CX and COVID-19 Part 3: Erin Mitchell
Our series highlighting members of the cyclocross community working in the medical field during the COVID-19 pandemic continues!
In part 1 we chatted to New Zealand GP and Hüttcross race organiser Dr. Kim Hurst, while in part 2 we spoke to Melbourne obestrician/gynaecologist Dr. Miranda Robinson.
This time we’re chatting to Erin Mitchell, a former Australian U23 national champion who also works as a nurse and midwife at one of Melbourne’s busiest hospitals.
Tell us a bit about your work. What do you do for a living, and how has it been impacted by COVID-19?
I’m a registered nurse & midwife. I split my time as nurse in the special care nursery/NICU which looks after most vulnerable newborns, and then work in the hospital as a midwife. As a nurse my work luckily has not been impacted too much by COVID-19 - I think the special care nursery is probably one of the safest places in the hospital to be! However as a midwife we have a much higher turnover of patients presenting to our assessment unit, and are face to face with a large number of patients from all walks of life.
I think the biggest challenge however has been for my patients with the strict new visiting rules mean that our women & babies are only allowed 1 visitor for 1 hour per day. It might not seem like a big deal but the isolation and lack of support people allowed to come in leads to a lot of stress and anxiety.
Tell us a bit about your experience in cyclocross.
This would’ve been my 4th year of CX racing! [Erin’s being quite modest here - she was the Australian U23 national champion in 2017, and has made multiple trips to race in Europe, including competing at last year’s Koppenbergcross for Team HermanMiller-Pedla].
What’s life like for you right now off the bike? Has COVID-19 impacted your life in ways aside from work and cycling? If so, how?
I’m still living at home with my parents who are older and more vulnerable than myself, so I’ve been very conscious about self-isolating as much as possible. I haven’t been out except to work and be on the bike since the lockdown started.
What’s life like for you right now on the bike?
I’ve tried to keep my routine pretty similar to pre-COVID-19. I’ve made the decision to continue riding outside in combination with some indoor training, just on familiar roads and trails.
I’ve included Zwift racing in my week which has been a whole learning curve on its own, turns out there’s quite a bit to know about it! I’ve also been doing a lot of CX skills sessions, trying to use this time to nail some of the basics that might get forgotten during the busy season.
Tell us about your involvement with the cyclocross community. How has it been impacted by COVID-19?
I was so excited for this CX season, I felt like I’d finally got on top of shift work and had found a really good balance between work and and training.
I didn’t race a huge amount over summer as I knew it was going to be a long cross season starting in April and going through till the end of August, so I was definitely feeling ready to get out there between the tape!
It’s been a bit weird with nothing to train for in the near future but I’m trying to keep the consistency and be ready for any races that may still run.
What’s helped you get through the crisis? Zoom calls with friends, Netflix binges, bike rides etc.?
I know it’s been a controversial issue but continuing to ride outside has been a huge help. During the peak of the pandemic it was a bit exhausting being surrounded by COVID news at work constantly and then at home as well.
Getting outside on the local trails in the fresh air after a shift was absolutely amazing. Reaching out to friends & family during this time has been really helpful as well, I think COVID-19 has, and will continue to have a huge impact on people and it’s really important to continue looking out for one another even as the lockdowns ease. The sense of community in cyclocross is one of its biggest draws.
What advice would you give to all the cross community out there who aren’t in the medical field?
Wash your hands, stay home wherever possible and keep pedalling, however that works for you ! Stay safe, and fingers crossed we get to come together as a cyclocross community at some point this year!