Below is an breakdown of the end of my 2015 season and this Winter thus far.
I approached my off-season the happiest I have ever been in my entire life. Things in Belgium were good, I had a team sorted, a house sorted, my job at the bar in the UK back and nothing to prevent me from training at my maximum to reach the level I need to be at for 2016. But sadly it was all too good to be true, slowly things off the bike began to unravel and then I started to have some physical set-backs despite the fact I was doing everything possible to keep it at 100%. Some knee pain returned in my right leg (not the injury from 2015). I've come to accept that no amount of stretching and strength/conditioning work will ever fully prevent tendinitis pain from recurring, so I'll just deal with it in the appropriate manner as and when it inevitably does.
Shortly after that I went through a period of buying every saddle under the sun in an attempt to deal with something all cyclists have experienced at some point or another, saddle sores. I would take time off and only return to training when the area was healed but the problem kept returning. I bought some assos shorts, had a bike fit and was doing everything possible from a hygiene standpoint, but nothing was working. So I started trying different saddles but that didn't help either. Eventually I realised the problem was a little more deep rooted (quite literally) than I first thought and I went to the doctors. They informed me I had some infected hair follicles and began me on a course of antibiotics. They didn't work. I tried to return to training but again had to stop. I have since been on another course of stronger antibiotics and antibiotic cream and after another week and a half off things are considerably better.
I decided not to write all the gory details (nobody wants that), but at the same time I didn't want to breeze over the problem like it was nothing more than a mild hindrance. It's been agonising and infuriating at the same time, sadly my training has suffered immensely and my condition has been stopped dead in it's tracks as a consequence. Seeing photos of riders racing in Australia and training in Calpe while I've been making regular trips to the doctors and pharmacist in between bouts of rubbing creams into my nether region is not what I had in mind for December/January. As I said though things have improved and I got some good training in last weekend and am off to Benicassim with my team tomorrow (28th Jan). While I'm on the subject of my team it's worth mentioning everything is looking great. In case you weren't sure I'm back in Belgium for 2016, racing for Goma Dakwerken VDB Steenhouwerij Cycling Team (try saying that five times in a row quickly). Everything is more or less in place already; calender, bikes, kit, vehicles, etc which ace and one less thing to worry about. Benicassim will be a great opportunity to ride with the whole team and meet all the staff including Gerry Vande Pontseele, the manager, who I met with when I signed my contract.
I drove over to Belgium yesterday to stay in Zottegem for couple of nights before flying to Spain with the team on January 28th for 10 days. After that I return to Belgium where I'll be living in the same house as last season in Ottenburg with my good friend Andy Leigh. Unfortunately Andy doesn't arrive till the beginning of March so I've got just under a month on my own with the deer, the deamon and the Ottenburglar (don't ask).
Finally I want to say an enormous thank you to those that have continued to support me ahead of/during the coming season. The Dave Rayner Fund, PedalPotential and GripGrab all supported me in 2015 and have chosen to do so again in 2016. I'm extremely grateful to them all because without them I simply could not be out here.
Tom.