As the title says; it wasn't my week this week. Started Ronde van Vlaams-Brabant tour on a bloody hot Wednesday afternoon. Temperatures scorched up past 30 degrees so it made for some hot hard racing. Tried getting into the early moves but it all came to nothing. For someone reason my legs went to jelly after about 20k. Trying to get into the early break must have really taken it out of me but I still mowed on in the bunch. Legs started to get better at 70k and I managed to get in a small split going up one of the climbs. There was already a break up the road so we were working together to try and catch them but we couldn't. I manged to ride away from the group with 3k to go but was still 2mins behind the winner.
Stage 2 was just shit. Just shit. Punctured in the first 5kms and I just couldn't get the legs fired up for the whole race. If I feel like that at the beginning of races, normally by halfway my legs feel good again but for the whole day I felt like poo. Even on pretty easy flat sections I was struggling. There was a 1k cobble climb that we did 8 times and the weird thing was I felt pretty awesome up that. I would be at the back of the bunch heading into that climb and then by the top I would be at the front but then on the flats I would be at the back again. Still managed to finish in the bunch.
Stage 3 was bit of a rest day. We only had a 10km Time Trial in the afternoon. I didn't have a TT bike so I knew I wasn't going to get a top result. Still gave it my all and managed to finish 44th or something and about 45 seconds down. Felt like I could've at least finished top 10 if I had a TT rig.
Stage 4 was even worse than stage 2 really. Woke up with a really really sore throat but I didn't let the get to me. Legs were feeling pretty good during warm up and I was still hoping for a good result. Started near the back of the group and once the flag dropped I started making my way up the bunch on the inside. We were hauling ass in the first 2k because it was slight downhill. Making my up to the front and then I hear a loud bang and then a heap of riders started hitting the deck. I couldn't stop in time and plowed into the riders on the ground. I flip over the handle bars and land on my back and head. I got up after a bit and my helmet was hardly on my head anymore. The helmet back strap had detached from the shell some how so must have had bit of an impact. I managed to clip it back on to my helmet and then I picked up my bike and rode a little bit further down the hill where the rest of the bunch was waiting because the race officials stopped the race. When I got down there I wasn't feeling too bad like my head wasn't sore or anything. I was talking to my mate and we were having a laugh because I had big hole in my jersey and I lost half of my racing and food and bent a few pins on my number. But once we started racing again I went all dizzy and disorientated. Just felt really weird and not 100%. I felt really nervous riding in the bunch again as well, everything looked really weird like I was sort of seeing double. I kept riding and went to the back to see if I would get better over time but na. Got to some steep as climb and then at the top was a big crosswind section and I just couldn't do it. My legs turned to crap and I still felt really weird. Tried riding in the car convoy to try and catch up but I just couldn't. It was a really technical course as well which made it harder. But yea, I just couldn't do it. Had to pull the pin after 30k. Was really gutted. Was really desperate to at least win a stage at that tour but it just wasn't my week.
The next day was horrible as well. Woke up stiff as and even more sick. My neck is the worst, all sides of it too; left side, right side, front, back. Ribs, back and abs are all bruised and sore as well. Still not feeling great today. Woke up with a sore throat again and a runny nose and headache so I've just been smashing back lemon and honey tea all day. Just feeling really blah at the moment. Just gonna have a few days off and fully recover before getting back into some serious training.
Anyway, onwards and upwards. Still looking for a first place in a race so I'm not coming home until I get one. That's whats keeping me motivated at the moment.
So yea.
Thanks for reading
Nick
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