Well now i really have gone and done it. I have entered my first Crit in................................................................. Well really that long i have forgotten how to even change gears on a road bike.

So now it's time to hit those pedals and get moving.

Been a long time since i raced an open, and i remember why you need to try and get a good grading from the Handicapper. Well i was put in with many of the A grade riders from Thursday Nights at DISC in the likes of Turbo, Mr Poole, Peter Ganns, and the list goes on. This wqas ment to be a D Grade field!!

So i raced 1 Scratch race and 1 Handicap. There was another Scratch to come at the end of the night but i will get into why i didn't do that later. So from the gun inthe scartch the heat was on and i was out the back pretty quick. I think i hung in there for about 4 of the 8 laps. They were moving and i just couldn't hold the back of the field. The handicap i was given 240 over the 2000 mtr distance and thought that was pretty fair in these kinda fields . I would like to that Jamie Goddard for the great push as i was in the first 4 riders and held that position for my turn on the front. We were hammering along and again the actual pace of the riders was to much for me to bear. I lasted the first 2 laps of 4 and then i was out the back again, trying to hold on and not get lapped.

The reason i didn't stay for more racing, well there were a few really bad crash's in the junior grades and the racing was running really late. My handicap heat was run at 10 ish pm at night!! They had to cancell a whole set of heats and finals for all the riders which was a shame.

So at about 10:30 pm i  went back to the Caravan park to my wife and kids for a good nights sleep.

It was a great experiance and next year i think i might try and do the full week of them.

Well i had my firs ride at DISC for the first time in a long time. I managed to almost finnish each race. I missed the last three laps if the Scratch Race and the Points Race. I managed to finnish the motorpace on the lead lap.

Not bad for a guy that has done absolutely NO ENDURANCE WORK at all on the bike.

Well as you all may well have heard, there were some records set at Spin last Tuesday Night.

I set a PB on the Power Tap and tried to calibrate it to the Kurt Kinetic Computer as they both show the power output in Watts for the rider. They are pretty close to each other (about 3-5% difference) which gives me a great idea when i am training on my own on the trainer.

So lets talk about the PB. Carl and i have been working on Strength and Power alot as of late. We have smashed ourselves into the ground with weights and standing starts, as well as short MAX efforts with a few F100 and F200's thrown in to keep things going along. Now we are kicking along with the enduro section of our prep and find a few extra K's of E1 to drop a litle of the "Winter Form" we are both holding. I am trying to keep "Fresh" for round 1 so will take it pretty easy the week before.

Well on Tuesday night i topped out at 1420 watts MAX POWER! I have struggled for weks and have now seen that i am capable of punching out what it takes to get gowing FAST. I realy surprised my self and those around me with what i was able t get out. I thought i might get 1300 by the sprint series, but 1400 + gives me a bit of an edge, and a great lead into the summer and the mythical 1500 i want to get to.

So in 4 weeks time i get to see if i am ready for B Grade like i had hoped, or will C Grade be my home for a little while longer??

Tonight at DISC i managed to take 2 Flying 100's within .2 of a second of each other. I am trying to get my F100 in the 6.5 kinda range, and at the moment im in the 6.9 range.  Thats pretty quick for a second year rider, and i am kinda proud of getting close to my wanted time before the season starts. If i can keep my head down and bum up, i should be able to get to my goal before the season starts.

Training gets harder and more intense as we get along. The thing that keeps me going is the wish to be faster and get to the Masters..

Well as you can all see sometimes the monotony of traing does weird things to your head. I do suppose that you need to have full use of your facultys before assuming that you can loose part of them but hay who am i to complain.

Train, Train, Train, Train, and Train seems to be my mantra at the moment. I couldn't see the benefits until last night at DISC. I managed to hold on to most of the riders in the three races that were offered even though i never finnished a race. My best results ever.

Now that seems odd that i am pleased with my performance even though i never finnished a race, but there were a few things that are more important than winning and the small steps all count to the big steps. I am training for something else at the moment and tried my best to see how i was going to perform when this time comes. And from what i think i saw and felt i am almost ready.

So at the moment i am at my lightest for at least 12 years, i have found and extra 3 k/Hr in my sprint, and i feel in the best shape of my life.

So in my best Iron Chef dubed voice "The secret to this ingrediant is Train, Train, Train, Train."

Well i sit here now at 2.35 pm on a Sunday afternoon replaceing carbs lost from a massive days riding. When i talk massive i mean MASSIVE.

I have had a huge weekned riding at Blackburn Velo and Glenvale and all i can think is " So that's what is's like".

Now let me take you all back a little ways so you can understand why this is such an important day for me and a huge step in my life.

On the 18th of May in 2005 at 5.05 pm a lovely lady in a Commodore full of kids decided to cut me off on the Monash Fwy while i was riding my Motorcycle home from work. After i had some great guys drag me off the road; and i thanked the driver in the middle lane for not running me over; i was taken to hospital. After X-Rays i found out i had a Plateau Fracture of the Tibia and may need a couple of operations to correct this. After the operation i was told it was quite successful and i should walk OK but will more than likely limp for the rest of my life.

All i wanted to do was crawl into a ball a not exist after this news. I was so depressed i realy needed something to take my mind off it all.

Then i woke up to my self and thought "This is your last chance fat man. You need to get out there and do it" so thats exactly what i did.

I was a reasonable juiour rider when i was young, but found the allure of the "Dark Side" to tempting and gave it all up. I think that it dissapointed my family as much as it did me over time. After the accident, and when i was able to start to walk again i decided then i was going to ride again. Now not just ride, but really go for a big shake at the thing. So grossly over weight i started to do spin class's with Carl. I found not only how un fit i was but how hard this was going to be.

So lets fast forward all the boring bits of me not even being able to finnish and E Garde Scratch race and being lapped by the E grade bunch at Glenvale as that would just bore you all stupid.

So now i am 30kg lighter (yes thats 30kg!) and think i have jumped a bridge in not only my racing but life in general. I have learned that you only get there from hard work and persistance, and if you don't try you will never know. I have tried on many occasions and failed, but those failures are only the stepping stones to winning.  

Every time i win i do think "So that's what it's like" and reflect on how hard i have worked to get there. It makes the winning so much sweeter.

So now i prepare for the 2007-2008 Track season as a C Grade rider and D Grade as a road rider. This will bring new challanges forward but the key points are still the same: Listen to you coach and body, Work at getting fitter and understanding the races you ride, and most importantly Have Fun because riding should not be a chore it should be enjoyed.

Well Saturday and Sunday were both HUGE days for me in my short cycling carer. I have fond a niech as a sprinter, a "Pure" sprinter. But as I progress, I seem to be getting better at the longer races.

Saturday was a hot dry afternoon of about 30 odd degrees and the track was most definately hotter. I was warming up and could only think "It's a tough day today" and couldn't shake my doubts. We started the scratch race with only 4 of us in D Grade. The pace was a little on and off for the 12 laps. On of the girls kept surging as she hit the front to hurt us and the other girl held up the pace so everyone slowed and got there breath back. I was making sure I had my position right in the line with 2 to go. I was on the back knowing that as we we crossed I would be in 3rd wheel and primed ready. Now what happened next was the most damnedest thing. We get the bell and I'm in thrid wheel thinking "I have to make some room now" and then it happened. The girl on the front pulled up so I was second wheel and knew I could roll over the top and win. Then as we hit the 200 mark, the girl in front of me pulled out of the sprinters lane leaving me clear to put the foot down and leave them behind. I couldn't beleive my luck. A 100 mtr lead out for the win from two riders.

The Sprint Derby was next and you know what happened there. I left'em for dead in the heat, and blasted away in the final. I knew they were never going to catch me and it was a "safe as houses" bet I was going to win. I love sprinting. It's something I am good at, and have fairly good understanding of how to win. The sprint is something where my 2 strenghts come into play. That's Patience, and Strength. You must be Patient in a sprint. Go to early and your done, and to late you wont make the front in time. Strength to get on top of the gear and spin it right out. The rest is learing and time but if you have Patience and Strength give Sprinting a go.

I was never going to win the Points Race but gave it a shake anyway. Took third in the first sprint and second in the second. After the second sprint I was done. I knew I was never going to be able to contest the last sprint as my legs started to turn off and I could barely pedal.

So Overall Winner D Grade for me!

Now after admitting to Carl that Glenvale is about 5k from my home and I drive because there is 2 hills (now stop the "Boo Hoo Trakie") he said if I keep driving he will make sure that I ride there. Now I don't know what he was going to do, but I didn't want to risk it.

So this morning I got up, showered and fed, grabbed the bike and was determined to ride to Glenvale. As usuall I blew up on the first hill out the front door from my place and had that "No not me. Where's the car" thought but shook it away and kept going. When I got to the next hill, I found that it was much easier and made it up no problems and much easier than the first hill.

Yep that's right. I rode to Glenvale and raced E Grade. After the race I caught up with Mick T, Matt D, and Rob C, and had a chat about the racing and then I rode home. Yep RODE HOME!! I am amased at how far I have come and have found that I am more confident in my abilitys. I will now do a bit more road riding (even though it scares the begebus out of me) and that will intern improve my track rideing.

It has been a big weekend for me. First overall Saturday and first rode, raced, rode on Sunday.