Commonwealth Games 2018

I'm super happy to announce that I've been selected to represent Team Wales at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia.

First of all, I'd like to say a massive 'thank you' to all of the people who have helped me over the last few years. The biggest thanks has to go out to my parents who have supported me 110% ever since I started racing. I also want to thank Welsh Cycling for giving me this fantastic opportunity. Last Year I received financial help from Pedal Potential and the Tom Maynard Trust. This helped to fund racing on the continent in 2017, where I gained plenty of experience for the next step in my career. Big thanks to both!

I'm also keeping the family tradition alive as my Dad represented Wales in the 1990 Auckland commies in the Triathlon. This means a lot to me as my dad has passed on his wisdom ever since I got into cycling. It's a bit of a coincidence that we'll both have competed in Southern hemisphere commonwealth games too!

Once again, I have to say a massive thanks to Welsh cycling for selecting me. I am very proud to represent my Country and I really want to give it my best shot come April!

Pete

Blog 16 (2017 ends on a high)

To cap off what's been a packed 2017 of highs and lows; the year is definitely coming to an end with a high. Firstly, I've just returned from a fantastic trip away to Gran Canaria with Welsh Cycling.

The trip was a great opportunity to get the first serious block of training in prior to the 2018 season. It was a great camp getting some quality kms in and plenty of climbing. The roads were ace for riding with a spaghetti like layout over the mountains. Again, it was just really enjoyable to get some serious riding in to kickstart next season. 

I personally found it to be a great experience as it was my first trip away training with Wales as a 'senior' rider. Being the youngest rider, it was quite nice to get to know the other riders on the team a bit better.  It was really good to have such great support off all of the Welsh cycling staff too. Great atmosphere to train in with such a nice bunch of people on this camp (and Stevie....haa).

We did some pretty epic rides with big elevation figures spending time in the clouds. This was character building for sure but also pretty enjoyable being a bit of a goat. I'm feeling pretty happy with my riding at the moment and I hope to build upon this form through the coming season.

In other news, I’m really happy to announce that I’m on the 2018 commie games short list of riders for the road race at the gold coast. I’m super happy with this and it provides all the more motivation to make the most of my training and end up on the start line out in Australia. 

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year!

Pete

Blog 15

Finding it a bit hard to think of ideas for this blog but a few people have been nagging me (Granddad!) for the next instalment; sorry for the wait guys!

Rolling around the Vale...

 So most recently, in the last 5 weeks or so, I’ve been getting back into the routine of winter training for the build up to next season. Training wise it’s now predominantly 'strength based' including 4 and a half hours a week in the gym. At first, getting back into the gym work was a shock to the system.  The muscles felt pretty sore for the first week or so. However, I’m definitely feeling there are some solid gains to be made from the gym work throughout this winter. In fact, I’m already feeling some benefits that have translated to my riding. The staff at Sport Wales are ace and really tailor the program to suit my weaknesses. I sometimes feel a bit sorry for the staff having to deal with us weedy cyclists especially when we are in the company of Wales' top boxers!

Another foggy morning up Bwlch...

Back to the bike work, it’s been mostly steady riding and any efforts have been 'over-geared' for strength to compliment the gym program. I’ve also done a good few sessions down at the velodrome in Newport. It felt weird getting used to riding circles again as it’s been over a year and a half since I’d last been on those boards.

Are you happy now Granddad??? 

Apart from the training side of things I’ve been taking advantage of my time back at home without the constraints of racing, to catch up with mates and generally get my mind off cycling to keep my head fresh ahead of the 2018 season. I wanted to keep this blog short and sweet to just give you a brief overview of what I’m up to at the moment. In the coming month I should have something a bit more exciting to share with you. And with an upcoming trip to Gran Canaria on the horizon I'll have a few more photo opportunities.....

Pete

Porsche Experience Day

Something a bit different for you in this blog. I'm taking a step away from cycling for the day, to indulge in my second biggest passion....Cars! I was fortunate enough to get invited along to a Porsche Experience Day by a good friend.

The day started incredibly early for me having to get up at 4.30am to drive across to Silverstone to be on time for breakfast. However, getting up this early was not a problem when my day was going to unfold like this.... The first part of the day was 'Driver education'. This was to tell us firstly a bit about the day but also the most interesting part for me - learning about the human performance aspect of motor racing. We had a chance to test ourselves on the 'grip' test and also a 'reaction' test. I was fairly happy with my results but still a fair way off the incredibly quick reactions of a professional racing driver. It was really interesting to learn about the physical requirements of the top drivers, especially Le Mans drivers, who regularly have to deal with 5G in a corner. This isn't too dissimilar to a fighter pilot! They also experience losing up to 3.5 litres of sweat over a 4 hour stint in 24 hr races when in countries such as Malaysia. This is because the cabin temperature can exceed 50 degrees! I found this pretty interesting because usually you just think about the performance of the car and not the driver.

On to the next section - 'Road driving' - in a Macan turbo, Panamera 4S and a Cayenne GTS. This was quite a cool experience for me coming from a Citreon C1 to these cars of 4x the value but also way over 4x the performance! It was just an addictive feeling pressing the loud pedal down a British b road. The thing that just blew me away was how capable and composed the cars were. Exploiting the performance just left me giggling like a little kid as I got propelled down the road. The Macan turbo was definitely my favourite out of these 3 cars.

After the road driving, we had a 3 course lunch which was thoroughly enjoyable. We then swiftly moved on to the 'Track driving' which started in a Carerra S manual. Once again, I was left with a stupid cheesy grin plastered across my face after chucking the car into the bends and pinning the throttle down in the straights. The next car I jumped into was the Carrera 4S. In this, we had a play with 'launch control' which was just ridiculous, firing me down the tarmac and pinning me to the back of my seat achieving 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds. Coming to a halt was almost as impressive, slamming on the huge carbon ceramic brakes;it was like throwing an anchor into the ground. This part of the day was definitely the most enjoyable for me.

After this, we had a 'Passenger lap' in the Cayman GT4. It was was really impressive to experience the grip of the car but also the balance when the instructor was sliding it about. One thing I had to say to him was " How did you end up with this job????"  Once we'd had the passenger laps, it was on to the 'kick plate' .The Porsche Cayman we were in, was sent into a skid which we had to correct on a surface comparable to black ice. This was a right laugh but also taught us some useful skills. We then headed to the 'Ice hill' where again we had next to no grip and we had a play sliding the car about. We managed to get told off driving this section as my friend got a bit over exuberant on the drive back down the hill! This was the last section of the day which concluded one of the most enjoyable days I can remember.

The only sad part was getting back into my Citreon C1 to head home, knowing I'm a fair few years away from being able to own a Porsche. A massive thanks has to go to my friend who made this day possible.... LEGEND!

Training has resumed and cycling blogs will resume shortly..........

Blog 13 - This chapter ends

My time in Italy has come to a premature close due to a lingering virus. I'll be sad to leave Italy but I need to get my health sorted. This simply wasn't going to happen by staying out in Italy with the hectic daily routine. I am pretty disappointed to miss out on some very cool races such as Lombardia but that's the way it goes....

Firstly, let me rewind to where I ended my last blog. Following a couple of successful races I remained at Garbelli's house in Bergamo. Flavio and the other boys arrived by mid August and the house became pretty busy. Our racing schedule was also 'full on' by the end of August, with plenty of Nationals. Gradually throughout this period I started to feel a bit 'run down'. Then one morning I woke up with a very sore throat; it was the day after Rovascala. I continued to train and race for the next 2 weeks without much choice in the matter. Unsurprisingly, I didn't manage to shift this illness and I became more and more fatigued and disappointed in my performances.  

On 2 September we travelled to Varese to race in GP Carnaghese. Weather was pretty rubbish, pouring with rain and just 11 degrees! After just one lap, the race was cancelled as there were multiple crashes due to diesel on the course. For me, this was a blessing in disguise due to my health. We immediately got on the road to Tuscany to race the Trofeo SC Corsanico the very next day. Finally, on the morning of this race the penny dropped with Flavio and he accepted that there was something not right with me so I was allowed not to start the race. I became soigneur for my teammates for this race and the following race. That day, I phoned home to discuss the situation and I made the decision to fly home. This concluded my season with Zappi's.

Dominico Garbelli offered for me to travel back with the Palazzago team and stay with him in Bergamo until my flight home on Thursday. I have to give a huge thanks to Dominico for his hospitality, accompanying me to the dentist and generally 'being there'. Although he speaks little English and my Italian is limited, we got on pretty well.

So this chapter has closed. I have had many experiences. Some which I won't be sharing in a blog but I'd happily share in person!.....Although results haven't been what I'd hoped for as a whole this year, I had a solid Nationals, a great Valle D'Aosta and I achieved a couple of Top 25's in Italian races. I have learnt a lot this year, travelled to some awesome locations and I can now 'get by ishh' in Italian.

Como

Passo San Marco

I am excited about next Year. and once recovered I'll be getting stuck into some Winter training but for now at least I am enjoying some much needed rest and home comforts. I can't yet reveal anything about next year but I can confirm that I will not be renewing my contract with Zappi RT. Good luck to the original Zappi's who started with me in January - James, Paul and Ben.

I must add a huge thanks to my supporters - Pedal Potential and the Tom Maynard Trust.

Ciao

Blog12

Picking up where I left my last blog, I've now been staying at Dominico Garbelli's house for 4 weeks. This has been a good experience, training with Palazzago and seeing how their training differs to ours. Dominico's house is situated at the foot of the mountains near Bergamo, not too far from Milan and also Lake Como. It is a great location for training with a mix of terrain and plenty of good climbs.

Riding with Palazzago
Before actually getting out on the bike with these guys, I'd heard a lot of rumours about the team - hard core, tough, many stories floating about... However, after training with them and experiencing their set up firsthand, I believe they are talented based on the work they put in. It is definitely a tough, regimented Team. Put it this way, just a few days ago, one of the riders missed a break in a race and because of this was made to ride 5 hours the following day!!

I've done some solid days training with Palazzago, always working the hills hard. The number one rule with the Team is to train in one line with riders taking a turn on the front every 5 minutes. So you can see how they are successful. On some of the steadier rides we have had the opportunity to get to know some of riders such as Ribushenko from Belarus who is a real nice guy and a good laugh.

Racing
It's been good that me, James and Paul have had the opportunity to throw a few races into this period when we thought we'd just be training. First up we had the Bassano Monte-grappa which finished on a 26 kilometre climb - yes you heard right! I managed a top 25 here which was pleasing as the temperature was in the mid thirties and the race just exploded on the finishing climb.

Then me, Paul and James travelled with Palazzago to a couple of regional Italian races. They are called regionals but don't be fooled into thinking these are a lower standard as in general the same top teams are represented. The first of these races was in Tuscany. The race wasn't too severe but had one climb on the finishing circuit which took its' toll after a few laps and the race finished up a 1.5km climb. I was super happy with my race here; my best race of the season finishing 17th. Nice to start feeling competitive in these races whereas early season I was happy to just finish one of these Italian races.

For the next race we travelled 5 hours South. Italy is going through a crazy heatwave and it was 44 degrees in the race! Even the locals were struggling with the extreme temperature. 215 started the race and just 30 completed it. I physically just couldn't deal with the heat. I felt as if I was going to pass out and had a banging headache so pulled out after only 45km. This was a bit of a shame but my body just wouldn't let me function.

Touristy bits
Whilst we've been here we've been able to see some pretty special places such as riding across to Lecco at the edge of Como. The scenery once we get in these mountains is pretty special too. Visiting Bergamo Alta was great with the old town built up on a hill top with views overlooking Milan in the distance and the mountains on the opposite side.

I almost forgot - dentistry......
As I left the last blog I had a rather large bit of a front tooth missing that I had to get sorted urgently. I weighed up the options of returning to the UK versus visiting an Italian dentist. I looked into both and the treatment worked out a hell of a lot cheaper in Italy! The only problem being my lack of Italian and Dominico's Dentist's lack of English. It was pretty amusing having Dominico prodding around my mouth showing the dentist what had happened and laughing at my misfortune... However, after a couple of trips, the dentist did a great job and my teeth are back to normal. I'm now being ultra careful as I don't want this to happen again!

Next up I have a UCI race. 34 teams are racing including 14 foreign teams (i.e. non Italian). I'll let you know how I get on in my next blog

Ciao

Blog 11- 'Back out to Europe and Valle D'Aosta'

It's hard to remember where I'm starting off with this blog..... I've been all over Europe and I can just about remember where this journey began and where I am now!

We started off with a long drive across France with me and Scott taking turns to drive the van down to Samoens in the French Alps. This was an amazing place at the foot of the Col de Joux Plane. We had a few days based here acclimatising and getting used to the longer European style climbs ahead of Valle d'Aosta Stage Race. Being so close to the first stage of the Race, we took the opportunity to recce the Prologue. This was an 8km hill climb starting steep before levelling out. The Prologue started at St Gervais right at the foot of Mont Blanc which was pretty special. It was nice to have these few days to chill and prepare well for the race. This was a change to our usual hectic travel day pre-race. My legs and head were definitely up for the race........

Valle d'Aosta

A bit of background on the race:

Its arguably up there as one of the toughest stage races on the U23 calendar. Riders who perform well here usually go on to professional teams. For instance most of last years top 10 are now professionals. So the level is real high to begin with. Then throw in the terrain which is just bonkers! I mean I'm usually someone who looks forward to a tough parcours but the Queen stage of this race trumped the Tour de France queen stage in elevation!

So back to my race. For me realistically, my goal as a first year U23 was to just get round the race and last as long as I could. I knew I was pretty well prepared for the race so it was just for me to go out and leave my legs on the road. And this is what I did.

Stage 1 (Prologue)
This was a good course for me just an uphill time trial and I was pretty happy with my ride getting 53rd out of 135 riders and 8th young rider (U20).

Stage 2 170km with Scalaro Finish
This stage was mega hot with temperatures recorded at 35degrees. It started with a climb of about 8km which was rode fairly hard to establish the break, then the pace eased off. I don't think Ive ever consumed so much water as I did on this stage; it was just a long zapping day. And then to finish there was a 10km climb averaging 10.7%. I honestly think this was the toughest climb I've ever ridden. To tackle it, I just sat into my own rhythm instead of risking holding onto the heels of the big boys and then blowing up. It seemed to work, as I moved up a few places on GC and ended up 5th in the young riders comp.

Stage 3 138 km 'the Liege Bastogne Liege style stage'
I mean it was titled this but I'm not quite sure if the organiser of the race had ever watched the LBL...... It finished up an 8km climb with a 5km immediately before that! And the stage was just up and down all day with no flat whatsoever. It also started straight into a 3.2km climb which was ridden HARD. To top it off, around mid way through the stage we had a climb which was around 20% and lasted for 1.3km on a road which is usually closed off to cars. Also have I not mentioned that the penultimate climb had a 2km gravel section at the top!!

All in all, I found this the hardest stage for me personally. I got dropped on the penultimate climb and was really feeling it. By the end of the stage I had slipped back to around 60th on GC and 8th in young riders. That was a tough day.

Stage 4 - 170km Queen Stage with 4390 metres elevation
I was very tired the morning of this stage so much so that 50 minutes before the Stage I was still asleep in the team car!

However, when I got on the bike my legs felt pretty good; I was relieved about this. The day was made up of a 15km fast 90+kph descent (sorry Mum...) to start, which was mad. Then a 3rd category climb, a 2nd category climb, then 3 1st category climbs to finish. The end of the Stage was at 2000 metres.

I ended up getting dropped on the penultimate climb with my team mate James but together with a few others we worked together up the long 17km climb to try to close the gap on the Group in front. Then on the descent me and James attacked and gained 1 minute on the group we were in. We then caught the next group on the road in the valley. We stayed with this group to the line. This was one tough old day out - 5hours 50 minutes long but I was happy with my day.

Stage 5 - Final Day only 108km
Don't be fooled as this had a tough penultimate climb and an 18km uphill slog to the line. The race was controlled by the GC leaders, BMC today with a controlled pace all day. But they turned on the gas up the penultimate climb shelling a lot of people. I managed to stick in until the last climb where I ended up getting dropped but the weirdest thing happened on this final climb.... Flavio gave me a gel from the car and I ripped the top off with my teeth. I then realised that it had ripped off my front capped tooth... I couldn't believe it and I was gutted about this. But anyway back to the race. I ended up 53rd on GC and 8th young rider in the race. I am pretty pleased with this result as a first year U23.

Currently I'm at Flavio's old coach Garbelli's house in Bergamo. We are going to be living here for at least 3 weeks now as there isn't a lot of racing. We are training with the notorious Palazzago Team.

This is the team that Fabio Aru rode for when he was an U23. This will be an interesting opportunity and certainly an eye opener to be training with these guys for a few weeks as its incredibly different from how I'm used to training. Currently they have the European champion from Belarus - Ribushenko riding for them. He has won countless Italian UCI races over the last 2 seasons and is real nice.

I'll keep you updated on how it's all going (and whether or not I'd recommend Italian dentists...) in the next few weeks.

Ciao