SportsShoes Blog

21/09/09

Well I’ve now moved into my new flat in Manchester and I’m back into track training for a competition in Barcelona later on this week! After Trophee d’Or stage race I flew back home for a 12 day break from the bike! I was pretty busy, seeing friends and family, shopping, going out etc.  I also went to Barcelona for a 3 day holiday, it was really nice to get a bit of sun and see the sights! I’m sure my next experience of Barcelona will be a bit different though, a lot less lazing around in the sun and eating tapas and a lot more hard work!!

I’m really enjoying being back on the bike though and getting back on the track.  I’m sharing the flat with another cyclist, Dani King at the moment until the other girls get back from the World Road Race Champs in Mendrisio.  It’s really nice, situated in the student area of Fallowfield, Manchester.  It’s pretty busy around Fallowfield at the moment as its Freshers Week- we’ve stayed away though- don’t want to be catching any freshers flu!

Training on the track has been pretty mixed really, on some sessions I’ve felt quite good and on others, terrible! I guess it’ll take a while for my legs to adjust to riding the track again and get used to pace judgement necessary for individual and team pursuiting. I’m going through the motions though and hoping I’ll be able to do a decent time for the 3k individual pursuit in Barcelona.

27/09/09

Just arrived back from Barcelona again where I was competing in a European Track Cup meeting at the Olympic velodrome.  We arrived there on Wednesday night and were pleased to find it was a lot hotter than Manchester!!  The next day was spent on the track, where I did a couple of rolling efforts and a standing effort to open up the legs.  I was pleased to find that my legs had finally woken up after feeling rubbish the past couple of days! We then rested up during the afternoon, we were staying in the Barcelona University accomodation which was just across the road from the track, so was pretty handy!

Friday was the first day of competition, with the 3k individual pursuit in the morning. I qualified fastest in 3.49 so was in the final for gold and silver in the afternoon, against a Spanish rider.  I was pleased to do a decent time after so little preparation and on an outdoor track.  The final didn’t go to plan, as I’d decided to ride a bigger gear, which I never really got on top of so ended up finishing 2nd.  However, I was still glad I’d tried out the new gear, as there is so little racing opportunites for the pursuit so its important to try new things, especially with the Nationals coming up in a few weeks

After the pursuit final was the scratch race, so I was pretty knackered by then! I rode ok and kept myself in a decent position throughout the race until the last 6 laps when I made a few mistakes, meaning I lost my position and so was never in contention for the sprint at the end.  Came 11th. 

The points race the next day was even more disappointing.  I didn’t score a single point, despite trying a few times to take a lap and attack the sprints.  I simply didn’t have the legs, and the fact I hadn’t ridden a bunch race on the track for almost a year definitely showed.

So…a mixed bag results-wise! Pursuit was promising but bunch racing definitely needs more work! Got another hard week of training though so I’m hoping that my fitness will improve and better results will come!