City to Bay 2013

Well for something a little different i had the opportunity to compete in the 2013 Adelaide City to Bay fun run (can runs BE fun?).
My best mate works for one of the main sponsors of the event and managed to get us both complimentary entry to the event. It is one that i have contemplated doing for a while and have done the 12km walk with my wife a couple of times but never run it, i am not really built for running.
After getting the call up to do it i had about 8 weeks to focus on the event, the trouble being that i also had to prepare for the Adelaide Dirty Dozen bike ride which was on the week before. A bit of a balancing act ensued.

Having not done a 12km run since True Grit in April of this year i decided i had better see how i my body would respond to that.
I got myself down to the Seacliff hotel one early Saturday morning and decided to run to Glenelg and back. I had mapped this out and knew it was just on 12kms as a round trip. The first 6 kms i did fine, with little trouble from my body. The way back however i started to get quite tight up through my groin and had a slight hint of pain in my left foot but pushed the whole way back and completed the 12kms in 55mins. Awesome! i was stoked with that.

The day after however my left foot was extremely painful on the outer bone. I thought a brisk walk to the post office to collect the mail would help. It didnt. I got to the post office and called my wife, who i work with, to come and pick me up. I was beginning to get worried as it was sore right up to the week of the event. I was wearing my sneakers to work (great look with suit pants, shirt and tie) =)

2 days before the run the pain had subsided and was able to walk without any discomfort. This was a relief. One downside i find in preparing for an event whether it be cycling or running is the hydration factor. i am for 3-4L of water per day in the week leading up to the event, but also find myself running to the toilet every 30mins! oh well, a small disadvantage but i know it works for me.

My dinner the night before was the same as the one before every event. Pasta with my home made tomato sauce. something i know will sit in my stomach well and not negatively impact my event.

Alarm goes of at 0530 knowing that David will be there at 0630 i decided to get a light breakfast in and do some stretching. Now punctuality isnt Dave's strong suit so i was amazed when i heard him pull up at 0620! =) i wandered out the front and the first words that he spoke was "dude why the hell are we doing this", haha took the words out of my mouth. There was a light sprinkling of rain down south which got harder as we drove to the city. We parked at my office and planned to walk the 20 odd minutes to the start line. As we were at the office we could hear the rain outside, not a good sign but we just had to suck it up and head out. Luckily the walk to the start is mostly sheltered which was fortunate as the rain was persistent.

It was amazing, just as we got to the start line on King William road the rain suddenly stopped and the sun came out from behind the grey clouds! P.e.r.f.e.c.t!

We were stunned by the sheer weight of numbers lining up for the 12km run and walk, the buzz around the place was palpable. There were groups together and teams stretching. David and i found some room where we could continue to stretch as we were a little worried about cooling down after the walk and pulling a hammy! That would be my luck.

0800 BANG the first group took off and i could feel my pulse quicken, however we were that far back it would be another 20mins until we started! The race organizers let groups of (im not sure how many) go off in 5 minute intervals but this was not graded in any way so was completely pointless! When our wave was due to go everyone walked to the up the chute and didnt start to run until crossing the start line, no need to waste precious energy. I turned to Dave and said "lets do this bro" and off we went up the slight uphill and found ourselves in a good rhythm and did a 4:31 first km which was a little quicker than we anticipated. I put it down to nerves.

The biggest difficulty with an event like this is the large cross section of varying abilities and we constantly found ourselves dodging slower runners and groups of walkers, increasing the chances of a rolled ankle or collision but this certainly adds to the specter and appeal of the event.

We knocked off the first 5 kms with little trouble and we constantly checked in with each other and gauged one another on the pace etc. Dave had had some trouble with calf muscle cramping in the lead up so he was cautious of that but so far it hadnt caused him any issue.

Checking the time at the 8km mark we had dipped to an average pace of 5.33 per km which meant we would be just over the 1hr mark we set ourselves but with still 4kms to go we could easily peg this back. As we crossed the 9km mark i asked David "whats the longest you have run before" to which he said "10kms so this will get interesting". And interesting it got. We both started to shorten our strides and David got held up at the last drinks stop by the crowed which i elected not to stop at and although i slightly slowed he could not close the gap. I made the decision to continue on and upped my pace again. Running down Jetty Road i managed to see my wife and kids along with Davids wife and kids which was great. 500m to go i kicked again until i rounded the final corner, 100m to go i gave it all i had and crossed the line in 1.03! BUGGER! just over my goal of 1hr.

After i filed through, got my free Sunday Mail and Powerade i managed to meet up with Dave again. high fives were exchanged and we wandered up to the Pier hotel to meet the girls. David had a decent blister on his heel and i had 2 across the top of my toes. meh, nothing too bad though. Cool down stretches were done and a quick shower had (not together!)

To top off a great day we all ventured to Brighton for some lunch, a walk on the jetty and indulged in some ice cream at Copenhagen.

Overall i was really happy with the run on the day. I would do things differently next year. Start training earlier and not let the winter "CBF's" take hold of me. Make sure i run in decent shoes is a big learning!

 It was a special event as it allowed a great friend and I to reconnect and enjoy each others company, it was more than just a fun run.

I am looking forward to making this a yearly event and have penciled in a sub 53min run for next year!

2013 Adelaide Dirty Dozen

“Well that was fun”. These were the first words that I mumbled as we arrived back at our cafe end point to conclude the 2^nd annual Adelaide Dirty Dozen Ride. What is the Dirty Dozen I hear you ask! Well let me explain. The format of the ride is as follows.

Over 3000m vertical in approximately 100km over a 'Bakers Dozen' of hills close to Adelaide. 

Hills will be in order of:

1.       Mt Osmond (Hayward Dve) - 2.3km @ 9.7%

2.       Gill Tce - 0.6km @ 14.7%

3.       Heatherbank Tce - 0.6km @ 10.3%

4.       Kensington Rd - 1.3km @ 11.5%

5.       Coach Rd - 2.4km @ 9.8%

6.       Knox Tce - 1.4km @ 9.4%

7.       Ridgeland Dve - 1.2km @ 10.7%

8.       Burdetts Rd - 1.7km @ 7%

9.       Nicols Rd (up and back) - 0.7km @ 11.7% & 0.5km @ 12.9%

10.    Knotts Hill / Pound Rd - 2.7km @8%

11.    Fernhurst Rd (Cherryville) - 2.1km @10.8%

12.    Corkscrew Rd - 2.5km @8.9%

13.    Coach House Dve / Woodlands Way - 2.7km @10.1%

According to Ride With GPS - 3595m vertical all up!

This is the 2nd year that the Dirty Dozen ride has been held in Adelaide. Last year an overwhelming fear of failure rendered me a non starter and it is something that was continually eating at met. Last year just over 80 people took on the challenge with only 35 finishing. yes it is THAT hard. I, once again, listed myself as a non starter due to a really poor winter training season and no ride over about 70kms in the last 6 months. I volunteered my services as a support vehicle for the event as a way of still being involved but without riding. 2 weeks out from the start i said to my wife "i think i want to give this ride a crack". As usual she was super supportive (even if i secretly wanted her to talk me out of it!). My issue was i was confirmed as support for the day. After some sweet talking on my behalf my wife, reluctantly, agreed that she would step in my place and drive the car! ok, shit, i am riding now with 2 rides in the past 7 weeks, this is gonna hurt! After completing a reccie ride of 6 of the hills (yes not even half of what is on offer for the ACTUAL day) i thought once again of backing out. I remembered how i felt after last years event and hearing the storys of the day and having nothing to offer. The words that i promised myself last year were "i would rather try and fail than not try at all". 

Night before i followed my same pre race plan. Big bowl of pasta, cooked exactly the same way and a decent hour of stretching. Also i had promised the event organiser that i would be more than happy to bake some treats for the day! ooops. So the night before was also filled with making banana bread, cookies and "cocaine" bars. Lucky i had some assistance. 

Don't worry we had finished mixing! =)

Knowing that official proceedings got underway at 0700 but the Red Berry Espresso (the start point) opened at 0630 i packed the car the night before so i could just roll out, drive to the office, get set and head to the Cafe for a coffee. hmm timed it a bit wrong and got there at 0615. 

It would look a little different in a few hours!

Prime Parking spot

As soon as Walter and the crew threw open the doors at RBE i was in! first coffee down and i was feeling great. The nerves continued to build as more and more people began to arrive. Being on the reserved/Shy side i was happy that my boys from Cervo Rosso arrived early and in full CR kit. Not being organised before hand i took a punt that there would be a couple of us at least in the "uniform" so i wore mine. Good move. Before we rolled out it was decided that we would stick together throughout the ride. This was an unexpected bonus for me and goes to show the continuing camaraderie we have, No one was left behind. For sure there were varying abilities and being that I had very little preparation  I was one of the slower ones but the stronger riders made sure that we all stayed together (I think they enjoyed the breaks just quietly). 

Trying to keep a lid on the excitement was difficult and i couldn't figure out if i was shriving due to nerves or the crisp morning air! 

By the time we left for the official start i had heard that a quick count of the sign in sheet saw 120+ riders signed in! there were also some that didnt sign in as they were not planning on completing the whole ride. 

After a nice 20min "warm up" we hit Mt Osmond which was a nice way to start the ride. We rolled over this one with relative ease and then meandered our way down the Southern Freeway to Gill Tce. Hadnt done this one before and after a quick regroup, a drink and listening to AVO call out to his first random of the day "Kat! Kat! your name is Kat isnt it?" "ahh yes, did you read it on my helmet?" to the laughter of the group we started up Gill (and Kat, if that is her real name, just about sprinted up there). Not a bad climb which, as weird as it sounds, was made easier by the photograper on the side. I mean no one wants to look like they are struggling on the 2nd climb of the day with a camera there!

A beautiful ride though, somewhere, took us back towards Greenhill (i think) we came to Heatherbank which was checked off with relative ease. Then it was on to Kensington, or Kensi as it is to the locals. I had attempted this for the first time 3 weeks ago and had to stop half way up, first time i had stopped on a climb in 18mths. This time i was determined to make it and make it i did. It was made a little easier by riding up with Richard, who half way up, turns to me and says "shit i shouldnt have had those beers last night, oh wait no it was actually the red wine i should have avoided"!

Start of Kensington

Top of Kensington

Damn, now we have to go back down!

On to Coach Road. This road is a MONSTER! 2.4km long with a section known as "The Wall". as you turn right at about the 1.5km mark you see it, an approximately 300m long section that peaks at about 23%. This is where shit gets real REALLY fast!. people employed the "weave" to get up there, others walked while some of us just gritted out teeth, pulled on the bars until our knuckles were white and got up there. I was thanking what ever God was willing to listen for the fact that at the summit of Coach there was a pre-arranged "Cafe". RBE had put on cold drip coffee and the banana bread, cookies and cocaine bars were being consumed. This was my first chance to see my wife and kids in a "somewhat" fresh state. Adam ( the provider of this pain) was lucky enough to have his wife who baked 10 DOZEN cupcakes! This was just the recharge we needed. 

Coach Road Cafe. AVO at the front of the cupcake line

Coach Road Cafe

After a 30 min stop we took off. The next 5 climbs, Knox, Ridgeland, Burdetts, Nicols and Pound were all ticked off. I was hanging on by a thread! Then came Furnhurst. I had heard tales of terror from this, referred to as the Pit of Death as once you descend there is only one way back out. AVO has this as his nemesis. I actually managed to get in to quite a decent rhythm with this one but it is slightly demoralization to look at a speedo that says between 4.9-5.5 kph. Any slower and i would have fallen off!
I never thought i would say this but we actually headed to Corkscrew road and looked at it as a recovery hill! That is not normal seriously! quick bite to eat and a kiss from the kids we headed to Coach house drive/Woodlands way

This was the end of me once we got up Coach house. I was cooked, done, nothing left! Then we hit Woodlands. This is a road, not overly long, maybe 1.5km but it has 3 "ramps" with each one a little longer and steeper than the next. This is also a hill that plays with your mind. At the end of the 2nd ramp there is a sign, a beacon to continue to ride for that reads "CREST". Unfortunately when you get to the top you are faced with the 3rd ramp! Once i managed to pull myself over the crest i heard an excruciating "OH GET F&#$%D" coming from Roger behind me. I managed to ride on for another 100m or so and i had to stop and walk for a minute. This poses a problem in itself, re cleating on a hill. This is difficult even if you are not in a dehydrated loony state but on the last climb of this ridiculous ride it was just dangerous! Roger caught up to me and after a quick breather he looked at me and just said "c'mon we can do it together". "Yep lets to it Rog!" Somehow we got going and the 2 of us rode over the crest and to the encouragement of the waiting group. We werent first, but we werent last either. 

After a 15min regroup, a coke and some water we headed over to Norton Summit where every small rise in between hurt. We flew down Norton Summit Road with everyone too exhausted to put the brakes on and meandered our way back to Red Berry Espresso. Rolling in as a team was a great reward for a special day out on the bike. Coffee consumed by all, a sandwich by some we reflected on the day that was, our victories, our struggles and thanks given to Walter and Adam for pulling this together. 

THE team! Cervo Rosso Adelaide

I parted ways with the group and started the 5km ride back to the office which was nice as a way to quickly unwind the legs and reflect on the day. 

It was a very special day on the bike, without a doubt the hardest i have had since i started riding but it was made easier by the group i had with me. I dont think i would have had it in me to finish the ride without them.

To put this into some context. Harley aka "Durian Rider" said that this was his toughest ride since 1999. This from a guy who doesnt own a car and does some EPIC rides. Also I contacted former Pro Cyclist Pat Jonker and asked how he pulled up the day after, his response, "My body feels like the morning after stage 14 of the Tour de France"! 

My preparation was poor for this event, hindsight is always 20/20, but i can certainly improve and will continue to strive to do so. 

Bring on 2014!!!! 

The day after at CR HQ La Musette Cafe Glenelg

Stop!.... Hammer time!

In what is my planned to be my final hit out before Saturdays Dirty Dozen ride i decided to join in with the Thursday morning "Hammer Time" group.

This ride starts at 0630 GST (Garmin Standard Time) every Thursday from Red Berry Espresso just off Greenhill road in Adelaide. We head out up Greenhill at a steady pace and make our way to the start of Waterfall Gully Road....this is where the fun begins. 

Not having driven up this road let alone ridden up it i wasnt sure what to expect. The description on the group event page (http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/group/waterfall-gully-thursdays) says "Waterfall Gully stretches 3.8km, contains around 100m of elevation. The profile is that of a moderate climb, but there are some undulations. This lends the road to being a great for time-trials" 

Sweet! Didnt check where the strava segment started so 3 riders shot off the front (thanks Adam, Shane and Jim!) so of course i had no choice but to try and jump on! It is a simply stunning stretch of road and the weather today could not have been more perfect. Being that this is only my 2nd or 3rd road ride in going on 6 weeks i felt it! not gonna lie, but it was reeeeally good to get out there. More so than the scenery, the group i got to ride with are 
fantastic. Finally got to put some faces to name (and tweets) and meet some new ones. 

Once we got to the end of Waterfall Gully road we discovered that the gate to the car park, and strava segment end, was closed. AVO nearly went barreling into it! would have been a great time if it was open! We all managed to shimmy through, Gamins in hand, to cross the line. 

After a quick regroup it was back to RBE for a coffee and a laugh then on to work!

it is days like this that reminds me of WHY i love to ride bikes! Definitely planning on making this a regular ride!

From L - R
Trent (me), Georgie, Teddles (Terrier), Loraine, Adam, Shane, James, AVO and Daniel

End of the road, Waterfall Gully. Want to get back here for a walk and some exploring

Today i also had delivered my 11-28 rear cassette for the Dirty Dozen ride! was getting a little worried that it wouldnt get here in time which would have seen me in a WORLD of pain come Saturday and probably unlikely to finish. Glad it got here in time, im a LITTLE more confident now. 

Well if i make it through Saturday i will post a report! Wish me luck!

A quick Catch up

Well not a great deal has changed since my last update. I am still struggling to get out on the bike for nothing more than a severe lack of motivation. I have committed to completing the 2nd Annual Adelaide Dirty Dozen Ride on the 7th of September which i am eagerly anticipating. After missing this last year thinking that i wasnt up to it it really ate at me hearing everyones tales etc of the day. I almost didnt do it this year and volunteered to drive a support car to assist the 100+ riders taking part but after careful consideration i decided to give it a go! For those of you that dont know the DD is as follows.

Over 3000m vertical in approximately 100km over a 'Bakers Dozen' of hills close to Adelaide.  Are you up for the challenge?

Starting and finishing at Red Berry Espresso, Le Strange St, Glenside, hills will be in order of:

Mt Osmond (Hayward Dve) - 2.3km @ 9.7%

Gill Tce - 0.6km @ 14.7%

Heatherbank Tce - 0.6km @ 10.3%

Kensington Rd - 1.3km @ 11.5%

Coach Rd - 2.4km @ 9.8%

Knox Tce - 1.4km @ 9.4%

Ridgeland Dve - 1.2km @ 10.7%

Burdetts Rd - 1.7km @ 7%

Nicols Rd (up and back) - 0.7km @ 11.7% & 0.5km @ 12.9%

Knotts Hill / Pound Rd - 2.7km @8%

Fernhurst Rd (Cherryville) - 2.1km @10.8%

Corkscrew Rd - 2.5km @8.9%

Coach House Dve / Woodlands Way - 2.7km @10.1%

With many 'bonus' lumps and bumps in between.  According to Ride With GPS (which admittedly does read a little high) - 3595m vertical all up.

For more information visit http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/events/2013-adelaide-dirty-dozen

Yes it does sound like hell! Last weekend i did a reconnaissance ride of about 50kms and 6 of the hills with some friends who are also riding the event. Having not completed a solid road ride for going on 6 weeks i didnt expect much which is lucky because i was buggered! Adelaide holds some absolute perfect hills and riding routes all with in the suburban areas. This ride was not about seeing if i was up to the ride it was more about catching up with some friends and trying to get my "oomph" back to get out on the bike. The weather played its part and turned on a spectacular morning and near perfect conditions for riding.  Some (ok most, fine ALL) of the hills kicked my ass but the support and encouragement from the group was awesome. 

 Seriously stupid move trying to follow AVO up Kensi road. The man is not human

 The picture doesnt do this road justice, This was already about 8-9% and it was only the bottom!

 Re-Group at the top of Kensi. This should be interesting on the DD day trying to fit 100+ riders at the top

Yep, know how you feel Samantha!

Do i think that i will finish the whole ride on the 7th? Probably not. I am going to give it a good crack but the ride on the weekend has shown just how far my fitness level has dropped from my peak when i was riding/racing consistently. I have put on a bit of "winter warmth" of about 3 kgs so need to drop that quick smart! It is more from emotional and lazy eating as my gym work has been relatively steady so i just need to control my diet a little more and should be heading back in the right direction. 

So what else...i have signed up to do the City to Bay "Fun" run with my best mate which will be awesome! 12km run from the CBD to Glenelg. 
Apart from that and a few other social rides i dont have heaps on my radar as i think my wife is hoping that i will wrap myself in cotton wool as it is under 40days until out holiday to the USA =-)

It is really all about preparing for the DD ride then quick recovery and prep for the city to bay the week after, weight loss and some more weight loss! should be a fun month! 

till next time, Keep the rubber side down!

My motivation has been washed away with the winter rains and the swooping of magpies

Im sure that this is a battle that most cyclists find at this time of year, lack of motivation. The cold temperatures, the rain and the lack of sunshine make it harder and harder to get out and ride, let alone train for any events. Maybe it is just a hangover from watching the TDF =)

Having just had a look at my strava account i haven't ridden on the road for 4 and a bit weeks. Granted i have been doing a new training program with Cyclo-Core which has been great. Splitting time on the trainer with specific programs and time off the bike working on functional strength has helped, but its not the same.

With a couple of races penciled in and some Adelaide Cyclists events that i have targeted i am beginning to question if i will be able to get to them. I am at the point of riding my bike because i feel i "have to" not because i "want to". Although a solitary sport for the most part i have enjoyed riding with a number of groups since starting my cycling journey however not being able to be a regular starter has seen me on the outer which makes things difficult as well. Balancing family, work, wifes study, gym and riding is becoming harder and harder, ny impossible.

As cyclists well know, this is not a cheap hobby. Being that the family and i are heading off to the USA in 8 weeks (eeeeeek) means that any non essential expenses have been banned by the Minister for Finance (aka my darling wife) until our return. Unfortunately this comes at a time when bike things are required so it is actually safer to be inside! or that could potentially be an excuse. Oh well winter is almost finished...but....then spring comes and that means.........



yep! magpie swooping! I think i actually hate this more than riding in the wet! Trouble with my house it is located in an estate with one road in and out and on that lovely road perched in a nice tree, on the corner, on a 4% rise, is a maggie that loves to say "hi" each time i ride past! although not overly aggressive (usually only has 1-3 decent cracks) it is a major PITA.

But it is not all doom and gloom. I have been afforded the opportunity to run in the city-bay with my best mate which will be fantastic so have set some "lifestyle goals" for the rest of August which are

No chocolate (after tonight)
Drop weight to 79kgs (currently 82 another reason to hate winter)
Stick to my cyclo-core program
Do 1 group ride per week, somewhere

Hopefully with some specific, short term targets, will see me get back on track.

I really hoping to be able to do some cycling while in the USA and San Francisco seems to be the place to do it at this point. Lombard street is one that i really want to tackle. Do yourself a favor and google it!

On a different note my Father in Law has just made an amazing purchase! a brand new Cervelo aero road bike. Fully kitted out in SRAM Red and Zipp wheels the thing is a BEAST! he has really gotten into his riding in the last 12 months and regularly rides with a local group, The Cobwebs, which he thoroughly enjoys. Recovering from a fractured pelvis and a tear in his shoulder it is great to see the continual improvement with every ride he goes out on. His excitement was great to see and a new toy was well deserved, but given a moment i will be off on it! haha

All in all i have some work to do in the next 4-6 weeks to make sure i am primed come summer otherwise it is another wasted summer/autumn season. Want to be ready for some crit racing and of course the Tour Down Under!

Lots of work to do

They say patience is virtue....

By nature i am a very impatient person, i recognize and accept that. The trouble is being involved in cycling accentuates that! 
We went out to the National Cyclo Cross series on this past long weekend which was fantastic! Cyclo Cross is a combination of road and mountain biking.

This weekend the best CX riders in Australia converged on Adelaide. The first race was at "Mulch Hill" in the south-east parklands and attracted a cracker crowd. Day 2 was held at "Zombie Park" and the crowd was even bigger! 

My daughter even had the opportunity to race in the "little crossers" support race which invited 3-7 year olds to have a go on a shortened course. I was so proud of her as she can get herself very worked up with new activities but she did really well.

Day 2 even had a skills session run by Ride-a-bike-right which Maddi and JC loved!

Organised by PACC there were support events for non cx bikes C,B and A grade riders on CX compliant bikes held across the 2 days and the fields in all grades were quite large. 

Well done to Gemma and all the PACC crew for putting on such a fabulous event. Hopefully not only the National rounds, but also the local series continues to be well supported.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching all of this but once again i found myself thinking "i can do this!" My trouble is, yes you can enter a non CX bike into this (i.e a MTB) which i have in the form of a 20kg ish 20 year old mountain bike with huge knobbly tyres. Not too keen on this as i am not really one for just "having a go", if i do anything i like to be competitive and that is in no disrespect at all to anyone currently racing a MTB in the CX races! My other option is using my current road bike and getting some CX worthy tyres to go on it. Even less keen on this idea as this is my ONLY road bike which i use for training AND racing so if anything were to happen to this i would be stuffed. 

Next year i will be getting a new road bike which i cant wait for (although the time frame is being hotly debated!) which would free up my current steed for a CX conversion! 

Time for me to learn some patience. I have decided to just consolidate my priorities or whatever and just focus on the remainder of the road season and just base training for good crack at a number of events next year. 
My main issue lately has been a severe lack of motivation and this has come from the fact that i have had not end goal in mind. I have also been extremely good at finding excuses like "what is the point?" "everyone has better bikes/equipment". I need to just focus on training this year and getting bike fit so when i do get an upgrade i will be right within myself. 

So for CX this year i am not going to stress myself out and am just going to leave it. My time will come. The Adelaide Dirty Dozen in September will be a big goal for me as i didnt do this last year from a fear of failure. This year i WILL do it. Also after we get back from the USA in October the Criterium season will have started.which i didnt do this year due to not having a CSA membership and being unfit! Yes CX would be fun but it will have to wait =)

My goals for the rest of this year.

1. 13th of July - Norwood Club Road Race at The Range
2. 20th of July - Red Deer Brevet #7 
3. 17th of August - Norwood Club Road Race at Greenock
4. 7th of September - Adelaide Dirty Dozen
5. 8th of September - Red Deer Ritrovo
6. 26th of December - Boxing Day Criterium (TBA)

The only interruption to my training will come in Spring when the magpies start swooping again. I hate that time of year and find it hard to get out on the bike knowing that blood will be spilled and i don't enjoy it so will be lots of gym work and stationary trainer sessions.

When i lay it out like this i have a lot to look forward to so need to spend more time being thankful of the things that i can do and not hung up on the things i cant!