First update from Italy! I’m very happy
to now be in Italy after a long old trip across from Barcelona to Rome, then a mega
drive up to Igea Marina where we are based. It was a long few days of traveling
including getting lost in Barcelona IKEA with Jack and a delayed 28 hour ferry
crossing. Eventually and thankfully, we reached our base on the North East
coast of Italy near Rimini.
The day after we arrived in Italy, we
went straight off to our first race which was Montecassiano an U28 National. I
was very apprehensive ahead of this race knowing how hard Italian racing is and
how big a jump junior racing was to this level. It was a rolling course
especially in the second half of the race which switched to a hillier circuit.
I was pretty happy with how I did lasting for 149 of 167km (only 35 finished
out of 200 starters!). The racing here really is ‘full gas’!
Post-race we had a steady week
getting to know the area and exploring Italian roads. Where we are based is a
ghost town at the moment. It is a holiday destination and nothing is open until
summer; it is quite bizarre walking around the town. Apart from this, the area
is ideal for training; always starting on the flat before reaching the hills
after 45mins on each ride. Also it was a great experience to visit the Pantani
memorial. Surreal experience to pay respects to one of the best climbers that's
ever lived! Another highlight of this week was getting to ride a strade bianche
recce. It was a lot of fun pulling some shapes and sliding around on the gravel
roads. It did make me pretty gutted to be missing this race as it would have
been a lot of fun.
Strade Bianchi recce |
The weekend of the Strade Bianche
when the other boys were racing, I was placed in a tough section, with wheels in
hand, in case of punctures. Unfortunately, most of the boys suffered punctures.
All in all, I think they had a great experience in racing it. It looked as
though they had been to war post-finish! After the race, I have to give a big
thanks to Owen’s Aunties for inviting me out for the night for my 19th
Birthday. I had an ace evening out in Old Rimini which almost made up for the disappointment
of not riding the Strade Bianche.
The last few days we have just come
off a tough block of training. We have had 2 big days out in the mountains. It
was great for me being new to the area; exploring the new roads and scenery was
ace. It was particularly cool, winding our way up to San Marino. Mind you it
was hard to take much in, digging deep up that climb! I am pretty happy with
the way my legs are coming along during this block. I am really looking forward
to getting stuck into my next Italian race soon.
Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment