Late Friday night just after returning home from Poitou Charentes an Ambulance pulled up outside the apartment, and inside there was Pete laid out straight in his newly fitted corset, now kids don’t try this at home please, its not really a cool thing to do arriving home in an ambulance.  As Pete descended from the Ambulance and took virtually his first steps since straddling his bike the Saturday previous, our good mate Scotty Lyttle had come to welcome Pete also, and saw a bit of déja vu, thinking it was only about 3months since I had done the same. 

Well Pete didn’t stay long in Albi as he was able to fly home to NZ just three days later and an enjoy some real home comforts, though I’m not sure how comfy the couch really can be with a full plastic corset. 

For me with 10days until my next race it was time to get into some training and keep working on my form as I build up for the next couple months.  So it was time for a few of what we call bucket sessions (that’s where you put a bucket beside the trainer just in case you need to bring up breakfast when your finished) though I didn’t need it this time.  With a few erg sessions and also a couple behind the derny (pedal motor bike) to help work on my pedaling rhythm and top up a little speed for the weekends racing, I left Albi actually feeling like a bike racer for the first time in a while. 

Though only a few hours later I was reminded that there are many things that you have to remember to be a pro bike rider.  As I sat in Charles de Gaule airport waiting for my suitcase and half an hour later it still hadn’t arrived I remembered I hadn’t put my cycling shoes in my hand luggage, and in our team that’s almost a criminal offence.  If the Director found out that would be the end of me, well not really the end but he wouldn’t be happy.  Lucky we were passing service course for lunch, so I could have a quiet word with the good man Fred who hands out the kit and see what he could come up with.  It was my lucky day he had some shoes in my size, filled a bag of kit for me and off I went to the start village of tomorrows race, Paris Brussels.  The day after I race again in GP Fourmies, so it will be big weekend of velo with both races over two hundred kilometers long.  Will let you know how it goes soon.  Cheers
Tim