From Bad to Worse; The Shit Has Hit the Fan

If you have read my last post you will know that I haven’t had the most luck so far this season and you could easily be forgiven for thinking that I’m jinxed…

After my recent string of mishaps;

·        A crash ended my 1^st Coupe de France race and completely destroyed my frame and wheels.

·        A god awful bike and a puncture ended my chances the following week.

Following a good positive week of training and receiving another replacement frame (not the new frame I was waiting for but one a lot better than the “Sponge “orbea) along with my new wheels, I was cautiously optimistic for the next race; Transversale des As.

The race route was 141km, a relatively flat 70km with some tough crosswind sections and one small berg. The second 71kms started with a 10km or so climb and then it was all up and down to the finish. Brutal!

The race started hard, fast and very, very nervous. The route covered lots of small towns and narrow roads with a lot of road furniture (roundabouts, islands etc... or “Form Fuckers” as Ed likes to call them). The speed was ferocious with no breaks being able to get away.

I struggled in the early part of the race and almost got shelled in a small section of crosswinds but managed to hold on. Not long after this my legs started to come around and I was then able to mix it at the front of the race during another stretch of tough crosswinds. I was attacking and making the front splits in the wind and I was gaining more and more confidence as this went on.

After 50km or so the race then hit another small town with a small rise in the road, some twists, turns and more furniture. I was well positioned in the top 20 of the bunch and as we were leaving the town on a false flat descent at 50+ km/h suddenly it was lights out for me. Literally!

According to CP (my team mate Chris) it was horrific! The screaming of rubber and carbon rims as the riders in front of us all locked up and were fishtailing it to avoid an un-marshalled traffic island (form fucker). The last thing I remember was thinking “where is it?” as the rider in front of me narrowly missed the island I was not to be so lucky. From what CP saw, I was sideways as my wheels hit the kerb and I was sent airborne. I collided with the sign on the island and did a little dance in the air before spreading my arms like an eagle and coming to rest face down on the hard concrete (form well and truly fucked).

I awoke to the usual crowd of bodies looking to see what state I was in. I shut them out as I tried to pull myself from the middle of the road and focussed on getting back on my bike. I turned my head and saw my bike but I couldn't move. A sudden wave of fierce pain came crashing down on me. I couldn't move my right leg and the pain was almost as bad as it was when my appendix burst. I feared I had a season (potentially career) ending femur! The rest of my body just didn't want to move. I was then strapped down onto a spinal board, stretchered into the ambulance (again) and taken to the hospital. It was here where I was able to check over my injuries (ex-Order of Malta if you didn't know);

·        2 fingers definitely broken, maybe 3.

·        Right femur possibly broken

·        Front tooth broken again

·        Left arm swelling fast and cut but not broken

·        Neck and back working as usual

·        The usual road rash cuts and bumps, no major worries.

On arrival to the hospital I was left lying in the ambulance as they prepared a place for me. I lay there with my right leg in agony and my brain in overload with the “how’s, what’s, when’s and the why’s” and with that heavenly mix I had a little cry to myself. “My season is over. Nations cup races? You wish. I’m getting sent back home. Why me? ” These were just some of the thoughts going through my fragile mind.

As the hours passed painfully and all the formalities completed, I was given the results. My guesstimations were almost exact. The good news was that my leg was not broken! The bad news was that I needed surgery on one finger. I was optimistic. 

I got home and into bed with the help of my housemates, who in general are good guys but I got to see just how genuine they are with all the help they have given me. I owe them big time! 

I spent Sunday in bed with the plan to go to the hospital for my operation on Monday. The team were organising this for me.

 I was taken in an ambulance to the hospital in Aubenas and in to the emergency department realising that this wasn’t very well organised. Trying to explain myself for coming to the ED in an ambulance for an OP that they knew nothing about was quite embarrassing but they looked after me nonetheless.

I met with the orthopaedic surgeon and the anaesthesiologist and had some more x-rays and was sent home with the op scheduled for 8am Tuesday morning.  

Ed was kind enough to take me to the hospital on Tuesday morning. I went through all the procedures and then I waited. I read for a short while and then fell asleep. I was woken up by a nice transport guy who took me to the prep room. In the prep room I was hooked up to an IV and fed saline and antibiotics while the anaesthesiologist worked his magic and put my arm to sleep.

I was then taken to theatre where I was placed under a green sheet and left to watch my pulse and oxygen monitor. I played a game to pass the time, seeing how low I could get my heart rate. The nurse was taken aback when I told her that 42 was a high resting HR for me. The op was completed in about 30 minutes. I then got some more x-rays, was fed and then sent on my way. I have to get some more x-rays and a consultation next and then I will find out exactly for just how long I will be out of competition…

My leg has been improving daily; I am now limping around the house unaided and I hope to back on the turbo by next week. Fingers crossed.

I want to end by saying thank you to all the staff at the team who have been great as usual. Big thanks to Chris, ED and Kamil my housemates who have been a great help to me; from undressing me to cutting up my meals and helping me get around. I really appreciate it. Last but not least Thanks to all of you who have sent me nice “get well soon” messages. They have cheered me up immensely.

Some pics of the injuries:

Pre-Op

Post OP (splint &sling)

Severe Dead Leg Scared me

Manky Ankle

Hard Times

So it's been a while since my last post and usually that is a tell-tale sign that things haven't been going as well as I had expected them to after a solid opening to the season.

I rode my 1st Elite National race at the Gp du Pays d'Aix just after Boucles du Haut-Var as you may remember. It was on a Monday and contrary to my blog about all things going well, I was sick all weekend, with an upset stomach and could not make it through our training camp that weekend. I felt better on Sunday night and decided to start the race. I hate not being able to race over something small. It wasn't one of my better ideas as just after an hours racing I was empty beyond belief. DNF. In my head the DNF wasn't so bad as it was a case of I was sick and not a case of not being good enough.

The week that followed, I trained lightly giving my body some time to recover and prepare for the next race;  Vallée du Bédat. Unfortunately the race was cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions that affected all races across Europe that weekend. Not the end of the world for me as it allowed me to get out of the box I was in.

The following weekend was the first round of the Coupe de France. Tour de l'Ardeche Meridionalle (our local race, no pressure) These races are the priority for the team and therefor are also mine. The week leading up to the race I was feeling fresh again and got my 1st solid block of good consistent quality training. No crazy club runs, no illness/injuries and therefor no excuses. I was excited heading into the race as I had good sensations and I knew the course well.

The race was going well; I was in the front group over the climbs and I was feeling quite good. It is always a big confidence booster when you are riding and you can be competitive and not subject to the abuse of the top DN1 riders. As we ascended the hardest climb on the circuit, I had slipped back and lost about 20 meters on the front group over the top. I upped it into the big ring and started the descent. I was on the limit and maybe didn't focus 100%. I knew if I wanted to be in that group at the finish (50kms) I would need to take some risks on the descent. So I did but unfortunately they did not pay off and as I entered one bend a little too fast I just couldn't slow down enough to get around it and piled straight in to the gorge. I sat up, caught my breath, got ready to remount and rejoin the race as normal until I looked at my bike and felt my heart sink. Not only was my bike smashed, my own personal wheels were too and fortunately I was able to scrape some cash together to replace them.

Before

After

Race over! I would hitch a ride to the finish in the Ambulance to get my wounds cleaned and patched up. As the ambulance rejoined the race at the back of a small groupetto, I was watching in disgust. I knew my legs were good and my chance has gone. The only positive I could take from this was the fact that I could walk and talk after the smash. I got away with only some cuts, bruises and a lot of thorns that I am still removing today. That same weekend two Irish riders were not so lucky with accidents with cars in the races the were riding. RIP to Junior Heffernan who lost his life in a race in the UK and a hoping for as a good a recovery as possible to Ted McKibben who was left paralysed after his accident in the Monaghan GP. 

I had 2 days off the bike one to recover and one without a bike. My new bike was ordered and I was given an old alloy orbea with very old components. I wasn't complaining; beggars can't be choosers. It would do for training on and I hoped that I would have my replacement before my next race GP de Bohas. I trained relatively well before the race, the bike was really depressing me. It was like a sponge. it flexes from the handlebars to the dropout and the bottom bracket swings from side to side. For all of the watts in the world it just doesn't go anywhere and it handles like a double decker bus.  

Race day came and my legs felt ok but after riding one lap of the course I genuinely feared for my life. Fast twisty descents followed by sharp accelerations. I already knew that it was going to be a '"fun" day. Generally speaking it was the type of course I really like, it was up and down and technical. My rut of bad luck continued as my bike absorbed my power and I taught I was just having a bad day. I couldn't hang on to the bunch to save my life. As I was giving it everything and going backwards, the neutral service car passed me at the time it was no biggie as I was just left to my own devices only to find that I had a slow puncture 5 minutes later. Race over. 

I am not one for making petty excuses especially when normally the best rider wins the races regardless of the bike but in this case I can safely say the old orbea definitely played it's part in my demise. 

Hopefully my new frame arrives asap as this bike is on the verge of being thrown into the river. 

Hopefully I will have something positive to write about next time,

Until then,

Darragh

Boucles du Haut-Var

Thanks to Derek Webb at http://www.sprintdesigninc.com/ for hiscontinued support in 2013.  

Finally! The 2013 racing season is now underway forus mere mortal amateurs in what for me has been a long wait as I have been watchingand reading about the pros racing in the Southern Hemisphere summer since thebeginning of January. It is now time to see how my form truly is after thehours and hours of winter training!

Some of the banter we have been having in the house

The season opener for me was at the “Boucles duHaut-Var” one title but 3 separate races; 2 140km road stages and an 11km TT. Wewere just doing the road stages.  It was theamateur version of the UCI 2.1 Tour du Haut-Var which ended today!

We set off bright and early, well just early reallyas it was still pitch black and you could just about see the crisp on from yourbreath. It was a 3 hour drive which passed by quite nicely, as we took in somebeautiful scenery as the sun rose while driving from the stunning Ardeche to anequally stunning Provence. Magnificent!

We arrived at the sign on and my first task was todecide on what to wear; the sun was really shining brightly but it was quite windyand a balmy 8 or 9 degrees. There were some bare legs and a lot of coveredlegs, logic would dictate that I would go with the majority but I didn't  Shortsand warm up cream it was… Bad Idea!

The race started fast and furiously (46km/h for the1^st hour) on small, winding and snow lined roads. A first for me! Aswe hit the first of the many leg sapping uphill drags on the course the attackswere coming thick and fast. I had forgotten what racing felt like, theadrenaline pumping, that intense burning in the legs, the icy air stinging thelungs and absolutely loving it! I was following every 3^rd or 4^thattack but they weren't sticking! As the race turned into a long stretch ofcrosswinds the French Army Team really blew it to pieces and I had burned upquite a few matches trying to get away before hand and I couldn't for the lifeof me get in to the 1^st echelon with my South African teammate Ed.

It was lights out after that, race over after thefirst lap. It reminded me of my 1^st National Championships lastyear. The big hitters take the race by the scruff of the neck and the rest endup riding just to get around.  On theplus side we were using the race series as prep for the 1^st Coupe deFrance race in 2 weeks’ time, so it was good training. I trailed in at thefront of the bunch in around 35^th place some 8minutes down on thewinners of the day. The French Army went 1,2,3 and 5. Impressive!

The second stage was another fast and hectic affair!Starting on a 10km false flat descent it was balls to the wall again for thefirst hour, (47/48km/h) even faster than the previous days racing. I loved it!This is how I like to race. Hard, fast and in one long line! My legs were inbetter shape than the previous day and I was holding my position a lot easier andI was a lot more confident! A group got away on the first longish climb of theday as we were climbing in excess of 30km/h in one line. I was on the rivet andcouldn’t possibly go with them.

The speednever really died down for the whole day as the bigger teams tried to getriders across to the break and others were trying to bring it back. I wasfollowing the moves again and again and I felt quite good doing so but themoves I was getting in never stuck. Some bad judgement and perhaps some badluck! On the penultimate lap a large group of be 15 or so riders slipped awayand I had 2 teammates go with it. All the “big” teams were all represented andit was lights out for us who were left behind! I crossed the line in 35^thplace in a small group ahead of the main bunch.

I am happy and content with how my start to theseason went. I now have a better idea of my form and what areas need to beworked on. Mentally it was also quite good for me as I got through my 1^straces as a Cat.1 rider competitively and comfortably with no major shocks! I feelright at home in the team and I am no longer apprehensive about it all. Onwardsand Upwards!

In other news, this weekend we had our finaltraining camp and we had our team presentation last night (Saturday). It wasnice to train and bond with the whole team again and it was also nice to meet alot of the back room staff and sponsors (along with my own) that help make thisteam and every other team what they are, without them I would not be here. Somy sincerest Thanks are in order there J…

Next up is my 1^st Elite National Race “Grand Prix du Pays d'Aix” (click for live feed, starts 11:30)

I am looking forward to it and will update you all during theweek.

Thanks for reading

DZ

Vogüé! Vo-Goo-Ay

This time last week I was sitting chatting with one of my close friends and my dad over a cup of tea. I was almost finished packing up my things for the journey ahead. One of the main topics of discussion was how fast departing for France again had come around so fast and how strangely uncomfortable I had been with everything going to plan so effortlessly. It seemed too good to be true!

I did my usual packing ritual of packing and unpacking 3 times before being confident that I had everything and nothing important was being left behind… Packing complete it was time for an early night with a 4am start for what was set to be a long stressful day of travelling. 

The plan was; Mammy dearest would take me to Dublin Airport where I would fly to Geneva, (my 7^th time in GVA in as many months) and then navigate the French train system from Geneva Airport to Montelimar where I would be picked up at 17:00 and drive the short 45 minutes to my new home from home in Vogué.

Liz and I departed at 5am to arrive at the airport to check in an hour before I was due to board. As usual I had checked in online and only had to drop my suitcase and wheel bag (travelling without a bike box makes life so much easier), objective complete. I gave Mammy here goodbye kiss and hug and then I was on my toblerone. I breezed through security with no need to open any bags for searches or no waving metal detectors; I was honestly really scared with how easy and uncomplicated everything was as I normally have some issues in the airport but not to worry… I grabbed a bottle of water and a coffee and boarded the plane.

On arrival to Geneva I had forgotten about everything that had my nerves shot in Dublin airport and casually strolled down to the baggage reclaim area. I spotted my wheels in the oversized luggage area, grabbed them and then waited at the belt for my case to arrive… One by one all the Paddy’s collected their bags and headed off, all but me!

I waited 20mins before I actually let myself realise that my case wasn’t arriving. I just knew it was all going to well! I then made my way to the Swissport office, waited an hour to see someone and then filed my report.

Big Red is yet to arrive

The train system was surprisingly easy and I had no major problems. I had one small scare while on the TGV from Lyon to Montelimar. The train stopped in Valence and this is where the ticket inspectors got on. I had booked my train tickets online and had them in an envelope in my bag all but the one for this train. I started to panic as I told the inspector it was in one place, then another and then I eventually found it in my coat pocket which was in the luggage bay with my wheels. Crisis over! The inspector just laughed it off but I’m pretty sure he was ready to give me a hefty fine and throw me off at the next stop.

I met Jacques (club member) at Montelimar station as planned and we made the short trip to Vogüé and I got to shake the cobwebs from my French.  We arrived in Vogüé ( a truly spectacular little village in the Ardeche department of the Rhone-Alpes region, will get some pics when the sun is really shining as  bad pics would be such an injustice) just before 6pm and I unpacked my things from the car and was shown to the accommodation where I met two of my team/house mates Guillaume (French) and Mikhel (Estonian) and the President of the team, André Prat (super nice guy) who gave me my team bike (Giant TCR Advanced) and told me he would call in the following morning to sign my contract, give me my kit and do a bike fit.

Quite fond of this years Rig, just need to change the seat. (its in my case)

Our little run around. Old Fiat Panda

Mr. Prat came by and we did what had to be done and he told us we would be taking part in team training in the afternoon. This was a good chance for us to meet some of the French riders and some of the coaching staff. We got a good ride in and did some recon of the 1^st Coupe de France circuit (first Target of the season).

Following this there was still no sign of my suitcase and a couple more riders arrived prior to our first training camp; Ed (South African) and Kamil (Polish).

The training camp was a really enjoyable weekend of training, getting to know one another and also a good chance to see where each of us is form wise.

Saturday started with a short meeting where we formally introduced to staff and the other riders and how the camp was going to go. We then headed downstairs for our mug shots and team photos for the local newspaper.

DN Team

After all of the protocol it was then time to get on our bikes and hit the roads. We did a full recon of the testing 140km Coupe de France circuit. Taking in some tough climbs, practicing our echelons in the gale-force cross winds and enjoying the ride because when push comes to shove I can safely say the race won’t be as enjoyable as it was on this training run!

Following the training spin I got a call from my Mam followed soon after by Lyon airport telling me that they have had my bag and would be sending it on Monday and that I should have it on Tuesday. We then headed to Aubenas for dinner which was nice to chat to the guys about the day’s activities and get in a good feed!  

Sunday was a little bit more relaxed than Saturday. We met for breakfast at 8:30 and we departed HQ just after 10 for 150kms. It was colder and windier than the previous day and it made for an interesting affair.

The route was mainly up and down with a couple of brutal climbs (which we were told to race up) thrown in for good measure. I was a little apprehensive about the climbing as I had fared quite well on Saturday and I hoped I hadn’t burned all my matches but it turned out to be just in my head, my legs felt good although my lungs burned in the cold air it was nice to be climbing with (just behind) the pure climbers! We hit up some more echelon riding as the winds whipped and swirled around us which I enjoyed quite a lot and having Kamil sing “I follow Rivers” made it more enjoyable as I rode through laughing while some of the others were enjoying it not so much!

So after a good, solid and enjoyable weekend and a day of training I can safely say I'm settling in nicely and getting on great with everyone. All I need now are my possessions and I'm sorted!

So tonight I am like a kid at Christmas waiting for his presents to arrive.

On that note I will call it a night.

Thanks for reading!

DZ

Is It That Time Already? 2013 Let's be having you!

Happy New Year to all of my friends, family and supporters. It's been quite a while since I last updated you all but now here we are 2013! The cycling season is fast approaching just as the blogging season kicks off today! There is so much to write about but I will try and keep it as short as I can without sending you all to sleep. 

My season ended at the end of September and I was home a couple of days before the World Championships got underway in Limburg, Holland. My friends and housemates had spent the previous three weeks preparing for the race with their respective national teams; Canada, Greece and New Zealand. That left me with a house to myself which after maybe 10 days became a pretty lonely place, even the girl from the café which I fancied could only brighten my day for so long. I got word from my DS saying the races which I was meant to ride had been changed or cancelled or whatever but told me I could return early. So I did!

From speaking with them afterwards, they all gave a good account of themselves and enjoyed it all but were not among the medals unfortunately. 

I took a nice break from training to give my body and mind a well needed rest and began to train with my old friends and new team-mates at Adamstown Cycling Team. Training went very well, the twilight zone of winter training was nice, with the long easy coffee rides which are always a good enjoyable way to get going again, provided you don't make them a routine. 

We had quite a mild start to winter which was great and the kilometers flew by. When the winter decided to bring us back to reality with a drop in temperature, wind and rain I received a message from Mixalis Farantiakis (the father of my team mate Stelios) on facebook, nothing out of the ordinary ''hi how are you, how is training'' type of thing, I told everything was going well but the weather is getting bad (which it was) and he then invited me to his home in Chania, Crete "for as long as I wanted" to train. I jumped at the chance of getting out of the foul weather in Ireland. 

The countdown began I would be in Crete in two weeks and with every passing day I would be teased... "Here in Chania, 20degrees with a little cloud" I would reply "very nice, here 8degrees and rain" I couldn't get there quick enough.

I arrived and was met at the airport by Mixalis and Sifi (my little brother for the next 6 weeks) and we made the long 15 min journey to what would be home for the duration of my stay. I was shown to my bedroom, showered and set down for dinner. (Maria's cooking was amazing). I woke up the next morning around 9ish opened the curtain, door, bug net and the blind to be blinded by the sunshine and the heat. It was like opening the door of a furnace. I stepped back, smiled and put on my shorts. I thought to myself "shorts in November? this is the life"...

The View from the Kitchen

Stelios and I went down to Mixalis bike shop to get the bike I was to use all set up, then straight onto my 1st training ride. It was nice to be back in shorts and short sleeve. This was the start of my  training routine for the duration of the trip;

07:30 Breakfast

09:00 Training (depending on the days plan)

14:00 Dinner(family dinner, every day without fail)

15:00 Siesta

The evenings varied from going to the bike shop, gym, playing piano (on the laptop) or more sleep.

I did quite a lot of non-training related activities while I was there, which were all great new experiences. I learned my manners in Greek, learned how to make tiscuzia (Cretan moonshine), learned how to shoot, how to kill and skin a rabbit. I got to experience olive picking and got to see how the best olive oil in the world is made and also how we pay over the odds for very poor quality olive oil... 

Learning how to shoot was pretty cool

Besides the great training I did, the greatest part of my trip was learning about and taking in the Cretan culture and I have taken many of their traits home to incorporate into my own daily life. It is an amazing place, where I got to meet so many nice people, see and do so many things. For anyone looking for ideas of where to go for warm and sunny winter training I highly recommend Crete. 

I could go on for days about how great that trip was, but most importantly how well I was treated by the family. I was taken into their home and I was made feel part of the family. Their hospitality is second to none and I cannot thank Mixalis and Maria enough for having me.

The one training story that is worth mentioning is the one about the pebble. I was just finished doing some hill repeats and I was cruising on familiar roads. I came to a 90 degree turn, slowed down to 14km/h (Garmin told me so), entered the turn and didn't exit it. My front wheel hit a stone and the bike went from beneath me, to the left and I flew to right and ate dirt! I got up as usual, straightened the hoods, checked the bike over and got on my way. I was spitting blood but it wasn't until I got a sharp pain in my tooth from the breeze did I realise that I had broken a tooth and that my lips had swollen so much I couldn't feel them. I got home and gave Stelios a fright followed by the others when they returned from work/school.  

I have done more damage falling at 50km/h

I then posted the above pic on facebook and almost gave aul Liz heart failure. I felt like crap but the sympathy and friendly abuse helped to cheer me up. 

I shook it off  and continued to train for a couple days and then it was time to go!

I then bid farewell to Crete and boarded my plane to Paris. 

My Dad had informed that he was going to visit Paris for a couple of days prior to Christmas. I had never been to Paris so I booked my flights to match his accordingly. We met up in Paris CDG airport and then got the train to our apartment and set out our plan of attack. 

We spent hours in cookery shop after cookery shop as it was what Pat was mainly going to Paris to do. After he did what he wanted, it was my turn to pick choose what we did. I always wanted to go to Paris just to go so when I actually got there I didn't know what to do. 

We ended up most of the tourist attractions; the Louvre Museum,  Jardin de Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, Champs - Elysees, Arc de Triomph (my favourite) and the Eiffel Tower. We also did some shopping and a lot of window shopping, spotting one €20,000 Silvermink lined coat which was pretty manky but the price tag made it a lot more appealing lol. 

Pat aka Walter "Heisenberg" White in front of l'Arc de Triomphe

We got home a few days before Christmas and once back in Ireland I got the Christmas feeling as it was non-existent in Crete and Paris. It was nice. I got all my Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve as usual. 

Christmas at our house was relatively quiet this year and it passed by pretty fast, I got what I asked Santy for; new sidi's, books and small bits and pieces. I really enjoyed being at home with my family for Christmas so much so that I avoided the Stephens Night and New Year’s Eve sessions and continued training away. 

Santy was good to me this year!

The training post-Christmas has been good and consistent and I have avoided illness (touch wood) unlike previous years. The weather of late has been cold and shitty and has knocked my motivation a little but getting the email telling me to be in France a week earlier than expected has brought the motivation right back. 

I can safely say that this is by far the best winter I have had and my 1st as a full-time bike rider (being laid off was the best thing that could have happened although funds are a little tight)... I am right on track for my goals for the season and with the racing getting under way on the 2nd and 3rd of Feb so I should (hope to) be in good shape for my 1st Coupe de France race at the start of March, and hopefully do enough early season to gain selection for the U23 national team for the Nations Cup races in April. 

I fly out to France on the 29th of this month and I am very much looking forward to meeting up with my new team mates, Genghis Khan (Chris, Canadian team mate from Morteau) and the staff at UC Aubenas. 

I'll be posting more often now that things are happening again so until then.

If you are still awake... thanks for reading.

DZ


P.S... I'm having a few drinks and some food in the house next Sat - 26th Jan small going away due. Contact me for directions. 



 https://www.facebook.com/events/244146012385098/

Looking Back to go Forward

I'd like to start my blog by thanking all of those who supported me last year from family and friends to sponsors and everyone in between.

A special thank you to Derek Webb of Sprint Design inc. Gorey for providing kind financial sponsorship and his specially designed custom designed clothing. Without his backing I would have struggled to pay my way this year.

A big thank you to the Cycle Superstore in Tallaght for providing sponsorship which saw me onboard a LOOK 695sr for the season after my old steed passed away.

Thanks to my good mate Sean McNicholl for providing me with Salice eyewear.

Thanks to all the companies who sponsored prizes at my fundraiser back in March; Restaurant Patrick Giilbeaud, The Trocadero Restaurant, DIT School of Culinary Arts and Food, ZULU Tattoo Dublin, Bushell Interiors and Captain Americas.

I hope I haven't left anyone out and if I have I apologize.

2012 was far from the big success story that we would all love to be able to write about. For me it was exactly what I expected it to be; A steep learning curve.

I went over with the intentions of using the year to gain experience sort of like a transition year, and if the results came well and good but if none came it wasn't the end of the world. Of course I wanted results but I knew I had my work cut out.

The season was okay! The racing was tough and sometimes unbearable but its those kickings that help to shape you as a bike rider. I picked up a lot of consistent top 10s and a few 4th places, the podium and that 1st win that I so desperately wanted just never came.

It was a year full of ups and downs but in general I am happy with how it all went.

I spent a lot of time towards the end of August contacting teams in both France and Belgium and I  received a few offers from teams in both countries but deep down I wanted to stay in France for many reasons. I had made up my mind and had agreed terms with a team but my place was unconfirmed and I was becoming a little nervous waiting as every day a new team would announce their completed lineups for 2013 and I still hadn't been confirmed.

I got the good news this morning (Tuesday) from the president of my new team for 2013 confirming my place. http://www.directvelo.com/actualite/22815-uc-aubenas-le-point-pour-2013.html

The team is UC Aubenas based in the southern part of the Ardeche department in the Rhone Valley in southern France. The team are DN3 ranked which means I will hopefully get to ride in Coupe de France races and I will be racing as a 1st cat rider upgrading from cat.2 this year. I am really looking forward to stepping up and next season I will be going over to to use the experiences of this year to obtain good results next year.

Being home has been nice! I've been kept quite busy since I got home it's been all go. I had the good fortune of finding a part-time job, I started driving lessons and got straight back into training after a short break.

I've started training with my new club Adamstown Cycling Team which has been great so far. Our kit which I am quite fond of arrived right on time. My head is full of ideas for our club and I can't wait to sit down and discuss them with everyone!

ACT Kit 2012/2013

Unfortunately following my good news it was followed by some bad news; I was to be let go from my job as the shop just isn't busy enough and as I was last in, I am 1st out. I've already started looking for work, trawling the jobs websites but it's not the be all and end all. On the plus side, I've more time to train and recover without having to stress about getting home to go to work. Well for a few days anyway.

My preparations for next year have been going well and to plan until I was struck down last week with a kidney infection. I was laid up for 5 days and I am on antibiotics for 10 but I got back to some light training yesterday which was a nice change to just sleeping and slogging around.

I might as well jump in and give my two cents on the Lance Armstrong saga seeing as everyone else is at. I wasn't a cycling fan when Armstrong dominated cycling therefore I feel that he didn't give me a reason to love or hate him so I won't be jumping on the bandwagon and ridiculing him now that he has been found guilty of doping. It is a shame but cycling needs to move on from it. I acknowledge the difficult history of doping in the sport but my impression now, is that cycling is a lot cleaner than it was during the pre 2007 era. I think that there is now less immediate and overwhelming pressure on young riders to dope. Like in any sport there is always going to be a temptation to dope, but I am committed to following a drug free path and I don't intend on becoming fluent in doping talk because I have no plans to ever explore it in real life.

Disgraced Champion Lance Armstrong

I have also decided that I am going to participate in Movember; growing a moustache to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society and their research on Prostate Cancer. If you would like to learn more or make a donation check out my MoSpace here http://ie.movember.com/mospace/1830096 .

I have also started to search for sponsors to help fund my season in France next year. If your company or if you know someone who would like to sponsor me for 2013 season, please contact me directly. darazaidan@gmail.com.

I'll also be getting back into the habit of blogging regularly when I have news seeing as I have been on hiatus for a little bit too long.

Thanks for Reading,

Darragh

Wake up Call

A good friend of mine once told me "form is mainly in your head". It got me thinking about my early season. I was in a comfortable state of mind; enjoying my 1st season in France, taking in the sights and just enjoying the racing. The placing's I took over the course of the first half of my season pleased me but the kicking's I took, I usually put them down to bad luck or it was too hilly or something to that effect. I had 101 excuses.

That comfort zone cost me and I have only come to realise it of late. 

Thinking back to that first half of the season, I lacked confidence in myself and I just wasn't driven enough to get the results I now so desperately need. I was enjoying the ride and losing wasn't a massive deal " it's my 1st year on the continent, I need to adapt" plus many more excuses. 

The best thing that has happened to me of late was being told that I am not guaranteed a place here next year. It was that shock to the system that I needed to kick up a gear and pull my head out of my arse. 

With that, I have found confidence and belief in myself and have been racing with a point to prove to myself more than anything else. To prove to myself that I deserve to be here and to back up the confidence that my family and friends trusted in me to do well here. 

I have been racing consistently well of late and mentally I am a new person; focused, driven, hungry for success and most importantly I believe in myself.

Since my last post I have taken two 4th places, a 6th and 14th in my first cat.1 race.  I have new found legs and I have been getting in the winning breaks that had previously seemed to be an impossible task for me. 

All of these results and good form have come a little too late to save my season and guarantee me place in the team but c'est la vie. Next year is going to be a completely different ball game altogether. 

I think it's safe to say he was right. "Form is mainly in your head"