Firstly please excuse me for being so lazy with my blog but honestly nothing too exciting has been happening since seasons end apart from drinking beer and sleeping.(Due to problems I have been having with the slow internet connection and heavy load of school work I haven't been able to post this online until now so please excuse that the following events happened some time ago now) I'm writing amidst a very historical moment for the USA,just 10 minutes ago Barak Obama has just won the election and will become the first African American President of the USA. The election couldn't have come fast enough for me as I'm well over the ads,bumper stickers and lawn signs and I have only been here 3 months!!! I must admit it has been pretty exciting to expierence first hand.
So I thought I would do a wrap up of the season that has been 2008.
It all started on the 2nd of January at the Bay Criterium Series in Melbourne/Geelong. Myself, Paddy, Custard Arm (Tim Norris), Ozza, Johnsy and good mate Matt Camilliri all made the trip down for New Years and 5 days of solid racing. I always heard about hard Bay Crits were but it was another thing to actually expierence. The first day I was dropped from the main pack on the 2nd lap! This really set things up for the week as I only managed to finish one race, but I was able to take much away from it (including an impressive power file from the day I actually finished).
After Bay Crits it dawned on me that I was deep in a creep hole after a long season racing all around Australia trying to prove myself as some sort of bike rider. It was a couple of months of putting down a solid base for the coming season which meant lots of long kays. My partner in crime for early season kays was Matt Cammo as just having signed for a German team was looking for some long kays before heading over. The usual Wednesday morning long one which always started at "Beautiful Broadmedow" race course and we ended up anywhere from Blackhill, Seaham or out the back of Martins Creek generally with me drafting behind Cammos 20km efforts.
As any Aussie bike racer knows, as soon as the State Opens start rolling it means lots of travel to far out country places, cheap hotels and a good dose of beer. Oh and some racing as well. First state open this year was the Bathurst Weekend which i was able to manage a 7th in the hillclimb and a 10th in the criterium. I should mention that at the start of the year I had some unsually good form sprinting for reasons unknown. With sprinting form high I managed two more top tens against some good competion at Cootamundra and also at the Sydney Road champs.
With some results early form was high but some bad luck and bad tactics on my half kept me out of the money for a while in the state opens. The McDonalds classic down at Wagga Wagga was such example of some bad luck, with Tim Norris designated sprinter for the day I had completed my job almost perfectly by picking him up with 5 laps to go bringing him to the front for the sprint. On the last lap disaster happened when with Tim on my wheel I got pushed wide and subsequently over a median strip which effectively ended any chance of a result that day. It wasn't until a couple of months later that I was able to make it up to Tim leading him out to a perfect win at the Peter Van Gent Classic.
Gunnedah to Tamworth was the first state open I ever did and this year was the third time I have raced it. A break of 5 went affter about 5km and I was lucky or unlucky enough to be in it as it was acutally decided before the race that my team mate Sam Layzell was meant to be the man to ride the break that day. 100kms later I finally blew after about 3 hours off the front and returned to the bunch for a medicore placing but I did gain alot of form that weekend.
More state opens but not too much to write home about. Finished 7th in the NSW U/23 Individual Time Trial champs which was my last race before heading state side.
Obviously the biggest highlight for me this season was being given the chance to study and live in the USA and it was cycling that gave me this opportunity. Immediately I was able to compete at a level which I couldn't in Australia and that was racing legitiment professional cyclists at Gateway Cup. Also winning a Missouri State gold medal in the points race was another highlight. The trip out to Collegiate Nationals was the icing on the cake with setting the early time for Team Pursuit and finishing 4th in the event being the highlight for me for the year. It's very rare that you get to stand on a national podium and recieve a national medal with three of your good mates.
For now its more training with 12 sessions done last week and the same this week in preperation for the Aussie crits when I get home.
Until next time, take care.
(MORE PICTURES TO COME)
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