BAD NEWS!!!

fresh from my victory in drogheda... i went to my specialist in dublin Dr Pat O'Neill who had been attending to my calf injury over the last few weeks, since Ras mumhan i had visited the Dr and had been sent for a MRI scan on the region, it was today that i would be given the news of my conditon, with my leg feeling good and my morale in orbit surly nothing could go wrong.... how gullable i was, the Dr showed me on his monitor the images of a grade 1 tear in my calf muscle, a tear that if not tended to immediatly would only get worse and soon would put me out of action for an extended period. Such injuries can take up to 2 weeks to repair and need extensive physical therapy work to increase blood flow and break down scar tissue. I had entered the office a hero, i left a broken man..... the drive back to the west was long and tough, at times i considered throwing in the towel on the season and starting fresh in october, but NO!! no challenge is to great for me, i was being tested and like every test i have faced so far i would overcome it and move on a stronger individual.....

It is how you show up at the showdown that counts

Success isnt something that just happens..... Success is learned..... Success is practiced.... and only then success is shared.

It was on the fine sunny morning in drogheda that the Cobra struck the killer blow.... racking up my first victory, i rode strongly all day doing my fair share of work in the break, then whittling it down from 12 to 4 men, me included, and from there i managed to put in a strong sprint which sealed me victory.

The hard prep in Leenan the week before had payed off, heavily motivated and fueled my a hunger to win, i had pulled a solid and respectible victory out of the bag, That evening myself and the matey celebreted with a chinese and a pint of quality heineken in gibneys.

Killary Adventure Centre..... BOOT CAMP!!!!

It was the week after stamullen that would change me as a rider.... with the confidence of my third place in stamullen i was ready to lay in sum serious miles in an attempt to improve on the position. I was out in Killary adventure centre in Leenan this week doing my Gaisce Gold residential which simply means i was taking part in a group activity for a week long period with a number of other candidates. Little did i know what i was in for, NO T.V....... NO RADIO...... NO READING MATERIAL and since i had left my laptop charger in dublin NO INTERNET. i was in a concentration camp, all i could do was cycle and sleep and eat when the centre fed me. I put in good training this week a hard 4 day block which i believe really benifited me. after a week in killary i felt strong mentally and physically, i was set to kill... motivated to win...

The COBRA was ready for battle....

Stamullen weekend

The week after the des was a fairly quiet week, i put in some long hard spins and did some power work which i felt brought great benifit. Friday came and i travelled from the west for the evening race in stamullen.... all was going good until i could hear was the fast rythemic du du du du du du du du of the falt trye on the van and sure no better place than the side of the moter way and whats even better the van had no jack in it..... my dad always sed i lacked initiative but i soon proved that statement wrong by running 2 miles across the west meath fields to were i convinced an old farmer to lend a sweaty 22 year old with a peak cap who was spilling a totally crazy story of a puncture 2 miles across the fields on the moter way his jack, fair play to him he did and after changing the wheel 20mins later i arrived back with it. i had planned for the unexpected maybe nothing as bad as that but with my time schedule on track i made it to the race.... the friday race was short and fast, the power work from the week still fresh in my legs i just felt slow and sluggish, like i lacked the killer edge, i got no place.
That friday i stayed wit tim and both of us travelled to the saturday race together, tim was the defending chamion so he was obliged to put on a strong performance and so he did taking a great 2nd place behind team mate mark dowling and me taking third which wasnt to bad, i was happy to see that my legs were coming round.
Sunday was the big day, the day the top riders usually attend in a attempt to take the stamullen grand prix title, racing was hard and fast and with a tough climb each lap the field soon crumbled and broke under the pressure, 2 strong riders broke free to take first and 2nd but i battled hard and with 3km to go jumped clear of my bunch only to take 3rd by inches over a fast approaching peleton of riders.
It was good for my confidence to get the result of third in such a tough race, it was a good sign that my form was coming good, and just in time with the ras only a month away..

Just when the going got good!!

Its been a while since the ras mumhan disaster.... the fact that i had to pull out of one of the irish calanders biggest events really affected me. it has takin me ages to come right from what happened, but the following week i rode the Des Hanlon a Hard 1 day race here in ireland were i wasnt expecting much but to make it around with no calf problems. from word go i was in the mix of the attacks all very small stuff, i was foolish getting sucked into the immediate action i should have known well that the break would go on a climb, and that it did it was a hard drag with heavy cross winds, i was in the right place at the time to jump across but i could do nothing all i could do was sit there, my legs were max'd out they had nothing more than the strength to hold me were i was. sickened is the only word to explain how i felt as i watched the break blaze off down the road me lodged back in the bunch, but i had to except the fact that without the legs i cant go so i shudnt dwell. as the race went on and as the miles clocked up i felt the others around me slowing it was at this stage i took it on myself to drive the bunch to the line, i rode hard in the last 20km putting in massive turns eating time out of the break but it was to much to late in the end i rolled across the line to the bitter taste of defeat.... but what doesnt kill me makes me stronger.

Disaster!!

Went to ras mumhan this weekend, all i have to say is i am truely dissapointed. legs felt 100% in the days approaching the event, went down on the thursday night with spock had a good rest in cork and travalled to kilorglin that morning, spocks pancreas was already suffering with the stress as the minutes to kick off became smaller and smaller, tailgating, dodgy over takes it all made for an epic jouney to the beggining of irelands biggest stage race 2nd to the ras.
the first stage kicked off like usuall out the kilarney road, i found i was up the front immediatly mixing it up with the other strong riders, i saw my oppertunity and attempted to get to the break and it was there that it struck, my achilles came back to haunt me, leg throbbing, mind fried, morale zero and all i could do was sit there and watch the break steadily disapear into the distance. i finished out the stage and made my way back to the B&B, lying in bed i was absolutly devestated knowing the inevitable truth that i would have to pull out. i was so motivated towards the race and was really looking foward to the coming stages, but it would not be for me, i was on a bus from killarney to limerick were my mum collected me, i was to annoyed with the situation to wait in kerry all weekend, so travelling home seemed the only option.
A night on the rip with spider and i am once again back on track, the key is that i do not allow the injury to sideline me for too long a steady and controlled rehabilitation will hopefully have me back on track soon.