Been a few weeks since I did my last blog so I figure since I've recently got back in training for 2013 I should get one done. Wouldn't normally do one this late but I forgot to put yesterdays kit wash on and so am now waiting for it to finish so I can hang it up before bed so I have something to wear on the road tomorrow. Sunday 11th was my first day back on the bike after my short but much needed fortnight of rest at the end of what's been a long season. After being advised by a good handful of experienced riders to take a few weeks off I did and am as a result very happy I did, gave me chance to recover physically but also gave me a chance to do away with 2012 and begin preparing for 2013. I'm back racing in the Manchester Regional Track League on Friday evenings to continually build speed and power in the legs and getting in plenty of base miles on the road and turbo in-between work and sleep. Before my break I was in group 3 on the track (1 is slowest 4 is fastest) and regularly winning at least 2 races a night and contesting all the rest but on my first week back (tonight) I was moved up to group 4 (maybe the organisers thought I'd been training in Mallorca or something...) Clearly I haven't, I knew I hadn't, and it was probably very apparent to everyone else racing I hadn't too. I got a right royal hammering, but it was great training. Got off the front in a few races and took points here and there but nothing notable. In all honesty though I'd much rather be in the fastest group where the average speeds are always around 30mph and get no wins but a great workout than be in second fastest group, average only 27mph and win every other race. After all, it is just training. If I was there to win races I'd sell my road bikes and be on the track 5 times a week like some of the lads there, but I'm not. I chatted to another roadie from Velocity 3in1 after getting changed and he'd evidently done exactly what I'd done; taken 2 weeks off, he was suffering like a dog all night too. In his own words "You need a break at the end of the season, I've just had 2 weeks off, this is just training really". It's easy to get disheartened but at the end of the day you've got to look at the bigger picture which is racing on the road next season on Sunday mornings against the pros for the new team not going round in circles on a Friday night. TB
