After a solid block of training in Mallorca it was time to head to Sweden for a weekend of racing. The weekend consisted of a 1 hour crit on the Friday night, 190km UCI 1.2 road race on the Saturday and an open 130km race on the Sunday.
The crit was a square with 2 straights that were cobbled. It was fast from the start and didn't let up until the finish with some strong uci continental teams controlling it for a sprint. i managed to stay around 20th all race and tried to attacking with 5 laps to go but was soon brought back by colo quick. In the end finishing near the back of the front group in 22nd.
The following day was 11 lap course including the crit circuit, it covered 190km and was pan flat. The team managed to get Pierre in the break of the day. I was fighting to stay near the front most the race and then once the break was nearly back all the counter attacks started. I was following most of them for the team to make sure we had a guy in one if it was to stick but none did. After doing that my legs weren't good enough to make the front split in the final lap. This adds another get round to my tally but not the result I was after.
The following day was an open 130km sportive race thing which, Hiski and I rode full gas from the start. Mainly for a good days training. I managed to clock the 2nd fastest time of the day for it.
The weekend after saw me head to Astana, Kazakhstan to race in a post Tour De France Criterium. This was a race I was looking forward to doing and some massive names in cycling were racing. The biggest name being Chris Froome. Also we were staying in a Marriott hotel. It was some trip to be going on. The crit was on a flat square course. It was fast from the off with no breaks sticking. I tried 3 times during the race but the pace was that high it was so hard to keep it up once off the front. With 5 laps to go I managed to do a lap solo and get a bit of tv time as the race was live on Eurosport.
Then the next race was my Regional championship weekend. Not a great weekend real. In the crit I managed 3rd after being worked over by the local elite team. Then on the Sunday it was time to try defend my 2 time Regional championship title. I was marked out the race from the start with everyone following me or looking at me to pull riders back. Unfortunately the course wasn't hard enough to ride away from the others. It turned into a very frustrating race and one to forget.
With no racing until China I had 2 weeks of training to do. The first week had more volume then the second week was harder efforts leading into a the days before flight where I was taking it easier.
Tuesday 5 September 2017
Tuesday 1 August 2017
A month in Mallorca
After just over a week off the bike recovering from what had been the hardest first half of a season I've had to date, I headed to Mallorca for a 3 week training block before starting the final part of the season.
Feeling fully recovered after the time off the bike I aimed to do a big block of training like I would do in the winter. Averaging just under 30 hours a week, the only difference to winter training was I was doing a lot more intensity during these weeks.
The first week was hard due to the massive temperature change, by the end of the week I was able to hit close to the numbers I was aiming for. By the second week I was fully use to the heat and wasn't suffering in the efforts due to the heat. Then the third and final week I was hitting the numbers I wanted for each effort fairly comfortably and consistently. Also the final week Peter came out so we went motor pacing one day which was good day, keeping the pace on all day. Riding up the climbs full gas and making me get every last bit of power out up them. This showed with getting the KOM up Coll de Femenia, putting 10 watts onto my previous best up the climb.
All in all as great training period with over 86 hours of riding, 2440km covered and 30,000m of climbing.
The day after I got back I did my local time trial to see how I was going, I managed to PB by 6 seconds which also meant I took the course record as well. This was a nice boost for the morale to see that the hard work was paying off. Then I had 2 days easy to recover before doing a race in scotland as a bit of hard training. I tried numerous time to get away and failed. Once I knew I couldn't get a decent result I just started riding hard on the front of the bunch to make it a hard day for myself and others in the race. This race was the first day of my last 4 day block before flying to Sweden. Now only 2 more days hard training before the last part of the season with the team.
Last months blog was a bit rushed and missed out the most important part which was to say a massive thank you to Ian and Annette Kelly for being kind enough to let me stay in their home for the week of national.
Feeling fully recovered after the time off the bike I aimed to do a big block of training like I would do in the winter. Averaging just under 30 hours a week, the only difference to winter training was I was doing a lot more intensity during these weeks.
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| Sa Calobra used at least twice a week. |
All in all as great training period with over 86 hours of riding, 2440km covered and 30,000m of climbing.
The day after I got back I did my local time trial to see how I was going, I managed to PB by 6 seconds which also meant I took the course record as well. This was a nice boost for the morale to see that the hard work was paying off. Then I had 2 days easy to recover before doing a race in scotland as a bit of hard training. I tried numerous time to get away and failed. Once I knew I couldn't get a decent result I just started riding hard on the front of the bunch to make it a hard day for myself and others in the race. This race was the first day of my last 4 day block before flying to Sweden. Now only 2 more days hard training before the last part of the season with the team.
Last months blog was a bit rushed and missed out the most important part which was to say a massive thank you to Ian and Annette Kelly for being kind enough to let me stay in their home for the week of national.
Tuesday 4 July 2017
Not the best month
After a good block of training in Sweden, I headed to Estonia with the team for a two day UCI 2.1 race. Stage 1 was a 220km long stage, I was following moves for the team at the start and then made the second group when it split on the 5km gravel section. Unfortunately this group was caught and I was drop as I had no legs left after 180km. Stage 2 was a 17 laps of a very technical 10km circuit. unfortunatly I didnt have the legs and was dropped and didnt finish the final stage.
After coming home from Estonia I had 3 weeks to get use to my TT bike for nationals. I did my first 10 mile (16km) TT and it didnt go well my power was well down on what it should be. I had only 3 weeks to try find some good numbers. With days until the national tt, I went to Wattshop for some aero testing to try gain some free speed as my power was well down still. I made some great savings taking my Cda from 0.215 to 0.183.
The nationals were at the Isle of Man, the time trial was on a hilly 22km course. When riding it the day before I was expecting to do 30 to 31 minutes for the race. On the day I managed to do 29.37 which was good enough for 5th u23. I was really not expecting to get a top 5 with my form as it was. Come the road race my form really showed and I was pulled with 70km still to race.
I was pleased with my unexpected 5th in the tt in the form I was in. Obviously my pre season goal was to do a lot better.
Now I will have a week of to recover from the first half of the season, before I head to Mallorca for 3 weeks training to prepare for the last half of the season. Hopefully get some good form back to get some results for myself and the team.
After coming home from Estonia I had 3 weeks to get use to my TT bike for nationals. I did my first 10 mile (16km) TT and it didnt go well my power was well down on what it should be. I had only 3 weeks to try find some good numbers. With days until the national tt, I went to Wattshop for some aero testing to try gain some free speed as my power was well down still. I made some great savings taking my Cda from 0.215 to 0.183.
The nationals were at the Isle of Man, the time trial was on a hilly 22km course. When riding it the day before I was expecting to do 30 to 31 minutes for the race. On the day I managed to do 29.37 which was good enough for 5th u23. I was really not expecting to get a top 5 with my form as it was. Come the road race my form really showed and I was pulled with 70km still to race.
I was pleased with my unexpected 5th in the tt in the form I was in. Obviously my pre season goal was to do a lot better.
Now I will have a week of to recover from the first half of the season, before I head to Mallorca for 3 weeks training to prepare for the last half of the season. Hopefully get some good form back to get some results for myself and the team.
Tuesday 23 May 2017
Rest and then Sweden bound!
After a solid start to the season with a great block of training in Spain then racing in Rhodes, Taiwan and Morocco it was time for a mini break and have some time to chill out. I had 2 weeks at home before I left for Sweden so I just did what I wanted and rode my bike for enjoyment, I mainly rode to cafes with my mates and I did the odd local race for fun. I spent this time at home catching up with friends and family.
I had a day/night out in Newcastle with mates to take my mind of cycling and just relax and enjoy myself, before going to Sweden to start racing and training again and get in shape for the National Championships in June.
The 2 weeks at home flew over and it was time to pack and fly to Sweden. I landed in Sweden the day before the first race there. The race was on the evening so I went for a little spin on the morning to loosen the legs after the flight the day before. The race was a crit in the centre of Gothenberg, the
lap was very technical with 12 corners in 1.1km's. I wasn't expecting a result here as these things aren't my favorite types of race. I was hanging on in around 20th position waiting for the pace to drop as it normally does in these races you just need to make it past 30 minutes. It eased right up after 40 minutes for a moment and at this point I attacked the was 1 rider away as he got clear a lap earlier for the sprint lap. I caught him and another rider caught us. With the laps been so technical it was hard to work together and the 3 of us split into ones due to our cornering abilities. I wasn't able to hold on to them and ended up been the third rider, luckily I was able to stay away from the bunch thanks to the help of my team mates behind and crossed the line in third place a result for me and the team that we didn't expect just over an hour before.
The following morning we were doing a 140km road race around the local area of Gothenburg. The teams plan was to win this race. So we set out to do this, we only had a 3 man team here and other teams had 6-10 riders. We worked great as a team and had full control over the race from the start. Getting in every move and really animating the race. After 60km I got away solo in a cross head wind section. I stayed away until 105km at this point my team mates had been covering other moves and a group of 8 caught me with the peleton just behind. Both my team mates were in this group, we worked hard to try take this group away from the peleton but it came back together. As it came back together Yannick attacked and formed a 6 man break with my other team mate Pierre in it. Once the break got a gap Yannick attacked again and went solo all the way to the finish. For some time Pierre was in the gap riding for second but was caught by the bunch in the final few kilometers. He managed to stay with the bunch and sprint in for 6th. We did what we planned to do and took the win in the race. A great first weekend in Sweden with 2 podiums in 2 days.
Now it was time drive down to Bastad where the team own a house for us to stay in. This would be my home for the next 3 weeks. It has both flat and hilly roads to train on which is perfect. I was mainly on my own as Yannick had business to do else where. I had one week of decent training before a trip to Uppsala for the UCI 1.2 Scandinavian race in Uppsala. This was on a technical 12km lap and covered 15 laps. The team got one rider in the early break which got caught in the final lap. I was on a very bad day and wasn't able to offer much help at all for the team which is very disappointing for me and the team. It was a big day of learning for me though, the race was of a high level and raced different to any race I have done before. Even though I was terrible on the day I feel I have came away from the race better off due to the experience gained.
Time to head back to Bastad for 2 weeks solid training before going to Estonia for The Tour of Estonia UCI 2.1. With Yannick having to go home for the next week and a half I had to drive the team car back. This drive was straight after the race and covered over 600km, adding to that it was my first ever time driving a left hand drive car. Talk about getting thrown in at the deep end. The drive went fine and I eventually got to bed just after 2:45 am. I had the day after the drive as a rest day due to such a long day the day before.
After the rest day I planned for a training block of 4 days on 1 off 4 on then easy days until Estonia. The first 4 day block went to plan fine and did the training I planned and hit the numbers I wanted. After a rest day I started my next block, I did the first 2 days fine but on the 3rd day I woke up absolutely shattered so instead of pushing myself to the plan I listened to the body and had and easier day and hoped it was a 1 day thing and not me coming down with something.
Now my training is over and hopefully soaking in well. Tomorrow I will be heading to Estonia for the Tour of Estonia UCI 2.1 race what starts on Friday. Which give me more than enough time to recover from the block of training and be feeling good for the racing to come at the weekend.
I had a day/night out in Newcastle with mates to take my mind of cycling and just relax and enjoy myself, before going to Sweden to start racing and training again and get in shape for the National Championships in June.
The 2 weeks at home flew over and it was time to pack and fly to Sweden. I landed in Sweden the day before the first race there. The race was on the evening so I went for a little spin on the morning to loosen the legs after the flight the day before. The race was a crit in the centre of Gothenberg, the
The following morning we were doing a 140km road race around the local area of Gothenburg. The teams plan was to win this race. So we set out to do this, we only had a 3 man team here and other teams had 6-10 riders. We worked great as a team and had full control over the race from the start. Getting in every move and really animating the race. After 60km I got away solo in a cross head wind section. I stayed away until 105km at this point my team mates had been covering other moves and a group of 8 caught me with the peleton just behind. Both my team mates were in this group, we worked hard to try take this group away from the peleton but it came back together. As it came back together Yannick attacked and formed a 6 man break with my other team mate Pierre in it. Once the break got a gap Yannick attacked again and went solo all the way to the finish. For some time Pierre was in the gap riding for second but was caught by the bunch in the final few kilometers. He managed to stay with the bunch and sprint in for 6th. We did what we planned to do and took the win in the race. A great first weekend in Sweden with 2 podiums in 2 days.
Now it was time drive down to Bastad where the team own a house for us to stay in. This would be my home for the next 3 weeks. It has both flat and hilly roads to train on which is perfect. I was mainly on my own as Yannick had business to do else where. I had one week of decent training before a trip to Uppsala for the UCI 1.2 Scandinavian race in Uppsala. This was on a technical 12km lap and covered 15 laps. The team got one rider in the early break which got caught in the final lap. I was on a very bad day and wasn't able to offer much help at all for the team which is very disappointing for me and the team. It was a big day of learning for me though, the race was of a high level and raced different to any race I have done before. Even though I was terrible on the day I feel I have came away from the race better off due to the experience gained.
Time to head back to Bastad for 2 weeks solid training before going to Estonia for The Tour of Estonia UCI 2.1. With Yannick having to go home for the next week and a half I had to drive the team car back. This drive was straight after the race and covered over 600km, adding to that it was my first ever time driving a left hand drive car. Talk about getting thrown in at the deep end. The drive went fine and I eventually got to bed just after 2:45 am. I had the day after the drive as a rest day due to such a long day the day before.
After the rest day I planned for a training block of 4 days on 1 off 4 on then easy days until Estonia. The first 4 day block went to plan fine and did the training I planned and hit the numbers I wanted. After a rest day I started my next block, I did the first 2 days fine but on the 3rd day I woke up absolutely shattered so instead of pushing myself to the plan I listened to the body and had and easier day and hoped it was a 1 day thing and not me coming down with something.
Now my training is over and hopefully soaking in well. Tomorrow I will be heading to Estonia for the Tour of Estonia UCI 2.1 race what starts on Friday. Which give me more than enough time to recover from the block of training and be feeling good for the racing to come at the weekend.
Monday 22 May 2017
Tour du Maroc 2017
After less than a week at home it was time to head off to Morocco for the Tour du Maroc, a UCI 2.2 over 10 days covering 1538km. The race was focused in the north of the country.
I had to fly in the day before on an afternoon flight landing at 8.30pm, it took 2 hours to get through passport control due to the length of the que. After I got outside the race were meant to pick me up but there was no sign of them after looking for around an 30 minutes I bumped into a staff member from another team and we decided to get a taxi to the hotel in Casablanca. What I thought was going to be a simple travel turn out to be the opposite. I eventually got to the hotel at midnight, not the best time with the race starting that day.
Stage 1 started Tour du Maroc off with a 150km stage. the weather conditions were warm and windy with cross winds in the final 30km. The race was on from the start with moves going for the first 80 or 90km then a move went with my team mate in. Groups tried to get away I tried following some missing the ones the got away and bridged to the break. With United Health Care the main team of the race missing the split I thought that they would pull it back but they tried to late and 30 guys finished 5 minutes up on the peleton.
Stage 2 was 151km mainly head wind with times of cross winds. The team plan was to ride at the front and make sure we didn't miss any splits. The times it split in the cross winds we were in the front group each time and avoided the crashes as well. The day ended in a bunch sprint. I tried going alone with 3km to go but was caught with 1km to go and rolled in with the bunch.
Stage 3 a 153km day with 2 categorized climbs, the race started in fast tail wind the turn into hard cross winds I wasn't concentrating in the tail winds and just before the cross winds started I found myself at the back of the bunch. The bunch split into bits and I was able to work my way up to second group and avoid all the crashes. The group never caught the front group for the rest of the day. it was game over and the group became the groupetto finishing over 10 minutes down on the winner. Now I was well out of GC my DS Sean said to race how I like racing best. Telling me to get in breaks and ride aggressively but smart.
Stage 4 the queen stage of the tour covering 190km with over 3500m of elevation. The whole stage was head wind and very demanding. I was Aggressive from the start getting in a number of moves which failed. Then a move went that looked promising so I attack and bridged across, only for it to be brought back a few km later. After around 35 hard km a group got a way on a gravel descent with most the main teams represented, so on the next up hill I attacked again bridging the gap with a big effort over 5km. When I got to the break I was well in the red and the terrain of the stage wasn't letting up which meant it was hard to recover due to the short hard climbs where the break was riding at over 400 watts up them. It took me around 10km to recover and feel comfortable with the pace. I knew it was going to be a long day in the saddle, the break had no one up there in GC so it looked good for the break to stick but on the main climb of the day 3 rider made it across to the break. One of the riders that bridged what the Moroccan that rides for UAE Emirates World Tour Team. With 2 more classified climbs to go before the flatter final 60km. On the climbs the pace was now much higher with some top quality climbers present. On the 2nd last climb I was distanced by the break with 2 other rider. We kept riding to make it over the final climb before the remainder of the peleton caught us. By this point there were only men ahead of us. The Direct Energy feeder team were controlling the reduced peleton of around 25 riders. They were riding but the gap to the 6 leaders was over 11 minutes with 60km to go. I managed to hang in the this group and was active in the final 5km to try get a top 10 finish. The final 3km was short steep climbs and descents I was unable to get away and finished in the group.
Stage 5 was 158km with 1 classified climb topping out after 48km. My legs for the first 10/15km were dead and took some getting going but with a gravel road section coming at 20km and my legs feeling slightly better I moved to the front just before this section of road. As soon as it started to turn to gravel I attacked taking 5 other riders with me. I rode flat out until the peleton had eased up a bit. The break rode hard for 10km taking the gap to 4 minutes by the bottom of the climb. I was distanced on the climb due to the pace and the previous day in my legs. Instead of going right to my limit to stay with them I used my power meter to limit the loses to them and aimed to catch back on, on the descent or the flats after the descent. I managed to catch back as soon as it flattened out after the descent. Now the break was only 5 riders and 100km to the finish with mainly head winds. We got the gap to 6 minutes 30 seconds but this started to fall rapidly when inside the final 40km. With 25km to go the gap was nearly 1 minute. Sean drove up to me just before 20km to go and said 'this is going to get caught try a long attack if you want. It's better trying something than nothing.' I said back this head wind is strong don't know if attacking this far out will work. There was only me and another rider doing big turns to try keep the gap out and just after Sean had left me, this guy pealed off the front and the speed dropped by 5kph so I decided this is the time to attack as he will be going to recover a bit and wouldn't expect an attack. I got a big gap instantly and just started riding to power as I would in a time trial. I had no idea what was going on behind me I just kept pushing on and suffering. With 5km to go I got a time check and I had 55 seconds and at this point I knew if I kept this up I was in with a good chance of the stage win. As much as I was suffering the rewards were going to be much higher. My legs were burning and I could feel them starting to fade then I saw the 1km to go sign and I looked back and couldn't see the bunch and I just went full till 200m to go then I looked back and the cars were still behind me and then I knew I had the win and with around 100m to go I started celebrating. I was so happy to take my first ever UCI win and by doing it 20km solo after 2 hard days in the break made it even better. It was a great day for the team and I was happy to deliver after all the work that's been put in. A day I will always remember.
Stage 6 a 163km on very tired legs after the previous 2 days. I was active at the front with my team mates to try get in the break myself and to try help them get in the break. Unfortunately none of the moves we got in were success full. Once the break had gone it was a day in the bunch. The break stuck and finish a few minutes ahead of the peleton.
Stage 7 was 183km and what looked to be another day for the break to stick. I tried to get in the breaks once again but wasn't able to get in the one that stuck. Spend a lot of energy in the first 40km I just sat in the bunch and then when the pace settled I was chilling at the back of the bunch enjoying the sun and ticking off another stage. The break stuck again. I showed myself near the front in the closing 5km but wasn't able to make anything of it.
Stage 8 had 2 catigorized climbs in the 150km long stage. I really wanted to get in the break this day due the the climbs and the legs not feeling great. The main reason to be in the break was to have the sliding room and steadier climbs than in the bunch. I tried really hard to be in the break but again failed. Surprisingly I managed to climb in the front group on the main climbs and stayed with the peleton until the finish.
Stage 9 the penultimate day covering 138km. My legs were gone for this stage and I was useless at the start and couldn't help my team try to get in a break. Then on the only climb of the day after 40km I was the first to get dropped, luckily I managed to stay in the convoy and make it back into the bunch after the climb. Once back in the bunch I didn't know how long I would last so I did team duties and went back for bottles and did the feeds for the team. I stayed in the peleton and finished mid bunch in the sprint.
Stage 10 the final day and last 127km of racing here in Morocco. The Moroccans tried to make it a procession until the finishing laps in Casablanca but that didn't happen. The race was full on from start to finish. After 40km I dropped back to call for the team car and then we hit cross winds. The race started to split and I was nearly last man. I managed to get up but the peleton had split and I found myself chasing back on with a group including 2 of my team mates. After a while the group gave up chasing. I sat on the front towing the group along for 5 or more kilometers before the convoy came back into sight. At this point the race commissar pulled the convoy out of the gap so we couldn't use the cars to get back in the peleton. The group started working again as they had hope we would make it back. Then a few kilometers later they stopped working again. So I went back to the front and started setting the pace again after a few kilometers my team mate Yannick started to help, the gap started to come back down and a few more people started helping and we eventually got back into the peleton by the start of the first of 6 finishing laps. I tried to stay near the front on the finishing laps so I could try a late attack, which I managed to do with 12km to go hoping if I went long they might not react as fast in shutting me down. I was wrong and the peleton shut me down fairly quickly, a move went straight after I was brought back so I followed it. This was also shut down and the race was kept as a bunch until the finish and the sprinters contested the win.
After a great 10 days of racing I had a lot to take away from it. I gain a whole lot more experience during the race. I take home a stage win and which is more than I hoped for going into the race.
Also I would like to say a massive thank you to, Sean McNicholl our DS, Peter McBride our mechanic and Leighton Bradgate our masseur and swanny. They all made this race possible and our lives as riders much easier every day.
Now it's time for some rest and an easy couple of week after a hard start to the season. My next trip away will be the start of May for a month in Sweden.
I had to fly in the day before on an afternoon flight landing at 8.30pm, it took 2 hours to get through passport control due to the length of the que. After I got outside the race were meant to pick me up but there was no sign of them after looking for around an 30 minutes I bumped into a staff member from another team and we decided to get a taxi to the hotel in Casablanca. What I thought was going to be a simple travel turn out to be the opposite. I eventually got to the hotel at midnight, not the best time with the race starting that day.
Stage 1 started Tour du Maroc off with a 150km stage. the weather conditions were warm and windy with cross winds in the final 30km. The race was on from the start with moves going for the first 80 or 90km then a move went with my team mate in. Groups tried to get away I tried following some missing the ones the got away and bridged to the break. With United Health Care the main team of the race missing the split I thought that they would pull it back but they tried to late and 30 guys finished 5 minutes up on the peleton.
Stage 2 was 151km mainly head wind with times of cross winds. The team plan was to ride at the front and make sure we didn't miss any splits. The times it split in the cross winds we were in the front group each time and avoided the crashes as well. The day ended in a bunch sprint. I tried going alone with 3km to go but was caught with 1km to go and rolled in with the bunch.
Stage 3 a 153km day with 2 categorized climbs, the race started in fast tail wind the turn into hard cross winds I wasn't concentrating in the tail winds and just before the cross winds started I found myself at the back of the bunch. The bunch split into bits and I was able to work my way up to second group and avoid all the crashes. The group never caught the front group for the rest of the day. it was game over and the group became the groupetto finishing over 10 minutes down on the winner. Now I was well out of GC my DS Sean said to race how I like racing best. Telling me to get in breaks and ride aggressively but smart.
Stage 4 the queen stage of the tour covering 190km with over 3500m of elevation. The whole stage was head wind and very demanding. I was Aggressive from the start getting in a number of moves which failed. Then a move went that looked promising so I attack and bridged across, only for it to be brought back a few km later. After around 35 hard km a group got a way on a gravel descent with most the main teams represented, so on the next up hill I attacked again bridging the gap with a big effort over 5km. When I got to the break I was well in the red and the terrain of the stage wasn't letting up which meant it was hard to recover due to the short hard climbs where the break was riding at over 400 watts up them. It took me around 10km to recover and feel comfortable with the pace. I knew it was going to be a long day in the saddle, the break had no one up there in GC so it looked good for the break to stick but on the main climb of the day 3 rider made it across to the break. One of the riders that bridged what the Moroccan that rides for UAE Emirates World Tour Team. With 2 more classified climbs to go before the flatter final 60km. On the climbs the pace was now much higher with some top quality climbers present. On the 2nd last climb I was distanced by the break with 2 other rider. We kept riding to make it over the final climb before the remainder of the peleton caught us. By this point there were only men ahead of us. The Direct Energy feeder team were controlling the reduced peleton of around 25 riders. They were riding but the gap to the 6 leaders was over 11 minutes with 60km to go. I managed to hang in the this group and was active in the final 5km to try get a top 10 finish. The final 3km was short steep climbs and descents I was unable to get away and finished in the group.
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| Podium after winning stage 5. |
Stage 6 a 163km on very tired legs after the previous 2 days. I was active at the front with my team mates to try get in the break myself and to try help them get in the break. Unfortunately none of the moves we got in were success full. Once the break had gone it was a day in the bunch. The break stuck and finish a few minutes ahead of the peleton.
Stage 7 was 183km and what looked to be another day for the break to stick. I tried to get in the breaks once again but wasn't able to get in the one that stuck. Spend a lot of energy in the first 40km I just sat in the bunch and then when the pace settled I was chilling at the back of the bunch enjoying the sun and ticking off another stage. The break stuck again. I showed myself near the front in the closing 5km but wasn't able to make anything of it.
Stage 8 had 2 catigorized climbs in the 150km long stage. I really wanted to get in the break this day due the the climbs and the legs not feeling great. The main reason to be in the break was to have the sliding room and steadier climbs than in the bunch. I tried really hard to be in the break but again failed. Surprisingly I managed to climb in the front group on the main climbs and stayed with the peleton until the finish.
Stage 9 the penultimate day covering 138km. My legs were gone for this stage and I was useless at the start and couldn't help my team try to get in a break. Then on the only climb of the day after 40km I was the first to get dropped, luckily I managed to stay in the convoy and make it back into the bunch after the climb. Once back in the bunch I didn't know how long I would last so I did team duties and went back for bottles and did the feeds for the team. I stayed in the peleton and finished mid bunch in the sprint.
Stage 10 the final day and last 127km of racing here in Morocco. The Moroccans tried to make it a procession until the finishing laps in Casablanca but that didn't happen. The race was full on from start to finish. After 40km I dropped back to call for the team car and then we hit cross winds. The race started to split and I was nearly last man. I managed to get up but the peleton had split and I found myself chasing back on with a group including 2 of my team mates. After a while the group gave up chasing. I sat on the front towing the group along for 5 or more kilometers before the convoy came back into sight. At this point the race commissar pulled the convoy out of the gap so we couldn't use the cars to get back in the peleton. The group started working again as they had hope we would make it back. Then a few kilometers later they stopped working again. So I went back to the front and started setting the pace again after a few kilometers my team mate Yannick started to help, the gap started to come back down and a few more people started helping and we eventually got back into the peleton by the start of the first of 6 finishing laps. I tried to stay near the front on the finishing laps so I could try a late attack, which I managed to do with 12km to go hoping if I went long they might not react as fast in shutting me down. I was wrong and the peleton shut me down fairly quickly, a move went straight after I was brought back so I followed it. This was also shut down and the race was kept as a bunch until the finish and the sprinters contested the win.
After a great 10 days of racing I had a lot to take away from it. I gain a whole lot more experience during the race. I take home a stage win and which is more than I hoped for going into the race.
Also I would like to say a massive thank you to, Sean McNicholl our DS, Peter McBride our mechanic and Leighton Bradgate our masseur and swanny. They all made this race possible and our lives as riders much easier every day.
Now it's time for some rest and an easy couple of week after a hard start to the season. My next trip away will be the start of May for a month in Sweden.
Thursday 6 April 2017
Tour De Taiwan
After a very sort visit home I traveled to Taiwan to compete in the UCI 2.1 Tour de Taiwan. I arrived 5 days before the start to meet up with the team and meet sponsors and also visit the Taiwan bike expo. I received my new race bike upon arriving, this meant I could get use to it before the race started. The weather for the first 5 days was a bit hit and miss with rain and clouds, the temperatures were still high which meant it wasn't an issue training.
The team were invited to attend the press conference promoting the event as special guests. This was a great afternoon 2 days before the racing begun.
Stage 1 and the weather was set to be wet all day with cooler temperatures as well. The stage was short and not very technical, it was 8 laps of a 10km circuit passing the city hall and the foot of the Taipei 101 building. The stage was fast from the off, with attackes going and getting brought back quickly from start to finish. I managed to get in a few moves to get the team represented knowing they weren't going to stick. with 2 laps to go it was time to work for our sprinter for the finish. we got him placed in the top 15 for the last km but he unfortunately crashed with 500m to go. lucky he wasn't badly injured.
Stage 2 was 114km with a 2nd cat climb after 80km. I was trying to get in the break again early in the stage but wasn't able to get in one that stuck. Once on the climb it was a lot hard than the profile said, with the last 2km at 10% and steeper. I got over the climb just of the back of the 2nd group but once the road flattened out I was unable to catch the group. So I waited for the 3rd group on the road. during the race I thought the second group were the first group and that I was in the second group not the third. After the stage the teams plan was to get in the breaks for the rest of the stages. As we were all over a minute down on GC and the next 2 stages were mountain stages.
Stage 3 a 118km long day with a 1st cat mountain top finish. The team got a rider in the break so I had a relatively easy day just in the bunch until the final 2 climbs (25km) where it was flat out till the finish.
Stage 4 was the start of the longer stages at 166km and a mountain top 15km before the finish. Once again I tried to get in the break but was unsuccessful and had another sitting in the bunch, saving myself for the final stage.
The 5th and final stage of Tour de Taiwan was 199km flat day. the team were very active to get in the break for the first hour. I got in a few moves which were brought back but eventually a break stuck and one of my team mates managed to get in to it. The stage was well controlled and the break was brought back with 3km to go. I managed to place myself in 10th wheel by the final kilometer, but once the sprint opened up I had nothing more to give due to spending so much getting into that position.
The race was a great experience and I learnt so much in such a short time. It was my first time racing at that leave and I'm happy with how it went.
With only 4 days at home between traveling home from Taiwan and leaving for Morocco I got as much training and rest in as possible.
The next race in Morocco is a UCI 2.2 over 10 days of racing covering around 1500km. With the longest stage at 191km and this stage includes the most climbs of the race as well. It should be fun and I'm really looking forward to racing it.
The team were invited to attend the press conference promoting the event as special guests. This was a great afternoon 2 days before the racing begun.
Stage 1 and the weather was set to be wet all day with cooler temperatures as well. The stage was short and not very technical, it was 8 laps of a 10km circuit passing the city hall and the foot of the Taipei 101 building. The stage was fast from the off, with attackes going and getting brought back quickly from start to finish. I managed to get in a few moves to get the team represented knowing they weren't going to stick. with 2 laps to go it was time to work for our sprinter for the finish. we got him placed in the top 15 for the last km but he unfortunately crashed with 500m to go. lucky he wasn't badly injured.
Stage 2 was 114km with a 2nd cat climb after 80km. I was trying to get in the break again early in the stage but wasn't able to get in one that stuck. Once on the climb it was a lot hard than the profile said, with the last 2km at 10% and steeper. I got over the climb just of the back of the 2nd group but once the road flattened out I was unable to catch the group. So I waited for the 3rd group on the road. during the race I thought the second group were the first group and that I was in the second group not the third. After the stage the teams plan was to get in the breaks for the rest of the stages. As we were all over a minute down on GC and the next 2 stages were mountain stages.
Stage 3 a 118km long day with a 1st cat mountain top finish. The team got a rider in the break so I had a relatively easy day just in the bunch until the final 2 climbs (25km) where it was flat out till the finish.
Stage 4 was the start of the longer stages at 166km and a mountain top 15km before the finish. Once again I tried to get in the break but was unsuccessful and had another sitting in the bunch, saving myself for the final stage.
The 5th and final stage of Tour de Taiwan was 199km flat day. the team were very active to get in the break for the first hour. I got in a few moves which were brought back but eventually a break stuck and one of my team mates managed to get in to it. The stage was well controlled and the break was brought back with 3km to go. I managed to place myself in 10th wheel by the final kilometer, but once the sprint opened up I had nothing more to give due to spending so much getting into that position.
The race was a great experience and I learnt so much in such a short time. It was my first time racing at that leave and I'm happy with how it went.
With only 4 days at home between traveling home from Taiwan and leaving for Morocco I got as much training and rest in as possible.
The next race in Morocco is a UCI 2.2 over 10 days of racing covering around 1500km. With the longest stage at 191km and this stage includes the most climbs of the race as well. It should be fun and I'm really looking forward to racing it.
Monday 20 March 2017
Racing officially begins!!!
After a short week at home after winter training in Spain it was time to head to Rhodes, to meet my new team for 2017 and start the racing properly. I arrive in Rhodes 5 days before the first race Rhodes GP UCI 1.2, this gave the team time to get to know each other and get the bikes sorted.
The first 5 days were really good getting to know my new team mates, we were able to do some good rides and also some good beach time in. We even found a great cafe for cakes which is always a massive morale boost.
Rhodes Grand Prix was 191km and was 1 full lap of the island. The weather was perfect for the race with clear skies and 20 degrees (ideal for tanning). The start of the race was flat out until a break eventually formed, well 2 riders so the bunch just sat up and was fairly chilled till the bottom of the main climb of the race. the pace was on up the climb with attacks all the way up and speeds of 50kph getting touched on the easier gradients. I was able to stay in contact with the main bunch of around 70 riders over the top. Once it flattened out the race became constant attacks for the final 50km. With 25km to go I got away in a break of 2 for 10km before a group of 8 came across to us. The group worked well together until 5km to go and riders started to look at each other and the gap started coming down quickly. So I tried a few attacks to try get a smaller group away and working again. Unfortunately that failed and we were caught within 3km to go and that was my race done and it was over to my team mates for the sprint. A bad crash involving 2 police motor bikes took out the teams sprinter, lucky he wasn't badly injured and will be back racing soon.
The next race we did was Tour of Rhodes which was 5 days after Rhodes GP. After an easy day the team rode stage 1's route to get a good training ride in and also to get us familiar with it. Good job we did that as the next few days before the race it just rained and rained.
For stage 1 of tour of Rhodes the weather didn't change with rain forecast for the day. The race started in the dry and had a flat 35km before the first big climb of the day. Luck wasn't on my side this day with 2 punctures in the first 30km and team car 26 it made for a very hard run in to the bottom of the climb. I manage to hold on up the climb and make the second group on the road and finish in that group. This meant out of the general classification and hopefully a chance to make the breaks.
Stage 2 started in heavy rain and had a climb after only 20km so the plan was to get in the break. I tried a few time to get in the break but failed. Also I had started to feel sick during the stage and was sick a few times later in the stage. After a bad stage of just surviving I got back to the hotel where the sickness really started and ended the race for me as much as I wanted to start stage 3 I was too ill to do so.
After Rhodes I had a short stay at home where I raced a national B road race in Scotland. The race was hard with it been short at only 100km. It was mainly attacks from start to finish, I missed the winning 2 man move but was able to get away in a move of 3 and sprint for 3rd. This was good for morale, before heading to Taiwan to compete in the Tour of Taiwan. I leave on 20th to arrive early to meet team sponsors, go to Taiwan bike show and have team press conferences. The race will start 26th March and is 5 stages long.
The first 5 days were really good getting to know my new team mates, we were able to do some good rides and also some good beach time in. We even found a great cafe for cakes which is always a massive morale boost.
Rhodes Grand Prix was 191km and was 1 full lap of the island. The weather was perfect for the race with clear skies and 20 degrees (ideal for tanning). The start of the race was flat out until a break eventually formed, well 2 riders so the bunch just sat up and was fairly chilled till the bottom of the main climb of the race. the pace was on up the climb with attacks all the way up and speeds of 50kph getting touched on the easier gradients. I was able to stay in contact with the main bunch of around 70 riders over the top. Once it flattened out the race became constant attacks for the final 50km. With 25km to go I got away in a break of 2 for 10km before a group of 8 came across to us. The group worked well together until 5km to go and riders started to look at each other and the gap started coming down quickly. So I tried a few attacks to try get a smaller group away and working again. Unfortunately that failed and we were caught within 3km to go and that was my race done and it was over to my team mates for the sprint. A bad crash involving 2 police motor bikes took out the teams sprinter, lucky he wasn't badly injured and will be back racing soon.
The next race we did was Tour of Rhodes which was 5 days after Rhodes GP. After an easy day the team rode stage 1's route to get a good training ride in and also to get us familiar with it. Good job we did that as the next few days before the race it just rained and rained.
For stage 1 of tour of Rhodes the weather didn't change with rain forecast for the day. The race started in the dry and had a flat 35km before the first big climb of the day. Luck wasn't on my side this day with 2 punctures in the first 30km and team car 26 it made for a very hard run in to the bottom of the climb. I manage to hold on up the climb and make the second group on the road and finish in that group. This meant out of the general classification and hopefully a chance to make the breaks.
Stage 2 started in heavy rain and had a climb after only 20km so the plan was to get in the break. I tried a few time to get in the break but failed. Also I had started to feel sick during the stage and was sick a few times later in the stage. After a bad stage of just surviving I got back to the hotel where the sickness really started and ended the race for me as much as I wanted to start stage 3 I was too ill to do so.
After Rhodes I had a short stay at home where I raced a national B road race in Scotland. The race was hard with it been short at only 100km. It was mainly attacks from start to finish, I missed the winning 2 man move but was able to get away in a move of 3 and sprint for 3rd. This was good for morale, before heading to Taiwan to compete in the Tour of Taiwan. I leave on 20th to arrive early to meet team sponsors, go to Taiwan bike show and have team press conferences. The race will start 26th March and is 5 stages long.
Tuesday 21 February 2017
The joys of winter.
The winter started of well with my month off the bike enjoying normal life. One down side to it was after three months of pain in my left wrist, it was confirmed that I had broke my scaphoid. This meant eight weeks in cast and this changed my plans massively. Instead of going to Australia I was going to hospital for scans and reviews to see if my wrist needed pinning or not.
After a month of not riding I started training indoors. My training only lasted two weeks before getting a bad chest infection, which kept me off the bike for nearly another four weeks. This killed all motivation for a period and I went back to living the normal life of living for the weekend.
As soon as I was better I got straight back to pushing pedals. By this time my cast had been removed and I was able to get back on the roads. My second ride after such a bad winter was a local race, and what an experience that was. The race just showed how unfit I had become, I managed to be at the front of the race for the first hour until lights went out. I hung on and was able to get 6th somehow, I have never tried so hard for so little. As I crossed the finish line I had to stop straight away to be sick and try get my breathe back. This was less than an ideal way to spend new years eve.
The week before coming home I entered a local race in Spain. My plan was to just have a hard day training and get back into racing. I was aim to ride it aggressively and that's what I did. I attacked at kilometer zero and that was the race solo from start to finish. Taking my first win of the year by 1 minute 48 seconds over the peleton. During the race I was close to my power files from last season at my best. 
The final week in Spain was mainly having a laugh on and off the bike. Also it was great to ride with my old team mates for the week.
Another successful winter ready for the season completed. It was great making new friends and riding with some class groups in Spain. Now I'm home for a week to rest up and catch up with friends and family before heading to Rhodes on 28th February to meet the team then race two UCI races to start the 2017 season off for Memil Pro Cycling.
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