G'day everyone
Happy new year to you all, even though we are already one month into the year!
This year has already been very different from previous ones, and for a couple of reasons. For one, this is the first year where I did not race track nationals. This is strangely odd, as it has always been the major event to focus my entire years worth of training on. With my new switch to the road, I have not actually touched a track bike since my switch in September last year.
It was quite nice to sit down, watch the racing and enjoy the action from the other side of the fence. The 40+ degree heat predicted for most of the week, tested not only the athletes, but also the spectators. Mist fans/tents certainly would have been welcomed by a few people in the stands!
With the heat, came some very, very fast times posted. A special mention will go to my mate Matty Glaetzer here. Humor me for a moment, but I must talk about this briefly. Not only did he win two Australian championships, but posted an insane 1.01.1 kilometre time trial, and backed this up with fastest qualifier in the sprint, with a time of 9.901 seconds for 200m. This is just ridiculous for a guy not even in peak form yet.
The turning of the new year also marked something significant for me, as I would no longer be working 25+ hours a week, in addition to training. It is still taking a bit of adjustment to get used too, but I am very fortunate to able to have the support needed, to pursue my goals on the bike. I am still doing a few days here and there, at JT Cycles, as they have been very supportive of me in my time at the shop, plus it has the added benefit of a bit of extra money in the bank, which always helps!
This week saw me line up for my first race of the 2014 season also. Norwood Cycling Club - one of our local clubs - held its annual Criterium championships. Even though this was a small club race, it always nice to do some racing.
I headed into the race, having done 3 very solid days of training, so the legs were definitely feeling a bit heavy on the ride in. Once we started the race though, all of those sensations were forgotten, as it was time to focus on being in the right position, follow the right moves and let the wrong ones go.
With 40+ people in the race, it made for a nice change of actually being able to find somewhere to sit out of the wind, and conserve some energy for the end of the race. The whole race was quite simple, as no one really wanted to take control of the race. Coming into the last 10 minutes of the race, I moved the top 15, to ensure a prime spot for the last lap sprint. With a lap to go, we had a small attack of 3 riders - which eventually became two - head off the front. Unfortunately the bunch was not riding fast enough for us to catch them. By the time we started the sprint, it was too late. I did get a nice chance to test my sprint at the end, and wound up hitting 70km/h in the end, which was fast enough the win the bunch sprint, but all to no avail, as the front two riders were only 20 metres ahead! Close, but not close enough.
Moving forward, i have taken a lot of confidence from the last race, and look forward to the season ahead!
Stay posted for more stories soon!
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