well last week (10th-14th) I had a realy good week of training with my brother and felt realy strong and fast. Well turns out I may have pushed it a bit too much. Ive been sick all week studying. I got a cold last sunday which was relay that bad but by mid week i was farked, sleeping all day and blowing my nose more than you can believe. Its now saturday and I did intend on going for an easy ride at O'connor Ridge, but its very very windy, spraying rain occasionaly and about 10 degrees outside. So might give the ride a miss unless it looks like it will dry up a bit. I think if i can get on the bike this weekend and a get about 3-5 more rides in by thursday I will be right for Nationals, but this is a good way to come into the series.
On the school front, Ive finished classes for the year and have had two days of exams and two more to go (1 per day for me). So I have a bit of time to ride If i feel up to it. My plan for the moment is to go for an easy roll today just to maintain fitness and skill, the tomorow go for a road ride up some of the mountains in canberra (again not killing myself) then just mtb rides on the steep switchbacks at Majura and finish it of with a road crit on wedsday night. Then thursday me and dad are driving up to QLD and will get there middayish on friday so we can go for an easy ride around the track to just figgure out lines and keep the legs rolling.
As I mentioned, Im racing the road crits now (I havent actualy started myself). My brother and his friends who I ride with have made a team to race B grade in. One of them knows a guy from token and got them to sponsor us, and so im hopeing this will result in bigger things if you know what I mean. Im looking forward to the crits for a few reasons, its relay good training, I think it will be realy fun trying different stratergys and they pey the top 20% of the feild (apparently).
So thats whats going on. The rains stopped now, so I might get my bike ready and go for a ride.
Bye!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Rough in the Highlands
Last saturday was a miserably cold winday and wet day and i was on my way to the highland fling. Bundanoon was no better than Canberra. It didnt help that ive lost my sleeping bag and i had to use an old one that only went up to the bottom of my chest so I had a very cold and unsettled sleep. Sunday morning, I woke up to the sounds of bikes riding past my tent at about 6 in the morning. After taking a piss i cooked some oats for breakfast and got ready for the race. I managed to jump into the fron row at the start as i was only racing with open and 100milers. I got a good start and cruised at the front of the front bunch for a few kms. The race started with a few hills and I tryed to make a gap, but all of a sudden we were on fast flat fire roads and then on farm padocks (sp?). After about 15km on flat bumpy grass i had almost had it and got to transition well behind the other riders and feeling like shit. The 2nd stage of the race was pretty hilly and i felt good and waqs making up time. There was along section of single track where i caught a guy and in an attempt to loose him I cracked. As i slowly made my way up halfway hill, Craig Gordan came flying past which pissed me of that he could do this half an hour faster than me. I started to push my self harder as two other guys and shaun lewis passed me. From here I started to come up again and relay picked up my pase. Unfortunantly I was too far behind. I ended up in 5th oin open, pretty disapointing. But mabey its just cause ive been training for nationals.
On sunday night my brother Peter got home from Europe where he road his bike from Paris to Madrid through the alps and pyranees. This is realy good because i have someone to train with. Petes just a bit better than me, I good enough to train with him but he will always finish a race infront of me. So we went for a ride on tuesday morning and punished eachother for about 2 hours and I felt relay good. so things are looking good for nationals.
So Im now about to go and race one of the club crits at stromlo. Ill be putting a big effort of training and homework this weekend and next week is my last week of hard training before Illinbah. Im realy looking forward to it as I feel strong like i can win, stronger than I ever have before.
Catchya
On sunday night my brother Peter got home from Europe where he road his bike from Paris to Madrid through the alps and pyranees. This is realy good because i have someone to train with. Petes just a bit better than me, I good enough to train with him but he will always finish a race infront of me. So we went for a ride on tuesday morning and punished eachother for about 2 hours and I felt relay good. so things are looking good for nationals.
So Im now about to go and race one of the club crits at stromlo. Ill be putting a big effort of training and homework this weekend and next week is my last week of hard training before Illinbah. Im realy looking forward to it as I feel strong like i can win, stronger than I ever have before.
Catchya
Friday, November 7, 2008
All the little things
well as I mentioned in my last post, I went for a long ride to tidbinbilla a few weeks ago. What i didnt mention was that i hit my knee on my stem while climbing. This wasnt a problem until I went for a ride a few days later and it started to realy hurt. It was so bad that i couldnt bend my knee with out being in alot of pain. I tried riding a few times and it was realy weird. When I was cruising, it realy hurt, but when i raced or did an effort it was fine. So anyway, I went to the doctor on wednsday and he said take some neurofen 3 times a day for 4 days and put a compression band round my knee, and its feeling almost back to normal now.
I started CORCs summer crits last thursday night and raced A grade. It may have been my knee (dont think it was though) but I did realy badly. I got an ok start in 3rd or 4th place but continued to dop back to about 8th. I then raced the ACT road champs support race on staurday morning. I was racing with Elite wemon and Masters men. I thought I would nail them all, But halfway through the lap there was climb and two guys and one of the women got away, btu i quickly caught them. They decided that makeing a huge gap on the people we were racing was not enough and we had to try and catch Elite men who started 5 minutes ahead. We didnt catch them but we made up alot of time. So anyway these guys killed me on the flats and on the last lap i tried to make a break away and one guy just sat on my tail and i asked if he wanted to try and open the gap up and he said he had no need to he wasnt racing any of us, so we got caught. It came down to a sprint and I was the one being nailed. So after this my spirtits werent high. But on tuesday, corc ran a 3 stage crit at stromlo. I was too late for the first but raced the 2nd race. After leading for a bit, i got an easy 3rd racing against some serious riders. This gave me alot of confidence again.
On the nationals front, the first round was last weekend. Brendan won followed by Trento Day, Michael Baker and then James Peacock. The rest of the feild was a bit behind. The results were a bit of a surprise, but since have been faster than Michael throught most of the club races this year I feel that I can place 2nd, and mabey even challenge Brendan. Some more good news was that my dad told me he will take me up to the 2nd round at Illinbah as I have explained the significance of these races and that i could do pretty well.
So Im now getting ready top race the fling this sunday, dont know how I will go. I have been doing more XC training than marathon training the last few months. But who knows, it could be a good thing. My dad is going down to melbourne to see my brother and his new family so Ed Hood has offered to give me a lift which is great.
After sunday, its going to have to be full on training to get fit for Illinbah, I relay want to win or at leats get second. Ill catch up wth you all next week.
I started CORCs summer crits last thursday night and raced A grade. It may have been my knee (dont think it was though) but I did realy badly. I got an ok start in 3rd or 4th place but continued to dop back to about 8th. I then raced the ACT road champs support race on staurday morning. I was racing with Elite wemon and Masters men. I thought I would nail them all, But halfway through the lap there was climb and two guys and one of the women got away, btu i quickly caught them. They decided that makeing a huge gap on the people we were racing was not enough and we had to try and catch Elite men who started 5 minutes ahead. We didnt catch them but we made up alot of time. So anyway these guys killed me on the flats and on the last lap i tried to make a break away and one guy just sat on my tail and i asked if he wanted to try and open the gap up and he said he had no need to he wasnt racing any of us, so we got caught. It came down to a sprint and I was the one being nailed. So after this my spirtits werent high. But on tuesday, corc ran a 3 stage crit at stromlo. I was too late for the first but raced the 2nd race. After leading for a bit, i got an easy 3rd racing against some serious riders. This gave me alot of confidence again.
On the nationals front, the first round was last weekend. Brendan won followed by Trento Day, Michael Baker and then James Peacock. The rest of the feild was a bit behind. The results were a bit of a surprise, but since have been faster than Michael throught most of the club races this year I feel that I can place 2nd, and mabey even challenge Brendan. Some more good news was that my dad told me he will take me up to the 2nd round at Illinbah as I have explained the significance of these races and that i could do pretty well.
So Im now getting ready top race the fling this sunday, dont know how I will go. I have been doing more XC training than marathon training the last few months. But who knows, it could be a good thing. My dad is going down to melbourne to see my brother and his new family so Ed Hood has offered to give me a lift which is great.
After sunday, its going to have to be full on training to get fit for Illinbah, I relay want to win or at leats get second. Ill catch up wth you all next week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
