KEEPING THE TRADITION ALIVE

I am back at Superweek for the 4th consecutive year and who should join me here but my faithful sidekick, Karl Menzies. Karl and i have been coming here and racing since our first outing in 2004 with MG and after going 1,2 on GC in 2005, it is a place that we always like to revisit for the memories and for the traditions.

Some of the traditions that im talking about are:
The late nights: Each night after racing a crit, Karl and i are seldom asleep before 1am
Early mornings: We are up bright and early to watch the live coverage of each tour stage over a long and drawn out breakfast.
Ride along the lake: Our 30km loop that takes place every morning after the tour, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of lake Michigan
Eggs on toast: Lunch....every day
Host family: Since 2004 we have come back to the same host family and same smiling faces that have taken such good care of us over the previous years

This aside, we are here to race and this year...unlike last, when i was too bad a bike rider to get out of my own way....we did just that. Except the day we were both disqualified from the race. Funnily enough, after a big debate with the commissaires and organisers after the race, i think we had more support than the weasel of a judge who DSQed us.

My Italian trip finally wrapped up and i have never had such a great time. I shared my birthday with the T-Mobile women's squad during their Tour of Italy and everyone of them were really good company. From pranks from the mechanic, to getting to be DS and mechanic in the car during the TT's, i worked my way around the country and had a ball doing it. As sad as it was to again leave Kate, I was headed back to familiar faces and knew that it was only a 3 week hiatus till we would be together again.

So all in all....my life is great. I am cycling with some new determination and form after a 4 week break from racing and ready to hit Tour de Toona, all be it with no GC men, with a real ambition of big results.

Good luck to my team mate BJM, who is about to have a daughter (Zoe, i believe) with his wife, Goldi. I hope that all goes well and they are all happy and healthy. Also a big shout out to Tom Zirbel. I have been the whole year without seeing my team mate, who has had some blood clotting problems and i truly have missed having him around this year....particularly now that we will face a Team Time Trial on stage 1 of Toona without our 2 best TT riders. But i hope that he is able to recover in time to salvage something from his season.

Ciao...i picked that one up in Italy