Nope, none allowed

I've been home 5 days and jet lag is still in situ.... I seem to have developed a habit of waking up at 1100am! and my cat is delighted to have a body in a bed at a time when he's allowed the run of the house....My current sleeping habits are not helped by watching the Vuelta at 1100pm til whenever it finishes but it   is soooo exciting..unlike this year's 100% boring Tour de France. 

So far sleeping at odd times has been my major occupation but at least I've managed 1 ergo session, entry to the  CA and AVCC road nats, 3 coffee sessions and some much needed shopping for food...I'm ignoring the piles of dust everywhere for another day or so. (my welcome home was an empty fridge and layers of  dust everywhere!).

Hopefully tomorrow the weather will be good at a time when I'm awake and then I guess I'll have to  pluck up courage and at least think of  attacking the dust...

My thoughts exactly

"My biggest fear is not crashing on a bike... 

It's sitting in a chair at 90 and saying, 

 'I wish I had done more'  "

 - Graeme Obree.

3rd in the road race

The forecast for today was diabolical but when it came down to the time for my race it was just very cold and very wet!!

8 registered but only 6 started and once again I got dropped on the first hill...gotta sort this problem out me thinks!  I made it worse for myself by starting off with too many clothes on and so had to stop and take off my rain jacket half way up the hill..stupid me...lost time and lost the jacket!

So with 2 away and a third about 400m ahead of me I spent the rest of the race getting more TT practice.  I gradually caught up with her and stuck on her wheel for about 2 km before going ahead just as  we started to pick up the stragglers from the race that started 10 minutes ahead of us.

My aim was to gradually up the pace and rely on my "sprint" (!), which I did and had a bit of a gap by the finish line, although we were given the same time...we ended up 2 minutes adrift of 1st and 2nd.

So...off to Rome tomorrow starting at 5am...it's nominally an 8 hour drive, but it's also Saturday when many tourists are on the move, so an early start is needed.  My flight doesn't leave til 10pm, so there's no huge rush and no need to panic if all doesn't quite go to plan.

No pix...the tablet has gone on strike..will catch up when I get home

Time Trial day

Today's  weather forecast had been very iffy but when it came down to it, we had perfect weather.  The previous day's head wind on the way back was still there but not as strongly.

My normal plan is to load the car up with everything I need and drive down to the start very early to get a good spot, then cycle back home on the road bike and somewhat  later cycle back again and get onto the trainer.  However this year the stomach bug I've been wrestling for the past 2 weeks reared it's ugly head again this morning and so I drove down much closer to my start time.  Actually not only did I race on fresh air and water, I  couldn't even manage to have any coffee so I also raced with a caffeine withdrawal headache!

So I warmed up initially on the road bike, then on the TT bike, although I was very despondent with how hard everything seemed on the TT bike...until I got off and realised the back tyre had punctured.......=language most foul!

Well what can you do?...change wheels and think positively...its a lighter wheel was my positive thought. I did a couple of quick efforts to make sure the gears were working and it was time for my bike to be inspected.

I was last starter in my group and all went well until the hill ( tops out briefly at 7%) which is when I discovered that  actually all was not ok with my gears.   Looking for an easier gear, everything went bellyup and I almost came to a standstill as I fished around for a gear, any gear that would work and that I could turn!  Well I got up it, but with somewhat more pain in my legs and a higher heart rate than planned..however, when the going gets tough etc etc...and people who do TT's are tough types.  What's more, I'd carted the TT bike around for weeks and I wasn't going to give up before it earned it's keep!

A much needed day of rest happens tomorrow which will include a bit of a ride, a drive out to Oberndorf to pick up my newly re-tyred wheel and ...groan...packing the TT bike........the weather forecast for my RR is currently diabolical, but we'll see..we all know how accurate they are.........not.

Sankt Johann in Tirol

Prior to the 2 most important races of this particular block of racing, I'm trying hard NOT to go out and smash myself senseless on these beautiful roads...luckily it's raining so the temptation is somewhat nullified...however I also have to think of this (from FB..natch)

like I said, the weather is less than friendly with another incredible storm last night cutting the electricity off for a few hours....playing Scrabble in Italian was hard enough without having to play it by candlelight!

my races are on Wednesday and ...oooooh dear..Friday

Farewell Deutschlandsberg

Ciao to Deutschlandsberg, town of multi coloured houses, pumpkins, corn(maize), funny named satellite towns and suspiciously naughty places up almost deserted valley roads...taking my understanding of the term "interactive games" to another baser level....

I wanted to get closer to this town, but the roads were being fixed and were only suitable for a mountain bike..sad...Grub and Grubegg will live for ever in my mind.

Some things are just desperate to live and grow

I want one!

and finally

and so farewell D'berg and also sunny weather (hopefully temporarily), last night's thunderstorm here in the Tirol being a real son e lumiere occasion...even Melbourne's very best thunderstorm couldn't compete and now it's raining, dammit.....better get a pix of my sun tan before it fades!

R'n R in Steiermark

Fantastic weather: blue skies, little or no wind, 30 degrees+, no commitments...paradise!

 So the day goes something like this: wake up/shower/brekky/60-70km ride/coffee or ice cream or lunch/back to hotel/download Garmin/shower/nanna nap/download pix/watch the Vuelta(TV for the pix + the internet for the English commentary)/go for a walk/shop/eat/sleep. like I said....paradise on earth.

With the week's gap between races quite a few cyclists have opted to stay here rather than travel north straight away so there's still quite a cycling presence here in Deutschlandsberg and since there is a general feeling of sadness that the race week has had to move, the locals are more than usually friendly...not that they're ever anything other than very polite and friendly...just aa bit more so this year I've noticed .


So while my rides are still training rides with hill efforts (did a 16% er up to Stainz castle today...well ok, it was only very briefly 16% but I'm claiming it!) I have plenty of time to check out people's taste in garden furniture, colour of house etc etc.

What is it with Italians and Austrians and garden gnomes!!!

I thought the first factory was, well...very blue....until I saw the second one!

Today's colour is....blue!