After a layoff...

The last week has been a case of catch up for my riding. My week on call at work was not an easy one, with some difficult stuff going down. The end result was not much riding, with just a single decent ride, aside from the Thursday racing at DISC. Nonetheless, I am happy with how the track is progressing.

This week has been better, though still not a heavy week of training. Track racing this week was my best yet. Got left behind by the sprinters at the last lap of the scratch and fought to get over one of the women who was finishing strongly. Pulled it back to 3rd, which was not too bad. One of these days, I think that I will manage to hold the sprinters and maybe win it. The points race was a little sketchy in parts, with the field breaking up after the first sprint, which I got 4th in. Managed to hold 4th in the second, and pulled off the front for the third, being overtaken on the line for 2nd. Unfortunately I let it go at the end and finished in the pack. End result- 3rd. Pretty happy. The motor pace was done on 94.5 (49/14), and I have to say that I felt much better with it this week. When the bike pulled of I was in 5th or 6th wheel, and pretty rapidly overtook a couple, chasing those with more fast twitch fibres than I have. As the gear wound up I was coming up and found myself in the final straight coming up on first. Threw the bike at the line but lost by 1/2 a wheel, coming second. A great result for me- I really feel like the tactics are coming along and I am getting just where to put in the efforts.

Got out with the TE bunch up in the Dandenongs today and had a smooth and pleasant ride. Slightly marred by a hint of precipitation, the ride was nonetheless beautiful with the spring flowers in evidence on the eastern side of the range. I was also happy that my bike seems to have fallen back into a comfortable and powerful feeling position after all my stuffing around with seat and handlebars height of the past months. Enough adjustments!

The coming week will hold some training challenges- how much riding can I do whilst on holiday up on the Sunshine coast? Not much. I suspect. We can but do our best!

Of things not quite...

Pulled out a big Saturday morning- a decaf Kinglake. Oh, I stopped short of the big hill, no doubt, but what a ride! Such style and finesse has rarely been seen in the outer north eastern suburbs. Showing true class, I recovered as if I had done the whole lot, pulling up sore on Sunday morning. Now you tell me that all this track cycling isn't the best preparation for hillclimbing?

Sunday, being father's day brought a certain amount of family togetherness. Ernesto Colnago's comb over would curl in disgust at the use of one of his thoroughbreds for packhorse duty, but I had to race. Perhaps it was the multitasking that slowed me down on the undulating time trial- I did make sure I unhitched the trailer first!