Rider Diary: Team GB | | |
August 21 2009
A rare weekend off, then back to the 24-hour jet set lifestyle!
I took last week off to spend some time with my little daughter before I have a hectic few months travelling around with my team - we've got some pretty major competitions coming up!
Whilst I was off, the junior and U23 riders travelled out to France to compete in L'Hexagonal which is a bit like the mountain bike version of the Tour de France. The girls did brilliantly - Annie did really really well, winning three out of the five stages and Lily was consistant over the five stages, finishing second overall which we were pleased with. The junior lads took the first and second places overall and between them they won all the stages which was pretty awesome! The other two lads did ok, Fletch had a good, consistant race but unfortunately he was plagued with punctures and ended up finishing 28th overall. The Tour de France was a really good experience for the team and great preparation for them ahead of the World Championships.
The beginning of this week is rest and recovery for the team that went to France before the hard work and final preparations begin for Australia. We'll all start the acclimatisation process towards the weekend, so for example we will alter our sleeping patterns and things like that.
This Friday, I'm flying out to Switzerland with Annie and Liam so they can compete in the Swiss Cup final which takes place in Basel over the weekend - their final piece of prep before the Worlds. Fletch is going to stay in the UK and might link up with the Team Halfords Bikehut road team on the Tour of Ireland - we're not sure yet though.
I'm really looking forward to getting to Australia, getting the whole team out on the course and getting stuck into the Worlds!
