MASSIVE SURPRISE REVEALED

Today is the big day that I can finally tell you what I have wanted to tell you for weeks, the massive announcement. I'm so happy that I am back into daily vlogging and I'm loving it.

HOME FROM THE RUNNING CAMP

After a few dramas with my old camera and absolutely horrible internet on the running camp, I can now say that I'm back home and I have a new camera with me ready to start vlogging my journey to Europe.

Check out Cahn's YouTube channel

Hi, it's Cahn's sister here. Just updating you on where Cahn is at the moment. Cahn is on a running camp and doesn't have a lot of internet access so posts aren't going up on his blog everyday. To keep following Cahn, please check out his YouTube channel (the link is on the right of this post) and subscribe for regular updates.

RUNNING WITH FLYNN

Okay, now I haven't posted on here lately just because I've been really busy. I'm going to try and get back into it though, so here is my latest video. Enjoy

I had a great day running with Flynn in his cross country and I was pretty honoured to have been asked to run with him. 

When it came time to actually do a run session in the afternoon I didn't really feel up to it at all. But I made myself go out and train and suffer for a bit. Unfortunately though I suffered from running on the concrete and my calves were really sore, so I didn't complete the session.

I GOT A NEW CAMERA + WHAT CAN'T I TELL YOU

I got some news today, which I regard as being absolutely awesome but I'm not allowed to tell you what it is, why is that? I will let you know as soon as possible, when I am allowed. After months and months of saving I finally got the new camera that I have wanted and I was able to test it out. 

TRAINING SMASHED ME + MESSAGE FROM BEN BROWN

This has by far been my biggest training day, 70km on the bike in the morning followed by a gruelling long trail run in the afternoon. The way that I suffered goes to show that I'm not afraid to go into the hurt locker but it also goes to show that I still have work to do on my fitness level.

I definitely learn't something today and that is to make sure that you're never hungry, because if you run out of calories you won't be able to function properly and you'll end up suffering just like I did.

TOO OVERWHELMED I NEED A BREAK

Everything feels like it's becoming too much at the moment and I just need a break. I've come to realise that not everything is going to be a breeze in life and sometimes you are going to have to step away from the picture, re-evaluate the scene then either tackle it, or find another way around it. We all need a break at some point otherwise we become too caught up in the fake world.

WHY WONT MY MATTRESS STAY UP

It was a good first day in Canberra. We got to catch up with so many people who I have not seen in such a long time. Sometimes it's nice to just take time off some training and enjoy life, just like what I did today. The biggest question of all though, is why doesn't my mattress want to stay up?

TRAVELLING TO CANBERRA

Today was an awesome day yet long day of travelling own south to  of travel. I'm so happy to be able to see my sister and hang out with her and other family over the duration of this weekend. It's not often that these things happy so it's always best to make the most of it. Always make the most of every situation.

MEDITATING ON A BIKE

I didn't feel like being on camera at all today but I managed to push through. One thing in particular really did help though and that was my bike ride. Even though it wasn't all easy, it's my way of meditating and although it may not be conventional, it works.

BANANAS, CYCLONES & BUYING STUFF

I GOT SPAT ON!!!

Had a fantastic day today despite getting spat on by a random passenger in a car when I was out riding. I don't think someone can get much lower than that. It's so gross and I'm still trying to comprehend what happened. I'll get over it though. Thankfully it's not raining and I was able to train.

INVEST IN A RICE COOKER

This would have to be my best investment. If you follow my vlogs I use it almost everyday and I think that it's the best thing money can buy and the best thing about a rice cooker is that it's cheap.

SAYING GOODBYE TO MY BRO

My brothers last day today, it's so hard to say goodbye after seeing him for such a short time. Hopefully we can catch up soon.

Hanging Out With My Brother

So awesome to have my brother at home this weekend. We started today off with a run and we finished in town tonight with Gelato, it was dairy free so you don't have to worry about that. It was my first long run today and it hurt, especially in my calves where I was sore from Thursday. I can only go upwards from here. Thinking of the positives.

PARCELS ARRIVED & SO DID MY BROTHER

I felt like it was Christmas again with parcels arriving left right and centre and to top it off my brother finally arrived in Cairns. After a few short weeks of waiting my T-Shirt from Roman Atwood arrived as well as my much needed computer components.

Absolutely Wrecked

Rain, rain and more rain. Got drenched today running and ended up really fatigued that I fell asleep in the car on the way home. Make everyday a good day and enjoy life, don't take it to seriously and do what you want to do.

I Won A Competition

Today it has started raining again, which means cycling is going to have to be put on hold. I got soaking wet, ate heaps of food and won my very first internet competition. Come along for the ride and don't forget if you want to go big, dream big.

Lost My Cycling Footage

Another cracking day today training on the bike in the morning and running into the sunset in the rain in the afternoon. Come along for the adventure as I chase my dream to Europe.

Dumbest Thing In The World

Today I no joke, did the dumbest thing in the entire world. I'm not too sure what else compares to this. I'm enjoying making everyday count and I love bringing you along for the adventure.

Riding, Flipping & Enjoying Life

Such an awesome day today, I loved every aspect of it. Started off bright and early and finished late at night. Sometimes in order to achieve your goals you're gonna need to give up sleep. But don't give up too much otherwise your body will become run down. Another bright and beautiful day here in Cairns.

Dealing With People Who Don't Appreciate You

Sometimes life throws you down and that's how I've been feeling over the last couple of days. It hasn't felt great at all. I missed so much of today's video just because I didn't really feel up to recording, but despite feeling down I got back up and tried to turn it into a positive. Listen to how I am trying to deal with people who don't appreciate me.

My Food Friday

Last week was on the verge of impossible for getting My Food Friday posted as I was on my school retreat. Luckily for you, I'm back, so here is a meal plan of exactly what I ate yesterday, Thursday 5th, March.

Breakfast:

• 2x wholegrain toast topped with peanut butter and honey
• 1x 250mL glass of orange juice

Morning Tea:

• 3x Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (Homemade but not vegan. They contain eggs & honey)
• 1x Raw Chocolate Vegan Bar
• 3x Dates

Lunch:

• 2x Wraps filled with; cucumber, lettuce, spinach, avocado, potato, egg & mayonnaise 
• 1x Peanut Butter Sandwhich
• 2x Dates
• Water

Afternoon Tea:

• 6x Mini Sushi rolls filled with avocado

Dinner:

• 6x mini sushi rolls filled with avocado
• 1x small bowl of stir fried noodles and vegetables (carrot, beans, broccoli) 

Punching Numbers

Running has always been something that I've been good at. It wasn't until late last year when I decided to take a break. This break lasted around 3 months and just recently I have decided to start running again. This video has a lot of footage from the session today and once again I'm punching numbers.

3 Ways For Optimum Recovery As a Runner

In this video I give my best recommendations that I can give to a runner who needs to recover quickly, they're my three ways for optimum recovery as a runner. I base this of my own knowledge plus trial and error from my own training. As well as finding out this vital information you also get to hang out with me and come for the ride throughout my day! Watch now.

Pushing Limits & Opening the Mysterious Gift

I pushed many limits this afternoon at running training. I felt as though I went somewhere that I haven't been before. It felt good though and I liked that feeling.

Remember how I talked yesterday about receiving the mysterious parcel in the post? Well today I open it up and properly discover what is inside all that wrapping and packaging.

Day At The Reef + Mysterious package

A seriously huge day today, awesome experience out at the reef snorkelling and jumping off the boat. Check out the fantastic waters right off the coast of where I live, basically at my doorstep.

What have we found here? A mysterious package arrived today and I have no idea where it's from or who it's from. Can you take a guess and tell me what you think it is and where it came from?

How To Cure a Headache + I Don't Want to Ride

Not too sure what to make of this day. I had so many things get cancelled on me so I had to try make the most of what I had. Thanks for hanging out though. I tell you how I cured my headache without any medication and I'm not sure if I want to ride anymore.

Big Ride + Massive backflips

Pretty big day today, I did a whole heap from my ride in the morning to backflips in the afternoon. Come along and see my road to Europe as I vlog my life.

Being Undercarbed

I came home from my school retreat yesterday and unfortunately I missed My Food Friday but on a good note I got back into my vlogging routine and I uploaded yesterday's vlog this morning. I am going to be back into my normal routine with uploads and blogs.

I am going to make a video on this soon but while on retreat I was under carbbed and not fed enough. Now I know that I should have spoken up about this but I didn't and now I regret this a lot. I went from having 2-3 cups of rice at home to only 2-3 spoonfuls on the retreat. Thankfully I took a bunch of bananas and a tub of dates with me so I was able to eat somewhere near my daily calorie intake.

This would have been the most difficult thing that I had to try and deal with up there. Now that I'm at home I've been eating as much as possible to try and make sure that I have all the calories that I need for my energy output especially now that I'm back training.

Just like I said before I will be making a video about this topic that way I can talk more in depth. As well as this I will have my daily vlogs and many more.

My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4mrJMeGZEgY0nhIKlmfM8Q

Home From Retreat + Shopping

I finally made it home from my year 12 school retreat. I have many things to talk about regarding that. This isn't the longest vlog ever recorded but I started it as soon as I could. Come hang out and follow me, Cahn Butler-Channell on my road to Europe.

Saving Money Eating as a Vegan

These are my best tips and tricks as to how I saved money when I transitioned to this lifestyle. There are so many different ways and large amounts of money will be fed right back into your pocket.

Why Uni is not the Right Choice

Why is Uni a bad choice? Well it might not be for you, but I think it is for me. In this video I explain why. I'm not the type of person to get cuaght up in what society tells me to do and I think that Uni is one of those things. I want to do what I want to do and not end up with thousands of dollars in debt and numerous years of my life wasted on something I didn't enjoy. And yes by all means if your career path means going to Uni, then well yes, go, but don't fall into the black hole of society.

Getting Emotional About Training

Maybe, I trained too hard today and that's the reason that I wasn't able to perform to my standards. I smashed the day with a big bike ride before school and finishing it off with a tough run time trial to finish off the afternoon. I had a great day.

Going Places

So sometimes I just feel the need to write and tonight is one of those nights. I wanted to talk a little about what's happening over the next few days and so forth. Tomorrow morning I'm heading to my year 12 school retreat and this means I won't be able to vlog. So you may ask, is that the bad news gone? Well, yes you are correct, I can't vlog, but that doesn't mean that I won't have content for you guys. That's right you heard it correctly.

I will have videos for all three days that I'm away. On Wednesday morning my vlog of Tuesday will be on the net and ready to watch. Thursday morning will see another video but unfortunately there won't be a vlog, I have made another video and last but not least Friday will be a repeat of how Thursday played out.

But if you're not here, how will it get onto your blog? Well that's quite simple. I have arranged with my sister to put it onto my blog at roughly the same time that it normally goes up. Now you'll have to allow some time because I'm not exactly sure of when it will be uploaded. She will be in charge of that.

So don't worry you won't miss anything and I'll be back with the camera on Friday afternoon and also Saturday. I hope now you have a clear understanding of what will be happening over the coming days. I should probably go and pack because as of this time I still have not packed and I'm leaving in the morning. I'm just so tired from today that it makes it hard.

Remember, If you want to go big, DREAM BIG!!

Bus Antics + I Got My New Chain

Finally my new chain arrived. I am so happy that I can now get out onto the bike and start riding. Come along for the adventure and follow my road to Europe.

Big Vlog Day- Shopping, Editing & Woah

Pretty big day today. I enjoyed getting out and about, it was just a shame it was so hot. Come along for the ride and don't forget to subscribe for more content.

What's Happening This Week

This week is going to be really hectic. I'm heading off to school retreat on Wednesday which means I won't be able to vlog. In saying this I will still be uploading videos on these days and I'm still going to try my best to get My Food Friday out on Friday afternoon.

Also this week I am hoping that my new chain arrives for my bike which means that I'll hopefully be back riding, one thing that I have been missing so much in the last week.

So don't worry if you think that you're not going to see me much this week because that's not true, stay tuned to my blog or my YouTube to see all the videos that are uploaded this week.

Eating Rawtill4 Style

Eating Rawtill4 Style

So today I ate a diet which was rawtill4 and for anyone who doesn't know that that it is it means eating no cooked foods until 4pm. I've never done this before and so when I woke up this morning I decided to give it a go and see how I feel.

The biggest thing which I didn't particularly like was the fact that I felt hungrier than usual. I think because I was mainly eating fruits I wasn't getting the sufficient amount of calories. In saying this I'm not saying fruit is bad and it doesn't give you calories I'm saying that I didn't eat enough fruit to the calories that my body need.

By dinner time I was peckish and it felt really good to get the cooked carbohydrates in. I had a massive bowl of rice with lentils and it made up for what I missed out on throughout the day.

I talk more about this in my vlog which will be up in the morning but I just wanted to write  down my thoughts before I went to bed. If you want to know more about how today went and eating this way then don't forget to stay tuned either on here or keep a watch out on my YouTube channel.


My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4mrJMeGZEgY0nhIKlmfM8Q

Remember, if you want to go big, dream big.

Another Vlog Day Today - Water Smoothie & Work

After a few videos of no vlogs, I am doing another one. Follow my day right from the beginning before fast forwarding a few hours to skip school where you can check out my afternoon and what I'm having for dinner. This is my road to Europe and I'm going to bring you every step of the way.
Also, 10 bananas in one day!

How To Stay Hydrated Throughout The Day

These are my tips to stay continually hydrated throughout the whole day, not just in the morning or night, but the whole day from the moment you wake to the time your head hits the pillow at night. Pee clear and drink water, watch the video to find out more. Enjoy!

My Food Friday

I've decided to change this up a little bit because I find it hard to get this posted on a Friday when I come home from school/work. I'm not going to get rid of this segment because I enjoy sharing what I put into my body to get the results I get. In saying this I'm going to do this segment on the food I eat on a Thursday and publish on a Friday. This works well because I have running on that day and it also gives me time to write it up before publishing. Lets get into it then!

Finally I'm having a different lunch at school today, a few things got mixed around so here is what I had.

Breakfast:

• Banana Smoothie (5 1/2 banana's, coconut sugar, 1tsp brown sugar)
• This smoothie made just under 2 litres and is the perfect way to fill up in the morning

Morning Tea:

• 4x dates
• 1x peanut butter sandwich 
• 1x 250mL poppa 
• 3x pastry rolls (filled with beans, rice, quinoa) 

Lunch:

• 2x Potato Salad Wraps (potato, avocado, beans, lettuce, carrot, egg, rice, lentils)
• 1x Peanut butter sandwich 
• Water

Afternoon Tea: (before running)

• 2x raw vegan bars ($2 from Coles)
• 4 medjool dates

Dinner:

• Spanish rice with red kidney beans and corn

Desert:

• 4x medjool dates

What did you eat today?

How do I run so fast on no training?

How can I run such quick times on ZERO training. Watch now and find out!

Elite Female Runner Crawls to Finish Line in Austin Marathon

Different style of video today. I feel as though my vlogs are the same thing everyday so I need to mix it up a bit and get some variety. In today's video the elite runner in the Austin Marathon crawls the last 100m of the race to finish in third place.
Watch the video and see my reaction before coming up with your own. Remember, if you want to go big, dream big!!!

My Road to Europe + Back to Running

What's this channel really about? It's about my road to Europe which is where I want to go to try and make a career out of professional cycling. It's about the difficult times of defeat and fantastic times of glory and success. So hop onto my bike with me and follow me along this journey. Today I also discuss why I'm back running after months of saying that I'm not going to be running this year.

Specialized Previal Review

This has been my helmet of choice for a few years now. I have not been able to find any other helmet which is lighter also providing the same comfort as this one.

I have pretty much worn this helmet into the ground with no concerns what so ever. It has been on numerous aeroplanes and it has not cracked unlike one of my other helmets. I look after all my products with extreme care, so I find it hard to comprehend how the crack would have come as a result of my negligence.

Like I said it has been the lightest helmet I've come across in the last few years and as Specialized advertise in magazine's, "it's lighter than the book in your hands," which is absolutely true.

With the ability to adjust the tightening system not only so it fits the size of your head but also the height at which it sits is also one feature I like. That way female riders with a pony tail are able to run the helmet nice and clean on their head in a secure position.

I can't complain about this helmet and although people will complain that it's too expensive, I argue against you because not only do you get a super light helmet but one that fits to any head shape and might I add stops the sweat from dripping into your eyes.

It has been the best helmet money can buy and I know that there will also be something emerging in the market trying to knock this out of it's place, I feel as though it will be here for a very long time, especially with the combination of aero and road helmets all in one.

How To Make a Banana Smoothie + My Day

I kick start today with showing you how I make a banana smoothie so you can make it yourself. Follow me through the rest of the day and watch me smash down rice and continue to 'carb' up.

Shopping, massage & things stuck in my feet

This really goes to show that you should wear shoes, but it's best to only wear runners rather than thongs or canvas shoes which aren't good for your feet. My best tip would be to have shoes with elastic laces that way you can slip your shoes on and off really easily. Finished off today with a massage on my shoulder and I'm getting more movement and range of movement. Today I also tested out my rice cooker and made a fantastic lunch. Watch the video to see it all.

Do Carbs Make You Fat? + Watching Some Running

Today I got told by a chef at my work that he's a "protein" man and that he tries to minimise carbs because they make him fat. The funny thing is that he isn't as slim as me and I've only down an hours exercise in the last two months and haven't put on any weight. I should have said something because it would have been very funny to see his reaction.
I also took a trip to go watch one of the local running races held this afternoon. Not a bad valentine's day!

My Bird Passed Away

Bit of a sad video today.

My Food Friday

What I ate today. At school my diet is usually the same everyday because I know what works to keep me full for the whole day because we can only eat at certain times. Anyway, lets see what I ate:

Breakfast:

Banana Smoothie (3 bananas, coconut water etc)

Morning Tea:

1x Peanut Butter Sandwich

1x Orange juice poppa

1x large piece of home-made banana bread

Lunch:

2x Wraps (lettuce, potato, carrot, mayonnaise, egg, etc)

Afternoon Tea:

Large bowl of plain brown rice (YOU GOTTA CARB UP)

Dinner:

Small vegan pizza at work (pineapple, tomato, onion etc)

What would described as a pretty plain selection of foods kept me nice and full all day!

The vegan fight + helping someone out

When I started doing these videos I was uploading at a regular time and as soon as I post a schedule that I'm going to stick to, all of a sudden uploading takes forever and the ended finishing late. Anyway enjoy the video and I'll try my very best to have these out at the time that I proposed.

Bought Durianriders ebook + Schools Crap Food

This is a little late because I had some issues with YouTube and uploading. Hopefully back on track tomorrow.

Vlog Schedule

So for anyone who has been following me, you would know that I'm now doing daily vlogs. I now have a little schedule for uploading.

I will film a vlog throughout the day and at night I will upload it to YouTube. When I wake up in the morning I will press publish and it will be on YouTube for you to view. Publishing time on week days be between 6:30-7am AEST and on weekends it will be a little later so that I can have a small sleep in.

I just wanted to clarify what would be happening with my vlogs and when the upload times will be. Just making sure so everyone has a clear understanding and so that we are on the same page.

I work way too much! + Changing bike tyres

Garmin Edge 510 Review

For just under a year now I have been using the Garmin Edge 510 as my computer of choice for when I'm cycling. It's been a nifty little device that's super easy to use. Here are my top 5 pros and cons about the Garmin Edge 510.

PROS:

1. Unlike the Garmin Edge 1000, the 510 is small enough to not block half the road when you are riding. In saying this the 510 is not oversized and I feel like it's the perfect size for anybody to looking to race. Have a look at the pros for example, you don't see them riding around with the 1000 and that's because it's too big and maps are unnecessary. The screen size is perfect and you have the ability to customise how many types of data you displayed on the screen.
2. The touch screen I feel is an awesome added feature which steps up from the Edge 500. Although some people argue they've had problems with this feature, in my time using it I've never had anything to complain about even in wet weather.
3. What I find simply amazing about this device is how quick it charges. After coming home from a ride and almost running it dead, it is back fully charged in about half an hour (if that in some cases). As well as the speed of charging, being a micro USB means you can charge it out of the wall and also a computer, which makes great convenience when travelling and you may not have your laptop or home computer.
4. I like that the mount can be turned in any direction so that it can either fit on the stem or handle bars of your bike.
5. For anyone that uploads to popular websites such as Strava or Garmin Connect, uploading is made easy. All that's required is plugging it into your computer and with he feature of Garmin Express it uploads automatically.

CONS:

1. If you're looking to have built in maps on your device this is not the device for you. If you're planning on travelling to somewhere where you need maps to get around I recommend the 810 or 1000 products as this is not a feature on this device.
2. Despite being a really good computer I think it is a little bit over priced. After checking the Garmin Website it comes in at $449. There are plenty of other computers that are cheaper than this including the Pioneer system which can also do the same things as well as power for $100 less at $349 without the actual power system.
3. A big problem I found was that to access some features I had to google how do it because the manual didn't state it. This is really annoying especially in the set up because I just wanted to get out and use it.
4. When going to remote places I've found that it sometimes loses satellite connection. I think that this is quite bad because Garmin claim to have a fantastic connection to GPS satellites. Thankfully the computer is still connected to the cadence and speed sensor so data is not lost, only maps when an activity is uploaded.
5. I know I said the screen works good in all conditions but if there is something on your hands e.g. a gel or a sports drink it can smudge the screen and make it hard to read. It's not really a problem and it can be avoided really easily and it's mainly something to just watch out for to make viewing the screen clear.

Overall I think this a great product for racing and training but it's not the best for travelling. Uploading and manoeuvring around the device is super simple. Unfortunately I think the price is a bit too high for what you get and I think the price should be dropped by about $100 so that it matches it's competitors who are providing you with the same standard computer for a cheaper price.

Meeting mum + my running tips

In this video you get to formally meet my mum for the first time and I give my best tips when it comes to choosing the right running shoe.

Where are the blogs?

Some people may be wondering why there are so many videos and hardly any blogs at the moment. This is because I wanted to get my YouTube channel off and running. Now that that's done I am going to aim to get back into my blogging, although there will be some small changes to my original schedule/structure that I made at the start of the year.

The biggest change though is that there will be less blogs. I am going to aim for two blog per week which will be Tech Shop Tuesday and My Food Friday. In my original schedule I had update blogs and training days mixed in and these topics will be covered in my vlogs on my YouTube channel. 

Although there is going to be less blogs I will have daily vlogs on my YouTube channell. In these videos I'll cover everything that was going in to be the other blogs plus more. 

I hope this has summed up any confusion as to what has been happening with my blog and the introduction of my YouTube channel.

To stay up to date with all YouTube content, my channel can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4mrJMeGZEgY0nhIKlmfM8Q 

Not sure if I like rain anymore!

My house got flooded

Sorry that this is up so late but here is yesterday's vlog. Enjoy!

Chilled Day

Come and enjoy my life with me. Today is a pretty chilled day in the life. Thanks for hanging out and remember, if you want to go big, dream big!

What's in Ben & Jerry's Icecream

I bet that after watching this you'll think twice before consuming what's in this deadly product.

Why I stopped drinking coke + my first ride back

A longer video today guys but it's definitely worth a watch. Super excited that I was able to go for my first ride as well since my crash, a little scary but it definitely made my day.

Handling animal products at work as a vegan

This is a controversial topic but I hope you learn something from this.

American Obesity Epidemic

Lazy Day at home + where do I get my protein?

Off to the movies

Today I'm off to the movies. Sorry this had ended up on here so late but if you want to get it early you can visit my YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4mrJMeGZEgY0nhIKlmfM8Q/feed

"If you want to go big, you have to dream big"

Yesterday's vlog is now up. My new quote.

"If you want to go big, then you have to dream big."

My Food Friday

Today is My Food Friday. Have a look at what I eat throughout the day and feel free to take tips from what I eat if you want to live a healthy lifestyle.

Breakfast:

2x toast with peanut butter and honey
1x 300ml orange juice

Morning Tea:

1x Peanut Butter sandwich
1x raw chocolate bar (vegan)
1x small container of stir fried noodles and vegetables
1x 275ml popper (unfortunately this is full of artificial sugar)

Lunch:

2x Salad wrap (egg, spinach, mayonnaise, potato, lettuce, carrot, beans)
Water

Afternoon Tea:

1 Large Berry Boost Juice

Dinner:

1x bowl of stir fried noodles and vegetables
1x 300ml juice
water

Desert

1 bowl of 'So Good' dairy free ice-cream

One other thing that I wanted to put in was that I had 6x 600mL bottles of water. Over the course of the day I tried to continually keep sipping from the bottle and refilling it as soon as it was empty. Every time I was going to the toilet I was peeing clear which is a perfect way to find out if you are hydrated or not. This technique uses the simple principle of the more concentrated your urine the more dehydrated you are.

I think today I have eaten really well and has been one of the best days. After talking about the junk food in schools I have been finding it especially easy to stay away from it and just sticking to water at lunch time. In some cases it's hard to sustain this lifestyle when you are surrounded by so much advertising and media but you just have to bring yourself back to the reason of why you started it? It can be so different for so many people e.g. wanting to lose weight, you've set a goal, you're unhappy and so it continues. I truly believe that it's super important to lead a healthy lifestyle because it's the easiest way to feel the best. I've noticed that after eating all this today that I don't come home hungry and I feel fresh and well nourished all the time rather than having grease and oil all over your hands.

Tips For Staying Hydrated

Here are some of my tips for staying hydrated. Remember to stay away from sugary drinks.

School Junk Food

Check out yesterday's vlog. Sometimes these don't finish uploading before I need to go to bed but they'll always be up the next morning. Today I talk about School Junk Food and how bad it is and how I fell into the trap on my first day at school.

Fracture Clinic Results

Last night my vlog finished uploading after I had gone to bed, so here it is. I hope you enjoy and thanks for watching.

Reynolds Assault Clincher Wheel Set Review

I've been using these wheels for about 6 months now for training wheels as well as racing. The positives outweigh the negatives big time for the wheels. For the money these wheels are fantastic, they are about $1500 plus or minus a bit because the price may have changed since I bought my set . The specific model of my wheels are the Reynolds Assault and are roughly around the 30-40mm mark.

On my bike I run the clincher version of the wheels but a tubular set are also available. Preferably I would recommend clinchers over tubulars if they are being used as an everyday wheel set and this is because when out for training rides you are easily able to change the inner tube whereas if you have tubulars you have to replace the whole tyre.

What is so good about this size is that they are perfect for flat riding because once you are around the 35km/h mark they roll really nice and when placed in situations where there are cross winds these wheels are big enough to cause any disturbance. As well as being suited to the flat they aren't too deep either and this makes good wheels for hill climbing where as a 50mm wheel is not as versatile.

Over the course of me using these wheels one major problem with regards to handling is breaking on a decent but just breaking in general. Now for the whole time I've used the designated Reynolds carbon break pads but I've found that they start to burn when under heavy breaking and it's hard to take off speed which makes corning difficult. I didn't realise this until I swapped back to heavy alloy wheels for some training.

I really like the versatility that these wheels have. One thing that I've noted is if they're being used as an everyday wheels you must watch out and keep a good watch on the bearings. Once water and dirt get in them they start to corrode. I had to replace the bearings in my back wheel not long ago.

Despite this I think these wheels are fantastic and they wouldn't be classified in the budget range so they are a bit higher quality but not over priced. They're definitely worth having a look at if you're after a decent set of wheels.

Reflecting on my crash + returning to Cairns

Well today was the day that I travelled home from Adelaide. The focus is not as much on my day but reviewing and going through what happened the night of my crash where I dislocated my shoulder.

Check it out and remember to jump onto YouTube and follow my channel as well as giving it a thumbs up.

Stage 6 Vlog + hanging out with Lotto Soudal

As well as my vlog from today I did get some photos with a few people and my yearly photo with Adam Hansen.

I left this photo extra large because Adam Hansen is one of my biggest inspirations 

Kenny Dehaes

Thomas De Gendt

Remember to stay tuned for a brand new blog/vlog tomorrow, which will include a summary of what's planned for this coming week. Will I be able to get back onto the bike? Stay tuned to find out.

Day in the life on Stage 5 of TDU

Here is a video that has a look into my life at Stage 5 of the Tour Down Under here in Adelaide. After watching it on YouTube I found a few editing errors where the background noise is really loud, so that might be something that I have to learn for future videos. Anyway I hope that you like it and stay tuned for more videos in the near future because I had fun making this.

Remember that tomorrow there will be a brand new blog or maybe even a vlog, depending on how I feel. Another beautiful day to come.

Quicky on who I met

So today there is no blog. I finally made a vlog of my day and it's currently uploading to YouTube and once that's done I will have it on here. One thing that I didn't include in my vlog though was the people that I met because I only got photos with them. First off I found Chris 'MACCA' McCormack in a cafe in McLaren Vale and I was able to get a quick photo with him and he didn't mind because he remembered me from Cairns Ironman when I rode alongside him for almost the whole run let of the race and at the completion he gave me his sunglasses which was a very special moment for me.

Posing with Macca

The second person that I met was Rohan Dennis the current leader of the Tour Down Under and second place on today's stage. I just spotted him wandering around the village after an interview and had a quick photo and chat.

Recovery & Did I speak to soon?

Recovery? It varies from person to person, from injury to injury. For me these two weeks have felt like a lifetime. It's almost difficult to comprehend how hard it is to hurt yourself and then travel away to an event thats all about the activity that you love most, the activity which resulted in you injuring yourself. I find it hard to put this puzzle together. The puzzle of why this happened at this time and I find it so frustrating because I'm so confused. My recovery though is going strong, I'm spending more time out of my sling when I'm at home, but it feels so weird. My tricep keeps twitching when my arm is free and it's almost so constant that I have to put the sling back on. Pain is temporary, but quitting will last a lifetime.

Checking out the scenery 

I'm finding it hard to talk about anything interesting in these blogs because every day is almost identical to the last.

The little blue Hyundai Getz made it's biggest journey today out to the feed zone before crossing back, racing the riders by car to get to the finish line. Once I was at the finish line I was seated in the grass area watching the race on the big screen TV. I thought to myself while I was there that I wasn't going to film the finish today, nothing exciting will happen and plus I can sit here and watch the whole thing without having to fight people for a position, risking that my shoulder will get bumped or knocked. In that same thought I realised that there hadn't been any crashes yet and how good that was for the riders. It wasn't until about 150 metres to go that everything went to chaos and riders went everywhere. Yep that's right, I spoke way too soon. I felt a weird sensation go throughout my body because what if, maybe I jinxed the whole thing?

After watching chaos unfold we got into the car and began the 40min journey home. Upon arriving back into Adelaide I saw a car which had sign writing on the side which had the words 'Thanyapura' a sports resort that's in Phuket which is run by world champion triathlete Chris 'Macca' McCormack. Within about 30 seconds we were passing the great man himself as he rode back into the city. I was able to get a quick video of him and we went passed in the car.

Driving alongside Chris McCormack

Just like yesterday we ended up back at the tour village. But today was different. Everyone was talking about the crash and everyone was trying to get a glimpse of the broken bikes. Something that I was a little bit fascinated about was with everyone taking photos and then posting them online, is it good or bad publicity for the manufacturers. I bet they don't want people seeing their brand of bike posted all over the internet when it's in a million pieces. Anyway a rider from Lotto went down so it was a bit sad for the team but I did manage to take some photos and sorry to the owners of these company's but I wouldn't expect a bike to stay together if it hit the ground at 75km/h with a number of other riders. So here are my pictures of the Ridley Noah SL ridden by Kenny Dehaes.

Cracked Ridley Frame

The handle bars are bent and totally ruined

Tomorrow is the key day for general classification riders so it will interesting to see what happens when they contest Old Willunga Hill two times around. Stay tuned for brand new day with a brand new blog.

Stinking hot day + bringing out the artist

The biggest problem with my arm being in a sling all day is that I'm not getting any circulation to my right hand and I've noticed that my hand is starting to dry out and it looks as though the skin is starting to break apart. Since I've been home tonight though and had my arm out of the sling, my hand has started to go back to normal which is quite interesting.

I wanted to start my blog with something that's happening with my body since I dislocated my shoulder because I haven't said much about my recovery and today was almost the same as yesterday in regards to watching the race and then ending up at the tour village in the afternoon.

We started our morning in Norwood to watch the race start and just like always we wished Lotto good luck and before filming the start. After that we found a few mates from Cairns and kicked back at a coffee shop drinking a few not so good coffee's before heading up the mountain to watch the finish of today's stage.

Got this cool shot at the coffee shop

Once venturing up the hill we found our place on the last corner before the final uphill straight to the finish line. Situated about 150-200 from the line right in front of the big screen TV it was a perfect vantage point to watch the final hill before the riders battled it to the finish line. What I found was the worst part of the day was how hot it was. Unlike home it's such a dry heat here so you can just feel your mouth drying out and your skin burning rather than sweating to keep yourself cool. I think that in this sort of weather it's very important to stay hydrated and it's best to stay away from drinks with lots of sugar and colouring. I think this was my problem today because I just felt like a coke to quench my thirst but it just made me feel worse. Water is best in situations like this.

Our finish line vantage point

It was a young BMC rider who got the win today with Cadel Evans coming home second. We didn't stay long because we wanted to beat the traffic home. Back at the village in Adelaide we did the same thing as yesterday (not much changes for us), but I went for a wander around the outside part of the village taking some photos of some bikes trying to be artistic.

Tomorrow I am hoping to try and get out to the feed station to try and collect some bottles and feed bags before we jump back into the car to try and make it to the finish.

I will upload the video of the finish of the race to YouTube once this blog is up and I have been fed.

A brand new blog tomorrow with new photos but the same people. I'm liking doing this, blogging everyday and hopefully I'll soon gain enough courage to start making videos. I just feel kind of weird walking around talking into a camera, but it might be something interesting and something a little bit different for the future.

I MET JENS VOIGT + My day

Today was somewhat similar to yesterday with the exception of getting to the start line. I woke up and almost jumped into the car. We headed to the start line and caught up with Lotto Soudal and wished Adam Hansen good luck before they ventured their way to Stirling. I know that we have the car and we can see just as much as what I would see on the bike but I miss the frantic rush to get to the next destination, time trialling through the hills and jumping onto the back of random bunches before arriving in the next town.

Watching the start of Stage 2 in Unley

Despite just following the race today I met a superstar of the sport, Jens Voigt. To finish off his career he set the hour record which is a race against the clock for one hour to see how far you can get and he travelled more than 50km in that hour. He is also the man that came up with the quote "Shut Up Legs" and he would talk about him saying that when his legs were absolutely burning and he needed that little bit more encouragement. We had the privilege of talking to him for about five minutes before he had to go and it was such an awesome opportunity.

Meeting Jens Voigt

After watching the finish of stage 2 we headed back down into Adelaide to check out the tour village and upon arrival we heard of news that a BMC rider had broken his collarbone in an accident riding home from the race. This is super disappointing because we later found out that it was Australian Campbell Flakemore and he had a stunner ride today being in the breakaway group for most of today's stage.

Just like usual we went to hang out with Lotto team mechanic Steven and I managed to sneak a few cool photos in while he was working and more importantly showing us a few tips.

Getting some tips from Steven

Cool photo checking out Adam Hansen's handle bars

After scouting around the village for some cool bikes I managed to find a Canyon which is being ridden by team Movistar. This green machine looks super fast and maybe one day I'd like to get my hands on one. These brand of bikes are almost flown up the mountain by super climber Nairo Quintana.

Movistar's team bikes

On an overall I think it was a fantastic day and we topped it off by watching the local criterium racing. Again just like Monday night it was super quick and I quickly realised how disappointed I am not being able to ride or race while I'm down here. I guess these things just happen and I'm gonna have to deal with it and come back stronger.

GoPro Hero 3 Review

I wanted to try and stick with my blog schedule and review a product in Tech Shop Tuesday. So today I thought that I would review my GoPro hero 3.

I've been using this camera since I got it for my birthday last October. I know that there is now a hero 4 edition available but this camera works just fine. It's such a small portable camera which is awesome because when it's not in its water proof case it fits right into your pocket. As seen in the photos the camera is next to a standard AA battery. This goes to show exactly how small it is.

Standing next to a standard AA battery

Shows just how small the camera is

Another good feature that I've found is the use of wifi. This allows you to view your footage on your smart phone as soon as its been taken or if you don't have the back screen you can view what the camera is filming through your phone with a 5 second delay. The great thing about this feature is that it allows the user to quickly see if the footage is worth keeping or not and it can be deleted straight away so there is no waiting around.

The availability of changing the mount or handle is awesome because it means that I can change from a small handle to an extendable one if I'm crowds which I'll be expecting over the coming days at the TDU. The only thing that I don't like is that you can't place the camera and the case on the ground together because the mounting points are on the bottom of the case. This becomes frustrating when placing the camera on the side of a course because there is nothing protecting it if it was to get hit. 

Each camera comes with a case and a few stick on mounts. There are lots and lots of different attachments that can be bought to go with the camera and one that I think is really good that I haven't got around to buying just yet is the wifi remote. It just allows easier use when the camera is attached to an extended pole. 

Other than this I think the camera is really good and it shoots really good quality footage. I got some awesome shots yesterday and a local crit in Adelaide with the sun in the distance. I'm hoping to use it a lot more in the near future to help me make videos and capture awesome moments. There is almost nothing bad to say about the camera, it's versatile and captures high quality video. I would recommend this to anyone looking to buy a sports action camera. 

TDU Stage 1 & My day

Today I woke up super late which took away our chances of making it to any KOM's or Sprint points on today's first stage. Fortunately enough we have our car and were able to get down to the finish line to see all the action on the big screen TV. There were four riders who went over the top of the KOM and had a one minute lead with 24km to go. It was so exciting standing at the finish because it was so calm and then all of a sudden security guards and police motor bikes came through and all the barriers were shut off. We managed to position ourselves 55m from the finish line and nervously watch the big TV as the break was slowly pulled in but also left dangling off the front.

After watching the exciting race unfold we headed into the TDU Tour Village in the centre of Adelaide and hung out with our favourite team Lotto Soudal and watched the mechanic Steven build Adam Hansen's brand new Ridley Helium climbing bike.

Once we had finished visiting the Tour Village we headed down to watch the final stage of the Santos Women's Tour which was a one hour criterium around Victoria Park. The same place where we watched last nights A grade crit. It was really good watching the best girls in the business battle it out for stage honours but also for overall victory and points jerseys. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos there but it was a good way to finish off the day.

It was an exciting first day of racing and I can't wait for tomorrow because it is going to be even better with a tough circuit finishing in Stirling in the Adelaide Hills Region. I'll have a brand new blog and some more videos of the race. Check out the Stage 1 finish which I shot from my GoPro hero 3.

A Grade Crit Adelaide

This is just a quick little video with a few clips thrown together of this evenings A grade crit here in Adelaide. It's nothing special but I just wanted to check out my editing skills and see how my GoPro went.

Enjoy.........