Back in the Swing

Well the last month or so has been up and down to say the least.

Back into training, back out of training, feeling great finally then feeling crap again the next day. No matter the circumstance, never underestimate a fractured pelvis, like all good things it has taken time. I am, touch wood, confident that I am starting to trend upward with no downturns in the near future (unless I throw myself on the road again).

The last month was a big rush to get ready to race the Herald Sun Tour and the Warnie, but last week I made the call to miss both, I was really not up to shape and most likely to animate the laughing bunch at best.

So now I am looking forward to racing the Tour of Hainan in early November. Now this race is big, real big. And it's long, real long. It's a 2.HC ranking, so on par with Suntour, but this one goes for 9 days and around 1450k. I predict there will be a lot of rice, noodles, bad coffee and serious time in the hurt box. I'll be heading over there to race as a stagiare with the Savings and Loans Cycling team which is great news. I was very fortunate to have some people working behind the scenes to get me some big racing opportunities after missing the entire Australian Season bar Gippsland. The Parcours for Hainan is looking like a good mix; some pancake action to start off the first few stages then the hills rear up and the real action begins. Got to avoid my habit of last day crashes given the final stage is a city circuit race, stay up the front, stay up the front, stay up the... easier said than done; everyone wants to stay up the front!

Coffee time folks.

PS- Random food note for the day. Everyone MUST go here. Mixed Kilo, $18, it was meant to be.

Random training note, great day yesterday out at Kinglake, spied Braunie D getting in some berg action, and the smell of doughnuts at Hurstbridge, combined with rapidly declining blood sugar levels make for a desperate TT effort to reach the bakery before hypoglycemia kicks in. Go on try it, see if you can outrun your own biological functions, it can only result in

1)The best doughnut you have ever had, or more likely,

2) The worst hunger flat you have ever had, combined with a rising urge to throttle whoever suggested this silliness...

OK, now it's coffee time.