Two years of hard work, commitment and determination has paid off for Cessnock cyclist Jennifer Short.
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Short has been selected as a team rider for the Australian cycling team, Dhuez Racing.
The squad members will target national-level races, with Short's sights set on the Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classic in May.
A relatively late bloomer, Short took up cycling nine years ago at the age of 30, starting out as a fun, social activity.
She took part in the occasional amateur competition, has enjoyed a few cycling holidays in Europe, and in 2019 rode 1400 kilometres from Sydney to Melbourne to raise funds for the Salvation Army.
But it was when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020 that she decided to sharpen her focus on cycling.
"When the pandemic hit, I needed something that I could control," Short said.
"I was working from home (as a lawyer for the CFMEU), I had stopped travelling for work - I was usually in Sydney twice a week.
"I got a good coach (Newcastle's Ben Neppl), and trained really hard for five months to try to win the state championships."
Short achieved that goal, taking out the women's Masters 2 title at the NSW Road Race championships in 2020.
"It kept getting delayed due to COVID, which makes it hard - you can only peak for so long," she said.
After another COVID-interrupted year, she turned around and defended her state title in 2021.
The competition was held at Gunning on an unseasonably cold November weekend, with gusty winds, rain and freezing temperatures which saw one rider come down with hypothermia.
It was a test of mental toughness, something Short has become known for in the cycling community.
Even a bad crash in 2016, when she broke her leg in three places, didn't stop her from getting back on the bike.
Short now rides about 400 kilometres a week in the Cessnock area, including Newcastle Hunter Cycling Club's Sunday road races at the Hunter Economic Zone at Pelaw Main.
She says the Hunter Valley vineyards are among the best roads for cycling that she has ever ridden on.
She's hoping to make it back to Europe this year - depending on border closures - but for now her focus will be on the Grafton to Inverell classic, which is known as one of Australia's toughest rides.
Short says being part of the Dhuez Racing team will be a great help - the sponsorship helps with the costs of what can be an expensive sport, and the riders are all there to encourage and support each other.
She hopes her selection in the national team will inspire other riders - especially young women - to take up the sport and not be fearful of riding on the roads.
Ultimately, cycling makes her happy - and she hopes others can find happiness in it too, as a social activity or as serious competitors.
"You have to find whatever your thing is," she said.
"It might be sewing, or bridge - for me it's cycling."