newcastlecycling

got back on the bike today - 20km at like 26 km/hr - is there a Z grade on Friday nights?

I might ask - I just think that i'd lose heart starting in c and being thrown off the back in the first 10 metres

guess i better dust off the bike and try to lose the 10 kgs i put on from doing nothing over the winter. Don't think i'll return at the top of C grade somehow

DW - I don't blame you for not being able to speak. Both days of racing were really fast. I think a few decent riders got a shock. The crit course was rubbish - the turns got me - I tried to stay up front as much as possible but just didn't have the legs. Problem is that you get too far behind if you don't turn in the top few.

 After i got dropped in the 60km i slowed right down and was pretty much buggered but determined to finish. I think i finished top 30 overall and improved my time this year by 8 minutes so its not all negative. I am going to train for these events next year as i am keen to get a good result. Some consistent road kms and regular racing i hope will help with this.

The young blokes are insane - twice as fast as when i was racing in juniors. I remember i would beat adults at local races but would never have imagined competing so well at an open state level against the adults.

Anyone going to the ride for life races at Centennial Park in July? I am glad they are short 24 -30km depending on the division - but i imagine they will be fast. Still i am keen. 

Hill Jockey

Although i got a lead out for the sprint i feel as though i did my fair share in the pack - I chased down 2 breaks because noone else wanted to and did spend a fair amount of time on the front. I did, however, sit in a few times when it mattered tactically. I felt fairly comfortable in the race and wasn't fully wound up in the sprint when crossing the line (i think i still had two cogs to go down). I think i would definitely place in D2 fairly convincingly again next time - but i after watching Division 1 i am lacking confidence that i have the fitness to stay with the main bunch. I might stay down until i either feel more confident or am made to go up. I am racing the pokolbin crit next week so that might give me an indication of where i am at on a state level. If i do fairly well there i will most likely ask to go up.

 I noticed that alot of people dropped off division 1 so i think 3 divisions could even things up. The top of D1 stay as division 1 - the bottom half of D1 and top couple of D2 could form a new division 2 and the bottom half of D2 and the juniors could form division 3. However i have only been to one so am certainly no expert.

If you know anyone who rides arvos in Maitland i'm keen for some company - find it hard to push myself without someone riding with me and can't really do mornings because i have sleeping issues and would basically be getting no sleep

i wouldn't necessarily call it easy today, but i have seen them go hard at the start going up Bolwarra hill and keep it up for most of the ride. I hope you like going up hills fast - you'll have fun Thursday. I try to avoid big hills as much as possible. You probably won't see me out till next school holidays - I hate early mornings. What grade are you in DW?