Blogs

As the magazines and guides start to fill the newsagents shelves, our minds can start to turn to the start of the Tour de France ... in Belgium ...

We all know who we want to win, and I don't want to mention him for fear of being a curse. And of course I have previously stated on this very blog that I dont think he could ever win it... humble pie could be in the oven by the end of next month.

But who else could win this flatter, less mountainous, time trial friendly Tour?

GRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNHNNNGGGG

That was the noise I found myself making about three quarters of the way up Gold Hill. Coincidentally it was also the noise that Oli was making twelve hours previously after a quiet one ended up being not so quiet. Far from ideal preparation for a sprint hillclimb.

Here's what could've happened...

I could've won.  I could've come second.  I could've come third.  I could've had a mechanical.  A bear could've eaten my homework.  The tarmac could've melted my tyres and made me into a life-size Mr.Soft.  I could've finished the race. 

None of these things did happen. 

The neutral zone is the gap between ceremonial start and actual 0.0km of racing - usually about 2k out of the town traffic. This morning it  was like someone opened the gates of hell.

Before the start, you can see all the riders falling into routine. 

Best laughs at the Ras over the last 24 hours have been the An post  pro team staff, lead by Kurt (their manager) walking into hotel reception- REAL MEAN, like the James gang from High noon. "Ya for sure!" In a don't mess with us or else! type way.  And The Swiss BMC team wearing matching red white and blue tracksuits like pro teams did in the 80's. They look like the 1979 Russian javelin squad.

It's my second race of the season this weekend (27th May).  It's been a long time since March when I took part in my first foray of racing during which I got well and truly humped by my rivals as I got pumped out the back of the bunch on the 2nd lap. 

Earlier this month 17 participants were selected from all over the world to take part in the Dario Pegoretti “Tornemo indrio (Back to the roots)” workshop organised by Onirica Lab at Interzona in Verona, Italy. Thanks to the magic of twitter and my poor handwriting skills I was lucky enough to be one of them.

As a bloke approaching my 40's, the thought of not having had a proper day in the mountains on a bike was hitting me hard. 

The 20th anniversary of my first race had gone and past a few weeks ago, it had been a 2-up time trial with my first and current club Fenland Clarion. 

So the chance of a day's guided riding and coaching with Girona based Bikecat, whilst on holiday, was too good a birthday treat to miss!!

It's 4:29 am and the manager is snoring like a Yamaha. I probably don't need a night's sleep for the Donegal mountains tomorrow! I've tried the 'folding a pillow around my head' trick and the 'flushing an empty toilet' trick. Nothing is keeping out the noise. Shortly Im going to try the 'Would you for the love of sponge cake stop the feck snoring you fecking mother fecke snoring fecker fecker' method'.