Fulldynamix Factory Team

Where to start I guess! 

Firstly you need to understand a PROFFESIONAL athletes career is completely different to what you see. From the out side you see a good interpretation of what is expected. Few people see and feel the stress of contract negotiations. It was a big decision leaving my previous team, the team I helped grow to what it is today.  There is no need to get into the finer detail but to shed some light, leaving was not by choice: I simply had no option.

Fortunately I had a good season and had a few options on the cards.

There is a reason why there are only a handful of South African athletes competing in Europe. It most certainly is not sunshine and roses. There are literally thousands of cyclists fighting for that factory ride. To get this opportunity doesn't come round often!

Fulldynamix has focused on the Marathon scene for the past 4 years and now switched to World Cup XCO Olympic format. It is a family run business and you most certainly feel that as you walk through the factory doors.

It's going to be difficult to put down in words the experience I had whilst in Italy but I will try my best to give you some insight. 

To be honest I was apprehensive leaving South Africa, all I had was a gentlemen's agreement on a two year deal. I felt somewhat responsible for Travis, I promised him everything would be ok and that in itself rested heavily on my shoulders. 

Arriving in Italy we were welcomed by a well known marathon athlete Mauro Bettni who Is now the director sportif of the team, you could immediately sense he knew what it was like for us and made sure we felt welcome. The first words to come out his mouth" double espresso, We have a big day ahead" and smiled from ear to ear. 

We headed off to the DMT shoe factory and later to the kit manufacturers. It was like a light switch turned on, now I understand why we are so far behind. Everything was systematic, they had a checklist starting from the shoes up, no short cuts taken. If the kit didn't fit perfectly they would work endlessly until we had the correct sizing and so it went on. At first I didn't understand the mentality as back home we get told what to do when to do it and how to do it and to top it off made to feel as we are privileged to be getting a bike. Here it was all about the athlete, we were there investment and In order for them to see a return everything had to be perfect. 

Besides the obvious beauty of Italy, the one thing I will never forget was watching a two time winner of the Giro d'italia build my bike. The sense of bride in what he has achieved and now In the position to give back, taught me allot. He made sure we had the best of the best and nothing less, he personally built our bikes. The willingness to give will never be forgotten. 

There was no ultra ego, he would eat bread from the same basket and wine from the same bottle. 

The four days spent in Italy are four days I will never forget. We were welcomed into homes of complete strangers. I could go on and on but to sum it all up we were made to feel part of the family and that I respect. 

Don't get me wrong we understand the responsibility and the pressure to perform is there. 

I look forward to a exciting year ahead with Battaglin Family. 

✌️

The highs and lows of a professional athlete

The first part of this was written two nights before the french world cup, I read over it now and it overwhelms me how it relates to my world champs result. 

Many people including myself ask the question, why are the Europeans so much faster then us?! Last night whilst driving in circles looking for my accommodation and today riding 3km up a pass with my bag of shopping strapped to my shoulder. It was clear this isn’t normal, I didn’t see any europeans doing shopping, carrying bags full of groceries, worrying about budget.

So I ask, how much of a advantage is it to be in your comfort zone off the bike. In my opinion thats pretty much all it is, this separates us from them. Its uncomfortable for many traveling in foreign countries. The cost of living, language barrier and so many factors make most of us feel uncomfortable. Not much is being done by responsible parties to make racing our bikes in Europe the priority.

We have so much talent in our country it frightens me. The numbers we do in training are on par with some of the best in the world. Yet we seem to struggle?

Today on track I saw several national teams training. All with the sole purpose of gathering olympic points for their country. Keep in mind olympics is two years away. Plans are in place, the belief in there athletes is there.

It seems a little unfair that my sponsors pay for me to gather points for our federation. Parents spending there life savings on there kids dreams. In my eyes thats not a pretty picture.

Im fortunate I have worked hard and never given up on my dream, my sponsors understand all my concerns and collectively we are working around these problems, we understand the importance of being comfortable so when the time comes to be uncomfortable on the bike we are mentally and physically ready.

I was confident all week leading into the french world cup, its difficult to explain but when you on it, you most certainly know it. I had been doing some great numbers since joining since2sport, with Johns help I knew exactly where I was physically.

The start was no different to the rest, the only thing on my mind was fighting for the next wheel. You get to the point where your mind, body and pain either get the better of you, or you over come it and realise the possibilities. On lap three I knew I was having a stormer, I was ticking them off one by one and soon in the twenties. I have always believed I could do it but not as a first year elite. On lap five I could see a group of nine riders 20sec up the road. Only a cyclist would understand that feeling. 

AND YES I FLATTED, it wasn’t a side wall cut but the valve core had come loose. I didn’t realise that was the problem so as soon as I used my Co2 the valve core blew completely off. I managed to ride a lap on the rim and put a new wheel in at the tech zone. I finished the day in 34th. I can honestly say I am proud of this result. 

This is where the first part of my blog comes into play. Leading into world champs I was out of my comfort zone, off the bike. I know many of you wont understand it but cyclist are best described as a well made swiss watch, all it takes is one lose part and we are out of sync. Gone are the days off putting a bad result down as experience. We need to understand why and make sure it never happens again, not on the big days, but on the days that really count. 

Far too much was out of sync leading up to World Champs, a big crash in training left me in pieces, too much travel time, the list goes on. I could sit writing for hours explaining but whats done is done and we will make sure we control the controllable next time. My end result was 56th, far from what we believed was possible. 

Looking back there was so much positive that came out of my final European trip, Friends, Family and sponsors now believe its possible to ride through the field and soon into the teens. I cannot wait for the new World Cup season.

The trip home always seems a lot longer when things don’t go your way.

I was back 24hrs and Trav and I were off to PE for the four day stage race, Plett2Pe. I knew Trav was in great condition, you can see the glow of confidence in a athlete when he knows he is on good form. It was almost like he couldn’t wait to pay me back for how much I hurt him at Sani2C. Day 1 was long and we both suffered. We didn’t go there just to win, we went there to race our bikes and that we did. Everyday we climbed on our bikes and raced them as if we only had a 10 second lead.

Early on in day 3 we had a mechanical. It was amusing watching Trav get his panties in a knot. After calming him down and fixing our mechanical it was a simple case of patience. Trav wanted to go harder and I had to talk him though it. It was truly a great event and I know why Victor created the Vipa. The bike was built for those conditions.

A huge thanks to the Momsen crew for sorting us out each day. 

Till Next time 

Learning to love the science of cycling

Learning to love the science of cycling. Each to his own but at this level, who we surround ourselves with makes the difference. 

I thought whilst I have a bit of time on my final flight to Geneva, I'd give you a short recap on the past months racing, and travels up to now. 

I know reading race reports can be boring, so I'll keep it short and sweet. Eston Classic is a big one for the team, being a KZN based team we take pride in the event. It almost seems as we have to win it. I knew I was in good form, a slight change in metal approach and coach has made a huge difference. The sport has become a science. You see athletes pitch up on a start line and think all they do is train, race and maybe win, I wish! Each and every day is analyze. Tweaking certain elements to gain a watt or two. Yes even I think that's crazy!

Getting back to the event, impyEvents has to be a leader in there field. Understanding the importance of keeping the professionals as well as the weekend warriors happy is a job I'd hate to do. I think they hit the spot every time. Thank you👍

Again there was a massive turn out, if I'm not mistaken 4000 riders😳. The golden rule of winning Eston is to win the KOM. It's almost a given if you win the KOM you will win the race..... Almost😁

I had a big block of training in my legs (thanks to John) I couldn't get away, I tried my luck several times but each time Brandon and Max were there. I couldn't let Brandon beat me in a sprint again😉...  In the last 10km, roughly 20 different ideas of how to win ran though my head, over and over again. Luckily I picked the right one😁 and happily defended my title🏆. 

Next up was the Clover road tour, I must say I hadn't been that excited to race in years. That soon changed after day one I seriously doubted my road riding ability. After data analysis I realized the cadence destroyed me. On the MTB our AV rpm is roughly 80. On stage one I averaged 97 rpm, by the time we hit the climb I had nothing. 

After day one the engine was ready, I haven't felt that good on a bike in years and it just got better day after day. I loved every minute of it and it left me feeling confident heading off to Europe. I must say I'm pretty bleak about missing out on the points jersey by ONE point.

I'll try my best to write something small each day, while I'm in Europe.  

✌️✌️

ELITE NATIONAL CHAMPION.

The not so glamorous side of a professional athlete, seven hours drive home. On the up side, I am the elite XCO champion😁 and I have more then enough time to give you guys a short recap of how I felt.

First off we were pretty stumped as to what bike to ride. The Vipa was built for those conditions and the SL929 weighed in at sub 8kgs. We didn't take the decision lightly, beating James on this track was going to be tough. 

Let me briefly explain how we went  about choosing the correct bike for the day. We did four laps on track with a Power Tap, two on the SL929 and two on the Vipa. Went home and compared the data, after lots of questioning and analysis we decided that less weight was more beneficial.

A good start was important setting the pace on the first lap has many advantages, I did just that. I had the control, exactly where I wanted to be. James rolled though on lap two, I knew if he didn't ride away here the race would go all the way to lap six. James is a great athlete, fitness wise we are on par. This race I believed would be won in the mind. Who ever wanted it most would win. 

Half way though lap 4 things were neck and neck we were throwing everything at one another. I could feel his pain and and sure he could see mine. I clipped a rock on one of the descents and heard I had cut my rear tire. I stopped right away and made sure the cut had sealed 100% before I climbed back on the bike, a spectator shout " James was 15sec ahead" around the next corner I saw him on the side of the track wheel out trying to fix a puncture. 

To be honest I had mixed emotions, I wanted to beat him fare and square but at the same time I was now in a commanding position. 

Going onto lap five I had over 3:30 lead, that's when I knew it was time to ride well within myself. Follow the same procedure I would on any other day.

Before I knew it I was coming into the start finish straight for my first elite National Championship title. Believe me, it hasn't taken a year or two to get here, I have been doing this my whole life. Through the good and the bad my dream nor dedication hasn't changed. 

Part of a great athlete is his support crew, sponsors, parents, coaches, girlfriends and most importantly a team manager. All these people add to the success of a athlete. 

Thank you to everyone that has been there from the start. I will wear the Green and Gold with pride. 

FINAL ROUND OF SA CUP series "Hayterdale"

After a consistent first half of the season, I was confident going into the final round of the SA Cup series. We arrived to a cold and wet PE on Thursday morning, unpacked our bikes and went for a short ride. Thanks to Marco and his family for having us over on Thursday evening. The rest of the team arrived Friday morning, we had the privilege of meeting at the TWT warehouse. Victor gave us the low down as to how things work and then headed out to the track for a few practice laps.

The track hadn't changed from the pervious year. Tight turns, narrow single track and not much climbing. We would be racing seven laps of the 4,2km course. I didn’t have a great start, fourth wheel into the single track. Phil first, Gert second and Beukes third. Gaps opened and I was left 20seconds off the pace after lap one. On a good day it would be hard to chase down Phil, but on this track it seemed impossible. Juniors were on course at the same time and passing large groups was a nightmare. 

By the end of lap two I had moved into 2nd place with only Phil up the road. I believed I could close down the gap, but it didn’t happen. He took his opportunity when it counted most. I ended the day in second place. I can’t be unhappy with a podium in all three rounds I competed in.

It was a good outing for the Kargo Pro team. The only concern was the lack of spectators at the event, not only for the athletes but for the sponsors. In order for our sport to grow CSA need to work hand in hand with the athletes and teams. It doesn’t help having national event 100km away from the nearest town.

I look forward to this upcoming weekend where I turn my focus to the world Marathon Champs…...

First Euro trip for KARGOPROTEAM.....

World cups #3 #4

It's that time of the season again, when you pray for those magical four open seats on your flight to Europe, When you spend more time is hotels and planes then you do on your bike and far to much time worrying about training. 

It's really difficult to find the balance between sleep, travel and riding. Overdo either one and you will pay the price. The trip started out with a flight to Prague, followed by car rental and a short 1hr drive to Nove Mesto. As usual upon entering the town you get the World Cup vibe. In my opinion one of the best World Cups on the calendar. The only down side of the town is the lack of healthy food,other than that it's beautiful.

Thursday was my first day on track. Not much had changed from 2013 and what a cracker of a course. The long straights didn't suit my riding style but  still one of the best courses on the WC circuit. I had more then enough to get over the flight and practice the course before Sunday. I was confident going into the race. Mentally I felt strong and my body was prepared to suffer. 

The start was crazy, they say the U23 age group prepares you for elite level racing, I felt like a fish out of water. Everyone looks bigger, faster and fitter. You could feel the tension going down the start straight. Brakes burning, tires screaming and the odd sound of carbon and aluminum hitting the tar. 

Making it round the start loop unharmed is a relief, but looking up at the start finish banner and seeing six laps to go takes every little bit of relief away. The opening lap, is the hardest part of any WC. Everyone is fighting for that one position better, do the math 160 athletes all fighting for one position better. It's carnage out there and yes, I wouldn't change that feeling for the world. 

It took me two laps to get into the race and by lap three my heart was out my mouth and I was part of the race. One long line separated myself in 57th till 30th. Now I know why they say every second counts. 15seconds and you move up from 57th to 50th. 

I ended the day in 57th. I know a lot of you might think it's not that's great. 57th in the world as a first year elite, not a bad way to start the season.

Next up on the schedule was Albsadt Germany. 190m of climbing in 3,9km sums up the track perfectly. I have had one of my best World Cups on this track, so you can imagine how much I was looking forward to the fight come race day.

Unfortunately this time it went horribly wrong from the start. I was taken out by another athlete jumping off his bike, it wasn't a high speed crash but I fell awkwardly on my knee. I tried standing up and my leg collapsed underneath me.  That was It, game over for me. Very disappointing, so much hard work goes into this and to be taken out on the start loops sucks. 

Looking back a at the trip I realize the significance of what we accomplished, the first African UCI MTB team alongside some of the best teams in the world. A huge thanks to Shaun and all involved.

Karkloof & Sani2C

Hey ladies and gents, sorry for the late recap on what went down at Karkloof. We got a last minute entry into Sani2C. Before I get started on that, let me tell you about Karkloof.

For those of you that have never ridden the event, you are losing out on one of the best one day events in the world. I was asked what makes this event so special. To put it simply, the event caters for everyone, finding the balance between families and the professional athletes is a must, we get to race some of the most amazing trails in the world whilst the rest can enjoy the beauty of the Karkloof.

Getting back to the race. It was awesome to see all the big names ready and hungry to win. You would think with 60km of racing ahead we would ease into it. The pace was on from the gun, Brendon (TREK) and I set things up and by the top of the first climb we had opened a 20second lead. 

Then the fun started Brendon and I threw everything at it going down the Gauntlet. When we had reached the bottom we had just over a minute lead.

The major climb lebanon always decides the outcome of the race. Brendon and I crested together, unfortunately he had a mechanical at the top of the climb, I was left with a clear road ahead and a group of 5 chasing. 

I really wanted to win this event, ever since I was a kid watching Burry out sprint a group of seven riders to win his first Karkloof. Not much was going to stop me.

I ended the day with just over a 3min lead and most certainly one I will never forget.

If you haven’t done this event, DO IT.

Till next year!

Next up was Sani2C, I got the call Tuesday morning from our team owner asking if I wanted to race. Not many would turn down the opportunity to race arguably the best three day event in the country, if not the world. 

It was Trav’s first stage race and believe me I understand the nerves. This year saw the strongest field yet, every South African professional team was there. I believe Trav is one of the best talents this country has and the belief of a podium was by no means a far stretch of the imagination. 

Stage one was fast, Trav and I just missed the front split, we didn’t lose to much time on the leaders and the race was far from over. That evening we discussed how we planned to get back time on Stage two. Its easy making planes but implementing them is much harder then you would every believe.

Things turned out pretty much how we planned, against all odds. We had opened 3min gap down the famous umkomaas valley and stretched that lead to just over 4min with 10km to go. We were virtual leaders of the tour. All the hard work had been done, there was not a climb in sight. Then Trav hit the preverbal wall. It happens to the best of us and having a team mate who understands that is important. It was rather funny when I told Trav to grab hold of my pocket, he reply “ I can’t I’m to f#@$d” we ended the day in  5th. 3min 20 off 3rd overall

I was told its impossible to pull back that amount of time on the final day. I guess it was one of those “challenge accepted” moments. I went from the gun and got away with the TREK team. They didn’t do much work but, I guess thats racing. We didn’t end up winning the stage but we did move into 3rd overall. I am super chuffed with the result and thank you to my team mate and good friend, he left everything out there.

A big thanks to Shaun for making it all happen and for the continued support not only from him but the rest of my supporters.

UCI Marathon World Series.

Its not often that there is space in our schedule to race an ultra marathon and with the opportunity to qualify for world marathon champs later on in the year, I was pretty excited to race. Being a XCO racer the endurance would always be a factor. Trust me, 120km on a mountain bike at 2800m above sea level is tough.

The first 20km was fairly flat and fast, and the racing really started going up KOM. By the top, four of us had slipped of the front. The lead group slowly got bigger as riders clawed there way back. Things settled down and a group of ten riders made there way though the 50km water point. 

It wasn't long after that I felt my front tyre going flat which seemed strange as the marathon tyres we ride are pretty much puncture proof. I thought id ride it and hopefully the tyre would seal. It wasn’t long after that I lost all pressure. Thats when I realised the valve-core had come out. 

After removing a valve core from a spare valve I got going, I had lost the lead group and a fair bit of time. The race was far from over, surprisingly as the race went on I got stronger. Going through the 75km water point Renay Groustra and I started pushing on the pace. One by one we started catching riders. With 30km to go I was by myself and still pushing the pace, eventually I caught Arno in 6th. 

The last 5km we could see Andrew and Adriaan in 4th & 5th just up the road. Unfortunately I couldn’t close the gap and ended the day in 7th, most importantly qualifying for World Marathon Champs.

KZN Champs.

This weekend saw the team racing KZN champs at Cascades and what a track KZN mtb had put together. Unfortunately I didn't have time to pre ride the course. I have ridden most of the trails in the area and Trav gave me a run down on the layout, so I had a good idea.

The start was nice and fast and Brendon and I slipped off the front early on.

I took the first few laps easy to get a good idea of the track, Brendon set a good pace and we opened a sizeable lead by the end of the lap.

I sat in for the next two laps waiting for the right time to make my move. I could see I was faster on the climbs and half way through lap three of seven I made my move, on one of the harder climbs on course. I opened a gap which gap grew lap by lap. By the end I had opened a 1min 30 lead.

I am really happy with my ride, my mind is fresh and I'm ready for another big block of training.

AFRISKI C1 LESOTHO.

You may think the team gets to spend a lot of time together, in fact its the opposite. Most of us are racing in different parts of the country on the same weekend. When we do, we make the most of it. Spending 7hrs in a van with a bunch of guys is always entertaining. We arrived late friday afternoon to lessen the effects of altitude. 

The vibe in the little ski village was awesome and the buffet dinner went down well.

For those of you who didn't know the race was held at 3273m above sea level. Yes, breathing was difficult and to think of racing up there was crazy.

After last weekends disappointing ride it was crucial to get a good result, not only for myself but for my commonwealth hopes. Its not easy coming back from such a poor performance, many unnecessary questions go unanswered. Losing is the easy part, bouncing back is really tough part.

The 7 lap race wasn't technical, altitude would take care everything. I didn't have the greatest of starts and got caught up behind a small crash. James got away early on lap two, leaving Philip and myself chasing hard. Phil dropped off at the end of lap three which left me in second. The race was far from over. A big chase group formed and all the riders chasing were capable of riding back. Racing at altitude is a massive psychological game, who ever can suffer most will win.

I am not in the best form of my life, I had to dig deep to hold off the chasers. David Fletcher (OMProteam) caught me with two laps to go. He wouldn’t work with me knowing it was important for me to come second South African. On the final climb he made his move. I tried to go with him but didn’t have it in the tank.

After having time to analyse the event, I am happy with my performance. 

You learn a lot when you overcome difficult times. I have worked hard to have the support structure I do and the people I have around me are really good at doing their part. Thank you all.

WORLD CUP #1

It’s difficult enough writing a race report of any worth, it gets even more tricky writing one without sounding like you making excuses.

I have had some time to reflect on the weekends race, and it has put things into perspective.

The race didn’t go according to plan. Its mind blowing how you can put months of hard work, hundreds of hours in on the bike and thousands of Rands into preparation and simply, you have a bad day. Most cyclists know from the very first pedal stroke what kind of day they having. So I won’t bore you with reasons as to why and blame it on some illness I didn’t have. I had a bad day, simple.

There were some great things to come out of this event. To see the first ever African team set up in the pits of a World Cup arena was awesome and what a privilege to be a part of it. The sponsors our team owner Shaun Peschl has put together are unbelievable.

Im sure you guys have seen the new bike Victor brought out especially for the WC and what a beautiful bike she is, it was really cool having Victor hang around the arena and give us some insight into his world. I’m sure he would agree, all of us learnt a lot. It was also a great privilege to have Stephen from QUICKROCK round for the weekend. To Warren and Shaun thanks for making sure everything was perfect and to all of you that support and follow me, I’ll be back.

Sugar Rush.....

This weekend saw the second running of the Sugar Rush classic. It's not often you get to roll out of bed an hour and half before go time, have breakfast and ride 15min to the start of a race.

It had been a CRAZY hard week of training , with the World Cup just a week away the focus was on high intensity training. I was using this event as my last quality session. I was given the go ahead by my coach to ride on how I feel. And that I did, I couldn’t believe how good I felt on the day, it was one of those days you wish you could bottle up and keep for the big day. 

It was awesome having Travis come down for the race, he added to a quality field and hats off to a few of the junior riders. There is some great talent coming though the ranks.

Trav got off the line and headed straight to the front, he didn’t let anyone come though for a solid 30min. Under instructions to give 200%, not a fun day out for others. It set things nicely up for me, I got to test my legs where it counted. On the major climb of the day I went to the front and set a hard tempo, with the goal to make my move on the final climb of the day, with less then 10km to go. 

It's not often things work out the way you plan but it sure is sweet when it does. On the final climb I opened the taps and put my head down not looking back until I hit the finish line. I must say this was one of the better tracks I have ridden on the North coast, well done to the Sugar Rush team.

Another great weekend for the KargoProMTB with 5 podiums, Paul Rodenbach in the Cape, Our youngster Marko in PE. Travis, James and myself on the North Coast. Again thank you to everyone who makes this happen.

HOME TOWN CAT1

Firstly, a shout out to Cycling South Africa. Not many understand the importance of having Cat1 events in our home country. Usually teams have to spend thousands getting us to these events around the world. South African XCO athletes are going to benefit tremendously from this. THANK YOU!

After spending much of the week on the indoor trainer, I finally managed to get in a lap on the Cascades track, and what a track Nick has put together. I think some people are going to be surprised come the first world cup :-)

I had the perfect start and got the hole-shot. I set a hard pace on lap one, I wanted to split the group as quickly as possible. After the first lap Phil, Brendon and myself had a 25second lead. All credit to them they threw everything at me on lap two and made me pay for my first lap efforts.

By the end of lap two, the three of us had split. Phil up front Brendon in second and myself in third. I could see them through out the lap. I didn't have the firepower to close them down and I was really slow on the descents. My hand and shoulder seemed to be holding up, with the thought of commonwealth selection in mind. Not much would stop me.

I managed to get a good rhythm on laps four and five. Consistency gets results. Even when you have guys breathing down your neck its important to keep consistent and stick to your game plan. I fought hard and ended the day in third.

It was a great day for the team with three Kargo athletes on the podium.

Not a lot has gone my way over the past couple weeks. To fight through some pain, did well for my confidence. The season is still so young and with the support of my team, support staff, manager and sponsors a lot is still possible.

Thanks to the guys from Momsen for getting me some awesome new bits before this weekend. The Stans VALORS turned some heads. Also thanks to Warren and Shaun for making sure the weekend ran smoothly.

REALITY CHECK.

Taking health and fitness for granted is one of the greatest sins. There is nothing worse then wanting to race your bike and not being able to ride due to injury. Never get complacent, always follow the steps you took to get you where you are today.

We arrived in mother City on Thursday afternoon and headed to the Argus EXPO. 

It was awesome being able to spend some time at the Momsen stand discussing some of the 2015 gear. Lets just say we have a lot to look forward to :-). After collecting some fresh rubber and bits from Nike we headed to our accommodation just out side Grabouw. Thanks to Paul Rodenbosch and his Parents for having us at there lovely hotel (Houw Hoek). 

I finished building my bike. 

And headed out for a short spin which turned out to be a terrible idea. Im not entirely sure what happened but the out come wasn’t great. I stumbled in to the accommodation a little worse for wear.

Shaun managed to put me back together that evening. The next morning we went to the pharmacy to get some more aid. Trav and Paul headed out for a few practice laps whilst I went out on the road. The track was the same as Conti champs, so it wasn’t a train smash that I didn’t do a few laps.

I had a false sense of hope that my hand would be ok ,come race day. I was going to give it my best no matter how sore. Race day came,we strapped up my hand pretty well.

I couldn’t t stand and sprint, so my start wasn't t great but I made the front group. The first half of the track was pretty much uphill and my hand wasn’t much of a problem. Going down was another story, its not often I feel out of control on my bike. For the first time it felt like I could really hurt myself, I couldn’t hold the bar. It didn’t matter how much of a death grip I gave the bar, the muscle was too torn and bruised to hold on.

Its never nice having to throw in the towel. Its times like this where your support staff become ever more important. It is easy to fall in a hole and feel sorry for yourself instead of doing everything in your power to fix the problem. 

Congrats to Trav and Paul for putting together some great results for the team. 

Wartburg Classic.

This weekend saw the start of the annual Roag series, round one was held at Wartburg high. After three back to back weeks of intense training it was bound to be a tough day. The start was fast and Brendan Davids (TREK) could see I was tired. Luckily I had my team mate (Travis Walker) who could cover a few of the early moves.

The three of us got away early on and settled into a nice rhythm. The track was deceivingly hard, with 1700m of climbing over the 65km. Brendan put in a few solid efforts to try shake Trav and myself. I knew if I got through the first 1hr my legs would come round. Experience pays off and after 1hr my legs started to feel normal 

We continued to share the work and Trav looked to be getting stronger though out the day. I stopped and put some air in my rear tyre to fix a slow leak. Some how managed to rejoin as Brendon put the hammer down.  We took a wrong turn but soon found the track. 

It wasn’t long after that and I saw Brendan was starting to hurt. I whispered to Trav "it's time to GO" he put the hammer down and I was soon regretting having told him to go. 

We rode the last 15km really hard and crossed the line together Trav in 1st and myself in 2nd.

The bike was perfect and the new Fox ICD suspension was unbelievable, the on demand electronic lock is something you have to experience for yourself to fully appreciate it.