Leading with the one and only photo I have from the 2017 National Championships, tucked away in second wheel, and I’m back into the blogs. If this is your first time reading these, there’s a link to subscribe up the top, or just click HERE. With that, I’ll send you an email each time I post a new blog. I’ve also updated the layout this year, linked my Instagram and Twitter, really going hard on that social media! I did a full write up on my nationals for http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/, I’ll save you a click and copy the full article out below, after a bit of an update on what I’ve been up to the past couple of months. After coming home from Belgium prematurely in August due to a broken elbow requiring surgery as the result of a crash mid-race, I was keen to put the European season behind me. My first year as an under 23 rider and I learnt so much; burnout, nutrition on and off the bike, and handling yet another injury. After the crash, the surgery and returning home 10 days later, I took a complete month off the bike. No riding at all, not even on the stationary trainer. I think the most exercise I did was walking into town and back, even that was a push. Getting back on the bike was a bit of a struggle, but after three and a half months training, I was tearing it up at nationals. I’ve had a strong build up this year, with a bit of racing thrown in, where my performances have never been reflective of my form. I managed a third place at the Dave Logue Classic, after breaking away with two others 70km into the 130km race. Apart from that though, most of my races have been used as solid training sessions, with the day prior usually consisting of a gym session in the morning followed by an interval based session in the afternoon, no rest for the wicked! No with that, here’s my write up on my nationals and the days leading into, directly copied from THIS RoadCyling article. “Tom’s Diary – a candid look at Nationals
I’m not the best rider, I’m not a national champion, hell, I’ve not even walked away from nationals with a medal and bottle of sav. Instead I’ve come away with some great experience, a sense of achievement and some definite goals for next year. Here’s a look into the intricacies of my nationals, and all the mundanity that goes with it.
The day before: Thursday, 05/01/2017
The day before the time trial, waking up with the realisation that I’d not charged my Di2 battery on my road bike in a while quickly kicked me into gear, causing me to rack my brain for someone or somewhere that would have a charger. Maybe the battery would have lasted until after Sunday’s road race, but I didn’t want to run that risk. After locating a charger, I headed out on the bike for an hour’s ride with dad, consisting of a handful of efforts during a lap around the time trial course, in order to re-familiarise myself with what I was in for the following day. We were then back to the motel, quickly showered and back out the door, road bike slung over shoulder. Dropping my bike into the saviours that are The Hub Cycle Centre in Hastings for my battery to be charged and then on to Havelock North for lunch at the Black Barn Winery, sans alcohol, sticking to the water to keep hydrated for Friday.Picking my bike and registration up on the way back to Napier, before pinning my number, packing my gear bag and planning my TT. I wanted to write up a plan for the TT so I didn’t do what I’d done the previous year, starting too fast then blowing spectacularly before the halfway point.
Time Trial: Friday, 06/01/2017
The Time Trial, first race of 2017 in a discipline that isn’t exactly my forte. Going in with the mentality of using it for experience – and as an added challenge – to work on my weaknesses. I’d not spent a huge amount of time on the TT bike, which seems to be crucial to success in the discipline, so didn’t have high hopes. Leaving the motel early to get to the start with plenty of time so that I didn’t have to rush and had time up my sleeve in case something needed changing with my bike. As soon as I arrived at the TT start, I had my bike checked on the jig, to make sure it was UCI legal for the race. I’d changed only one thing since the TT the previous year, and that was the stack under my time trial bars, raising them higher to try and alleviate tightness that I get in my glutes. The commissaries measured the height from the top of my elbow pads to the top of my ‘drop’ bars on the bike and promptly told me that it wasn’t legal, that I had the time trial bars 10cm too high. After toing and froing between my dad, coach and the commissaires, we eventually determined that they’d taken the wrong measurement. The distance between arm pad and drop wasn’t what counted, but the distance between the top of the pad and the top of my time trial bars, which was significantly within the legal measurement, phew!Once I knew all my gear was in order, I started going through the motions of getting ready. Into the skinsuit, onto the trainer, headphones on and slowly warming up half an hour before my start. There’s not really a lot to say about what happened during the TT, I started off slow and wound it up to what I thought I’d be able to hold for the full 40km, which in the end wasn’t enough for a ‘good’ time and to crack the top 10, instead I had to settle for 15th. Considering the training I’d done in terms of designated time trial efforts, I can’t complain. I know what I have to do for next year if I want a good chance at a solid result and I’ve learnt that I definitely ride better with a plan to stick to. Good learning curve, happy that I’d at least given it a go, put it behind me and moved my focus on to Sunday’s road race.Back to the motel to relax and hang out with friends in the evening.
In between race days: Saturday, 07/01/2017
Three a.m and I’m in the bathroom vomiting, remnants of last night’s dinner splatter the porcelain, what a great way to start the weekend. I managed to get back to sleep and eventually wake up at 8, in time to head out on my bike and wish my girlfriend (Amanda Jamieson) luck before the start of the women’s road race. After they’d left, I rode down to Clive and back for an hour’s ride to spin the legs out after the TT and before the road race. A quick bite to eat after my shower and out on my bike to the city circuit, bottles full in order to keep hydrated. I made it to the circuit with 5 minutes to spare before the lead women came stomping up Hospital Hill on their first lap. I stuck around to support Amanda as she battled her way round the course, then made it to the finish in time to watch her take the under 23 national title!
I don’t think I could’ve been any happier, even if I’d won a national title myself.After the medal ceremony we headed back to my motel, where we hung out for the afternoon, talking nonsense, reading (got a great book on the go) and browsing social media. Later in the evening some close family friends came round for dinner, they shared fish and chips with my family while I sat eating my standard pre-race meal: brown rice, veggie and chicken stir fry. After they’d gone, I pinned my numbers on my kit, changed my tyres on my wheels (I train on the same set of wheels I race on, I love them that much) and my bike was ready for the following day.
Road Race: Sunday, 08/01/2017 Race day, waking up at 8, battling through a decent breakfast (weet-bix, banana and toast with marmite and avocado) and taking my time to make sure everything was in order, all my bottles were filled, pockets stashed with food and I was off to the start line. After signing on, I had a quick yarn with the girlfriend and other mates, and then we were off.I was trying to stay near the front early in the race in case the break went early like it did last year, which I was keen to be in. It didn’t end up going as early, and I ended up sitting around the mid-front of the bunch for the next 60 km, until we turned right at Bayview to come back down to Napier. I knew before the start that this moment was going to be crucial with the crosswinds, so stuck close to the front and readied myself. I made it into town with the front bunch, then managed to somehow still be with them the first time over Hospital Hill, noise from the spectators roaring in my ears and twinges of cramp beginning to gnaw at my hamstrings.I kept sinking bottles of carbohydrates with added electrolytes and began ticking off the laps in my head. 7 more times over the hill, 6, 5, 4, 3, the cramp had subsided and our bunch diminished to a group of 5 under 23’s (and a couple of elites) racing for the final U23 podium spot. I was starting to feel comfortably uncomfortable with the pain in my legs and felt primed for the finale. With 15km remaining, one rider attacked convincingly leaving our group to battle for 4th under 23 in the final kilometres. With 800 metres to go I made a solo dig thinking that I might have been able to take advantage of hesitation in the guys behind and sneak in for fourth. It never worked. I ended up rolling over the line 6th U23 and 20th out of 22 finishers from a field of 80 starters.
I’ve improved on last year, and definitely exceeded what I thought I was capable of given my performances in races leading up to nationals. I’m already looking forward to it again next year but still have more improvements to make before then if I’m to make a real mark on the race.”
Where to from here? This coming Thursday (19th Jan) I’m having the pins and wiring out my arm, quickly followed by leaving for Belgium on Monday (23rd Jan), a month earlier than I’d planned. My team for this year (Naturablue Cycling Team) are competing in six UCI classified (this means they’re invaluable if you do well in terms of exposure) one day races in Morocco, leaving Belgium on the 1st of February. I’ll get to Belgium with a week to spare in order to get used to the time zone, and hopefully do a week on the trainer to stay away from the cold, snow and whatever else may be lurking in the lowlands. After my time in Morocco, I’m having a two week break off the bike, recharging the batteries and getting prepped to start building up again late February for what I’m hoping is going to be a propitious season. Next blog probably won’t follow until post Morocco, or even midway through if all’s going well. Subscribe and I’ll email you when it’s done. T.W.C