Back in Oz!

G'day y'all!

Well I am back here in Australia and enjoying a nice break from the bike for a few weeks. I had planned on still being in the full swing of things, and gearing up for the Melbourne to Warrnambool which is on Saturday, but unfortunately, the plug has been pulled, and the off season has begun. Things may have been different if i had gotten to race the Sun Tour, held last week, and won by Simon Gerrans for the second year in a row!

Not getting a Sun Tour ride meant i would have been about five weeks race-less heading into the Warny, and after the long season, to find the motivation to train the house down till Sunday was going to be an effort in itself. If i had raced the Sun Tour, it may have given me that boost and got me through till the day, but it wasn't to be, and if i am going to race the Warny, it is going to be with all guns blazing! I still plan on winning it one day, so maybe i have to wait till next year.

With things working out this way, i will be in better form for the Bay Crits than i have in the past, and hopefully can make an impression there, as well as the nationals the following weekend.


Up at Leland for the Tour de Leelanau, Mark Olson put in a good showing in the first part of the race. I thought i should chuck a picture of him up here for y'all because i dont think he got too much "blog-time" this year, and because i am missing him!

I spent the first week after arriving home coming up with a list of things i have missed, and not missed in Australia, as well as things i am going to miss, and not going to miss from the States. For starters, it was the things out training in Oz that i realised i didn't miss: the bloody magpies that swoop you in the back of the helmet while training, the idiot drivers in Melbourne traffic who find it necessary to abuse you and run you off the road at any opportunity, and the disappointment on missing out on a Sun Tour ride (i probably could have stayed in Georgia!).
As soon as i turned off the main road and headed up the climbs over the back of the Dandenongs, I remembered what i missed so much: the country air (well, maybe the smell of eucalyptus, as the city is too close to think of it as country air), riding in the hills, and the Australian roads (as long as they weren't the main ones). I have also missed my family and friends back home, so it has been good to see everyone again, and there are still so many more people to catch up with. I also missed Mum's slice too, so i have been OD'ing on it since my return - i did mention i tried to make it at Keally's place, but it just doesn't compare! I may as well go overboard on it for now, because once training starts again, i wont be eating anything like that!

It didn't take me long to realise the things i am not going to miss from the States: the bloody dags (dogs) chasing me on every training ride - for some reason dags aren't fenced in in America, the grid-like roads of Michigan wont be missed in any great hurry, and also, the dunnies! I don't really know anyone here in Oz who owns a plunger, so maybe there is a market for Aussie dunnies over in the States?! The things i have missed from the US are: Bob - we had a ball together this year, the humidity in the South - i started to enjoy the extreme humidity, i don't know if that is weird or not?! The other thing i got used to while in the US, was that every time i spoke, people were interested to hear more, but since getting back, i realise it was just for the accent, not that i was saying anything intelligent, so i am missing being a bit of a novelty for everyone!
And here is what i miss the most! This is when i just packed her up in my bag, ready to bring back to Australia with me! It was great to be able to spend the last two weeks of my time in the States with Keally, and we had a great time together. It was a pity that customs wouldn't let me take her through the gates and on the plane to Australia though!

Here is a picture of the sunset from Bob's balcony up at Leland - what would a trip to Leland be without a great sunset photo? This pic was meant to be in the last post, but i ran out of room, or hadn't put it on my computer yet. How's the serenity? So much serenity...

That reminds me... I really did not miss the Melbourne crime scene, if that's what i should call it. I went out on the weekend to catch up with friends, and was so proud of myself for being so organised for the weekend. Unfortunately that organisation was also a benefit for the heroin addicts of Melbourne, who scored big with a back-pack out of my car. They managed to break into it overnight, stealing my bag, digital camera, clothes, hats, sunglasses (including my mates pair), and a photo album with pictures from my trip. Bastards. I am quite sure i will never see any of it again, and the thing that bothers me most is that most of the stuff is not valuable to anyone but me. My insurance doesn't cover any of it either, so i was rather pissed off. Oh well, worse things can happen...


Teddy is being missed while i am back in Oz. We had a great time together this year, and i see he is enjoying the cross season over in cold New York right now. I thought i needed to put up some good snaps to brighten up the blog update, so hopefully Teddy sees that he is now famous...

I should also mention a huge thankyou to Scott Woomer and Amy and Lauren, up in Altoona, PA. Scott is a mad football fan, and he and Keally have both pretty much told me i am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and i was lucky enough to get a package sent from him with a couple of "terrible towels" (photo to come soon when i get a new camera), a Steelers t-shirt, and a Penn State Nittany Lions cap (much to the disgust of all the UGA fans i am friends with in Georgia)! I am now a full on proper Steelers fan, so i am going to have to put a link to their web page on the side of my blog now! Lets see if they can go back to back and win the Superbowl again this year!

As i mentioned in the last update, I am off to Jittery Joe's Cycling Team for season 2007. It is going to be a great year, and i am really looking forward to it. I had a great time racing for Priority Health this season, and gained heaps of valuable experience. It is going to be a big change next season, but i think it will really suit me, and my cycling. There are a few Aussies on the team, including Jeff Hopkins, so there is a strong emphasis on the sprinting side of things, and that will be great for me. It is also going to be great to play a part in HEAPS of wins in 2007 - we are going to kick some arse next season!

Jittery Joe's is a coffee bean/shop franchise from the South, I guess a bit like Gloria Jeans for those in Oz, so y'all should get online and order some coffee and see how good it is.

Well dudes, I hope all is well, and that you are enjoying yourselves. I have one week to go of my break, so i will be keeping busy doing nothing except talking on the dog'n, catching up with friends, and watching movies! It's a pretty lazy few weeks here right now, but it's nice to let the body rejuvenate for a bit before launching into my 2007 season. I am actually pretty pumped about all the base miles coming up, so that can only be a good thing!

Stay cool dudes,

Laterz

The Slacker has a new post up!

Hey y'all,

Well, the USA racing season is over! Its a bit sad really, but it has been a great year, and i have gained some great experience. It was also nice to finish the season on a high. I have had good form for a while now, so to podium in the last race for the year, and see my mate Eddy Hilger take the win was fantastic!


Glen and I did some PR work the day before the race at the Traverse City Hospital, and this handsome fellow asked us for a photo. I think he is nearly as old as the dude on the right of the photo!

I must just add that this post was originally called "Tour De Leelanau", but after being super slack, having no pictures to post, and then finding internet access a problem, i have just let too much time pass, hence the title "Slacker..." I have good excuses though! I stayed at Keally's before i left the States, so our time was too good together to spend on the computer, and as i am a slow typer, i didn't have the hours i needed to get a post posted! Also, i was waiting on some pictures of the Tour de Leelanau, so i could post them too for y'all to see, and i got them today, courtesy of the main man, Bobarino Hughes. I am now back in Australia too, and using the home computer here means i didn't have my photos stored on this computer, so the laziness issue took over, and the blog update had to wait. Actually, laziness is not the word, i think i am going to use "Jet-lagged"!

Anyway...

So as i was saying, we had a great race up in Leland. To cut a long story short, we had a couple of dudes in a 5 man break, Snake and Sheedy, and then, as planned, we attacked on one of the KOM climbs, Tower Road. The old boy, Glen Mitchell, in his last pro race, really laid down the smack, and tore the race apart really. We got over the climb in a small group, and then just a few small groups came back together, but really, the race was just between the fifteen or twenty left up the front by that stage. The team did a bit of the old one-two-ing of everyone from then on, and eventually i got up the road on my own. Thank goodness another couple of dudes also got across, because i really didn't want to go solo from there on! Of the two who got across, one was a pathetic excuse for a cyclist, and didn't pull through for a single turn.

On the front going uphill! At least that is what story we'll roll with - you never know, i could be chasing the dudes in front, or losing the wheel here!

After a long time out front, we were joined by one other dude, and that was cool. We eventually got to the next KOM, and that was when "the body" Eddy Hilger rode across to our break like we were standing still, and just about straight passed us. I was pretty excited, because here i was in the break, with Eddy out in front, and a strong team behind us. Also, Eddy and I were the go-to guys for the day, so for us both to be sitting in the box seat, and things to be going exactly as planned, well that was perfect for the time being.

Glen and I on the attack early on. We would always get some dude who could chase everything, but not willing to work. Oh well. It would have been nice for this break to have stuck so Glen could have won in his last race...

Out front, "The Body" eventually built up a lead of 2 minutes 50, at the most, which was just huge. back in our small group, where i had the luxury of taking it easy, we had a few shuffles in the members, with two dropping off, and two others making it across. At one stage the main field looked to be catching us, and were only about 200 meters back, so i had a go at another attack. I was cramping like buggery, so i am just glad we never got caught. Before we knew it, we turned up to the finish line, a 500-600m uphill grind, and knowing that Eddy had won, i had to get the quinella and get second. I did - WICKED!

It was a great race, and super hard, relentless course. I was thrilled for Eddy, so happy i could do well for Bob, and felt glad to be able to have been there racing with Glen in his last pro race. I was almost a bit emotional after the race was over, because it was to be my last race in the States for the year, and my last race in America for Priority Health, as i head off to Jittery Joes for season 2007 (more about that in the post next week).

Eddy and I enjoying a bit of a champagne shower. We guzzled the bottle too. Nice one dudes!

The biggest thing i wanted to do in the race was get a good result, not only for myself, but for Bob, as i knew how much it would mean to him. He has just been the best ever this year. A great guy to let me live with him for the year, and a great mate.

After the race we had a feast in the Casino, then headed back to Bob's awesome beach house for a much needed end of racing season unwind, and bit of a drink. It was supposed to be the party to end all parties, but it just ended up being a party. Either way, it was good to have one last night with the dudes from the team, and nice to let the hair down. I am sure everyone there had a great time.

The next day was spent saying our goodbyes, packing up, and heading back to Grand Rapids. It was weird to think that i was about to say goodbye to Bob and Heather for the last time this year, unless they make it out to Australia at some stage. I was due to head off to Georgia on the Monday morning, so we had a last dinner together, and then went to bed.

I must say it was very hard to say bye to Bob, and i was just about tearing up. He has just been so great to Rich and I this year, and for the whole team really. I cant thank him enough for his generosity and support for the whole year, and i have had such a great time.

Next stop for me was Athens, Georgia, home of Keally! We got the chance to spend a couple of weeks together before i had to take off home to Australia. It was great to be down in Georgia, and it was nice that the temerature had dropped a little bit compared to my last visit. We had a great time together, and had heaps of fun. On the Saturday, the Dawgs played Colorado, so i was lucky enough to be able to go to my second game! This time i got to be able to experience tailgating properly - although that might be debatable, seeing as most of my time was spent trying to get my football down from a roof after i kicked it up there, trying to show Americans how a football is meant to be kicked!

Here is a picture from Rockford that i finally got a hold of. It shows Rich and I drilling it on the front. I needed to chuck it on the blog so y'all can see how ripped/cut I am (not 'buff' though, as Keally told me)!

The game was a ripper, and after a pretty quiet first half, the Dawgs came back and scored a touchdown to level the score with just a minute to go, then converted for the win! I must say, the football is becoming very addictive for me!

Down in Georgia i got to do a fair few miles, while Keally was in class, so i was fighting fit for my return to Australia! Unfortunately though, a Sun Tour start is looking less and less likely, so that could spell the end of my season - it will be bloody hard to stay focussed all the way through to the Melbourne to Warrnambool, the 299km epic.

I also need to add, before winding this blog up, in fear of sending y'all to sleep with boredom, that this update has been a nightmare! After the stuff i said up the top of this page, i have just had a terrible time getting the pictures to load on. I ended up plugging my laptop into the home computer, and using my pictures from that, and it has taken me three hours to get all the pictures on today! The post has been written for a week, but i needed the pictures, because plain old text can be boring. All i am saying, is please appreciate the pictures, and hard work that has gone into this blog update, and look forward to more regular updates now that i am home! There should(!) be another one done this week i hope!

Hope everyone is well back in the States, and for anyone here in Oz, i hope to catch up with y'all soon!

Wicked dudes, laterz!