If your looking for a professional yet laid back or opinionated approach into my journey into becoming a professional cyclist then should make entertaining reading.
Admitting that I used to be a triathlete around cyclists is always going to be a slightly sore subject, after all there is a small stigma about it, However I do owe it to my employer who is a World Ironman competitor and my first Tri coach for telling me to stop pissing about and start putting in the effort because they can see I have what it takes to do well.
Studying Sports Science and PE at uni has helped me devise my year training program which started mid way thru October, Some say slightly early but I know what I had to achieve and how long the time frame I had to achieve those goals meant I had to start a wee bit early. Basically getting rid of the broad shoulders and shapely back which swimming had given me and leaning right out to becoming a skinny weedy ectomorph, with exceptionally well defined legs.
So ill make the first the first 3 months short. Starting from Oct 28th 2012. First race day. Two races in one day with a 30min gap in between. Both wins, oooosh. cracking start.
November cat three with 10 points train, train, train, train. According to my Garmin November and Dec I tallied up nearly 1300 miles. :O.
January, cat three race=win, 20 point. race=win 30 points. race=win er....'no sir apparently a guy got away so your second'.
'you what? I sat on the front and pulled the whole race along because no one wanted to put any fecking effort and you tell me someone got away, bollocks'. I worked it out he fell off the back and cheated, bastard.
So February last race as a cat 3 all I need is to place to move up. Cue Mannakee 'you gotta win this one Lloyd to secure you place in the Crest RR in March'.
So plan was to take it easy, tempo at the front drop all the choppers and triathletes (sorry) then last 4 laps fly off and arrive in style on me todd, Cancellara style. No.
Puncture with on the last lap before count down. Bollocks. (6 laps to go) make it all the way round, just with some scary moments. peloton just ahead of me at the pits with 3-4 secs up. Change wheel with the help of the misses who turns out to be a mechanic in disguise. She sees I got a front puncture and stands there ready with wheel ready, I undo the skewer she removes and puts in the front wheel, the right way round too lever to the left I wind It up and she pushes me off. it took me around 15 seconds. and I didn't take a lap out so I started to chase, challenge accepted.
I lost about a kilometre in total and took me almost three laps to get back on, rolled for about 30 seconds and made my way to the front and put the hammer down much to all the disappointment of the other riders because immediately it was strung out and I was pulling of the front with a lap and half remaining.
Finishing sprint required and slight effort to get away from the remaining strong ones that hung on for dear life :P and there it is... arms open to grab my CAT2.....finally.
Stay tuned for the crest RR and my other recent race and training progress
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