Grain of Sand

After returning from Greece on Saturday afternoon, I was a bit hesitant about doing a the MTB race on the Sunday. I went ahead and did it though, and it was horrible! My shoulder was agony, it was boggy and my legs refused to rotate in circles. I ended up doing 1 or 2 laps then decided to simply ride the final laps as training; taking it easy on the technical bits then blasting the fireroads. I then spent the week training at home and catching up on bike mechanics. On the weekend I rested up for the camp the following week. This ODP camp was preparation for the Junior track nationals, working on speed, sprinting, and pursuiting. It was exactly what I needed, and although I struggled a little compared to the other guys who had done track euros, it was rewarding. It was also pretty hard so I am not going to do the python road race, as I would not be fresh for the track racing. The camp was a little different to other camps in that we stayed at apartments, rather than a hotel, which meant...

To get to Kephalonia, a small island to the west of greece, I had to fly to Athens and then on to the island by prop plane. It was an exhausting trip lasting all night, but it was worth it. If anyone has seen Captain Corelli's Mandolin, this is the island used. We no rain, blue sea, and 30 degree weather all week. This was the port we started in. From here we sailed around the Ionian stopping at a different port everyday. I was pretty tired after the flight so had a nap while the others did the sailing. I managed to fit in training by bailing off on the dingy with my bike and riding around the islands. The roads were super hard and badly paved, but good training. Here's my sister smiling to the camera as we sit down to eat. Each night we ate at a Taverna and experienced Greek Cuisine. It was tasty but to be honest don't go to Greece to experience fine cuisine. I am looking pretty serious as I consider what to eat after 3:30 hours reaming myself up greek mountains. My siblin...

I was sidelined for the GB trip to Het Volk due to my shoulder injury, but I could still race. It was probably for the best anyway as my form was not great and I needed to test my shoulder. As soon as I saw the start sheet I knew it was going to be a real battle. There was a full strength Glendene team and of course everyone else was off doing Het Volk. Dave Nichols marked me throughout the race as I am a national series challenger. I was really struggling to break away all through the race. Even towards the end when my stamina comes into play it wasn't working. Joe Perrett was very strong though. I ended up in managing to bridge to the second breakaway group but had little left for the sprint and came 13th. As soon as the race finished I drove home and headed off to Greece for a holiday (with bike though)!