benalla, she has had a busy schedule in the past couple of weeks, being called to fight bushfires as well as trying to maintain her fitness level for the start of the national road series.
She will ride for the Bicycle Superstore team, which has attracted women from all over Victoria, on familiar territory as the first round of the series is the North-West Tour in Devonport on April 21.
"I rode in it last year but I was pretty green and I have a lot more confidence now," she said.