Reflection

Now that I am currently on the plane back from Australia, I took the time to reflect on the great experience I had had. It seems like only yesterday that I was flying into Perth, over the beautifully lit up city, however it has been some 5 and a half weeks… time really does fly! Much as it is now, jumping time zones here, there and everywhere on my way back home!

I came to know Perth pretty well by the time I left, however you may have expected that after having totalled 3626 km in my time there… that’s a lot of times around Guernsey… 91 in fact! It was an amazing place to train, with such variety in terrain, all in relatively close proximity. There were great rides to be had, not to mention some great cafes to chill in!! Up in the hills was fantastic with some stunning scenery not to mention some pretty tough climbs, which ranged anywhere from about a kilometer up to about 5 km. You could spend hours up there exploring different places to ride, which I certainly made the most of!

Just before I left there was actually forest fires up in the hills which claimed many homes, so it was devastating to be riding past scorched forestry. My thoughts go out to all the people affected by the many recent natural disasters which have affected places all over Australia in the recent months.

I met some great people while staying in Perth, from the family which looked after me for the month and a half (Thanks Bernard and SJ!!) to Matt and Dylan who helped me out with finding group rides to do when I first got there - all very much appreciated!

Fitness wise, I am feeling much stronger than when I first arrived, so I am hoping to capitalise on that this season once I start racing. Bring on the season.

I will now be spending a couple of days in the UK for my team; Pendragon Colnago Le Col’s launch and then a bit of time in the comfort of my own home before heading off with the team to Majorca for team camp to prepare for the season.

Check back in soon!

James

Training and life Down Under

Training commences! Sure enough once training started I barely had enough energy to stay awake during the afternoons let alone at night… so didn’t have much problem in trying to sleep from then onwards!

Like I said I have tried kept the blog up to date… sort of! So here is a quick recap on things since being here! I am currently midway through my 4th week of training and having a few easy days before I ramp the miles back up again before I leave. I have to admit it has been the best 3 weeks training of my life! Great roads, a lot of varied terrain, lots of wind, lots of sun and a stunning crystal clear blue ocean to look at, not to mention golden beaches!

During my first week here I went on a lot of group rides, to start learning my way around Perth, so that I didn’t get lost in the outback when on my own with a load of Kangaroos and Koalas! The group rides varied a lot; ranging from riding around the lake in Perth city (to put it in perspective the lake is 1.5 times the size of Guernsey - it’s a 60 km loop!), along the sea front and up into the Perth Hills, which laid home to a huge amount of climbs which potentially could go on for 100‘s of kms. I certainly would not run out of places to ride!!

One thing which differs between Australia and home is the time we have to train over here. I aim to be out training by 5.30-6 in the morning on long rides as it gets too hot during the middle of the day with temperatures sky rocketing. We have just had a tropical cyclone through Perth so the weather kind of spiked… humidity was up to 85% and temperatures one day when training in the hills was up to 47 degrees Celsius! Now I know what it is like to ACTUALLY be stuck in an oven!

With training so early, generally I will have finished riding by lunch time which then gives me the rest of the day to chill out, go to the beach, sit in cafes… and write blogs!! This blog has been sitting on my computer screen for about 5 days already… procrastination is the thief of time!

Australia Day - 26th January - First Race

I had my first race of the season on the 26th Jan; it was the Australia Day Crit in Central Perth. It had a great atmosphere with lots of people watching as it was in the heart of Perth and people were already there to celebrate their national holiday. The course was a hotdog which basically means it was straight with 2 U-turns - not my favourite I have to admit! I had a pretty decent race mind for the first of the season placing 7th after having chased the break with one other guy for almost the entire race. It felt great to put a race number on again!

I have a week and a half left in Perth now before I start my long journey home and I am certainly planning on making the most of it! A lot of the Aussie based European Pros are back from the Tour Down Under now and are spending a couple of weeks at home training before setting out for the season in Europe which will be a great opportunity to put in some miles with them! The rest of the time I shall be making the most of the sun I have here and try to find a place where I can hold a Joey! Apparently I am developing a bit of an Aussie twang too…

Ciao

James

Going to the opposite side of the world and battling jetlag!

‘What is the best way to combat jetlag?’ I thought to myself, at 1 am in the morning. Hence the reason why I am writing this blog now at 1.23 am!

I have started my New Year pretty exotically, having travelled through 3 different continents and countries in the past 2 days; the UK, China, and finally to Australia! It is a pretty long way to go to just train however due to their opposite summer down under; it made the perfect ground for a very heavy month and a half block of training in preparation for my 2011 season! Something which  am very much looking forward to!

It is day 1 here in Perth, in fact actually day 2 but still feels like day one! Confusing I know! I had slept for 14 hours the previous night which I think was a lot down to the fact my body clock hadn’t adjusted yet - and still hasn’t adjusted! Anyhow, in what was left of the day after having woken up at 2.30 pm still looking for breakfast; I went to Yoga. I was fortunate to find somewhere so close to where I am staying to do it as it is great. It helps with my core strength which is vital for a cyclist and it is an awesome way to totally relax. I must thank both Ann Bowditch and Caroline Wick ham (who runs Yoga sessions in Guernsey) for getting me into it. Now the day is finished - seemed like the shortest day in history!

I have to the end of the weekend to sort out this jetlag and then the long and hard hours in the saddle, start on Monday. Either way though I think that by the time that starts I will be too tired to stay awake anyway!

Thanks for reading my blog, I will try to keep it as up-to-date as possible!

James McLaughlin

A New Year... A New Start

First post... what to say... As the title suggests... a new year brings around a new start and a whole world of new and exciting opportunities.

2010 has been a great year for me. I have had a pretty strong cycling season picking up my first Elite category win in the UK in May and a few more high placings while racing in France throughout the summer. My highlight of the year has got to be the Commonwealth Games in Delhi - as much as there was criticism about the Games leading up to the event, I thought upon arriving that they were fairly unfounded, with it being one of the best experiences of my life thus far.

2011 is going to be a pretty full on year... I'm looking forward to it!

Happy New Year!!