Race Report: Solutions Training Toowoomba 2 Day

As predicted, this was a tough weekend. It was made all the worse by the extremely hot weather. We had approximately thirty starters in Elite A both days and it was a high-quality field.

Criterium (55 minutes + 2 laps @ Glenvale)

This was a very fast race. My Garmin recorded a maximum temperature of 38 degrees and an average temperature of 36.5 degrees. The start was a bloodbath and the field very quickly broke up. By twenty minutes in there was a break of three, chased by a group of four and what was left of the bunch trailing behind. I was in that third group and stayed with them to the finish (there were about twelve of us left by then). I was actually very pleased (and a little surprised to be honest) by this finish. Some very good bike riders got shelled out of my group and I didn't, which is great.

Road Race (72 km @ Goombungee)

If I thought the criterium was hot, then the road race was just something else. I cannot remember racing in hotter conditions. My Garmin recorded a maximum temperature of 45 degrees and an average temperature of 41.5 degrees. The start was extremely quick which took its toll. I made it over the first two decent hills okay but started to struggle badly on the undulating section heading towards Haden. Icould feel my legs just getting worse and worse and I eventually just popped. I went from being safely in the bunch to doing 15 km/h on my own in about ten seconds. I struggled home and finished the lap and joined all the other riders who pulled out at half way (I think only fifteen or so finished). This was a disappointing ride but it's not wise to read too much into it when conditions were so bad.

On a positive note, I had team mates finish second (James Thompson) and fifth (Darren Rolfe) which is great news. Special mention also to two more team mates who finished first (Chris Maycock) and second (Trent West) in the Elite B race.

I said last blog post that my form wasn't great and it would seem I was right. Having said that, I am pleased with how the criterium went. That is something positive for me to take out of the weekend.

A New Year and a New Team

With the clock ticking over to 2014, I am now an official member of Team TLD Racing. I rode the Queensland Road Team Series (QRTS) with them last year and have come across permanently now. This has been a great move for me and I am really looking forward to the year ahead. The team has signed a few young up and coming stars (ah, not like me!) who I am sure will inject something very positive into the team. James Thompson from Brisbane is probably the 'biggest' of the new names. Look out for him this year as he is a genuine talent. Ex-professional Darren Rolfe is also keen for a big year and is as fit as I can remember seeing him. 

2014 has had a slightly shaky start for me. I have been trying to concentrate on putting some solid base miles down but have had some unfortunate interruptions. I have had a major mechanical which put me off the road for two days, a stomach bug that knocked me around a bit and (last but not least) a crash that I am still recovering from. All things considered, I'm actually not going too badly, but undoubtedly feeling a little behind where I would like to be at this time of year.

I did get to test my form at a 60km club race at Boodua last weekend. The team had a hard ride around Haden the day before so the legs were a bit flat (as well as my left arm which was still giving me some discomfort). I am pretty happy with how I went. There were two riders off the front and I managed to jump across to them. We were soon joined by a fourth and that is how we stayed until the last 8km. I ended up third. This picture also shows the new team kit for 2014:

The Toowoomba Two Day is on this weekend. I have a 55 minute plus 2 lap criterium and a 72km road race on the Haden circuit. I am riding Elite A both days and it is an absolute quality field. I think I am in for a tough weekend but can hopefully use it to move forwards in terms of fitness and form. Wish me luck...