Annemasse-Bellegarde

I was really hoping to have a good result in this race I had some really good weeks training leading up to this and the team also did a course recon the Wednesday before, and after also racing it last year I knew the course really well, its 180km long with the first 50km undulating and the last 130 has 4 main climbs with the last one being the hardest at about 6 or7 km long but the top is 25km from the finish. Also this race is one of the oldest ameture races in France so its a pretty big thing for the frenchies, there were 160starters.
For the first 50km I made sure I was at the front as there was a bit of wind and I wanted to stay out of trouble. The peloton pretty much stayed together most of the time but I was always following attacks on all the climbs and feeling good, but I think there was a slight headwind most of the time which made it hard for any groups to stay away. On one of the hardest climbs at 100km I got away 3 other guys and we were all pulling really hard but we got pulled back just after the decent. The group then stayed together till the final climb which was pretty bizarre for an ameture race in France for no group to get away earlier especially on a hard course.
Up the final climb I was starting to feel it a bit, I had no problem staying at the front but when 2 guys got away I wasn't quite good enough to go with them so over the top I was with a group of 15-20just behind the 2 in front. On the decent a few people managed to make it back to our group but we never managed to catch the 2 out front and they stayed away till the end. I finished in the group behind of about 40. I finished 33rd.
Pretty guttered the race wasnt harder during the middle section where i thought a group would get away so I spent a lot of energy attacking and following all the best guys.. didnt quite go to plan but owell thats racing and on the bright side I was feeling really strong.

A couple of pics from training

Chris ward

La Transversale des As de l’Ain annulée

Unfortunately this race was 'annulee' or in english, canceled. After a week of awesome weather, 20 degree days without a cloud in the sky I got some really great training in and I was really looking forward to having a good race. But the weather turned for the worse on race day, it was pouring with rain and only 5 degrees, anyway we went to the race start and got all kitted up and just when everybody was ready we get the call from the officials that the race was canceled because there was to much snow on the climb that we had to go up... Its fair to say there were a lot of pleased riders but also some really pissed off, and to be honest I was feeling pretty motivated so I was a bit annoyed.. So everybody got changed again and we headed home.. bit of a waste of a day and I ended up doing an hour on the erg. 

GP Serra-Delorme

This was an elite national race on a hard circuit done 10 times with a decent hill every lap and 150km all up. I did this race last year so I sort of knew what to expect but the big difference this year it was super windy, and with 150 starters and on small roads it was all about staying at the front.
I was holding really good positioning from the start so I never found my self in to much trouble and each lap the group was getting smaller as the wind and the hill took its toll. I was really active all race having lots of digs off the front and was in all the serious moves. It took 100km before a group managed to get away and at first I wasn't there but on the hill I got off the front with a couple other guys and we bridged to the front in the crosswind.
On the 2nd to last lap at the top of the hill 2 guys attacked at the top and I went with them but I just didn't have the kick in my legs to get on their wheel so I was stuck in between them and the group. 2 others then came across but decided to attack past me so I didn't get on their wheels either. I ended up going back to the group and I had lost out on the winning move which was a bit disappointing.
I also had 3 other team mates in the group so we decided to work for one our guys Sebastien to see if we could get him to the front group. For the last lap I was on the front with the 2 others in my team but we didn't manage to catch the front guys. We arrived to sprint for 5th place and I ended up 15th.
Fairly happy with my form and the race was a really good test, it was so hard only 30 odd finished.

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Tour de l'Ardèche

This was a cool tour just south of Lyon and there was some great weather, it was the first time I have ridden in just shorts and a short sleeved shirt since I got here! and to top it off we had a really strong team and we ended up winning the tour!

1st stage was a short 100km but was pretty hilly. Like usual it was on from the start and there were basically my team and another team that were the strongest in the race so there was always someone from my team up the road. At about 40km there was a 4km steep climb that split the race up and there were 20ish left at the front and I had my whole team there and basically from there each of us would attack until eventually one got, so a bit of luck was needed to get away. In the end Jeremy from my team got in the winning break and ended up coming 3rd on the stage. I finished in the bunch behind.

Next stage was a 6km time trial, 3km flat then 3km uphill at 7 percent average gradient. This made it a bit tricky for deciding whether to use a tt bike or just the roady... I ended up using the road bike and I was 6th, with same time as 4th and 5th just split seconds separating us. Im not sure but I might have been faster with a tt bike because everyone in front of me were on one but all good I was still happy with my time. Jeremy ended up with the yellow jersey after the stage.

doing some work on the front

Last stage was another 100km hilly again but this time we had Jeremy in yellow so it was up to us to control the race. We pretty much rode the stage perfectly, from the start we were on the front just setting a good tempo and making sure we had someone covering any dangerous attacks. There was only one point in the race that we almost lost it, when we over one of the harder climbs there was only me and Jeremy from the team in the front so I had cover everything for 10km before some more team mates got back up to us, but all good. Basically for the rest of the stage I was on the front with 2 other team mates till the final climb to the finish and I was smashed so I went backwards. But Jeremy ended up 5th on the stage and won the overall so happy all round!!

Circuit Bedat, and other things

Firstly after my last races the knee problem I got didnt just go away unfortunately I had to take it really easy for a week, I was only aloud to ride in the small chain ring and I went to see the team physio every day. In the end he said it was a tight ITB band which was most probably caused by the change in pedals. But now I'm back to the pedals I had before and I have to do stretching every day. It was a real bummer I missed out on the weekends racing because they were pretty good races for me, but it only the start of the season and its better to make sure this small injury doesn't turn into a bigger problem.
The next week I still had to take it fairly easy, luckily the pain had gone but I just couldn't do any efforts. I decided to try it out in the race in the weekend and the knee held up real well, it pretty much felt normal so that was a massive relief. I actually didnt feel to bad in the race, i managed to make a breakaway of 20ish riders but I had more bad luck come my way, I punctured and there was no support cars behind the break yet so I had to wait for the peleton to go past before I could get a wheel. The break I was in didn't end up getting caught either so it was a bit of a missed opportunity for me but owell.

Now this week I'm back into my training progam, and the weather has come really good too! clear skies and 20degrees right now... big change from the minuses last week so I hope it stays like this. Yesterday we had our team presentation which managed to take up the whole day. First thing in the morning we went to the O"rka bike factory who are our bike sponsors and we got a factory tour and had lots of photos taken. They then put on a nice lunch for us. We then had more photos done in a park in Lyon, and by the time that was finished it was 4pm and almost time for the team presentation, so we got to sit down for an hour and was straight back into it. But was worth it for the mean feed we had afterwards.. hopefully all the fancy french pastries I ate wont weigh me down to much this weekend..
Will put some photos up from the presentation etc when I get them.