The lead up to nationals

With 4 weeks to go till national and in the middle of that block I have 2 UCI 1.1 races in Denmark in preparation for the nationals. My main goal is the national time trial champs and hopefully get a top 10 as a first year in the elite men’s. 

All my training is geared towards the time trail and also to carry form into July where I will be going to China to compete in the tour of qinghai lake UCI 2.HC. This race is a 13 day stage race so along with hard threshold efforts I need to get plenty of hours in the legs to get in good condition for the stage race.

Denmark only 10 days before the national tt champs will set me up well with race speed. Day one I Denmark was 200km rolling and expected to be a bunch sprint. The race didn’t go to plan with both our sprinters having technical issues and there for dnf’s I tried a few late attack that came to nothing and finished just off the bunch due to a crash I was caught behind with 2km to go. Day 2 was more of a rolling day with an early break expected to go. I tried to get in there but got swamped at a critical point in the race and ended up mid bunch on the narrow lanes. After 90 the race went full gas in a cross wind section. I was too far back and rode across 2 groups but then the group I got in looked to be giving up so people started attacking it and it split to bits and that ended my race. Pierre managed to do a solid ride and finish 18th.

Once I got home I was only focused on the time trial. Riding my tt bike everyday getting use to the position more. The day of the nationals was hot conditions of high 20’s and little wind. When it was time for me to set off it was still really warm and I went out hard and after a lap I thought it was unsuitable so eased off a bit the. The last lap I was all in and knew then I had took the second lap too easy. I ended up 11th 7seconds off 10th so fairly pleased at the results, but gutted at the same time due to such a bad second lap. 

National road race champs on the Sunday the aim was to at least finish it due to the fact I’ve never finished it before. My plan for the day was to get in the early move and the race come to me or it all get brought back and to hang in till the finish. Again the weather was really good, low winds and high temperatures. Hydration would be key to getting round. My dad and Peter Hale were in the feed zone to ensure I could get at least 2 bottles a lap. At the start of the race I started near the back but managed to get to the front after 8km or so. Once at the front I made sure I was active attacking and following moves as I wanted to get in the break. A group of 6 got away after a bit and I missed it so as soon as a gap opened I attacked across to it then the race came back together. Another move went and I followed and got in that, as that was about to be brought back I attacked solo and got a gap. As I was coming into Stamfordham for the first time 5 riders came across to me and I jumped on the back of them. They really put the pressure on up the feed climb and I had to dig so deep to stay on the wheels. I managed to hold on and work with them after we had drop one guy so it was only 5 of us riding for 15km until a group of 11 came across to form a lead group of 16. This group was well committed with everyone riding and keeping it smooth at the half way point it looked like it would be the winning group. The 3rd time up the ryals I was riding it steady like the other times and there was an attack which I wasn’t expecting as there was still 70km of racing to go. I ended up getting distanced and had to ride myself back into the break. Going into the last 25km I realised I was in the mix for the race win and was running off adrenaline I tried a long attack as I knew that was my best chance. That was brought back but then I made it into every major split after that. I attacked again about 15 km out but was brought back then Connor Swift attack I tried to follow him but was unable to get to his wheel and just hung in no mans land until a group of 4 came to me and the we worked for a bit to get Connor back but as soon as someone missed a turn everyone started looking at each other. I tried a few more attacks as I knew I was the slowest finisher in that group. I was unable to get away and ended up 6th which is way more than I expected going into the race and was super happy to pull off such a ride. I definitely surprised myself and proved to myself I can compete at that level now. 

Now I need to carry the form and positive vibes into China for tour of Qinghai lake.

Sorry for the late post of this I’ve been super busy getting sorted for a month away and had a lot of people messaging to congratulate me on my nationals results which I massively appreciate! Thank you everyone for that :) 

May, the easy month

After Rutland I took a little break from training for a week to recover from a hard start to the season and fully recover from the cold I had picked up while in Morocco. May was a perfect time to do this with only 3 UCI race days in the month and 2 of them were on the last weekend of the month. After my week off I started upping my training again and doing double days with mid week races on the evening. With 2 weeks of solid training in the legs it was time to head to Sweden for the Scandinavian Race in  Uppsala UCI 1.2. The team rode to the plan and it didn't pay off, tactically we messed up and had not back up plan. So the main thing we took from this race was experience and turned the negatives into learning. Still it was good to be back racing and helping the team out. My legs felt good after the rest and training. I knew I had a good 10 day block of training between Sweden and Estonia so when I got home I continued training well and getting into better shape for Estonia.

Tour of Estonia UCI 2.1 a 2 day race with the first stage 215km from Tallinn to Tartu then stage 2 a 175km 18 lap circuit around Tartu. Stage 1 the plan was to be in all the moves and aim for kom points sprint points and a result. The team and myself managed to make this happen with us always active and following moves for the full stage. I managed to get away solo and take the first sprint of the day which got me 3 bonus seconds. Then the race was full gas from there with splits happening then it coming back together. The stage final ended in a bunch sprint where Tipper managed to get 10th. With the bonus seconds I picked up it meant going into stage 2 I was 5th on GC. Stage 2 didn't go to plan missing the final split that was the winning split. Earlier in the race Pierre made the first break for the team and then as that was brought back I got in the next move which was a strong one with around 16 guys. This move got a maximum of 3 mintues before finally getting brought back with 60km to go. Once it was all back together the pace was kept on to prevent other attacks going. With only one other team mate in the race by this point it was hard to sit up near the front as it was all full teams lined out and they weren't letting us in. We tried fighting to stay up there but it was mentally and physically hard so we sat back and the lap after we did that the race split and around 14 guys ended up going clear. Then 3 clipped off from my group before I got away in the final kilometers. I ended up 19th on the stage and 17th overall in the race. Very gutted not to top 10 or even top 5 after the day before but still 17th on GC at UCI .1 level isn't too bad.

That sums up May. I started June with a National B road race up in Scotland as it's a bit more fun and harder racing than training on your own. The race started off very fast will many attacks. After 10km there was a break of 5 up the road. The bunch just kept attacking each other the rest of the race until 30km to go when the bunch finally split and it was 10 guys that actually wanted to race and try to get the break back. On the final climb I went into it first and started riding up it hard to keep the pace up. I looked back and I had gaped the group I was with so I pressed on and rode across to the break on my own. The break had split with one rider up the road and the 4 I had caught, 1 more rider got across later and I tried to get the group working as the chase group was between 30 seconds to a minute behind. There was 3 Ribble in the group and they had a team mate away who wasn't getting caught by the finish yet they weren't fully committed to work to hold of the chasers. We ended up holding off the chasers and I messed up the finish going into the last corner last man and the finish wasn't far out of that final corner I managed to get 4th in the race. I was a good day out with plenty of hard efforts, great training for races to come.

In June I have 3 UCI 1.1's, National TT Champs and National Road Race Champs.

Tour Du Maroc and the rest of April.

Tour Du Maroc:
I arrived in Casablanca two days before the race started. This was plenty of time to get ready for the race and everything sorted ready for ten days of racing. The roads were limited for training on for those two days. The team and I were able to do enough to riding to keep ticking over before the tour started.
The race had a good field with the key teams being Willier Trestina and Vandee U. Willier had their Giro team there as the race is over ten days and covers close to 1600km.
Stage 1, was a potential sprint day or the chance of a late break winning. Willier from the very start showed they wanted it to be a sprint only letting 3 riders in the break and controlling the pace from the early kilometers. The teams plan was to work for Tipper for the sprint, so we rode a high position all day as a team and kept Tipper out of trouble. Sure enough the day ended in a bunch sprint and Tipper was able to get 6th on the stage.
Stage 2, I rode two years ago and it ended in a sprint, so the teams plan was again to ride for Tipper for the sprint. The weather was awful with very low temperatures and rain it was set to be a hard day out. In the first 40km there was a 2nd category climb. Willier once again set the tempo and allowed a small group of four riders to go early and they took up the pace setting. We rode up near the front next to them. Once on the 2nd cat climb it looked like it was going to stay together but with 2km to go till the summit attacks started and a large group formed ahead. Willier had no riders present so we stuck to the plan and stayed with Tipper thinking the group might come back after the climb as it was still 130km till the finish. Unfortunatly we were wrong and that group went on to win the stage by over 20 minutes.
Stage 3 was 200km and completely flat. This was a relatively easy stage with it ending in a bunch sprint. Unfortunately our lead out got split up going around a roundabout and Tipper had to do a lot of work himself in the final kilometer and finished 12th.
Stage 4 the Queen stage, 200km with three 2nd cat climbs, a 1st cat climb then a 3rd cat climb. The plan was to get in the break an hope it could have been the winning move. I managed to get in the break but it wasn't to be, the peleton only allowed the break to get a maximum of 2 minutes. I managed to hang on over the 3rd 2nd cat climb of the day after been caught just before it and then I got distanced on the 1st cat climb. I went over the climb in the 3rd group but punctured on the descent and had to wait over 5 minutes for a wheel change as the race was in bits. This meant I ended up doing the final 70km on my own, making the stage a very damaging one for my legs for a very poor result.
Stage 5 Tipper said he wasn't feeling great so didn't want us to ride for him so the only option for the team was to get in the break. Sam got in an early move which came back so I followed the next attack and this turn out to be the main break for the day. Every main team was represented and it looked like it could have been the winning break. Willier must have had a plan though as their sprinter Mareczko made it over the climb of the day so their guy from the break dropped back and they chased hard. When the gap was under a minute with still 60km to go I decided to drop back to try help the team if Tipper was still in the bunch. As I got into the bunch I found out Tipper had crashed, he was alright and back on the bike but was just riding into the finish in the groupetto.
Stage 6 I woke up ill with cold. The stage was fairly flat but very windy. It split early on with Sam and Tipper making the front split, Pierre and myself were in the second group which made it back on after 20km. After around 90km attacks started and we were covering them but missed a very important one. So I decided to chase it down for Tipper, Sam saw me doing so and came to help. For about 15km Sam and I worked with Baku to help bring it back. Pierre then came to help bringing the yellow jersey team as the group away had a few guys that could take yellow if it stuck. with about 60km to go we had brought the group back. Attacks started again and Tipper was all over them as we had worked so hard for him. He managed to get in the move that stuck to the line and he took the win. This topped off a great day for the team and was a great win for him to get.
Stage 7 another sprint stage. Team worked well but had bad luck in the final kilometer with Tipper puncturing.
Stage 8. Pierre made the break of the day which was caught on the line. He managed to get 5th while Tipper was 4th. A solid team performance again by sticking to the plan from the team meeting.
Stage 9 the penultimate stage and another pure sprint stage. Not much happened till the final few kilometers. We were fighting for position in the final 3km for Tipper, with 2km to go the road split and we took the wrong side and it left Tipper exposed too early. He managed to get 7th on the stage.
stage 10 only 128km with six 5km finishing laps in Casablanca. The team took up control with 40km to go to bring the break back and keep Tipper out of trouble on the finishing laps. On the final lap it got fairly chaotic in with 2.5km to go as at this point there was a dead turn in the middle of the road. we managed to get Tipper well placed for the final corner and he was able to get 4th to finish off the tour for the team. It was good to finish the race on a high with use working hard and well as a team and then delivering a top 5 at the end of it all.
Only one week until the next race Rutland Melton Cicle Classic. So it was two days off the bike including the travel day then back into training. I wasn't able to train fully as I was loaded with cold but managed to keep active and for the cold to nearly fully clear up in time to race.
Rutland Melton Cicle Classic:
Still not feeling 100% it was time to pin a number on again and get stuck in for the day. The race didn't go to plan for me having three rear wheel changes within 50km of each other. The 3rd change ended my race due to the timing of it and how long it was till the cars could get to me. Tipper and Pierre were still riding strong until bad luck hit both of them taking them out of the peleton. Tipper eventually had to settle with finishing 3rd group and Pierre in the 4th group. Rob stuck in to get the last finisher prize. Not the day we hoped for after such a successful Tour Du Maroc but that's bike racing.
After Rutland I took three day off the bike and then two very easy day as a break was needed to get rid of the cold completely. Off the back of the easy week I did a time trial as it was in my village. I managed to be the fastest on the day by 39 seconds even though my power was down due to the time off. Now it's time to start training hard for the next block of racing for the team that will take me up to the nationals.

2018 So far

Mallorca training in the cold

So 2018 training started in Mallorca. I had 4.5 weeks there before coming home for a few days before heading to the Philippines to start the season off. Unfortunately this race got postponed due to the volcano erupting. Which then meant 2 weeks training at home before flying to Taiwan. Once in Taiwan the team were there for 2.5 weeks of training and acclimatizing before Tour de Taiwan. The training was going great right up till the race and all my data was improved from 2017. So I was looking forward to racing and putting my training to use. It had felt like so long since my last race in September and I was more the keen to be back racing properly.

Cap Formentor route

Training in Taiwan

Tour de Taiwan stage 1 was a flat city circuit of 88km passing the Taipei 101 building and Taipei city hall every lap. The stage was very controlled from the start with a break of 3 getting away from the start. The break was eventually caught with 8km to go. The teams goal was to look after our sprinters and let them both got for a result. Roy was able to manage 7th on the stage. The teams first top 10 of 2018 in a UCI 2.1 race.

Tour de Taiwan Press confrence

Stage 2 was 119km finishing at the top of a 1st cat climb with 2, 2nd cat climbs within the last 40km of the stage. The stage was on from the start and we covered over 50km in the first hour. eventually just after an hour the break went with Roy in it, he was able to take the sprint points and move up the points classification. After the first climb the peleton got sent the wrong way by the race, we got put back onto the correct route and carried on racing. I managed to make the front selection over the 2nd climb and thought I was in with the chance of a decent result only for the race to be stop for the earlier confusion of getting sent the wrong way. This meant the whole race was back together with only 18km to go. The break got the time gap they had when the peleton were sent the wrong way. After over 10 minutes of waiting around the race finally resumed and was full gas all the way to the finish. What I thought was going to be a decent result turned into nothing.

Riding as a unit from stage one. 

Stage 3 the goal was to try get Roy closer to the points jersey and maybe even into it if all went well. the stage once again started very fast on rolling roads. As the big teams were trying to let the break go Roy managed to get away and ride across to the break. We kept feeding him information to what was going on and what he should do. He managed to take maximum point and was virtual points jersey on the road and we then told him to take it easy and if he made it over the main climbs before the peleton caught him maybe he would have a chance of the final sprint. Unfortunately he was caught and drop before all the hard climbs were over. He then was taking risks on the descents to try stay in contact with the race. The risks didn't pay off and instead they resulted in him crashing hard on the descent and also crashing out of the race completely. What was looking like an amazing result by the end of the tour for the team was gone.

On the attack!

Stage 4 was 168km with a 3rd cat climb in the first 50km and a 1st cat climb topping out only 15km from the finish line. The team plan was to get someone in the break. Sam and I were in a couple of breaks that looked promising but other teams had different plans. The break went just after the first climb and we all missed it. We chilled in the bunch the rest of the stage and tried to do a decent ride on the final climb. I made the second bunch on the road.
The final stage was a flat 200km day with a slight cross wind. It was virtually an out and back course with 3 finishing laps of 13km. Another real fast start to the stage with us trying for the break but with the pace close to 60kph it was hard to get away and when away it was full gas to get no where. eventually all the big teams had enough and spread across the road and eased the race up and allowed 5 guys to get away. Our job now was to look after Jacob for the final sprint. I was on bottle duties for the final 100km after riding in the wind at the front of our line before that. Once on the final circuits Rob did a great job of looking after Jacob in the first 20. In the final ks Rob made sure Jacob was always in the top 15. After a great team effort in the stage Jacob managed to finish off the job with an excellent 4th place and the teams best result to date. This result also made what became a bad race after losing Roy a success again.
Next up will be Tour du Maroc. A great race which I really enjoy as it's a 10 day race covering nearly 1600km. After a great sprint in the final stage Jacob will be going into this race with the belief he can do well and the team spirits are high ready to keep the ball rolling for more results. I'm also hoping for some results in the race as a previous stage winner.
Now I've been home for nearly 2 weeks, I'm ready to get out to Morocco for the race and the warm weather. This rain and cold weather isn't very enjoyable for training.

Team training and stage reccy.

Penultimate Month of Racing

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.

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.

Sa Calobra used at least twice a week.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Podium after winning stage 5.

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.
 

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.