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.........

Meeting Freelee and Durianrider + My Week to Come

Today was a pretty awesome day for me, meeting the most amazing people who helped me change my diet and get on the pathway of healthy eating. I bumped into Freelee the Banana Girl and Durianrider at the Santos Tour Village Expo. I must say they were super friendly and I was able to sit down and talk with them for a good amount of time. Freelee also suggested that I start a YouTube channel which has given me more motivation to start vlogging and making videos. I found it kind of weird how I new so much of their lives from YouTube but they new nothing about me. Hopefully we might be able to stay in contact because I think it would be awesome to catch up with them again in the future and maybe even go for a ride with Durianrider once my shoulder is better.

With Durianrider and Freelee

After talking with these guys for around half an hour they recommended a good vegetarian/vegan restaurant for dinner which we went to. For an entré we had these sweet potato spring like rolls which OMG were fantastic and I definitely could have had more than just one and a half.

As well as that we had these gluten nugget things which again were amazing and dipped in a sweet chilli sauce topped it off.

For my main meal I had a noodles and stir fried vegetables. It was something a little different to what I usually have but I loved it.

My main meal for tonight

I have a big week ahead with the Tour Down Under starting tomorrow. Unfortunately we've had to get a car because I can't do any riding. I'm excited to watch some high quality racing over the next week but also disappointed that I have to sit in a car for the next week. I'm keen for what's to come and hopefully I'll be able to meet some more fantastic people along the way.

Sum up of my week + today and the race

Well this week has definitely not been the best that I've had. I started my week off on Monday dislocating my shoulder coming home from work, which put me out of riding here in Adelaide. I don't really think I can describe how I felt when the doctor said that my arm must stay in a sling for two weeks and that my bike can't come with me. I know it's not like the worst thing in the world but it felt like my heart sunk. I'd been looking forward to this for so long and to have this taken away from me in such a short amount of time really sucks.

Stepping forward one week and looking back, I've still had a good week. I know that I can't ride and that sucks the most because I'm constantly surrounded by bikes and people who love bikes and all I can do is watch from the sideline. This has somewhat given me the opportunity to find some new things that I might not have seen if I was out riding. For example this quote which I find absolutely hilarious because it's so true and it would be something that I'd be worried about in the future.

One other interesting thing I found today was at the Santos Tour Village in Victoria Square and it shows what a pro cyclist would eat on an average day to keep their energy up and to stop them losing any weight. It's something that I found interesting because I think it was a lack of eating that caused me to get sick a week before the heading to Adelaide.

An average day of what the a rider would eat.

This afternoon brightened my day I had a big chat with the guys from pioneer about their power metre systems before heading off to watch the start of this years tour down under at the People's Choice Classic which is a 50km criterium around the streets of Adelaide and the second stage of the Santos Women's Tour. I must say that the women's race was super fast and it was awesome to see a local rider from Cairns mixing it up with the big names from around Australia and overseas. I was able to meet the new Australian Champion Peta Mullens and get a quick photo with her.

With Peta Mullens

In the mens race it was an absolute ripper with Marcel Kittel edging out to get the win over the other fast boys. Some fantastic racing and some near misses as always which make things exciting but also very scary as well because I know the feeling of coming off and having to have time off.

The fast boys coming through a tight corner

On an overall it has been a good week. Hopefully next week can be better with a bit more enjoyment than last week tomorrow marks one week since I dislocated my shoulder so lets just hope that I can recover as soon as I can and start riding because seeing all these bigs is driving me insane.

Trendy Bike Shop and Team Presentations

Today was supposed to be a vlog day about my training day but because of the dislocation in my shoulder I can't train. I'm in Adelaide though at this years Tour Down Under which means I can still talk about cycling. Today was a good day because it launched the TDU and all the teams were presented. I was able to get heaps of photos with lots of riders and some of the presentation.

Lotto Soudal- My favourite team

One of the coolest things I think I saw while out today was Jens Voigt's hour record bike which was on display.

Looking down on the top tube on his bike

At the teams presentation I met loads of big names which can be seen in all the photos below.

Mark Renshaw

Heinrich Haussler- New Australian Champion

Michael Rogers

Richie Porte

Marcel Kittel

Cadel Evans

Besides just looking at pro cyclists I found a super trendy little bike shop which sells fixed gear bikes (which I probably shouldn't be looking at because they're the reason I can't ride). Now it's called Treadly Bike Shop and can be found at 10/5 Ebenezer Place and its right behind Rundle Street in the centre of Adelaide.

Looking into the shop.

The bike shop can be found here.

Despite the pain and disappointment of not being able to ride, I'm still having quite a good time in Adelaide and everyday I'm becoming more and more eager to be out on the bike. With loads more cycling and racing to come, there will be loads more blogs and I know I've said it lots but there will be some vlogs as well.

What I ate + Hanging out with Greg Henderson

I was supposed to make a video today about what I ate, but when I sat down at the first cafe I forgot all about it. By the time I was ready for my next meal I didn't think it was worth it, so to make up for it I took some photos and I thought that I should still talk about my diet through a blog.

Breakfast:
I had a late breakfast which was two coffees and a banana muffin. We've found the best coffee shop in the whole of 'wherever I've travelled' and the owner remembered us from last year because we went there so much. I must add that I'm a big fan of bananas and this muffin was one of the tastiest that I've ever eaten. The café is called Red Berry and is located at 2 L'Estrange Street, Adelaide. If you're around the Adelaide area for the Tour Down Under then I recommend that you try this coffee shop, because I guarantee that you've never experienced anything like it.

Only thought to take a photo once it was gone.

Just a map to find the best coffee shop in town

Lunch:
We had a super cheap healthy lunch which consisted of alfalfa and avocado on a ciabatta style bread followed by some bananas and water. Plus pain killers for me because of my shoulder.

Dinner:
For dinner I had a different type of stir fry. This on had rice and was full of vegetables. The use of rice is good for me because it's full of carbs which is what I need because of my choice to be vegetarian, topped off with a vegemite base.

This afternoon we were walking around the city and bumped into a big name cyclist, Greg Henderson. He is Andre Greipel's final lead out man before he is released for the sprint and I thought that I would share this photo and all the photos that I get with any pro's while I'm away because I wont be able to ride. So here's Greg and myself.

Hanging out with Greg Henderson.

How Quickly Things Change.........

I was going to do my first ever tech review today but I had a bit but I had a bit of an accident last night. While coming home from work I had a crash, which landed me in hospital. I ended up with a dislocated right shoulder and I am not allowed to ride for at least the next TWO WEEKS!!!

This accident has put me out of riding and training in Adelaide at the Tour Down Under where I was scheduled to ride with the Lotto Soudal and Trek Factory Racing Pro teams. Needless to say I am DISAPPOINTED!!!!!

The most disappointing part was the fact that I had all last week off to get rid of my cold so I would be in good health for my two weeks in Adelaide, and now I will just be watching from the sidelines.

On a positive note I will have more opportunity to get more interviews, photos and talk with the pro riders. I am hoping to catch up with a few riders such as; Adam Hansen, Marcel Kittel, Caleb Ewen, and other top name riders.

………And of course test some of Adelaide’s top coffee shops.

This will have to do now cause it is hard and slow going typing with one hand so stay tuned for more videos and vlogs over the next couple of weeks.

Recovering in hospital

My Training Week

I made a decision in early December to give away triathlon because I wasn't finding any enjoyment in it any more and because of this decision I wanted a few months where I wasn't on a training program so I was able to train when I wanted. This would allow me to make sure that I'm enjoying training and so I could regain the motivation I need to start winning races.

Since this decision I'm still not on a program and I've just been training when I like and think this has been the best thing because I was averaging 400+ k's a week for a few weeks. Unfortunately I've been sick over the last week so I haven't done anything. This week though I'm heading off to Adelaide so I'm trying as hard as I can to get better so I can clock up some big k's while I'm there. 

So my main plan as far as training for this week is to finish getting better and start smashing out k's in Adelaide. For a while there isn't going to be much of a plan for my week because it's just training as I feel like it.

Proposed Blog Schedule

Over the last week of I have been chopping and changing thinking about some sort of schedule that I want to try and keeping in mind that with school commitments and also my training I may need to drop a post, in saying this if I'm at a particular event then there may be something extra.

Here is what I propose:

Monday: This is the start of my week (yes I know Sunday is first day but it's how I run my training week) so I will have a summary of my training for the week.

Tuesday: 'Tech Shop Tuesday' will be where I am going to do a review of a product or something new that may be coming out.

Wednesday: No Post

Thursday: No Post

Friday: 'My Food Friday' will be a vlog type video about what I eat during the day. (I'm not sure about how this will go when I'm back at school)

Saturday: Training day vlog

Sunday: Short summary of my week

I think that this will be a massive commitment especially with editing videos from vlogs but I think that in order to achieve something you need to have a goal and in 2014 I left the blog in the darkness. So this year I'm taking a massive leap and jumping into the unknown but I think it's worth a shot.

Catching a Cold

After some tough days suffering on the bike, I started to get some good feeling back into my cycling legs and my base was starting to look like it was in good shape. I was enjoying being out on the bike everyday and even if I didn't have a big day I would still go and try find somewhere to ride because I really enjoy the feeling of being free whilst out riding.

On Saturday night after finishing work I came home with a sore throat and went straight to bed. Upon waking up on Sunday morning I felt as though I couldn't get out of bed and after what felt like shoveling in pain killers I went straight back to sleep. For the rest of the day I slept and just laid in bed. Monday was a little better but I was still only able to stay inside and I either had to be seated or lying down, which I  must say was better than the day before. I'm still in recovery mode at the moment but I'm just itching to get back out onto the bike.

I put all this down to doing big k's where I was burning an average of 3000 calories a day and not replacing this let alone eating average daily intake of food. I think this is what has caused me to end up ill and now I just constantly feel hungry. This is something that I'm going to have to work on if I want to continue the big k's especially leading into Adelaide which I head off to next week.

Bring on 2015

2014 was a pretty big year for me. There were countless memories and plenty of learning, which came with it. My goal for 2015 is try and keep regular blogging with video footage from my training, which may include some ‘vlog’ style videos.

Considering it’s been awhile since I last wrote on here there is a lot to catch up on. I made a big decision in early December to stop competing in triathlon, which means I won’t be going away to Hervey Bay for state titles in February. This also means that I won’t be doing as much running, although I don't want to stop that completely I just don't want to do it as seriously. The decision was made when I realised that there was no enjoyment coming from the training and I’m aware that training is not all about enjoyment and having fun but I came to the point where I was only going to train because I was worried that I was going to get a call from coach asking how it had gone.

So I have decided that for the next few months I’m going to enjoy my training and train when I want to. I believe that this will allow me to get hungry again and when I’m ready to start doing some proper sessions my extreme passion will be back and I’ll be itching every second of the day to go out and ride. I think that since this decision was made I’m enjoying too much because last week I rode over 400km and the week before clocking up 560 something kilometres.

That’ll do for my first blog back and I just wanted to let people know of my decision to stop triathlon and focus more on my cycling, which is where I believe my passion has always been.

I have a few photos which finished off my year!

Cairns Criterium Series.

My last triathlon.

Rolling up into the mountains on an early morning ride.