Winning and some Awesome Times!

Hey Guys!

So been a wile since an update because I have been real lazy and haven't really had time up untill now! 

A whole lot has happened since my last update so ill try and get everything in and keep it pretty short! 

So here it goes....!

After getting back from London it was back into some good training to burn off all the shit I ate while I was away in some not so good weather as usual.   That weekend I had two races which I was not looking forward too as I felt like crap training all week. I was planning on using them as training to get back into shape. On Saturday it was a hilly circuit we did 10 times. I followed a move on the second lap and we had a gap by the top of the main climb. I then got excited and dropped the guy on a technical decent and was away solo. Turns out my legs wanted to go full gas and I ended up riding solo for the rest of the race and won by over a minute!

The next day was another race 120 km long. The team plan was to try and get someone in the break. I attacked pretty hard throughout the race until I blew my tits and dropped doing 100 km. I was still happy with my race and felt like my form is still on the up.

After that is was another hard week of training in some more wintery conditions. I can’t believe we are meant to be in summer and it was averaging 13 degrees some days, bloody ridiculous, France needs to sort its self out I reckon. This week we had only one race which was a Category 2 night race. It started at 9pm and was 70 laps of a 1.2 km loop.  The race started off fast but I tried to go off the front and spent the first few laps solo just to see how I was feeling. After I got caught I sat in the bunch rolling around. Racing in pitch black with poor street lighting is quite an experience and makes you need to fully concentrate which isn’t my strong point so there were a few close calls from my half. About half way through I made it into a move of 3 with my team mate Chad also being in there. This seemed to be the winning move as we held 25-35 seconds ahead of the bunch for the remaining 30 laps. With 3 laps to go I hit it as hard as I could to try and get away, this worked and I ended up coming in 1^st. My team mate Chad ended up 3^rd which topped off an awesome night for the team! My eyes were burning after the race from the flashes from cameras.

After that it was onto another week of training! This time we had a few days of Sun which was nice and helped to get the tan line on the leg back in action. This week it was a race which was super close so Chad and I squeezed in a quick ride in the morning with Craig (Chad’s Dad). It was a stunning day for racing with temperatures over 28 which was awesome. It was an 88km race over 10laps with a big climb each lap towards the finish. At the start of the race Chad was following heaps of moves and being active until he was brought back and I hit it and then spent 2 laps in a break with one other. With it being super hot I started to pour bottles over me that I collected from the team. Knowing shag all French I didn’t realize it was lemon syrup in them which started to dry which does not feel nice! My break away got caught by a select group that throughout the race got smaller and smaller and the heat and course took their toll. On the final lap there were 5 of us left. I sat at the back up the final climb until a guy hit it and I chased him and came over the top of him with about 100m to go where I had enough time to salute and take in the victory!!

Enough of all the cycling banter, now it’s on to some travel.  Early Sunday morning it was a quick pack and time to blat away to Spain for a week with Chad and his Parents. We are heading to Costa Brava to the beach for some time in the sun and to get some good training in. On the way down we stopped in Uzes which is an amazing small town south of Lyon. The town is so old with cobbles and old brick buildings everywhere! After a night there it was on with the journey down to Spain. Once we got there it was breath taking! Stunning beach with crystal clear water and topless girls as far as the eye could see, must have been pretty bloody close to heaven I would say. With 32+ degree days every day I could have stayed there forever. Chad and I found an awesome rock jump that we went to everyday. On Wednesday Chad and I rode into Girona to meet Ryan Sissons and the Tri NZ Team, would love to live and train where they are all year! Super Jealous! It also amazed me how much cheaper shopping and food is in Spain compared to France! Would be saving a fortune living there!

On Friday before we left back to France we spent a day in Barcelona. It’s such an awesome city from what I got to see in a day can’t wait to go back! Awesome shops and even better Spanish girls! 

After the trip to Spain it was a quick unpack, washing and get ready to go to Alpe D'Huez to watch the tour!

I lost my phone so i didn't have photos but to sum it up quickly i had goose bumps the entire time, really motivated me and opened my eyes to what it takes to be professional and how amazing it would be!

So that's about it, i have some exciting news and will let you all know next week!

Thanks Scott!

I should Write NOVELS

I haven’t updated this for a while and while I’m on the TGV on route to London so I thought a good way to kill time is to just catch all you guys up on what’s been going on.  I am writing this on the go so there is some stuff I write when it’s actually happening and some stuff has happened a few weeks ago.

Since my last update life had been pretty shitty until this week to be fair. After my big win in Challenge De L’Est Junior tour I got hit with a big dose of the flu.  I don’t think it was man flu as mum would say as I just had no energy and felt shit for 7 days. This was a long 7 days forced off the bicycle. After a few hard days of feeling shit on the bike I starting feeling like my old self again and was able to knock up a few Ks in the sun the following week which help bring the tan lines back and start to feel like a proper cyclist again. Last week my team mate Chad’s parents arrived to spend some time in Europe to travel and watch some racing which is awesome as they are another person to speak good English too which I kind of miss to be honest, It feels weird being at a race and not being able to talk shit on the start line.

Last weekend I had a Ca t2 race not far from where we live. It was 105 km on a pretty hard course. The weather god is a prick as it was sunny 25 degrees nearly all week apart from when we have to race it’s a bloody thunder storm over us all race. My legs didn't feel to good this race but none the less I was mixing it up at the start trying to make something of my race and get in the early break. I ended up missing it but my team mate Maxime was in there so all was good.  I had a few more digs to get across but it just wasn’t going to happen. On the last lap near the end I decided just to go blocks until I popped and ended up ahead of the bunch coming in about 15 to 20^th I think.  It was a miserable race with pissing rain all the way which was pretty shit to be honest.

finish just ahead of bunch

feeling the pain 1/2 way through

On Monday it was rest day so we decided to go bowling which was awesome fun and something different to do. It was kind of a farewell for my team Mate Tom who unfortunately has to get surgery on his knee. I'm really going to miss his Curry’s he cooks up from scratch, you’d think he’s Buda, amazing Indian cook he is!  I know this won’t be the last time I see tom as I think he’ll be back winning in no time!

On Tuesday Chad and his parents invited me to travel to the French Alps with them for a few days away. We left Tuesday afternoon after a short ride in the morning. The drive was amazing seeing all the mountains covered in snow as high as the eye could see. We arrived in a small town on the bottom of Alp Du Huez which was stunning. We stayed in a camping ground which had solid little cabins. Chad and I Slept in the camper van wile Debbie and Craig were in the Cabin. When we arrived on Tuesday, we checked out the town which was amazing, the biggest cycling shop for clothing and accessories I’ve ever seen and hundreds of cyclist riding around. At about 5 pm we were super excited so we rode up Alp Du Huez that night. It has got to be one of the most amazing rides of my life, climbing for 16 km and going up 120 0m is crazy and an experience I will never forget! I can belief how the pros ride it so fast after 2 weeks of hard racing in their legs! The next day Chad, Craig and I decided to head up a climb which ended up being 24 km long! It’s fair to say it took some time but was well worth it at the top (next time I need to remember to bring a 27 cog, 25 gets hard at times on the steep sections!). What made it even more enjoyable was that the sun was out and had got to be over 30 degrees. I hope the sun will come to Morteau with that heat soon! The decent to too bottom was awesome and scary trying to follow Chad who is nuts. Hit over 90 km/h which is a good effort I think. After a big ride that day it was time to chill out in the pool to cool off. I guess you could say life could not get any better!! After a really nice dinner it was time to hit the sack and re energize for the following day. On our last day in the Alps we again climbed Alp Du Huez but this time went even further up to a remote ski field where we found a lake which was Chrystal clear to the very bottom even at its deepest points. Post card stuff!  It was sad to go home after such an awesome few days which I will defiantly remember for the rest of my life. It couldn't have been done without Chad’s mum and dad, Debbie and Craig. I can’t thank them enough, time of my life.

Day 1

Day 2

cafe at 2000 m altitude

Day 3

View over a lake at 2200 m Altitude

After a long drive back to Morteau It was a quick shit, shower, shave before heading off to London to see my mate Elliott who is living in England this year. My journey hit a bit of a hick up when my train from my house to the TGV was cancelled BUT I luckily found a last minute ride with a lady who was also going to the TGV. I guess you could say luck was truly on my side as she was pretty fit too if you know what I mean.  My luck seemed to continue as on the TGV to Paris I was sitting opposite babe I couldn't believe it, could my day get any better?! Once I made it to Paris I had to use the metro to go to where the Euro Star train leaves to go to London. This was a bit of a mission as there were so many people in both stations, it was pretty hectic but thanks to a nice as family I joined that spoke a little English I managed to make it to the second train station with heaps of time to have a decent coffee which was like heaven instead of BLACK COFFEE which is what they have in French towns. It’s cool being around people that speak the same language as me for once.  I've been really looking forward to heading over to London for a few does, not only to see my best mate Elliott but also just to have a few days of down time before I start the second half of the season where I plan to train my ass off and put 100% into achieving the best results I can possible.

So Now that I’m back on the TGV on my way home from London I thought I would give you just a quick rundown on what went on and my thoughts on London. So after arriving on Friday I had a Flat White coffee for the first time since I left in February which was like a little cup of gold, good to have something different that a short black! After that Elliott and I had to battle rush hour on the Tube (metro) in London to get to where we were staying. None the less we got there and after a good catch up we hit the sack ahead of a busy few days checking out London. The first day was a pretty rainy shit day so we looked around some shops and some of the sight. We caught up with another good friend from back in New Zealand who was over called Lewis who I went to primary school and college with which was awesome! The next day was a lot nicer so we decided instead of using the tube and walking around everywhere we would hire some bikes to boost round on all day. This was awesome trying to dodge traffic and look at the sights such as Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Big Ben and so on! Later that night we had dinner with Elliott’s good mate who is also from New Zealand which was cool! Next day we hit the Science Museum which was pretty cool but as my attention span is pretty short we weren't there for too long.

Magical Place

Speed Machine

All Touristy 

There are some more Pictures on my Face book page if you want to check it out.

Yeah so that’s about it, back into training and racing again now… I’ll give you an update in a few weeks, hopefully not a stupid novel like this. Sorry

Good effort if you read this all, even I had to dig deep to have a quick skim read!

Cheers 

Scott

Let the good time Roll

So the last two weeks have been awesome if you exclude the pretty shit weather that we have had to put up with.  In the last two weeks I've had a one day tour as well as a big French Junior Tour.  Last week was Le Prix du Saugeais a local one day tour. First of was a 10 km uphill time trial which didn't go that great and ended up in 3rd place. That afternoon was a very difficult hilly 90 km road race where I tried to take the time I needed for the win but ended up coming 2nd across the line and a close 10 or so second off the overall win! A good result but not the win I was looking for! 

Along the Road Race 

Finishes 2nd 

After another good week of training and some good rest it was time for Challenge de L'Est Junior Tour. This was a target of mine as it is a big Junior race in France. Our team joined together with another team called CC Etupes which was awesome as they were a cool bunch of guys who we got along with straight away.  After a long drive in the morning the stage started at 3. The stage was 120 km long with a couple of small climbs to mix it up. The weather was just like Auckland with it being super hot one minute then freezing cold and raining the next. The stage started off pretty slow with Chad and Arnaud from our team getting in the early break away that quickly got a gap that stretched out to about 3 minutes at one point. After 20 or so km I set about bridging to the break which I did with 2 others. This ended up being the winning break for the stage and I think everyone knew it so everybody decided to cruise and just tempo it at a comfortable pace with no big attacks or anything. Chad got most of the mountain points up the climb. The pace never got super hard until the last lap up the climb when the break split. Arnaud and I made the split and finished 9 seconds behind a solo winner. I finished the stage 3rd which adds to my list of podiums with not many wins which was starting to get frustrating to say the lest but i was happy as 9 seconds was a small enough gap to pull back.

Breakaway Stage One

 After a good feed and massage that night it was time to hit the sack for a big day chasing the yellow jersey. Day 2 started off with a 15 km Team Time Trial and a 92 km road stage in the afternoon. The weather was super windy with huge cross winds and heaps of head wind. The team trial did not go so great loosing 50 odd seconds to the winning team which put me 4th on overall going into the final stage nearly a minute off the top 3 riders. To say the least I was super disappointing with the time trial as a lot of waiting and slowing down went on throughout the ride. All the boys put there all into it though so that's all I can ask for.

Driving the Team Home

 I decided not to let my anger and disappointment from the time trial get into my head and rather put it to good use in the final stage. The final stage seemed like it was going to be a good one with the wind picking up some more and rain starting to settle in. The race started off with the usual early break away going but thing break contained a rider who was coming 2nd overall. The break was sitting at a gap of 3 minutes for about 50 km with the bunch being pussies in the wind. I disparately wanted to just smack the crap out of the bunch in the cross winds but i thought better of that idea and just waited patiently in the bunch for the right time to have a dabble at going for the win. 20 km to go up the major climb of the race i put everything into an attack with only one rider coming with me with yellow unable to follow. I did the majority of the work catching the break as the rider who was with me had a team mate in the break that was coming 2nd over all. We caught the break 8 km later on the major climb again where I kept the pace high with only 4 of us making it together over the top. Over the top was 2nd overall and his team mate and another rider who was a team mate of the current leader. I could tell the rider who was coming 2nd was rooted so I kept drifting him off then sprinting back to the others. On the 2nd to last time up the big climb I attacked once more and dropped him and his team mate who stayed with him and over the top had about a 30 second gap with 8 km more remaining. I had a rider sit on my wheel all the way to the finish until he knew his team mate had lost the leaders jersey and decided to work if i let him have the win which i agreed to as i was pushing as hard as i could in the head wind (going 25 km h it was pretty bloody strong). I rolled over for 2nd in the stage and was waiting to see the other riders roll in with fingers crossed it was enough! I ended up putting 2 minutes into the next rider across the line and 4 or so minutes into the bunch! This meant i had secured the overall victory!!! 

 I was super stocked with how the last stage played out. By the end of the tour our team had secured 1st and 3rd overall as well as the climber’s jersey thanks to Chad’s efforts in the first stage. Big thanks to the team for an awesome weekend and all working well together!! This finished my latest 2 weeks of racing with 5 stage podiums and a 2nd and a 1st overall! Good two weeks!! This is my biggest win in France to date!

Winning and coming close

So a few weeks have gone by and the same old stuff is going on, training hard, racing every weekend and having a dabble in the kitchen trying to think of some new storms to cook up to keep it interesting. 

After a my last update the weather has seemed to improve a shit load over here and have been riding with no leg warmers or arm warmers which is great to get the summer glow back that I've been missing for the last few months. 

After a hard week of training after my first European win it was time for another Junior race in France which was about 100 km from memory and was pretty bloody hilly. We rode the course before hand and it was pretty hard, but maybe that was the 30+ degree day! So on with the race and it started of pretty slow so i just followed some moves and ended up in an early break which eventually got caught but luckily i have learnt my lesson from previous races and didn't blow my tit in the first few minutes of the race so i had some energy which i then had to use chasing like crazy to a break that had a minute on the bunch and was increasing fast. after about 20-30 km of chasing i finally caught the break which was eventually going to end up staying away for the race. I was pretty rooted from bridging to the break and after a few late digs to try and sneak the solo win it ended up being a bunch sprint or break sprint if that's how its meant to me worded and i rolled in for 4th.

After another week of training and the usual happenings of living in a small French town such as trying to suss  out the bargains at the supermarket and my weekly investigation of weather it’s cheaper to by fruit and veges and the supermarket or fruit and vegetable shop which i'm still undecided on so my next blog update will surely be exciting with maybe a result in this. On a cycling side it was another stunner of a week for training which consisted of a couple 120 km plus days, which was nice. On the Sunday we had our clubs host race which was a big goal for the club to win. It was a race where the senior team was also racing so I was looking forward to mixing it up with them. It was a hard course with no flat just up or down. This was good and bad for me. The good being the down, the bad being the up. Any who i made it in the break that ended up sticking for the race again so was a hard race which i wasn't feeling to flash in, I was told by the team director to work for the older boys who we had in the break so with 3 laps to go I went solo up a hill and stayed away for a lap and a bit which meant our team didn't have to work, I went as hard as i could until I got caught and then dropped but then got back on the break and in the sprint ended up 8th I think and first Junior so got a cup which was a good prize for a hard day in the office. 

This week of training i was actually quite excited about as the Tour Of Romandie was passing by which meant a ride to watch the race was in order. After an hour and a little but of hills we made it to where the race was going past so settled in there waiting patiently. As we saw the race coming up the hill we realized it wasn't actually such a good spot as Chad sat in stinging needles and i almost dropped my card down a drain a few times we ran across a paddock cycling shoes and all to get a good spot. As the race came up team Sky were on the front and Chris Sutton yells out "F****** Kiwis" pretty much made my trip out worth it as-well as seeing kiwi George Bennett racing.

Weekend just passed I had my first tour with the team which i was really looking forward too! Even the change in weather from sunny days to pissing rain couldn't stop my motivation. First stage was a road race of 110 km with a load of hills through out the course. A break went that ended up getting away and long story short i wasn't in it and bunch wasn't interested in chasing so i went on a mission to try and catch it and in the end came 16 seconds short and finished the stage in 8th or so. The accommodation for the race was awesome with food cooked for us which was a nice change from my cooking. Next day was a 10 km time trial which we had to use road bikes for but I chucked a disc on and deep front wheel which was grouse. I ended up winning the time trial by 12 seconds over the next junior. I found out I won while having a shower which I had to cut short to get to the podium which explains my seeexy hair style.  I was going into the last stage coming 2nd by 4 seconds with a steep (20%) last 2 km so the plan was keep it together and I would go give it a nudge or two in the finish. Things didn't go to plan and a break stayed away and had some high overall contenders in it so I ended up coming 5th over all. Close but no cigar I think they say?

Trying to Catch the breakaway first stage

Climb in the time trial

Shower Hair, Not a good look 

Going through one of the many towns which is so cool!!

Just a few things i thought i should add before rapping this novel up:

1. Don't leave writing a blog 3 weeks late it takes a while as I think you might be able to tell as detail is pretty low and by the end of writing this I got quite bored.

2. I kissed by first podium girl which I was so nervous about but think i got it now, watch out.

3. Give us a message on Face book if you watch Short-land Street and we can talk about how much I hate Roimata.

4. Next update will be detailed so don't worry

Thanks,

Scott

First Win!!

So after a week off from riding last week with the Flu that just wouldn't go away i finally got on the bike on Sunday and did some fairly decent training.  The weather is still really cold and unpredictable here so still probably not training enough but with the help of my coach Gordon McCauley I can keep and build a little form without being out in the cold for too long!

After a week off missing a big Junior Tour i really wanted to do well in i was pretty guttered which meant i was super motivated to do well this weekend in another important junior race called "Prix Des Vins Henry Valloton".

The race started really early at 8 15 am and was about a 3 hour drive away, which meant for an early 4 00 am wake up!! Fair to say was a bit of a shock to the system but after a few coffees i was bouncing off the walls! Chad and i brought a nespresso machine so its even i nice coffee!

Team Before the start, super cold!

We were told the course was hard with steep climbs of cobbles and gravel and it was super windy so i thought this would be a course that suited me perfect. The race started off pretty slow which i thought was weird until i looked up the road and saw a 4 km climb, by the time we hit the climb it was then full gas.

I was in the select group over the top and after about 10 km of block headwind we went through a town and ended up riding through a narrow road through a vineyard and up a steep climb that was either cobbles or gravel (climb hit a max of about 20%!!) So naturally in the first two laps i went full gas up it thinking i was Fabian Cancellara!! After this it was following some sketchy down hills going 70+km/h on roads barely wider than a single bed, almost stacked it a few times with some close calls with the back wheel skipping out but luckily kept it up. Then was back on a wide straight road with some more headwind and cross winds.

We did this loop 3 times with a total of 100 km of racing with a lazy 2000m of climbing chucked in. After the 3rd time up the big climb a group of about 8 were left out front with myself included. I then just lapped it out and followed through the vineyard and wasn't in any difficulty up the rest of the climbs. With 7 km remaining which was all flat with a dirty cross/head wind i attacked the group with a guy on my wheel, we eventually got a 30 second gap, about 1 km remaining he dropped and i rolled in for the win! Was real happy a relieved to get my first European win under the belt and especially coming down the straight posting is an amazing feeling that i hope is not to far away again!

Got to say a big thanks to coach GMC and our team director for giving me race tactic advice as its a lot different racing here than back home! For once saved my self instead of going nuts the whole race and blowing my tit by the finish!

Back to training this week for another Junior race this weekend which i'm super pumped for!

Big thanks to CRAFT Sportswear with their awesome winter kit which is keeping me super warm in racing and training. Get onto the undershirts they are by far the best i have ever ridden!


Cheers
Scotty

Bit of bad luck

So as it happens in cycling you always have your ups and downs and recently its been a bit about the downs.
Last week i had a race which was quite a big race in Switzerland which was a race i wanted to win! The race was up by a ski field which in winter inst ideal as it must of been about 1 degree or so when we arrived!  The course was 5 laps of a 15 km circuit with a 3 km climb up to the finish, a course that i think suited me perfect. It was all going good following the early attacks with ease and climbing great until i punctured 30 km into the race and as i got my wheel change the break that stayed away went. When i got back to the bunch i tried to bridge but just wasn't going to happen. Ended up winning the bunch kick but still pretty guttered but punctures happen to all of us at some point so point getting pissed off.

As it happens i got sick after the race and so far this week have been in bed sick with the FLU. I thought it was something that would come and go quickly but its just stuck with me and hasn't buggered off. I've been real tired and haven't done any training so i had to give the race this weekend a miss. I'm pretty guttered as it was a race i targeted when i first arrived in France as it was our first tour and one that kiwi Sean Hambrook won last year. I know this was the best option to pull out of racing as my body is saying NO, even though it seems hard now.

Anyway i cant wait to get better and start hitting the roads again get some good training in, lets just hope the snow, rain and freezing cold goes away soon too!!

Scott

Long Overdue Yarn

So a few weeks have gone by now without an update so here it goes!

Last weekend I had my first taste of the top level of French Junior racing with a Federal Junior race called “Trophee Louison bobet.” We left the Friday before the race at 1 pm an were on our way to Bretagne which is 9 hours away!  After a long nap I woke up to find we are stopping for dinner at a place I think is called FLUNCH which is like a buffet which is great as the team pays and I can eat as much as I want, WIN! A few hours later we arrived at our motel.

Accommodation ( I got the Double) 

On the Saturday we went for an easy spin in the morning which was great as there was no snow around which was is a nice changed from where I live where it has been snowing for the last few weeks (yes the novelty of snow has more than wore off). After that it was a quick lunch then off to have a look the the course and watch some of the elite riders race. It an awesome experience watching top level French racing especially with a fellow Kiwi and former Morteau rider Sean Hambrook getting a top 10 result!

Sunday was race day which started off with a small breakfast by the Hotel which basically consists of crap coffee, breed and some muesli.  The Race was 135 km of rolling hills with 200 starters. The race started with a crazy natural section! Just imagine 200 teenage boys full of energy wanting to get to the front of the race behind a lead car on a one lane road, it is CRAZY! Anyway on with the race and after about 40 km there were only 2 people left from our team in the front bunch which still consisted of about 150 riders a small group rolled off the front. I thought this looked dangerous so I bridged across solo (about 30 second gaps) and once I made it we quickly stretched out to a 1 minute lead which eventually hit 2 minutes 30. The break had about 12 people and once we hit a 2 minute 30 lead they all seemed to slow down so naturally I hit it and ended up solo with 30 km to go. No one came across so I just went for it but was caught 8 km to go and didn't have any energy for the sprint and rolled in 11^th. In hindsight I shouldn't have gone so early and have learnt that racing here is WAY more tactical than back home! None the less was an awesome race and learnt heaps!

Riding solo was a stupid move

In some serious hurt at the finish

After the race it was straight into the car for a long 9 hour journey home. What made the trip even longer was that it was a storm so we had to drive slowly and I had to piss the whole trip which seemed to make time go 10000 times slower. Eventually we got home at 3 am where it pretty much hit the sack straight away.

The next weekend I had a double weekend of racing with a small one in Switzerland on Saturday and a Category 1 race which I was invited to do with the senior club team on Sunday. The week leading up to these racing was uneventful just training and praying that the snow will stop and spring will come! Saturday’s race was very boring as I was told by the team director “do not attack early” which sucked as the early break of course stayed away and won the race with none of our team in the move, GREAT. I just cruised in the bunch doing what I was told and finished mid bunch in the sprint.

   

The next day was a big day and a race I knew I had to do well in to show the club what I can do. The race was a few hours away near Germany called “Tour Du Canton Wittenheim”  It had a field of 160 odd riders with a cool course with 19 laps of a 6.8 km circuit, well it was cool until the third lap then it was just seeing the same roads and streets another 16 times. The weather was really bad with freezing rain pouring down and a high of about 4 degrees! Any way after following all the early moves trying to get into the breakaway nothing worked until a small group of riders got away about 70 km into the race.  By this point I couldn't feel my hands or feet and had to check where my fingers were on my bars to check they were in the right position and they were numb and I couldn't feel a thing! Riders were pulling out with mild hypothermia all race but I was determined to finish. With 8 laps to go I was just counting down the laps hoping I don’t get sick and that I will still be able to brake going into corners by the time the last lap starts. Anyway 3 riders ended up sprinting for the top places up the road and I rolled in 18^th and first Junior (U19) after attempting to lead my team mate Daniel Ellison out. This was by far the coldest race I have done in my life! But thanks to CRAFT clothing for the awsome gloves my hands didn't turn out like Daniels  Daniels hands were blue afterwards which was pretty weird. 

Freeezing Race 

 Was hard to brake with no feeling in my hands!

Back at home now getting heaps of sleep and x box in while it’s snowing outside and defiantly over using the indoor training which at the moment I hate more than anything. The other night we came up with a good idea with the steep as stairs the house has, RACE up them. 

what we do when we are snowed in and bored STAIR RUNNING CHAMPS

It’s very boring here throughout the week so if you want to chat or ask a few questions feel free over Facebook or email me scottambrose021@gmail.com and ill be sure to message you back a.s.a.p.

Next race is a junior one in Switzerland I think that I will post about a lot earlier than these!

Cheers

Scotty

First Race and an upate

Just a little update on what’s been happening here..

So I’ve been pretty slack at the blog as It’s pretty full on here! NOT. Each day consists on riding, eating, playing Xbox and sleeping. So life’s pretty chilled at the moment. After my crash got stuck back into training as I had my first race of the season on the Sunday. I would like to say a HUGE thanks to CRAFT CLOTHING for supplying me with all my winter kit which is keeping me warm on the cold days! (gets to -3 some days!) It’s fair to say that I felt pretty crap all week but none the less was still pumped for my first European race!

During the week leading up to the race a few boys were sick so Chad and I decided to get out of the house for a day and travel to Besancon. Was a pretty cool day to get out and explore a big town (well bigger than Morteau).

The Race on the Sunday was called Criterium du Printemps (Credit Mutuel) and had about 120 starter. The course was real cool with 8 laps of an 11k circuit. Each lap had a 1.5km climb to the finish line with rolling hills throughout. It was real windy as well. I started the race in usual fashion and went blocks as soon as the nutural flag was down and eventually got clear of the bunch and was out fron solo for the first 3 laps until a group of about 20 came across. The group wasn't going very fast but eventually it was brought down to about 10. I didn't have any team mates in the group which sucked as one of the teams still had 6 or so riders in the group. Eventually I got away with a rider from the team who didn't have to do any work all day as his team was working for him. I was pretty smashed by this point with about 20k to go we had a 2min gap. I kept hitting him throughout but he was too strong so I rolled over for 2^nd. Was pretty happy considering my less than ideal week leading up to the race.

Last night we had a meeting with the sponsors and it went really good except none of us understood what anyone was saying. They played this 10min long video of something that looked like a documentary you watch in primary school about cows and water. Anyway it ended up being a successful night as Chad and I become mates with some guy who gave us a good kg of bread, heaps of cheese and a big pie that he stole from the kitchen I think!!

This weekend we have a Federal Junior Race on the other side of France ( 9 HOUR DRIVE). I’m tolled is very important and prestigious with 180 or so riders starting. Really looking forward to racing with the best France has to offer!

Also i think its about 5 degrees warmer than what it is here!! WOOP

Scott

Minor Setback CRASH

So all was going good yesterday. Finally getting settled into the french life style, training and form was on the up until on a team training ride i hit the deck pretty hard. We were told to sprint into the town which was all going good until the guy in front of me took himself out some how and i went over the top of him going about 50 km/h. My right hip took all of the impact with my front wheel breaking every spoke and the hub come separate.

After the crash was when it all got exciting! Ambulances were called and people rushing around. Was a mission and a half trying to explain to the ambulance staff that it was only my hip that was sore (in France there are 4 staff to an ambulance so its pretty hectic inside!). Off to hospital it was where a lot of waiting around was done while the doctors and nurses talked away which i had no idea what was about. I got a few x-rays done and was told that all is good and will just need 4-7 days off the bike until the swelling goes down.

After all this i was pretty guttered as i was building a little form to a "Federale Junior" Race on the 10th March which is a major race to get noticed in by bigger teams. Hopefully my hip heals faster than expected and i can still post a good result in this race!

Anyways now I'm just recovering at home playing on and x-box Chad an I brought today for a few days until i can knock out some k's next week.

Oh and the only bright side bout going to French hospitals is that the nurses are banging which makes the experience a lot more enjoyable.

Bored! Even got a sweet gown

In the Emergency area

Who i ran over

Plane Trips and ALOT of Snow!

So I've made in to Morteau, France and have finally found some good wi-fi after a few days so will give you a quick run down on whats been going on.

 After a lot of good byes and good nights out with my best mates it was finally time to leave for France. On Wednesday i left for France where a few mates turned up to say goodbye which was sad but off i went. First stop was Melbourne then off to Dubai and finally Geneva where the team directors picked us up.     

me and most of my best friends

Once we made in to Morteau after a crazy 2 hour drive in the snow with some crazy Euro driving and near 
misses i realized how cold it was, -3 and snow everywhere! 

Team bus covered in snow

After a good nights sleep 12 hours! It was time to get into some training and get ready for the first race of the season which is a small race on 3rd March. After some team bonding where we played indoor soccer and went bowling it feels like its going to be a good season and a lot of fun! Untill next time ill be trying to learn some more french so i can live the life style as at the moment people could be charging me 3x the price of groceries and i wouldn't even know!!

bye for now!

Scott

Dinner with the team

Amazing views riding

Start of 2013

This year i have been fortunate enough to have been picked up by a junior (U19) French team VCC Morteau Montbenoit. I depart for the small town of Morteau in just under 2 weeks along with my good mate Chad Elliston, so thought i better set up a blog so people can see what i'm getting up to in Europe.

Looking forward to getting starting over in Europe after a couple of good hit outs in NZ. Coming away with 2nd over all behind Paddy Bevin at HUB tour and coming away with sprint ace is hopefully a good sign of more good results to come this year.

From now until i leave just keeping the training miles ticking along while trying to enjoy my final few days in the kiwi summer!

Quick thanks to my sponsor Craft Cycle Clothing and coach Gordon McCauley who have helped me to get where i am.

Look out for more updates here as ill update it as much as i can!

Scott