Velosport-Pasta Montegrappa and friends

Currently sitting high in the sky on a flight home from London for the first team get together of Velosport-Pasta Montegrappa. What an ace weekend!! Feeling so lucky to have joined such a quality team, with a super supportive DS (Mauro Pizzol), amazing sponsors (Velosport, Aprire, Pasta Montegrappa) and not forgetting my new team mates, who as Emily would say are totally "#reem"!!

This weekend was just what I needed after recently submitting my PhD. Definitely last chance saloon with this being my final corrections and now awaiting the final verdict. Whatever happens it's some welcome closure on a very challenging past couple of years.  

When I took my first steps into doctorate world, way back when and far longer ago than I care to remember, little did I realise how long it would take me or just how big an impact it would have on my life!!  An old work colleague and fellow PhD-er once said of a PhD "if they made it easy then everyone would do it". Oh how true that is. I'm not going to lie, it was incredibly hard, one of the hardest, most challenging times of my life. Yes I know it was my choice to do it and given the hardships that others face in life it kind of pales into insignificance but it's definitely left it's mark on my life. It's done now, time to move on and devote that wee extra bit of headspace to my cycling! Woop!!

So back to this weekend. I arrived in London on Friday night, excited to be meeting everyone the next morning. Phil Dempsey (director of Aprire, the team's bike sponsor) was kindly putting me up (or maybe putting up with me!) for the weekend, thanks Phil (and not forgetting Trevor the zebra!!). Saturday morning arrived and the team met at Velosport for a bike fit, kit unveiling and a toast to the new season with friends of the team. It was great to hear a bit about Radio Marsden (one of the team's partners), give them a listen online sometime! 

After a spot of re-fuelling we got all kitted up and set off on our first team ride round nearby Richmond Park. This isn't really like the parks I'm used to in Aberdeen. To start with cars are allowed to drive through from dawn to dusk. Also it's a haven for cyclists! I think we quite possibly encountered the entire cycling population of Aberdeen in our short sojourn around the park! Apart from the odd kamikaze cyclist or crazed car driver, it was a fun ride. I was on a test bike from Velosport, an Aprire Vincenza, which will be our team bike this season. This is one cool bike and I can't wait to race on it!!

We had a team ride planned for Sunday in the Surrey hills. Just one word to describe the ride, dreich!!! It was like flicking a rain switch, no sooner had the first crank been turned the rain started to fall. And fall some more. And a wee bit more. It was still a (mostly) fun time on the bike and I think the rain and cold helped team bonding, there's always a positive! Plus it finished at the top of Box Hill, part of of the 2012 Olympic road race course. Nice way to finish, riding over the road paintings of "Go Cav" and "Froome Dog" etc, but the cafe at the top was a welcome sight!!

I think I've just about warmed up and dried out now, standing back on home soil waiting for Paul to pick me up. Thinking about the fun times this weekend with a smile and even more excited for 2014 in Velosport-Pasta Montegrappa colours!!

Ciao! :)

Jools. 

Girona camp part uno

Rest day today here in Girona on the Scottish Cycling camp so thought I'd take the chance (in between snoozes) to write a wee blog on the last 4 days. 

We arrived late on Thursday night and after building our bikes it was lights out before the hard work started on Friday morning. Day 1 was five and a half hours of steady riding, even venturing over the border into France. It was most definitely a welcome change to shed the thermal layers needed back home, with temperatures in the high teens degrees C. Not quite brave enough to bare my peely wally legs yet, but a few of the tougher girls have! Respect! The roads are so smooth too, no pothole dodging here! 

Day 2 and despite our best efforts to leave it behind, the wind had found us. The plan was to do three through and off efforts at increasing speeds. A touch of wheels on the last of the three efforts brought down several of the group. Unfortunately two of the girls had to be taken to hospital by ambulance with Charline fracturing three of the transverse processes in her back and Kerry suffering mild concussion and road rash. Those girls are nails and we all wish them a super speedy recovery!!

Day 3 worked a treat in lifting everyone's spirits after a pretty hard hitting emotional end to day 2. We stayed more local and mixed it up with a bit of everything. Out of the saddle hill climb, crit racing, derny racing, a TT and hill race. These were hard efforts but had everyone smiling and the fact that we could train in the sunshine was an added bonus!

So on to Day 4 and the promise of a longer climb up Rocacorba. This was a 13km climb up to 970m and I'm not going to lie, it was tough! But being one of those "weirdos" who quite enjoys climbing, I loved it!! Ok maybe not so much at the time when it seemed like the top was never going to be "just around the next corner", but once I could breathe again and take in the view all was  good! Then it was just a short peddle home, day 4 complete and to top it all off there was the most amazing sunset that had us all smiling!

All smiles at the top of Rocacorba. 

Amazing sunset on day 4. 

Tomorrow brings the next four day training block so I'll be back with part dos soon.

Hasta luego,

Jools.