Grain of Sand

Although the current earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis in Japan is making cycling look pretty frivolous at the moment, everything keeps rolling along. It is nice to see Fumy Beppu, a Japanese rider on Team Radioshack, drumming up lots of support on twitter and also including a minutes silence before the start of the Tirreno- Adriactico stage. The disaster has been the only significant news that has reached me since I have been in semi-isolation here in Bizkaia, and it shook me out of the cycling bubble that I was/am slipping into. Between training, eating, racing, twitter, and talking with cyclists, there isn't much in my life at the moment that isn't related to two wheels. Today ( written Monday 14th ), I am making an excursion into Bilbao city centre. In the morning I visited the Custom4us headquarters in Arrigoriaga (www.custom4.us), and in the afternoon I am going shopping and sightseeing. Hopefully this will provide a mental and physical break from the all-consuming pressu...

Attempting to descend at speed- I need to practice I started my last race truly feeling like a British fourth cat. My legs were wallpaper white; this was their first time in the sun for 4 months. I also had some of that dreaded stubble. I couldn't shave as I have a mild skin infection that has resulted in small red marks over my legs, which would scar if I used a razor (trust me, I tried in vain last week). My shorts were ABOVE my weak tan line, and my legs weren't particularly defined. I know these aren't the correct things to be worrying about on the start line, but I couldn't help it when lined up against all those tanned legs. It didn't bother me too much once we started racing. The circuit required some pretty intense concentration as we raced up and down five kilometre climbs. I felt really privileged to be able to race those road with no cars, as it is rare opportunity for amateur racers (at least in Britain). The competition was only 100 kilometres as it wa...

Nothing is duller than reading someone's blow by blow account of a race, so in regard to my first race in the Basque Country, I will try to keep it brief and interesting! The weather in Soraluce was the same as most of Europe on Sunday, very wet and cold. I was dressed (as well as normal racing gear) in a long sleeve thermal under-vest, knee warmers, overshoes, and rain cape, but there were still the diehards out in shorts and jerseys. It was no surprise that I didn't see them at the finish. It was a relatively short U23 race at only 120 kilometres, however it finished with two, very steep, three kilometre climbs, with a summit finish. I was suffering terribly from nerves all morning and before the start. David Extebarria (directeur sportif and ex-pro), kept reminding me 'tranquilo, tranquilo...'. These worries soon disappeared when the race started as battling the cold took all my concentration. After shivering for 100 kilometres, I entered the first climb in the pelo...

Team Presentation I am writing this blog on the eve of what should be my second race, but will actually be my first. Today's planned season opener in Zumaia resulted in a DNS (did not start), due to my Spanish medical certificate being stuck in an office in Bilbao. Hopefully it will be resolved for the race tomorrow, otherwise I will be sorely disappointed. The largest reason for being in Spain is to race one of the best amateur circuits in the World, so it is incredibly frustrating to be standing on the sidelines. Apart from this hiccup, I have been extremely pleased with my time in the Basque country. The club (Koplad/Uni2) has been extremely welcome and the organisation is terrific. If only there was a similar system for young riders in Britain. I am living in a house with an Argentinian rider, which is paid for by the club and serves as a base for the riders who come from all over Spain. They arrive on Friday evening for the races, and return to University during the week. It ...