English
Hello everyone. The cycle season has officially started! The days of taking the first race steady and easing yourself gently into the season are behind us it appears. Many of the pro tour teams fielded strong squads in the season opening Tour Down Under. Caisse D’Epargne were virtually at full strength and their top riders were not hiding. The Spanish outfit were looking for the win with Luis Leon-Shanchez and he was being ably assisted by his team leader Valverde.
The battle over Woolunga Hill with World Champion and local favourite Cadel Evans was the highlight of the weeklong tour for me. British based Team Sky had a largely impressive debut. Greg Henderson and Chris Sutton were always in the mix for stage wins in the sprints. They were thwarted on most occasions by Columbia’s ultra impressive Andrei Greipel who took a hat full of stage wins and the overall. It was Evans’ performance for his new BMC team that I was most impressed with.
I have often been critical of the Australian in the past. I believe that he has often failed to grasp every opportunity to attack and has suffered because of it. However credit is deserved for his attacking style in his “home” race. Ironically I would not have criticised him for “keeping his powder dry” in January given that his main goals will be 3 week stage races in May and July but he gave it his very best shot and was not far away from securing an unexpected victory.
Next stop for the pro tour will be Qatar. This is bound to be a sprint fest, with only the nasty winds likely to break the peloton up. Cavendish will be out with a dental issue, but there will be plenty of fast finishers queuing up to take advantage of his absence.
My own progress continues to improve. My now regular track and specific turbo sessions are now being complemented with some longer rides in the New Forest. I’m starting to get to grips with the track. My Focus Pista is contributing hugely to my enjoyment indoor training.
I’m starting to master the art of holding a tight line around the bottom of the track and my confidence is growing with each visit. I’m lucky enough to have been able to join in the “Wiggle Sessions” at Calshot and “TrackyMalc” has really been putting everyone through their paces.
Back on the road thankfully the snow and ice have thawed. Only just in February there will always be a chance that we will experience another cold snap or two, but fingers crossed it will stay away long enough for me to build a solid base. I’m lucky enough to be able to get onto the New Forest within minutes.
The roads are quiet, but the terrain is not very challenging. In the next few weeks I hope to get across to the Meon Valley where there are more undulating routes to test yourself on. Who knows? I may even pop into Wiggle Towers. See if I can blag myself a cup of tea!