Every day's a school day: Winter's here!

I've been meaning to write a blog for a wee while now without knowing exactly what to say or write about. So in the end I've decided to just start typing and see what happens, wish me luck!! Or maybe it should be me wishing you luck if you're about to read this....

My last blog was on the Ladies Tour of Norway. One of the definite highlights of the season! Unfortunately I'll always remember this race alongside an extremely tough time in my personal life. Ultimately it was this that led to me finishing my season earlier than anticipated and the really hard decision to withdraw from Ras na mBan, a race I absolutely love! The best way to describe it is I'd just lost my mojo a bit, kind of run out of oomph. So instead I just had a bit of fun for my last few races, went into them with no pressure, raced on instinct and it worked out pretty well with 3 wins from 3. Nice to end the season on a high and maybe go some way to restoring my mojo! I'll never forget riding back to race HQ after taking the win in the Feewside Women's road race to see my auntie and uncle there to support me, it was the best surprise ever!!! Thank you B & A, in so many ways!

Taking the win in the Feewside Women's RR.

So then it was time for some end of season recovery. Something that surprised me this year was that I was actually looking forward to racking my bike for a while, taking the chance to get my head together and let my body recover. Don't get me wrong, after a few weeks of very little peddling I was starting to go a bit stir crazy but now that winter training is in full swing I'm glad I took the rest! You're always going to lose a bit of fitness during your off season break but it's not like starting from scratch no matter how much your head tries to convince you it is during that time off the bike!

After previous winters of not really seeming to get it totally right on the clothing front, this winter I decided to sort that and invest in a decent wind/waterproof jacket and gloves. Cue toasty rides and no more grim days in the saddle wishing I was anywhere but out in the freezing rain, sleet, snow and wind, result! Am I painting a nice picture of winter training in the North East of Scotland??...

To save turning this post into a total waffle, I think that's a good a place as any to stop. Before I say cheerio though just want to say a few big thank yous to some people: my family for always being there no matter what and supporting me through all these life "adventures". My friends for always making me smile and for just being able to pick up where we left off no matter how long it is since we last spoke. My coach for all his continued support, sometimes I think he deserves a medal! Dave Brown (http://www.academysportmind.com/) for helping me believe and bring out the Honey Badger!