While that mantra made for a packed four days of racing for Bathurst Cycling Club graduate Emily Watts, it also led to her claiming her first elite women’s national track medal.

After a bumper debut season riding on the National Road Series circuit for Sydney Uni-Staminade, late last week Watts hit the boards of Melbourne’s DISC Velodrome for the Australian Track Championships.

Bringing with her the lessons learned in a high performance track camp in the lead up to nationals, Watts took on a packed program.

Though riding against big name track cyclists such as Alex Manly and Josie Talbot, she decided to tackle the women’s elite omnium.

A four-event pure-endurance competition run over a single day, Watts was competitive as she placed ninth in the scratch race, 13^th in the tempo, eighth in the elimination and seventh in the 20 kilometres points race.

“It was amazing​,” Watts said. “You know they are going fast and it makes you try and go just as fast.”

READ MORE: Watts finishes National Road Series on a high

READ MORE: Bronze for Watts at nationals in Ballarat

READ MORE: Watts impresses at Tamworth Cycling Festival

Watts also pulled on a New South Wales skin suit while in Melbourne as she formed part of the four-rider state team pursuit outfit, joining Talbot, Chloe Heffernan and Nicola Macdonald.

That combination came agonisingly close to earning a spot in the gold medal ride-off, finishing the qualifying round with a time of 4:34.340 to rank third behind eventual victors South Australia (4:33.435) and Queensland (4:33.971).

While disappointed they did not get a shot at three-time defending champions South Australia in the battle for gold, Watts and her NSW team-mates hit back to win the bronze medal ride-off against Victoria.

“It was very disappointing, our time was 0.4 of a second off the gold medal ride, that’s one little thing that could have gone better,” Watts said.

“But we gave it our all and that’s all we could ask for. It would have been a really good final if we got in the gold-silver medal ride, but that’s how it goes.

“We needed to bring home a medal, we knew that we needed too, so yeah, we were pretty determined.

“The team was against the wall after the disappointment of missing out on the gold ride … and Nic having a touch down in the omnium. But we lifted and came home strong against Victoria. Had a great week learning from the best, I will be back better and stronger next year.”

That effort in the bronze medal ride was the first time Watts had stood on a national elite track podium.

Keep up to date with the latest sports news by clicking here

“I’d done TPs [team pursuit] when I was in juniors and we got medals, but I hadn’t got a national medal for elite before, this was the first one. It was a really good feeling,” Watts said.

“It’s all a tactical game on the boards, so everything I gained doing that just makes me a better road rider.”

Watts did not take long to get back on the road either, lining up in Sunday’s Shimano Super Criterium in Saint Kilda. While she did not feature in the final sprint to the finish, saying “was in a few moves, just not the one that went”, she enjoyed being part of a talent-packed field.

“I had a crack at the omnium, I did the super crit – I didn’t stop. I got to bed at two o’clock in the morning and then did the super crit the next day.”