The Main Man!

Good short video of the machine that is Jens Voigt! CHECK IT OUT... this guy is awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UncELpyKQLU

First WIN finally.

In a wierd sort of way i knew that i was going to win on saturday, don t ask me how but i just "felt "it i guess! I knew i was feeling good and was prepared, well kind of, i had already raced the tuesday and thursday evenings before and rode 30kms to the race, but on the start line i felt ready. When signing on i found out that i had the Green Jersey for leading the animateur competition as the race is part of a series ... my reputation as a new-found sprinter just keeps growing! (However i was at least 4th on the classement but 1st had the yellow jersey and 2nd and 3rd were not there). The race was 20 laps of a 5.5 km circuit with a false flat after the finish which takes its toll but apart from that a fairly flat circuit. After 3laps i started to think about the first animateur sprint on the 5th lap and ended up clipping off with 3others. We quickly pulled out a little gap and i nabbed the animateur sprint as well as a few primes in the following laps, however the break was missing a rider from Lanester who had at least 7 or 8 back in the bunch and were sure to organise a chase so i didnt really give too much to the break as it was still early days (this is something that last year i would have tripped up on straight away... getting in an early break and just killing it and myself!) Finally after 4 or 5laps off the front it all came back together and for the following several laps not much happened for a little while. Attacks came and went but nothing stuck until about 7laps to go when a small group clipped off round the finish following a prime and i jumped across with another fella on the drag and soon there was 12 of us rolling though pretty well with all of the teams in the race represented so it looked good. I cleaned up the final animateur meaning i had kept my jersey winning 2 out of the 3 on offer and also picked up 2 of 3 climbers jersey sprints putting me second overall in this classement following the race.

As we hit the second to last lap a cheeky fella attacked and ended up splitting the break, leaving seven of us in front to fight it out. Then come the last lap the standard attacks continued but i was biding my time and trying not to get involved in chasing anything down until 2km to go someone attacked and at first nobody jumped. He got a little gap and then a certain Cyrille Massé from Hennebont (i rode with him at VSQuimper last season) jumped and i jumped on his wheel. He ended up towing me up to the guy infront and just as we got to his wheel i jumped them both and put my head down... 1km to go... doesnt sound like much but it felt like a lifetime... i had a little gap but nothing spectacular as all six were back together behind and as i had a quick peek round one guy was giving it his worth to bring me back. From there i didnt look back again until the final 50metres when i knew i had it in the bag and sat up for the celebration, letting them edge a little closer behind just for good effect! Now celebration as your winning is a major part of how classy your win looks (i cant speak to much about this as i have been lacking in the winning departement) but i did a good job of messing my celebration up! Just as i flung my arms up and out i encountered a small but well positioned bump in the road which made me slip forward on my saddle ... fortunately i didnt come off and take out the rest of the riders in the break, i just looked a bit unconfortable in some of the photos coming across the line! The most important thing is though that i came across before the others! Makes a change, but a good one and i know that it will send my confidence through the roof when it comes to the final stages of races now knowing that i can win.

Following this, i'm having a couple of days off the bike then will be back on it on tuesday with another semi-nocturne wednesday where i'll be ready to work on my celebration again. Then thursday i leave for a place called Aurillac for a two-day three-stage race starting on saturday.

Ciao for now

Scandal!

Following on from Katyusha's Antonio Coloms' positive test for EPO the other day... still awaiting conformation of his B-sample but lets be honest, he's fooked!... i happened to read that the UCI will be releasing the names of an "undisclosed number of professional riders" who have been caught out by the new biological passport system which as i understand follows the riders blood haematocrit levels etc from controls and compares them to their other values throughout the season as to see if there is a large difference ... hence a product has been taken to raise said level.

An article on cyclingnews.com is saying that the names could be released as early as Monday next week (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2009/jun09/jun10news2) i'm thinking some big names might be about to miss out on this years Tour de France.

Was asking myself though, why is it that they release the names of busted riders just before the Tour de France each year? I know that they have to be released some time but it seems like they like to hold the suspence until the cycling worlds eyes are all focusing on who will be turning up on the start line for the tour ... or this year who won't be on the start line is a better question. This is when cycling has most worldwide attention and therefore releasing doped riders names at this time helps to further taint the sport. Joe Public already sees the sport and the Tour as a scandal... the UCI isn't helping itself in my opinion. But thats my opinion. Random post i know but beats a race report day in day out!

Auray Semi Nocturne

After a quick start to affairs a break clipped away after 3 of 35 laps and quickly there were nine or ten guys infront pulling away, half a lap later i slammed it on the only hill on the course and with another fella bridged the gap after a couple of Kms of pain. Several laps of fast through and off and me had pulled out to about 40seconds, on this tight course pretty much game over. I also had Matthieu for company and Yann back in the peloton to follow and of the moves back there. As we neared the end everyone started getting jumpy. Matt clipped off with two others and pulled out a little gap with me following anyone that moved behind... and getting a few angry words in the process, but they were brought back after about a lap and so it was my turn to jump and i took one other guy with me (who had the cheek to jump me for a measly 20€ prime after i had done over half a laps work with him crying on my wheel) but we soon got a good rhythm going and pulled out to about 5+ seconds. However after nearly three laps with three to go i clipped a pedal on one of the corners and nearly lost it completely. I ended up on the pavement but just about upright but had unclipped a foot int he process and with this we were brought back. The following counter attack was the move which stayed away and matt slipped in it but unfortunately ended up 4th, just off the podium. I was left following wheels behind for the last few laps and cleaned up the group sprint to the line... there were only about 6 of us but still for me to be winning any kind of sprint is quite a feat! That gave me 7th for the evening and a few cash primes to pay for some grub tomorrow.

So 5th on tuesday and 7th thursday and the legs getting better each day i'm starting to feel confident again... next race saturday, not a high class field so i have to take advantage and nab that long awaited win. It's coming...

Who says tall people cant corner... however this is the corner i nearly stacked it when away with a few laps to go! In the photo above, me and Matthieu dishing out some pain.

A 5th but not a good 5th...

Tuesday just gone was one of the local events hosted by our club and therefore a must win race for us really. It was a 90km nocturne of 60 x 1.5km laps around a twisty but not too technical circuits including a sweeping downhill followed by a long uphill drag to the line.

There isn't that much to say about the race itself apart from we cocked up pretty bad and ended up getting 2nd 3rd and 5th (myself coming 5th) but allowing Laurent Pichon to nab the top podium spot. Needless to say the DS wasnt in the best of moods after the race.

My race panned out quite well after i started the race's break after 4laps by attacking on the drag finish and after a few laps 13 of us were away including 5 from Bic2000!! However, then numbers game didnt play to our advantage as the other riders in the break didnt want to contribute much to the pulling on the front, plus the primes on the finish helped to kill off any sort of rhythm we had built up so after holding a maximum of 45seconds, we were finally brought back with 11laps to go. A few attacks followed before 4laps to go when Clement clipped off with Laurent Pichon and quickly opened up a good gap. However it was in Clems interest to sit on Laurent as at the moment he is unbeatable at the finish and has already got his pro stagiere place lined up for the coming months... however Clem must have given too much and as the junction was made on the final corner at about 500m to go, Pichon jumped away and held a tiny gap to the line as the bunch sprint opened up behind. Between myself and a Cotes D'armor rider we got a lead out going behind for our speedsters and on the night we came out on top with their fella coming in 4th while i just managed to hold on to 5th. Not a bad sprint by me considering my twig like caracteristics.

Tuesday was the first race of the week since last fridays Pro-Criterium which turned out to be a bit of a procession. I'm next racing Thursday night and Saturday afternoon so with some good rides between i'll be set for a good hard weeks training before taking a few days rest Sunday, Monday before winding things up heading into the national champs in two weekends time.

Between this week and heading home i've also got a two day Elite stage race somewhere in France called Aurillac...? I'll just get in the team car next friday and see where we end up stopping! All i've been told is that its pretty hilly round there. Should be a blast.

Sorry haven't blogged for a while...

ciao