Heehee! My mate was bored stuck at her desk in work and this is what she does to amuse herself. Fair enough I say. It gave me the hoots. Personally I think it's very fitting to the name of this blog.



And look it's me, not in cycling gear! Enjoying a pint of Guinness with some damn good company in my local. Well deserved I reckon after all the hard turbo training and successful track sessions in Belgium. But as a true cyclist it only took 2 pints to be completely obliterated. Charming!

Gent Velodrome

Hello all from Belgium! I'm staying here at the moment in the Sean Kelly cycling academy here in wee Merchtem (google maps if you need!). It houses full time cyclists from Ireland and UK that wish to train here and get some good races in on the continent. We're here to get some quality track time as we have been told the velodrome in Gent here is very simular to the one in the Beijing. As a result there are teams from all over the globe coming here to do pre training for the big games. Yesterday I had the joy of sharing the track with Theo Bos from the Netherlands and his buddy the world champion Teun Mulder.

I feel like an imposter! I really don't know how I landed here, doing this, with these amazing people. Really I feel like I'm going to get caught out as the fake, the mole. I feel so blessed!

My clavical is healing up great and the regular physiotherapy has helped a lot. Myself and Catherine are flying it on the track. We're doing about 8 seconds faster then what we did on Manchester velodrome at the World Cup in May (!!) despite this track here in Gent having the reputation of being slow. It is a very difficult track, with it's long straights, you don't get the speed you might get from wider bends and shorter straights. Anyway I'm waffling here.... what am I trying to say... ah yes we're going faster on a slower track, just imagine if we could get a good time back in manchester.

Ok I will take pics and post them when I get home. Sorry for the short, crappy and terribnle grammer blog. Laters x

Just a thought...

Well screw that! I am utterly sick of the turbo. I now know the reasons why I took up cycling. It's not to race or win, nope sirry! It was to feel the fresh air on my face. To battle on a solo mission on one's self over mountains and unexplored roads. To feel the elements all over my body as I can hear my ever increasing heart rate pound in my ear and lungs heave in the cold Irish air and then expel out all that crap that life throws at you. It was to find myself and be me. Cycling allowed to me for once to be utterly comfortable in myself and my own presence. We all at the end of the day really only ever have to live with ourselves. The bike in a nutshell made me like living with myself. It forgave me, accepted me and built me.

Walshie is just back from Spain today after what sounds like a fantastic race with even better results. I don't understand. I like the pilot that has replaced me while my clavicle heals but hey she ain't no cigar on the bike. They seem to be flying it. So even though I should of waited to get the all clear from the doc before I headed out on my all conquering solo mission, it was too late my mind was made up and it needed clearing too. It was so good to put on light Assos overshoes, matching mits, arm and knee warmers. My matching An Post cycling kit with matching Giro Atmos helmet accessorised with slick Rudy Project shades, oh yes. Hair tight in a pony tail and good carbon bike out with my best wheels, Corima Aeros. I looked the fucking business and I was ready. My heart rate jumped so quickly when I left the house unlike when you turbo train and before I knew it I was at home again with myself. I was surrounded by no one except mother nature and the crap that has been building up inside my head took off with the head wind, behind me, gone, left on the road, never to be picked up again.

Even though I may not rock in Beijing and worse still get there I realised that, well of course, it's not the end of the world but just a deeper relationship between me and my bicycle. We have come along way these past few years. My bike has taken me to places and taught me things that I never thought I would know and it's just the beginning. There are so many things we (me and my bike) have to conquer; Mizen to Malin head in less then 19 hours, become national road race champion, oh break ALL the Irish track records. Well that's just a few goals we have in mind. Ah I forgot! The most important one; to continue feeling utterly happy in myself and dispel any shite I'm hoarding on the road. Allez!