Ticking along quietly.

As New Zealand's summer season of racing is coming to a close, it is hard to find any racing near by to home.
This hasn't been helped by the fact that it is only 3 weeks now until I leave. It seems to all make the weeks so slow.

It has been a week of some great up's and a few downs.
Training on the same roads out to the Waitakere ranges day in, day out has started to take it's toll. It's starting to get boring and a bit mind numbing.
My focus for the year is to improve both my hill climbing and time trialling so there is reason to my madness of hills hills hills, and the benefits are starting to show.

However when the chance to skip down to Wanaka in this coming week to race the Summer Send Off and train for the week with team mate James Williamson, I couldn't turn it down.
The Summer Send Off includes a Criterium on the Friday night, followed by a great road race from Queenstown to Wanaka and return. 140km and TWICE over the Crown Range!! lets see how good I really am climbing.

Also during the week I return home to find a parcel sitting on my bed. Pete from Bont had sent me a second set of shoes for the season in a stealth black!
Oh how the little things can make a slow week of riding just that much better.

The best kind of training is racing.

Not long now until the planned trip over seas happens.
Kinda of a scary thought that I will be shipping out of New Zealand for awhile, however it is also incredibly exciting.
In the past couple of weeks my heads been kept low. Training hard and making the most of the superb weather in Auckland. One ride included the usual up and over the Waitaks but with a quick veer right at the top Mike Northey, James McCoy and I shot down to Piha and back up. I was also quickly caught out by the Lone Kauri Loop which included what I believe to be Auckland's longest climb, yet I still enjoyed it. I can not believe I have been missing out on all these little loops in the Waitaks.

February 19th brought on one of the last races PureBlack Racing will do as a team in NZ before we leave the country. The Rev120 had attracted a strong field, but also attracted an enthusiastic team from PBR which included riders from both the Pro squad and National squad.
Roman lead the charge and encouraged the team to push a fast pace up the feared French Pass.
The field was quickly thinned out and left and opportunity for Roman and Scotty to slip up the road.

With 2 of our riders up the road we had the right to sit in the field and save our energy if they where to tire and come back and rejoin the peloton. However both Roman and Scotty stayed away to complete the race in a new course Record.

Within 10km to go Dion Smith, one of the juniors in the squad launched a attack which qucikly scooted up the road. I was able to get across the gap to join Dion, Elliot Crowther and Paul Odlin. Being so close to the finish we all had to work hard to stay away from the chasing bunch behind us. Dion rode himself into the ground and helped set me up perfectly to sprint home for 3rd. Completing PureBlack Racings first clean sweep of the podium.

To closely follow the Rev120 Carl had a 30km in house time trial out around Waitoki for the team. This was to help simulate a tour but also to put all our new team kit through its paces. Full time trial bikes with disc wheels and deep front wheels provided.
Being an in house only competition the stakes were high for bragging rights.
It is a real positive way for all of us to push each other to the limit to help us get the maximum out of ourselves and the team performance wise.
The time trial cause was anything but easy. It had 2 rather nasty climbs false flats and long straight roads.
At the end of the day Shem was fastest followed by Scotty after his big day off the front at the Rev120, then close behind I sneak in for 3rd.

All the training and preparation for the States is coming along nicely. I am itching to race overseas and have been told my first big race for the team is Tour of Gila in New Mexico in April. After a month in Boulder at altitude Tour of Gila just cant come quick enough.

"every day is an adventure"

In the wise words of my Dad "everyday is an adventure" and for 2011 it is going to one great venture for me as I get the chance to live the dream, travelling around the world riding my bike with some great team mates.

2011 sees me riding with Pureblack Racing (PBR) over in the United States. The team will be based in Boulder Colorado. But before all of this happens we have been racing all over in New Zealand establishing our strength as a Professional team in New Zealand. I have already raced the Tour of Southland, Tour of Vineyards and the Elite Road Nationals in Christchurch for PBR, already so much travel and we haven't even started our season!

With all the travel I am sure to have a few stories to tell and the frequent update to keep everyone posted and informed on not only my progress but also the teams.