May

So this month went from good to bad. After Bretagne I felt a little low health wise, but I had a little cold and knew I could race the next weekend in Holland, Overijssel, after all, the legs felt good, I felt good, so knowing it could go 1 way or the other after the race, I chose to start, I knew the course, I knew it was my sort of race, I had that confidence there that I could do well, and that's what I had being searching for through the early part of the season.

In the Team motor home the morning of the race I was surprised to be told that I would lead the team that day, or be the protected rider, it's something I wanted for that race and for a while, but I never expected it. The race went fairly easily for me, fairly standard Holland actually, fields, straight road, cross wind, head wind, cross wind, tail wind. I was in the first split most of the time in the race, but later on more riders came back and it was fairly calm with a very reduced group, my 2 team mates that had made it in to the front group McKenna and MacKinnon decided to go in a 5 man Break with around 40 km to go, I never had such a feeling in a race where I felt I literally had to just sit there and be in the front when it mattered, knowing the back end of the course I knew where that was, with a few teams trying to split the race further and more guys dropping out the back of the peloton we were then on the finishing laps, after riding across to the front group earlier on in the race I knew I had the legs for a good finish, and I could be up there in the end, after thinking attacking on the finishing circuit would be best, I saw there were to many teams with more riders looking to control it, so down to a sprint it was, it wasn't such a technical finishing lap but to be at the front is always the best place, or at least near it, learning from mistakes from the last few races I went later and in an easier gear and I only went forwards, the problem with sprinting is that a lot of people want to be in the same place and that's a busy place to be, but I found my way through the gaps fairly well and claimed a 6th, not a brilliant result but I knew now that I could lead a race now for the team when the form etc is there.

The day after however the feelings weren't so good, I could feel the cold going the wrong way to What I had hoped, I thought with Saturdays race I would have sweated it out, and Saturday night I thought I had, but Sunday I went sharply down hill, and Monday I dropped off the edge. With a visit to the doctor I had a viral infection, there came the flash backs of last years early season, knowing I had to take time and rest that is exactly what I did, but it wasn't helping, it had got worse so I was now on antibiotics with rest, my body just needed that rest. That was 3 weeks ago now and I am now a week or so more back in to training, I feel with a lot lost, but hungry to get back and go, I know that the one thing that brings me on more than anything is racing, and then when I'm fit I can train well. So fingers crossed I'm back in to racing soon and can start to focus on my targets for the rest of the season.