http://app.strava.com/rides/1453653/embed/b3df99e4317064d790961e2e138cc7fd93b14169

Well I have started the big comeback.

It's taken quite a long time, and a lot of emotions, before I decided to make sure I really wanted to do this again. Something snapped and I finally wanted to do this again, after hating it for so long..

Glad to be back on the horse so to speak, and have a long way to go before I get close to where I was..

On a pretty cold Saturday morning I made my way down to Albert Park for a race I thought not only I had no chance, but thought if I could make the top 10 would be pretty happy.

Jot to the track around 7:15 in the am with not a breath of wind, but a balmy 6 deg showing on the thermostat. Start by grabbing bike; wheels; bits and bobs ready to go register. Rolling to the start line, no nerves just waiting to go was all I could think at this time (hurry up 8am). Once registered numbers were pinned and transbonder in place (electronic timing YAY) I head out for a few siting laps and warm up. Meet up with a couple of guys I knew and just tootled around looking for places to make moves, or if need be attacks on the field.

From the button the pace was........... well pretty comfortable. No one realy wanted to do anything major, and everyone was watching the others kill themselves on the front. I sat about 6 wheels back waiting for some excitement.................. and none came. After 20min or so of sitting in I decide to hit the front and ramp up the pace. I was wondering if anyone had the guts to come along for a breakaway.

I took the group from 31 k/Hr to 40 in the blink of an eye and charging right up the extreme left of the straight. Looking for riders to help I hit the turn and jumped out again at pace, flick of the elbow and none came through with any help. I moved to the other side of the trac and again flicked the elbow and still not a follower to come through to do a turn. I had to pull to thr right of track and tap the brakes to get back on the end of the field to recover.

It was at that point I decided to sit in, wait, and charge at the end.

I sat on the back until 3 laps to go, and decided to make some spots at every turn to make sure I was near the front when the sprint went. Heading into the last turn I was in 6th wheel and looking good to finish in the top four.

Much to my surprise the the lead out came at a pace I was able to follow. After shooting past 4 riders, and having to shoot left a little because the lead out man pulled into my way, I was in 2nd place and chasing down first but running out of legs quite fast. Hitting the line I saw a Hawthorn jersey just to my right about half a wheel in front, so I managed third place in the first ever open Criterium I have every ridden.

I learnt alot riding this race and there are alot of things I could have done better. But everything I learnt will be place in the next time I roll out with a number on my back and a ich in my leggs.....

I have been training up my endurance a little as of late to try and get over the line in a Handicap or Two if i get the chance. MAX efforts over 10 and 15 min with lots of seated and standing 10-15 sec MAX thrown in for good measure have made sure that i am kinda tired and need a little easy work to keep ticking over. I have been riding the Fixie as much as possable with a tiny 68" gear to keep spinning those legs and the extra K's seem to help.

But the heat stopped me in my tracks yesterday!! I had planned on racing at DISC last night and just couldn't find the strength to get on the bike and do 1 lap. DISC is no place for a summer race as it is real stuffy and hot, and there was no way you were getting me on a bike there last night, even the line judges were swetting it out.

So tonight in Air Con Comfort (my bedroom) i will snap out 3 x 15 min MAX and fall into bed wondering "When will this all be worth it. I know, when i place in my heat for The Austral Wheel Race".

Carl and i have been working on "Bike Strength" for me at the moment as it is really ahrd for me to get to the Gym and train properly. I am waiting to get the stuff out of my garrage to be able to set up my own small Gym to get this done, but alas i have to wait a little longer to get this done.

With me putting some seriously good times down at DISC, it's really weird that when we are at spin on Tuesday i seem to be struggleing to make any inroads on the Power Meter to make the results i am getting look right. If i could get a pair of these SRM Track Cranks it might make a bit of difference in the abillity to get data. I might even try and get a pair for the Roadie

So all i need to do is keep punching out geat numbers on the track and do what i can at Spin and see where the new season takes me.

I have been keeping an eye on my times, and we had a crack at a few flying 200's bbehind the motorbike tonight. I have been fiddleing with gear ratios and spinning my legs like a top.

I have been running between an 87 to 90 inch gear when riding as of late. I have been getting stronger as i have gone back to they way i was doing things as i changed some stuff and went backwards for a while. Now i seem to be back on track.

I managed a PB of 13.66 tonight over the 200 with a 14.02 for the second time round. this gives me so much confidence, and also props up my ego a little. I have been feeling a little down as of late, and thought i was never going to get where i want. But now i know it's just a matter of time....

Dreams and aspriations come in small really easily managed proportions. When they are to grand, it is to easy to clobber them and have it all go dead silent on you.

I have taken a closer look at the way i train, eat, live, and look at my rideing and have decided to do the right thing. That's make it as fun as i like it, and understand that i have limitations. But these problems, thoughts, dreams, are only suggestive and i know i can work through them. I need to take a step forward and understand i am able to win races.

I have been looking trying my hand at a few things, and    one might be Masters in 2009.

With the BBN Track Champs just days away, i have finaly draged myself from be where i have been hibernating for the last 5 days with something like the Flu. I have only just recently been out and about with the general public because i have not been really able to leave my bed or even stay awake for more than an hour at a time.

I have had probably one of the worst years i can put to record. I have missed a fair amount of racing, had very interupted preperations for all my races, and really have taken to heart and felt quite down about my own performances and abillities.

I will try again to have a bit of a ride tomorrow just to get the legs turning. The Club Champs were something i really wanted to perform well in, and i know i will have to write that off for this year. I will need to put in a strong TSSS final round and see what i can achieve over the winter. I have some big plans for Summer 09, and have some really big races i want to be able to ride.

Well i have made the first commute from Preston to Noble Park Nth. It took about 2hrs and 15 min and i covered about 55 k. Now if my math is about right it looks like about 25.5 k/Hr. I have to admit that this is probably the longest single ride i have completed in a long time.

Now that this have been done, i really think i will have to look at doing this commute as often as possable due to the fact it takes bugger all time and i recon i could get it down to 2 hr or even 1.5 hrs if i get going a bit.

One reason for the commute is that i have been struggleing a little for fitness and my weight gust wont seem to drop. I have taken to diet but it just wont shift. So doing the commute will help drop the weight, and get some extra K's in the legs. I am also kinda proud that i was able to finnish such a ride. Bev and i have been doing our weekend Lunch ride for ages and i never thought i could cover the distance we do over 2 stints in 1 hit!!

Now i look to Shepparton carnival and a new year filled with bigger and better steps.

It has taken quite a while and with a few misshaps i think i'm ready to take on the riders at BBN Velo again. Times have been a little ruff for me at the minute and i think m y mind has been a little if not a lot preoccupied with other things. Time has been pf the essence, and yet i am still finding it hard to hit my straps.

I had a disastorus ride in Shepparton that has really put my racing and training back to a place i dont like, and that's back to the start. I was ment to be a social ride and something a few of us ABOC'ers were going to do for fun. I went for a training ride on Saturday to meet Bev on the road somewhere in between Cobram and Shepparton. Here is a condensed list of what happened in numerical order.

1) Ran off the road by locals and binned it in the thick gravel.

2) Swoop by a magpie for about a 12 k stretch.

3) Turned onto the Murray Goulburn freeway and was swooped by another bird for 6 k.

4) Had a snake take a liking to my shoes and give chase for 5-10 mtrs.

5) Had a puncture 9 k out of Tallygaroopna.

6) Forgot to bring money and ranout of drink just 6 k from Shep and had to stop a IGA for toilets and water. Thanks to Bev for Lollies as i even forgot food when i took a closer look.

So as you can see it was a kinda eventful ride to Shep and i was glad it was over when we got in. Had dinner and left Bev and Rob at the caravan park looking to the morning for the ride. When we got back to the farm i noticed that my knee was a little swollen and a small lump had  made it self home just under my knee. So thought i would see how this goes and make a decission in the morning.

Well with a bigger lump i was off to Cobram Hospital to see if there was anything they could do. Two X Rays and an ultrasound said i should keep off it for a couple of days and if it doesn't go down i will need to drop back in to the hospital or an Arthriscope. NO MORE SURGERY was the only thing i was thinking and came back to Melbourne as the lump seemed to go down almost overnight (OK it was still there 2 days later but was almost gone and was not there 4 days later).

So i still had a little pain and was a bit stiff so i went and got a massage telling the guy i had a fall and he should be a little gental on me. After about 10 minuets he managed to pop my shoulder back in (i didn't even think it was out) and felt a little more pain. More and more pain came in the dyas after so off to the Physio i went (on the recomendation of a few others) and he couldn't really find anything major untill we had the ultrasound and found the fracture in my Collar Bone!

So now over 3 weeks after the Shepparton debarkle i am almost fit (nothing hurting from broken or bashed) enough to have my first real race back. 

I had a bit of a ride this morning down to Glenvale for a look, then up to see my girls have a hit of tennis then home. 25 k with no pain in my shoulder but a little in the knee, but thats only because i have had trouble riding because of the other pains and it will come good over the next few days of training.

My Treck Summer Sprint Series was a fizzer as i could barely hold the bars and could only muster a 14.6 so a little dissapointed is an understaement. I know i can go alot faster and think the December edition will be a totaly different scenerio. 

Just a small note for all those concerned with all things Nathan.

Last night being Tuesday i finally managed to crack the 200 rpm cadence mark with a 202 (172.5 mm Cranks) in one of the HCLR runs. I never thought i would make it this far.

Now to crack 210.