It has been a super long time since I blogged. Life has been busy-crazy (cycling life and 'real' life) so have had precious little time. A few things to share:
Club Racing: I have only raced at club level twice since my last report. A combined handicap race on the Bunker's Hill Circuit (2nd) and a Twilight Criterium at Glenvale (5th). I love, love (love) combined handicaps and this is something that all three of the local clubs should be running more often.
Australian Masters Road Titles: I was supposed to take part in the road race and the time trial in the week of 24 September. Regrettably, I had to withdraw before the start after getting knocked over by an especially nasty sinus infection. As well as working hard to recover from my two shoulder operations this year, I have had a very bad run of colds and sinus infections. Now we are in the warmer months I am hoping for a slightly better run. I am also in the early stages of exploring some immune system issues I may be experiencing as a result of prolonged raised cortisol levels. Prolonged high cortisol levels can suppress the immune system making you more susceptible to illness. I apparently have the 'triple threat' for this situation. Busy job + endurance athlete + wound up personality = raised cortisol levels.
DRP Coaching: The coaching thing is going from strength to strength. I have a great bunch of riders working with me on monthly plans and many other people who 'come and go' on some of the other plan types I do. I am also very pleased to be finalizing the very first order of DRP Coaching kit:
You can order the kit here if you are interested: DRP Coaching Kit
Track Cycling: This is far and away the most interesting thing to have happened in my cycling world for some time. I have been keen to get back on the track for a while and am also looking for something to focus on in the warmer months. I purchased a beautiful Fuji Track Elite from iRide in Toowoomba and off I went. I thought I would throw myself in the deep end and do the State Titles Omnium for Masters 1 - 4 as my first race back. I really enjoyed myself and somehow managed to pick up the silver medal. I had a crack at the Elite State Titles Points Race a fortnight later. This was a tough affair. After picking up quite a few points early on I faded and pulled the pin a little after half way. The next day, Bikeline Racing rode the Elite State Titles Team Pursuit. This is what I posted on the DRP Coaching Facebook page after that event:
For the past couple of months I have been a part of the Bikeline Racing Team Pursuit Team. The team has been me, a current Masters QLD pursuit champion, a current Masters QLD sprint champion and a very keen roadie who was completely new to the track. My three team mates had never ridden a team pursuit before. Amazingly, we managed to win the Elite QLD Team Pursuit title yesterday. This is the classic case of the 'a champion team beats a team of champions every time'. I don't believe we were anywhere near the strongest team on paper, but we understood that technique, efficiency, aerodynamics and a well-measured effort, all combine to make a winning formula in one of the most technically difficult and tough events in cycling. Congrats to us!
Needless to say, I am very happy to be back on the track!
