Tour De Perth and Prior.

What do I put into a blog that’s more than several months overdue? It can’t be any long winded stories or very few will read any of it, if not all of it. So heres a quick up date to get you up to speed.

After leaving Belgium I remained very sick, but true to any obsessive cyclist I continued to race and train through it until the point of injury. I had 2 weeks of very sedate training only just before Tour of Southland where I would have my debut ride for Genesys Wealth Advisers (who later went on to be Avanti racing team) my 2014 team. I went into the tour to help my team mate and friend Joe Cooper win the tour for them. A golden opportunity and the all clear from Joe left me chasing a dream of mine and winning a stage at Tour of Southland. Most importantly the first stage finish at the top of Coronet Peak.

I carried the momentum all the way through to the New Zealand Elite National Champs Time Trial. I won the Time Trial  by a small 12sec. My first National Title on the road! It was a little unexpected but also something I did feel one day I could win, I just didn’t expect that day to come so early. I had put such a huge effort into the ride I had no legs for the following road race. Something I will certainly look to correct for the next year.

Since then my racing has been very well controlled and planned out. I raced Tour of Manawatu which was a personal disappointment and what I felt was a missed opportunity to perform well in. I left the tour learning a lot and exactly how my team works. It was quickly followed by a trip to Brisbane for the Oceania Champs. A strong ride in the TT placing 6^th and supporting the team to strong performance in the road race meant that Avanti Racing won the “Oceania Tour” qualifying us for a spot in the Team Time Trial at the World Champs in Spain in September. This is certainly something I would love to be a part of for sure.

After Oceania Champs I had a good chance to build into my most recent race, Tour de Perth. Good weather and the structure of being home helped and had brought on what I thought was some good fast legs. However on the first road stage while covering a attack my gears slipped which threw me off the bike and on to the ground. Falling heavy and hard and requiring a spare bike I was left to get my own way to the finish and out of contention. It wasn’t all bad though, the team performed extremely well throughout the tour. By the last day Joe Cooper was in the leaders jersey and we also had Mitch Lovelock Fay in 3^rd and Ben Dyball in 5^th.

In the final stage Joe had a slim lead of 4sec over 2^nd place and our job was to defend the leaders jersey. A day on the front leading the peloton around a challenging course was a lot of fun. With the great support from the team mates and other teams trying to get the better of you it does become a bit of fun. Although at first it may hurt its cool to thing that you are leading the charge as you ride the front of the peloton defending the leaders jersey.

With 6 weeks at home before I start my next trip to Tour of Japan and Tour of Singkarak I have the chance to really focus on the finer weaker points of mine that were exposed during my racing this year. It seems really weird for me to be sitting at home living a “normal” life as for the first time in 5 years I haven’t needed to pack my bags and ship out to the far corners of the world and leave everyone behind. This is my chance to make the most of the adventure with Avanti Racing and see if I can really make that next step in the sport, but for now its solo training camps at Mt Ruapehu and laps of the Coromandel for me while the sun still shines. 

Half time.

Its been awhile between my last blog and there has certainly been some very low moments and very high moments that seem to be the main reason for the long period between posts. Either the low points I didn't want to share at the time and the high points I simply wanted to enjoy.

Where I left off I was building for Tour de pays Savouie in the French Alps. With a few other team member we spent a week living halfway up Col Du Glandon for a mini climbing training camp as the hills on offer in Belgium are non existent. It was a spectacular few days in the mountains as we rode some of the world famous climbs such as the Col De Madeleine, Col Du Chaussy, etc. It was an amazing experience riding the climbs but it certainly wasn't going to be enough to prepare us for the tour. Each stage was a hill top finish with another 3 Cols (mountain passes) during all four stages.

However my experience was to be short lived when a case of" bad luck comes in 3's" kicked off, 1hr before the race the food I had eaten earlier all of a sudden wanted to leave my body as quickly as possible. Not feeling the greatest up the first climb 19km into the race I went over the top in the second group on the road and chasing the peloton 20sec behind. The I punctured.  With 110 motorbikes and nearly as many cars in the race I thought a replacement wheel wasn't going to be an issue. As I patiently waited for a car to stop they all seem to drive past waving back at me as I waved my wheel. 15min later the Broom wagon and Race Com pulled over and said I am no longer racing the tour as I am too far behind. Politely said, I was rather frustrated.

The remainder of the tour for me I feed water bottles to my team mates on the side of the road and spent a day as the mechanic for the team in the race car in the convoy. Like any tour a bad day isn't the end of the world and I was hoping to ride through to the end so I could continue to race and maybe one day have a good ride but it was cut very short in a cruel blow. A very disappointing low point of my season for me to say the least.

It was however followed by the highest point of my season. A quick train trip to Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris and my girlfriend was arriving for 3weeks in Europe as I had my first ever mid season break planned.

Playing the typical tourist we had a great adventure in Paris and later on London before we headed back to Belgium.

A weeks panic training and sightseeing of Brugge and Ghent while Madi was still here ended up being the preparation I needed for a hard days racing Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. 190km in the rain, wind, mud, cobbles, hills, and sun made the race a long day which would wear down the field. For me my legs started off in the most horrible state but I eventually rode into it and got stronger and stronger. Once in the finishing circuits I was able to follow and chase the riders every time the pace went on and still attack myself. The outcome was a good day of being competitive and really racing the race only to spoil it by cramping 500m to go and not having a lot to show for it.

I am now building back up for the remainder of the season and have recently just ridden a team time trial which was a lot of fun and brought back memories of the old days back racing school boy team time trials on the Auckland waterfront. A discipline I have certainly missed.

Refreshed and ready to go, the focus is racing as much as possible for the remainder of the season. I have only ridden 6 of the world famous Kermesse styled races here in Belgium so a few more for fun would be great for experience and hopefully the wallet if all goes well.

Until next time.

T

Racing Races.

Its has been a while since my last blog however I have been racing.

We lined up for our first Tour of the season in Orleans, France racing the Tour de Louriet. It seemed pretty straight forward 3 days all of which were 100miles each stage and just like Belgium. Flat.

The tour kicked off in great fashion, with the cliché kiwi sayings "this one time at Tour of Southland" and "this is good training for Southland" being most suited to give you an idea of what we were facing. These clichés seem to be said by most kiwi riders all over the world when challenged by the cold and cross winds. No greater way to start the tour than 100guys single file in the gutter.

Day 2 saw the exact same pattern happen again. This time I wasn't caught napping at the back and made the selection of 15riders which consisted of all 6 riders from the French Army cycling team and no Yellow jersey. We covered 58k in the first hour so there was a motivated group of guys we were riding with all the way to the finish.

The final day we had a team mate Ryan 2nd of the General Classification which made for a straight forward day. 2 of our team mates sacrificed their race and rolled on the front for the entire 100miles with the French Army Team who now had yellow. We protected the teams GC placing and rode a great tour as a unit.

No road trip is complete with out its fair share of stories. On the way to race one of the team cars broke down 100k from the race hotel. That left me and Eoin stuck in a road side gas station for 4hrs people watching and patiently waiting to be picked up.

Closely following that we raced a Pro Kermesse. To experience one of these race is a unique one. Imagine 200+ riders 80-90% of which a eager amateur races like myself wanting to become a pro racing against the professional teams of Belgium over 12-15km circuits for 180km on the tightest of roads no more wider than a single car. CHAOS! With a fitting tour hangover and still feeling tired, the race was a battle for me but towards the end I made the 2nd split in the race and was happy to have the gas at the end especially after a tour.

Again quickly after I was lining up for a Top Competition race which was challenging with its constant rolling hills. Seems like my body was still a week behind and hadn't fully recovered.

From there I have had a week to come right and recently race another Pro Kermesse. This time the real big names lined up. Phillipe Gilbert the current world champion, Tom Boonen the current Belgium Nation Champ ex world champ and 4 time winner of Paris Roubaix to name the highest profilers on the line. Although the racing was a lot more controlled it was a lot of fun getting stuck in.

We have a big Top Competition again this weekend and then for me I will be looking at Tour de pays Savouie in the French Alps fromt eh 13th-16th of June. 4 days of hill top finishes on some of the Tour de Frances most famous climbs. Its been a long time since I have climbed some real climbs so hopefully we get to go down the week before hand to get some time in the hills before hand.

Cheers for reading.

In the Grind

It has nearly been 2months since I have been here in Belgium.

I have been challenged by the wintery conditions of the snow and freezing temperatures to the gale force winds that sweep across the flat fields and health 20 + degree temperatures. The weather is slowly becoming more consistent which helps with more consistent training.

When the sun shines it has been important to make the most of the good weather. With a few months of racing including a few big tours targeted by the team and myself for selection to race these events it has been key to take advantage of the time of being based in one place with familiar roads.

During my training block I have raced some local Kermesse races and a 2 day UCI tour. Each Kermesse start I have had the legs to come away with some positive results. The first was in Bellegem where I went away on the second lap as I bridged across to 9 others. Being a hilly and twisty course we stayed away to the finish. After the attacks and final efforts for the glory I came across the line 5th.

Moorsele was the first U23 Kermesse. Following another early move we also stayed away to the finish. During the race there was a sprint competition worth a few extra Euros where I place 2nd. By the time we got to the finish it was one sprint too many placing me 12th.

The team then competed in " days of Graverstreek, a UCI tour only 10km from where I live. Both days we raced up the Kwaremont, a famous cobbled climb of the Tour of Flanders. It was a good 2 days of racing up and down the climbs of the Vlammes Ardennes but every day it finished in a bunch kick which isn't exactly my strongest aspect.

Another week passed and rounded out with another U23 Kermesse in Hooglede. 4 riders went clear from the start and never seen again. From there was nothing else but to race in the chasing break where I closed the line 9th.

3 solid weeks of training saw me come very close to 2000km, so a weeks recovery was definitely needed if I were to gain any benefit from the hard work but also a chance for the body to recover. As a racers life goes it was ended with yet another race. The GP Affligem was a important race but the tactics were simple, to follow rider number 13 because he will win the race. The unfortunate timing of taking my eyes off him for 5sec saw rider number 13 ride up the road to go one and win the race. A simple mistake but also a lesson learnt. Some times racing can be very simple.

A week of good training again and with warm sunny days a team training ride saw us go out for 6hrs and ride 200km, nearly 34kmph average speed. I am still enjoying every moment of being out on the bike and have plenty more racing to come.

Cheers for reading.

T

Settling in: Belgium in Winter?

A couple of weeks ago I boarded the plane bound for Europe feeling fit and ready for the season ahead.

I was mentally prepared for the cold and typically bad weather that Belgium is most famous for, but spring has only just sprung so how bad could it be. When I first initially wrote the draft for this blog I sat looking out the window watching the snow fall, and boy did it fall, near blizzard like conditions with horizontal snow and near white out conditions.

Recently I have moved from Zottegem to the South East of Belgium to a little town near Kortrijk, right on the edge of the Vlammes Ardennes but also near the French border. It is still flat but at least there are climbs, and cobbled ones too.

With a week quite literally snowed in by a healthy 1'foot of snow at our front door we have been stuck to either the rollers or the erg. The conditions have been made even more challenging by the fact the only English channel we can watch is Discovery Channel. Cabin fever would have set in if we didn't have to walk 10min down the road to the super market.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Especially when there is all this snow here in Belgium and the record summer back home in New Zealand, but I am starting to settle in and get into the simple routine of a full time amateur in the epi-centre of cycling. Wake up - Eat - Ride - Eat - Recover - Sleep.

Our teams main focus of races starts in May and pushes right through to July before we then later prepare for the Pro circuit of Kermesse races in September to close out the season. However I have been able to get a couple of races done. My first race was a few days after my arrival. We raced up the Kemmelberg, a famous cobbled climb and the other surrounding climbs in the area in some very cold condition. The Kemmelberg is challenging when you don't know the climb expect for what you see on t.v. but for me was made harder when chasing back on from a couple of rookie crashes.

 

 

Recently, with the weather slowly starting to clear and become more consistent I went out and explored the local roads and find the Vlammes Ardennes. The only way to beat the cold is wrap up and wear as much as possible. Warmth is the my main priority and help me to stay on the bike for as long as possible. The plan was to get lost, see what I could find. Once I reached some elevation I was able to get my bearing and had a general idea of headings. Hopefully this link will work: http://app.strava.com/activities/44781377

 

With the weather being a lot more typical of Belgium and not apocalyptic snow storms, training is regaining its structure and there will be plenty of time to continue preparations for the race schedule to truly kick off.

 

For now I quietly tick away finding new things to keep me busy and more books to read.

 

Stay tuned.

 

T

Count down to take off.

It is now exactly 2 weeks until I fly and start my adventure over seas with Terra Footwear - Bicycleline in Belgium, and it would be fair to say I am extremely excited.

From my last post I haven't done a lot of ridng. First up was a short break, 2 weeks of casual rides that will help the body recover not only from Nationals but the build up to the race also.

With the season only just starting there is no point charging on through with training and burning myself out by May. In recent weeks however I have been back pedalling the roads of Auckland where Aaron Strong (Steel Springs Coaching) has been working on reinforcing my fitness. With a lot of tempo work being the focus more so than the endless hours of "base" miles.

This has been a great way of training I have found works for me where I have seen some great results, but it also means I am getting better quality of riding done in a shorter amount of time and still having enough time in the day to work!

By work I simply mean A, working in a bike shop (Kiwivelo) and B, working for my Dad. All the work however has kept me pretty honest and has helped me to save a bit of money to fund my trip away. Being amateur again when PBR weren't offering any racing plans for 2013 it meant I was in a situation where if I wanted to continue chasing my dream I would need to fund it myself again for what will hopefully be one more year as I aim to make it my bike riding my profession. All this work has proved to be just as important to fund the trip as riding.

Realistically this opportunity wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for my parents and the people around me who support me. It feels great to be back in the Kiwivelo colours and seeing the amount of support from the local cyclist. Thank you to Rob Nichols who has one ear to ground for me and always looking to the horizon towards the future and a big thank you to RealHealth and Dr. Bill Donaldson for looking after me with Chiropractic work and their amazing in-house nutritionist Kaytee Boyd.

Bring on the 2013 season.

Looking ahead in 2013

Time to fire up the blog again as 2013 is going to be an exciting season.

This year I will be racing for Terra footwear Bicycleline and be based in Zottegem, Belgium.

The season has already kicked off to a good start, with a successful Tour of Southland I had a little bit of time off to spend travelling the South Island. After that I was able to build the form from Southland up towards Nationals.

From the experience gained and learnt from my season last year I had big goals for Nationals, both in the Time Trial and Road Race. I invested a lot of more time on my time trial bike than I have in the past and worked on a lot of aspects off the bike like Nutrition, Bike Position and Gym work.

Finally the time arrived and I was off to Nationals. The time trial is a very straight and plain 40km race with only 1 corner on the way out the same corner to navigate on the way home. Although I wasn’t overly pleased with my own personal performance I still placed a respectable 3^rd, gaining my first National Road Medal.

Two days later was the 180km Road Race on the same course it has been on for the last 3 years. There is one prominent climb that withers down the field and it never seems to get easier, each year we only seem to go up there faster. I was feeling a lot stronger today than I did on the day of the time trial, but the nerves were a lot greater due to how unpredictable one day road races can be. I had a race plan to keep myself protected as much as possible and make my move towards the end of the race. I battled all the way to the finish and in the bunch kick placed 6^th u23.

To finish the nationals road race is an achievement in itself, with over 80 starters we had one of the highest number of finishers with a total of 20 riders making it to the end. The race is notorious for its high attrition rate.

For me now I am focusing on another little break and working to raise funds for my time in Europe. Then I will be keeping my riding pretty basic and least likely going to do any racing. My riding will be based around “collecting k’s” and build my legs up for what will be a long but good season of racing in Europe. 

Busy, but also a little bit Slack...

Its been a wee while since my last post.

I last wrote when I was in Boulder, training in the heat of summer whilst sipping coffee and watching the Tour de France. Sounds good? It was.

Suddenly I was on a big plane heading south. But towards Australia for the Tour of Gippsland and the Tour of Geelong. Gippsland was my first race since Mt Hood so I was well trained but missing that slight edge you get from lots of racing. Gippsland was my blow out tour. With plenty of hard work and aggressive riding once Benny had given us a kick up the ass for missing the race winning move one day.



From there we spent 10days in Geelong trying to recover and get set for the next tour. During the 10days free we had Alex had arranged for us to visit some local school to talk about cycling. Seemed like a bit of bit. I can easily chat away with adults but with 5 year olds, I FROZE! however it was all good fun.

The greatest thing about the Tour of Geelong was there was only one day where we raced 2 stages, where as Tour of Gippsland was full of "double days". After what we as a team felt like was a disappointment  at Gippsland We were set on starting the tour on the right foot, and with James Oram and Dion Smith joining the squad with fresh legs we wanted to make a bigger splash than we did previously.

Before the tour started we did a fair bit of course recce (recon) so we could have a structured approach to the tour. Where to best spend our energy over the 5days depending on our goals. We were looking for a good General Classification placing and to win a Classification Jersey.

Right from day 1 Alex was in the Sprint ace after an aggressive racing style which also earned him the most aggressive rider of the day award.

A hill top finish in the afternoon and we were sure the field was going to split like it had in the past, however this year was the exception as we rolled into the finish on top of a 2km climb in a bunch.

The next day was another simple crit looking after alex and helping him to build his lead on the Sprint Ace Classification. It was a hard day in the wind leading him out but we got the job day. Now we had to recover for the "race of truth" or the time trial the next day which was surely going to separate the field and set up the General Classification.

For me the TT day was a great day in the books. The result of finishing 9th wasn't exactly what I wanted but I was pleased with how I had ridden the tt course and still pulled off a good result. This had finally moved me into a definite 7th overall in the tour with 2 days remaining.

The tt was a big day, so the 140km Road race afterwards was a huge challenge but I held on over all the big climbs to finish in the front group of 18 riders after 140 people started and 70 withdrew from the race. That wee effort and fight had bumped my up to 6th on the overall standings.

The day was another crit, and being only 3 secs from 5th on GC it was my job to try get a few time bonus sprints during the race. It took alot of effort and a few risks but it all paid off and I was able to jump up to 5th on the Overall standings thanks to the help from my team mates.

All up the tour was a great success for a "under dog" team racing against a strong field who live and breathe for these Aussie tours. Alex finished the tour in the Sprint Ace jersey and the overall Most Aggressive rider also.

Now I am back home. trying to decide my next move and when to point myself in the right direction.

The Goals are being set and its bloody good to be home. Making the most of a few days easy and eating alot of Kwi food thats always a treat. But I will be back into it in no time and looking to make a bit of noise this summer.

Fingers Crossed.

Photos to follow.

T

Boulder Based

To be honest 100% honest there nothing to complain about this years season. I have been incredibly lucky to live in the little town as Boulder. Its taken its time but I have finally got use to altitude and am hoping the proof will be there next time I race.

I've probably said it a few times too many but living in the same town as 12 of your mates who ride for the same team and to also have more Kiwis and Aussies around it has made my first real season away from home a lot easier. It is only now, after knowing I will be heading towards home very soon that I have really starting thinking about NZ.

But before I go home there is a bit of a detour. I am now scheduled to go race the Tour of Gippsland and the Tour of Geelong. I haven't done much racing so far, so the goals are set high for a strong performance in the second half of the season, and with the Tour de France on what more motivation could you ask for.

My days now consist waking up and rolling down to the local cafe to watch the stage finish of the tour at around 930am, thank god for time zones! then the days resumes with the normal training schedule and routine of life. Its proved to be a popular meeting point for all the Pureblack Racing guys so no one is ever lonely on training rides.

One conclusion I have come to about training in Boulder is, that you never go training in "the hills" because the climbs are so big here you often get 1 big climb which can take you nearly over 1.5hrs to climb. However one big climb can sometimes be better than heaps of small ones I guess. 

Over and out.

T

Mt Hood Classic

Out of the 4 of us guys I think I was the one most excited about the tour. Not just because we were racing again but also that there were a lot of changes to the stages we raced last year. 

It proved to be full of challenges which created a scene for highs and lows of tour racing.  

I have fallen into a bit of trap and have been rather dependent on being told what to do during race, but at Mt Hood we could race a bit more for ourselves, and still work together. It worked well for us as there was only 4 PBR riders doing Mt Hood instead of the usual 8 so we had to be smart and come up with plans as a group. 

In true PBR tradition we kept the racing aggressive, especially for the crit. I think I got a bit carried away and crash right infront of the live stream camera. It was a bit of a front wheel slide out on a hair pin corner when another rider went down in front, nothing I could do expect copy (not a cool trend I recommend to follow).

The final stage was set to be on a testing course, with not alot of flat and alot of climbing. 10,200ft to exact. I haven't been too confident of my climbing recently but it seems i found my legs and was with the select few including team mate Louie over the 3rd climb. Yellow Jersey had dropped so I was on the front keeping the pace honest, it was great having some legs back! A puncture for Louie meant a quick wheel change between bikes because the roads were almost too narrow for the follow vehicles. I was left to chase back on on a long twisty decent. Seems like if you carry too much speed into a corner you can't turn. I flew off the road and down a fair wee way into the bush. Past a couple of trees. Just a bit of excitement really. To add salt to injury 15km from the finish after my 2nd crash my spare wheel punctures. Race over.

A week in Portland of riding and relaxing and in my case recovering. Monday was full of good unhealthy food like M&M's and caramel, I wish I could say I had a few cold beers also but I am still not of age here so no chance. 

Time for a pedal.

Over and Out.

Mt Hood Classic Stage 4 by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

Last day. The legs were back and climbing well. We dropped yellow on the 3rd climb and drove it.

Louie punctured so a quick change had him back on the road. Seems I chased a bit too hard and went off the road into a tree or more at a fast rate of knots. Then another puncture.

Still enjoyed every bit of the race.

Mt Hood Classic Stage 4 by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

Mt Hood Classic Stage 3 by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

The Crit. With pretty good legs i set out for an aggressive race. It was alot of fun, until my front wheel got taken out and I had a bit of a an off.

Not to worry got up and went straight back to the front.

Mt Hood Classic Stage 3 by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

Mt Hood Classic Stage 2 by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

A different approach to the tt than I usually take.

Today was a bout taking it easy and saving my legs for the last 2 stage.

Mt Hood Classic Stage 2 by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

Mt Hood Classic Stage 1 by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

A big day on the bike. Seems as if I am not liking the hills this year.

Tomorrow is a TT in the morning and a Crit late at night.

Mt Hood Classic Stage 1 by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

Untitled by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

Todays Prologue raced at Mt Hood Oregon.

Simply not a fan or find Prologues my strongest strength but something I will need to improve on.

Untitled by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

Back to where it all started.

Next week I fly out to Portland, Oregon to race the Mt Hood Classic with a few guys in the team and complete my 2nd block of racing.

What makes the trip to Mt Hood so special for me is that it was the first race I did last year when I came over to join Mike and Roman to race for Rubicon Orbea last year. Although they have changed the majority of the courses this year I am really excited to be heading back. I have already arranged for a trip to to downtown Portland for a famous Voodoo Donut. We also get the chance to spend a few days riding around, so I look forward to showing the boys the loops.

After that we fly from the West Coast to the East Coast, from Portland to Washington D.C. This will the first time I actually have been to the East. Here we will be racing the Air Force Classic. Not too sure of the format but sounds like it is a couple of crits. None the less its racing!

While my little trip is going on the older PBR boys will be lining up for the Philadelphia International Classic. This will be one of the teams biggest races this year as Pro-Tour teams from all around the world come to race.


I can now say I have been to a baseball game over here in the States. What do I think of it. Well its alot like cricket. The crowd really makes the experience and the game. It was a crazy sight to see over 64,000 fans out packing the stadium. I even treated myself to all american hot dog. Nothing still compares to the classic Kiwi sausage sizzle however.

Living out of a Bag

After 3 weeks on the road living out of a bag and jumping from Hotel to Hotel coming into Boulder felt like I was coming home. The familiar sights and surroundings never seemed so welcoming.

Gila was a bit of a learning experience and one race where the results would never show the progress I have made. As I have written earlier on.

Heading East and losing altitude with 2 days of 11hr drives we set up in Arkansas for Joe Martin Stage Race. A leafy green Uni town. The polar opposite of anything I have been around for 2months(desert). Arkansas was alot like New Zealand and during our first ride it seemed everyone was in a great happy mood from the lush surroundings and itching to race another tour.

This was also my first race away from any sorts of altitude in a long time so it was going to be interesting to see how I managed. Seems I managed alright and felt as if the legs were coming back. I wasn't "creeping" as much as previously alluded to in the report on Gila.

Joe Martin was a great tour and exactly what I needed. It had two long days, 170km and 180km stages. Its not often I race that distance let alone 2days in a row.

Luckily after Joe Martin we stayed in town for several days getting to have a bit of a look around and recover. There was no real reason to shoot of to St Louis in a hurry as the riding in down town wasn't perfect.

The shorter trip of our drives, 6hrs, we rocked up to Race accommodation. The Race organisers had put us in one flash wee hotel which seemed like a great way to round out 3weeks on the road. Although I drew the short straw and had to sleep on the couch.

St Louis Tour De Grove was made up of 3 evening crits. One of which was raced at 945pm! It was one late night. Another of the crits was a NRC (national race calendar) race, and they are pretty much a big deal over here. An aggressive start to the race from the Pureblack racing boys ended up putting Mike and Louie up the road in the winning break. The skinny guy Mike sprinted to the Win in the cold and rain. This is one of the teams biggest wins!!

Back home in Boulder and all it seems to do is rain and feel very cold. It isnt the greatest training weather and today I froze. Luckily its a bit of a recovery week as I build up to the Mt Hood Classic. The first race I did last year when I got here. Should be fun as most of the tour has been changed with new stages.

Over and Out.

Joe Martin Stage 2, 2011

A hard day of racing. One attack finally stuck in which I was included it. Once Paul Mach bridged across It threated our GC hope.

So free ride until Roman joined us at the front. From there the orders were to drive it as hard as I could into the base of the climb.

Then.. Lights out.

Still a great ride for both me and the team.

Joe Martin Stage 2, 2011 by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

Joe Martin Stage 1, 2011

What a hot and sunny day today was.

Alot of team work paid off with Roman running 2nd and moving up on GC.

Untitled by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details

Joe Martin Prologue 2011

Racing with Garmin means I come home with some pretty cool details from the race.

It includes the altitude, meters climbed, profile and map of the course and a few more details.

I will try post each stage and every race I do this year.

Heres the first of many to come.

Joe Martin Prologue 2011 by teegun at Garmin Connect - Details