What do track sprinters do in the off season? Go mountain biking of course!

Only a matter of hours after my track season finished, Emily and I undertook our first mountain bike adventure. Let me tell you for me it was big shock going from a silky smooth velodrome, a light carbon frame track bike with disc wheel pumped up to 170psi to a heavy mountain bike with fat wheels on a dirt track with lumps, bumps and tree roots everywhere!

We are lucky to have the Yarra bike trail virtually at our doorstep and while the smart thing to do might have been to just stick to the main bike path and dodge the walkers, dogs and tricycles, we instead chose to go on the single track which starts at the Banyule Tennis Club. (I wish I could use google earth right now so I could show you).

We went as far as Bond's Rd on the way to Westerfolds Park and were pretty slow going over and through the said obstacles but on the way back we had a little more confidence and had a ball.

It was just after we bulldozed our way over some tree roots, through some ditches and plowed through some mud holes that I heard Emily yell out in joy ... "I feel invincible on this bike"

Priceless!

"Time is a traveler ...la la li la la. " I don't remember the words of the song and I don't like the song anyway so why did I use it's opening lyrics to open my blog?

Well I was thinking about my times lately and how I have gone faster on every occasion I've done a flying 200 this summer. At the summer sprint series I went about 0.1 seconds faster each outing finishing the series with 13.0s.

At DISC, a fast indoor velodrome, my best before this summer was 12.80. This summer I did 12.60 at the metro championships then 12.554 at the Victorian Masters then 12.021 yesterday at the Australian Masters.

So where will it all end? Let's have a bit of fun with this. At the current rate of improvement I should be the world record holder in my age group in about three years time.  Then in the year 2018 Iook out Chris Hoy and Kevin Sireau because I'll be going under 10 seconds. I could be the first person to make their Olympic debut when they're 60!

OK, I'll get out of my tardis now and step away from the world of dreams. But whichever way you look at it, this summer has been good to me culminating in that time yesterday (12.021 - Yes I'll keep saying it because I'm damned proud of it). What a bummer I didn't actually get to race a sprint. Damn those scratchings. I can still claim to be the 5th fastest in the country and I know I would have been competitive had I raced.

So let's review some of the summer's highlights. (This is the new positive me - talking about highlights instead of negatives)

• Improved F200's with every outing on every occasion at every event
• Qualified in A grade for all but one round of the Summer Sprint Series
• Blackburn Club Champion and gold medalist for the sprint and the 500m ITT
• Metro Champion and gold medalist for the sprint
• Silver medal at the Metro Championships for the Time Trial
  
• Silver medal (best Victorian) at the Victorian Master's Championships (beaten by a Tasmanian - why was he there? grrr...)
• Massive PB (12.021 secs - there it is again) and 5th fastest at the Australian Master's Championships. Best of the Vics.

I think that's it for highlights. And I haven't even mentioned Emily yet! But for now I'll go back into the Tardis and the world of dreams and write about that some other time ....

I didn't win on Saturday but I came close.  Silver in the Masters 4 Sprint at the Victorian Masters Championships and I was beaten for Gold by a Tasmanian so I guess that makes me the best Victorian in that event in that age group. It also entitles me to wear the Victorian skin suit should I choose to enter the Australian Masters in a months time so I guess I better sign up.

Boy it was a long day, coming off an especially long and stressful few weeks. (And this week is going to be VERY stressful and you know why).

It started about a month ago when I picked up a new carbon fibre track frame from Gary Jackson at Riviera Cycles. Carl and Nathan put it together for me, I had a ride on it then proceeded to write it off completely - almost snapping the frame in half. How? Not in some glorious crash on the track going for gold but by driving into the roof of my garage after forgetting it was on my roof racks. Insurance won't pay so that was one expensive mistake. Enough said.

On to the Vics. Last year I couldn't do them because I was in Adelaide with Em so I was a little nervous. Did a PB in qualifying, 12.5 something. It was just a PB but a PB nevertheless. And on a cold morning when many riders were struggling to post good times it was a very pleasing result.

About 10 of us in MMAS4 which meant we had a knockout quarter final as well as the best of three semi finals and finals. I negotiated the quarter final easily the semi final not as easy but never in danger but lost the final 2-0. I raced Roy Martin from Tasmania and he is a sub 12 second rider (although he "only" did 12.2 this time.) He was quicker and smarter than me but I enjoyed the races and learned a lot.

So a silver medal and the best placed Victorian. That's very satisfying. That lets me wear a Victorian skin suit. So I guess we're now a two V family.

The rest of the day ended with a bit of a whimper, not that I really care because I was there for the sprint. Got a close 4th in the Time Trial missing the bronze by three tenths. Made the Kieran final but got nowhere.

So I now look forward to Aussies. But first I have to somehow survive this week. (Go Em)

Watch this space.

Time does have a way of getting away from you doesn't it.

Has it really been nearly three months since my last blog?  That's a long time. I think I may have been busy. Or I may have been slack. Perhaps both. It's not like nothing has happened in that time....

Since I last indulged the gentle reader I have...

1. Watched Emily compete at the Metro's only two weeks after her crash. Defying doctors advice and clearly under done, she still managed to win the TT and get a silver in the Sprint.
2. Did the Metro's myself and scored a Gold in the Masters 4 sprint after setting a new PB to qualify - 12.60. Also got a silver in the TT.
3. At the aboc Summer Sprint Series I have been chipping away at my F200, setting a new PB each time but still the magic 12.999 second barrier eludes me. A couple of weeks ago I did 13.145, qualified at the bottom of A grade but then got smashed in the races. POO
4. Watched Emily burn at the Junior State titles, repeating her results from the Metro's but with massive PB's.
5. Learned to ride on rollers! Well sort of. I can take my hands of the fence but not off the handle bars.
6. Bought a new "no-name" Hillbrick Carbon frame which I rode last night for the first time. It's VERY different to my Felt TK2. I think I'll like it once I get used to it.

So why is March such a big month? Well there's Round 5 of the aSSS and if the weather is good I am going to throw the kitchen sink at trying to break 13 seconds. And I've got some ideas about how to do better in the races. Watch this space. (No Nathan, I won't put anyone over the fence!). But it's in the following weeks that things get more interesting. I'm going to do the Vic Masters. I've never done them before but by winning the Metro sprint I get free entry into Vic Masters Sprint so I HAVE to do at least that one. I'm not sure whether I'll do the TT because at the Vics it is 750m not 500 as per Metro's. So I might skip the TT and do the Kieran instead.

That's all by way of prelude for the main event which starts on March 18th - The Junior National Titles. The first day they run the F200 qualifier, the first sprint AND the JW15 Time Trial final. It is also Emily's birthday. The script couldn't have been written better had we done it ourselves. She'll be racing in her favourite event in front of a home crowd on her birthday.

The following week we may go up to Hotham for a bit of fun and RR. And think about whether to do the Australian Masters which are in Melbourne in April.

Yes, it's going to be a very busy time indeed.