Early season races are always slightly scary. It's always intriguing to know whether the hard work you're putting in over the winter is paying off but also where improvements still need to be made.
This weekend saw me and some of the other Olympic Development Programme riders set off on the journey down to Holland for our first weekend of racing in 2014, an experience made more special for me personally as I was returning to the same competition I had competed in 12 months earlier as a first year junior. Last year I was nervous, excited, and a little scared of what was to come, and if I'm honest I felt the exact same this year! The feelings I get from racing rarely change from year to year, I may have approached the event with more confidence but the anxsious feelings were still prominent.
Saturday brought the main event we were there for as an endurance squad, the team pursuit. A 4km race against the clock where a four man team smashes around the track and holds on for grim death! All four of us, Matt Gibson, Matt Bostock, Joe Holt and I were all looking forward to the event as we work so hard on camps to perfect our technique and when we get the oppourtunity to race... and win!! It makes it all worth while. It was a great experience rattling around the track with these lads and beating everyone by a considerable maragin, it will definitely give us some confidencewhen looking towards our other targets for the season ahead! More wins for me and Gibbo in the derby races and Joe Holt in the points rcae rounded off a succesful day of collecting the podium flowers for the team.
Sunday's racing stepped away from the team pursuit and focused more on the individual pursuit, kilo, elimination and madison races to cap off a weekend of smashing around a wooden oval. Individual events always require a little bit extra will power to push yourself to that limit of absolute pain, in fact I often wonder why the hell I put myself through it all the time but that's just part of it I suppose. The day seemed to rush by with slightly less flowers collected, not making it an unsuccesful day by any stretch of the imagination, and before I could sling Joe in for the final time in the madison it was all over! Two days of hard racing had come to an end, and with the van looking like a flourists delivery waggon it was time to say goodybye to chilly Holland and head back home for a full day of school!
It was great starting off my season with a few wins and to do it with the lads made it even more special. I always get immence pride and satisfaction from racing in the colours of the ODP and it was a pleasure to begin my season like this! Until next time it's back to dark nights on the turbo and frosty mornings out on the road.
Monday 13 January 2014
Early adventures in Appeldoorn
Early season races are always slightly scary. It's always intriguing to know whether the hard work you're putting in over the winter is paying off but also where improvements still need to be made.
This weekend saw me and some of the other Olympic Development Programme riders set off on the journey down to Holland for our first weekend of racing in 2014, an experience made more special for me personally as I was returning to the same competition I had competed in 12 months earlier as a first year junior. Last year I was nervous, excited, and a little scared of what was to come, and if I'm honest I felt the exact same this year! The feelings I get from racing rarely change from year to year, I may have approached the event with more confidence but the anxsious feelings were still prominent.
Saturday brought the main event we were there for as an endurance squad, the team pursuit. A 4km race against the clock where a four man team smashes around the track and holds on for grim death! All four of us, Matt Gibson, Matt Bostock, Joe Holt and I were all looking forward to the event as we work so hard on camps to perfect our technique and when we get the oppourtunity to race... and win!! It makes it all worth while. It was a great experience rattling around the track with these lads and beating everyone by a considerable maragin, it will definitely give us some confidencewhen looking towards our other targets for the season ahead! More wins for me and Gibbo in the derby races and Joe Holt in the points rcae rounded off a succesful day of collecting the podium flowers for the team.
Sunday's racing stepped away from the team pursuit and focused more on the individual pursuit, kilo, elimination and madison races to cap off a weekend of smashing around a wooden oval. Individual events always require a little bit extra will power to push yourself to that limit of absolute pain, in fact I often wonder why the hell I put myself through it all the time but that's just part of it I suppose. The day seemed to rush by with slightly less flowers collected, not making it an unsuccesful day by any stretch of the imagination, and before I could sling Joe in for the final time in the madison it was all over! Two days of hard racing had come to an end, and with the van looking like a flourists delivery waggon it was time to say goodybye to chilly Holland and head back home for a full day of school!
It was great starting off my season with a few wins and to do it with the lads made it even more special. I always get immence pride and satisfaction from racing in the colours of the ODP and it was a pleasure to begin my season like this! Until next time it's back to dark nights on the turbo and frosty mornings out on the road.
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