tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189823272024-03-24T05:10:39.211+11:00* RICHARD ENGLAND *BORING STORIES ABOUT ME AND MY
CYCLING TEAM
....(mainly for my Mum & Dad)!Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-49394195803005472482008-05-14T02:26:00.002+10:002008-05-14T02:49:09.136+10:00JOE MARTIN....in the booksAnother year...another Joe Martin in the books...but this year, different to before a stage win to gloat about...best part is, its not self gloating but instead talking about Teddy finally cracking a big one. But not just any big one...the same stage that he has come so close to winning the past 2 years. He timed his move perfectly this year and it helped him move into 5th on GC for the tour Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com64tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-16281680500069818502008-05-07T05:10:00.002+10:002008-05-07T05:24:47.832+10:00Georgia...done and dusted...time to get back to realitySo after a slightly disappointing finish to Georgia...my 12th place in the last stage....no thanks to 2 flats in the last 25km which wasted a lot of the team on getting me back and saw me hit a big wall with 100m to go, when i could have been a legitimate shot for 3rd on the stage....it is time to get back to reality...and that means regular races.So we had a couple of crits this weekend which Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-55598450432273255122008-04-27T11:15:00.004+10:002008-04-27T11:40:25.075+10:00Stage 6...beaten up by BrasstownStage 6 is over and done with....and the fears of time cuts and impending death on the famous Brasstown Mtn have long subsided. The team made it through the stage unscathed and we have a full roster of 8 to ride into the finish tomorrow. This stage last year were were down 2 men and that had implications for our sprint power in the following 2 flat stages. Today went well for us and we hit the Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-77142632341676200732008-04-26T11:11:00.003+10:002008-04-26T11:54:36.402+10:00STAGE 5...Winners are grinnersFor those who do not know....today was a great day for the Bissell cycling teamI won the stage and Teddy took control of the King Of the Mountains jersey after a stella break away that lasted for nearly 150km. At one point it looked like we wouldnt catch the break and Teddy was going to have the chance to contest the stage finish....but the final kms were tough and it all came back together and Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-1314526842336454142008-04-25T11:22:00.002+10:002008-04-25T11:29:27.767+10:00TTT....stage 4Not what we had hoped for....That sums up our final result in the team time trial. Al was well and we were on our way to a competitive result when Zirbel suffered a mechanical problem on the hill the third lap and then we had a period were the wheels fell off. We did come back with a solid final lap but the damage had already been done.But i think that when you look at the team finishing without Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-68689712554593021242008-04-24T07:49:00.003+10:002008-04-24T08:15:05.587+10:00Stage 3....Holy crap.....first 50km took us 1hr and 4mins....i dont care who you are, that is fast and hard.Finally, after a 70+km/h crash that took out a few people...Ouch...the break got away and there was a lull in the field and time for a toilet stop. Team Bissell was represented by Scotty Z...but he tells me that the break was largely under the control of the Team Type 1 rider who slowly started to Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-69756623924430818312008-04-23T07:08:00.002+10:002008-04-23T07:21:09.471+10:00STAGE 2....Flat and fast again...that was how stage 2 worked itself out.The first 60km was on like never before as the field tried to establish a break away group that they were satisfied with. There were a few times that it looked like it was going to work out, but many over ambitious and unsatisfied domestic teams kept forcing the issue and making sure they were represented. It was an weird finish to the Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-82721271892690123402008-04-22T04:14:00.003+10:002008-04-22T10:28:57.238+10:00GEORGIA...STAGE 1...Let me start this entry by eating my words a little....while i spoke with complete facts in last weeks post and this is in no way an apology, i am one to give credit were credit is due....Jelly Belly made up for a more than lack luster Redlands by riding a strong race today and delivering their man (Nick Sanderson) to the line for a podium position....So congrats to them for proving me wrong....Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-6735373005903518032008-04-17T05:40:00.005+10:002008-04-17T07:41:29.970+10:00GEORGIA...here we comeIts been a while......but i am back in the US and have just, today, finished my build up to Georgia. It included Redlands in Cali...starting 2 days after i got back on US shores....needless to say it took me a few days to get back into the swing of things and although the results didnt look great on paper, Sundays race may well have been one of my best rides ever. Vennell and i spent all day off Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-32827061925918728562008-03-20T21:17:00.005+11:002008-03-20T21:30:55.771+11:00RETURN TO THE MOTHER LAND....My first few days in the UK have been a busy time catching up with all the people i can possibly sqeeze in. It has been 16 years since i was last here and as such a long time and a lot of growing up has been done since i last saw many of my family and friends here. So far the trip has been a success, apart from numerous times of being lost while driving around and braving the freezing temps whileRichard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-50019497921850117152008-03-18T03:11:00.005+11:002008-03-18T03:30:49.520+11:00US TO THE UK BABY.....So tell me this....how can Vaughters leave me out of Slipstream next year....look how filthy my moustache is!!!! People will be happy to know that it only remained for the duration of this photo...because im no Zabriskie.CHECK OUT MY HOUSE...Part 3.Wanna know what i did on the weekend....well listen to it and that way you dont have to read about it....Ill catch up with you guys when i can. Not Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-11993049338795011682008-03-15T00:50:00.001+11:002008-03-15T01:15:35.428+11:002ND UPDATE IN A WEEK...THIS VIDEO THING COULD STICKCHECK OUT MY HOUSE.....Part 2.This is an introduction to a big secret.....dont want to give away too much....watch the clip.And now for my first official video blog....let me know if you prefer it to reading some of the garbage i write....its much easier for me and i figured i could do some race video blogging during tours and races that would make it easier than trying to explain it all in text.Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-33049082085065882512008-03-11T06:15:00.001+11:002008-03-11T06:59:17.692+11:00SURVIVING THE WORST DAY OF THE YEAR....AGAINFor the 4th year in a row i have survived the worst day of the year, without having been able to enjoy the best day of the year for nearly 5 years. Im talking, of course, about day light savings kicking in and the clocks jumping forward an hour. It has been so many years since the last time i went to sleep knowing that i could sleep for 10hrs, but only have it count for 9.....its such a beautifulRichard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-43437528834138772912008-03-05T04:49:00.004+11:002008-03-05T14:48:02.881+11:00SICK IN CALITour of California.....well what can i say....it was a great mix of fantastic racing coupled with some of the most painful days of my life. I woke up sick on the day of stage 4....looking at the profile of the day i was initially happy that it didnt look like an overly difficult day. Little did i know that i would turn out to be the worst day of my life. After nearly 8hrs of bone numbing riding iRichard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-65616991911496438992008-02-13T09:16:00.000+11:002008-02-13T09:56:18.873+11:00TALES FROM TRAINING CAMPSANTA ROSA, CA When i first arrived Jan 30, I was greated by 3 days of consitant rain coupled with 4 degree temperatures. It was definately a shock to the system. But as is usually the case, the pre season excitement often overcomes most of these issues and you find yourself able to front up and ride in conditions you otherwise wouldnt dare. We braved the driving rain and low temps for our team Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-7197146714742641672008-01-28T13:31:00.000+11:002008-02-03T13:18:22.592+11:00SAYING GOODBYE.......GOODBYE HOMEMy time at home has come and is about to be gone. It has been such a short visit home compared to my usual experience, where i would be still at home racing on the track for another month or so. It funny how one descision can effect so many aspects of your life...not that i am complaining....i am very much looking forward to the season ahead of me. So how do you say goodbye to Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-76981723521496336182008-01-14T09:24:00.000+11:002008-01-14T09:48:08.772+11:00TIME TO GET BACK TO BLOGGING.....So it would seem, that like most of my team mates, blogging has not been high on our list of priorities. So forgive me father, for i have sinned, it has been...like 6 weeks since i last published what i have been doing in this repetitive life of mine.Let me start my first blog of 2008 by saying Merry Christmas and welcome to 2008 for everyone. I hope that we all had a great little holiday and Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-76901140696381962082007-12-05T18:39:00.000+11:002007-12-07T17:08:36.952+11:00NOTHING MUCH TO TALK ABOUT....The last 2 weeks, although they have seen me in Sydney to watch a world cup and beginning my training again for a new season, have not had a lot of interesting stories arise that are worthy of blog reports....instead i have been putting in some solid and solo km's to build the base that will hopefully carry me through the remainder of my season in good form. So far so good. My legs are still Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-83906277289608576622007-11-17T12:02:00.000+11:002007-11-18T15:52:14.093+11:00WORKIN' FOR DA MANWORKING MY RECOVERY DAYS AWAY....I did my first bit of real work in years this week.....funny thing was, it was for Kate's old man. The pressure was on...If i screwed it up, who knows what the consequences could have been. Needless to say i pushed myself to accomplish the task in the minimal possible time and i think i exceeded expectation. It was actually a bit of fun, just kicking it in the Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-5724589867740981732007-11-06T11:57:00.000+11:002007-11-06T12:37:27.635+11:00THIS WEEK....BORING...BUT HERE IT ISBECAUSE NO RIDING, DOESN'T MEAN NO TRAININGI am being reasonably lazy, but not all together lazy. Training has started again. I am off the bike for another 2 weeks, but this doesn't mean that i all together go to sleep. I have to keep my body working, have to try and improve some of my weaknesses and this is the start of that push and that desire. It will start easy, but the intensity and volume Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-39425516314531217672007-11-01T11:40:00.000+11:002007-11-01T12:17:56.554+11:00ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN ENDSEASON OVER.......The Melbourne to Warrnambool, last Sat, saw the end of my season finish on a slightly frustrating note. As most cycling fans will know, after 7hrs and 15mins i came in 4th of a group of 9 after misjudging the finish. Nothing can express the disappointment of riding for that long and screwing up the final 200m. After seeing many of my feared competitors fall away during the day iRichard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-21639074039562709132007-10-09T17:37:00.000+10:002007-10-09T18:14:15.124+10:00TOUR OF TASSIE....THE LEIGH HOWARD AND CAM MEYER SHOW...The tour of Tassie was arguably one of the harder races i have done for the entire season. 11 stages shared over 6 days and while they were only short, the intensity and competition meant that everyone counted....and the legs felt every km.....What it did provide was an insight into the future of Australian cycling....the 2 Meyer boys and Leigh Howard were Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-89191669637039773412007-10-01T17:54:00.000+10:002007-10-01T18:26:11.228+10:00SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!OVER PROTECTIVE MOTHERS.....Magpies. The forgotten problem about returning home during spring. There is nothing more annoying than riding along, minding your own business, and all of a sudden being struck by something in the head. There is always that 2 seconds that it takes you to realise what the hell is going on.....have i just been hit by a car??? What the f*#$ was that????This isnt me. But Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-51352433371486234692007-09-25T18:59:00.000+10:002007-09-28T08:38:16.227+10:00AHHHHH HOME....BEFORE HOME, CAME VEGAS..... Vegas was a hoot. Only 4 days there, but in that time Kate and I were able to see a show, blow some money, ride horses through and around Red Canyon and spend hours by the pool and in bed ;).They always say that photos tell 1000 words, so i will let some of the good ones i took do the talking....Isn't she the cutest?Until she lost all of my money!But i forgave her....Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18982327.post-9380965873820444702007-09-20T06:47:00.000+10:002007-09-20T07:29:12.226+10:00BROKEN BITSUS SEASON FINISHES WITH BROKEN BONES.....BUT IT STILL FINISHES1 month of preparation for my last race....180km of northern Michigan....3km in there was a small crash, 3 went down, suddenly it turned into a massive crash as a bunch of morons decided to run straight into the back of it. The fall out was Scotty (in his 9th crash of the season) with some broken ribs, Teddy came down, and i face Richard 'Dick London' Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230505672290727593noreply@blogger.com1