Eyeing up what's to come, and putting in the work.

Since the first blog that I wrote at the end of last year I have been taking things by monthly blocks, and trying to reflect on my experiences of that past period in one go. Its been a great way for me to write down some of my experiences in some of the chaotic times and allows me to remember the things that I have done along the way. Those small things that could easily be forgotten at the end of the year can be written down to remember. The prospect of looking back at the dozen blogs I will have written by the end of the year already encourages me as I really believe reflecting is an invaluable tool in order to progress, and find differences with what you do. By carrying out the same process every year you can't really expect change.

The past month hasn't been full of racing, or travelling all around a country like the last one. It has been quite the opposite. With only two road race days in the past month, I can really only say that I've trained for what's to come. Its been a month of trying new formats and sessions in order to prepare for the return to Spanish national racing. The calendar looks packed for April and May which means I'll probably be expecting two or more race days a week. Quite a step up. However, not racing constantly isn't always a negative. To allow for a full season of racing, and being at a certain level racing needs to be put on the back foot at some point in order to get the right amount of training in. It really boils down to being specific to the rider. Some riders might not want to race after June so they are able to put everything into racing for the first few months, and then enjoy riding the bike throughout the summer. With the Spanish calendar built how it is, it would be extremely difficult to constantly race from the beginning of February right into the back end of September. From what I've experienced so far racing in Spain requires a different style of training compared to what would work for racing in the UK. With one day races in Spain rarely being under 100 mile, and stages of a tour being the same length it takes more out of you than what a UK-50 mile race would in the long run. With UK races being considerably shorter they are often all out for 2 hours and its over with. Unfortunately training for both styles can be tricky. trying to keep the high end fitness and long base zones at hand sometimes doesn't fall perfectly all the time on race day. Having to get the long hours in for Spanish style of racing brings enough fatigue by itself.

In the next two months I should be completing my first stage race at this level of more than 2 days. Although I completed my fair share as a Junior. I can expect that to be a whole new experience. It is hard to tell what the style of racing will be like. I can only guess it will be flat out like the one day races, but that might not always be the chase. It might be more suited for breakaways and long range attacks which could open up more opportunities for a result. As a junior I tried to race proactively in the stage races. Trying to breakaway on the flat to give myself a better chance once we entered the mountains, and riding aggressively earlier into the stage to try and stay away. As always with racing it doesn't always work out and that is something I have come to learn and accept. You could burn all your matches in the first 50km of a race and struggle for the rest of the race, or you could be in a winning break that stays a way, and set yourself up nicely for the days to come. It all comes down to a roll of the dice. Sometimes you can get fortunate, and other times you will be unlucky.

Its just under a week now until I head back out to join the team in Galicia. I definitely missed being in races out there, and being in that environment. However, might have not missed the 12 hour travel days! More racing means more experiences to write about, and brings more challenges. I'm ready to start the next block! As always a thanks goes out to the people who support me. None of this would be possible without the likes of Pedal Potential, The Elite Athlete fund, MAXGE-AMBILMAP TEAM CYCLING GALICIA, and my family.