Completing the Sweep

You’ve probably already heard about the first big win of the year for Felt and the Garmin-Slipstream squad. But Cam Meyer wasn’t the only one laying down a sizzling time at the Aussie Time Trial Nationals on a Felt DA.

The biggest surprise of the day belonged to Amber Halliday, a woman who never raced a bike until last year. Amber stormed to victory in the 28-kilometer elite women’s race, beating the 2008 champion, Bridie O’Donnell, by 4 seconds.

While Amber may be a cycling newbie, she’s no stranger to top-level sport. The 30-year-old from Adelaide is a former Olympic rower with a handful of sculling world championships to her name. After the 2008 Olympics, she traded the oars for wheels.

“I was pretty much always going to retire after Beijing and I’ve always enjoyed riding my bike,” Amber told CyclingNews.com after her win. “It’s a big part of cross training for rowing, and I started to enjoy it a little bit too much towards the end of my rowing career.”

Here’s a shot of Amber, moments before rolling out of the start gate on her Felt DA. Good on ya, Amber!