Moving on Up

A4 is not easy. It may be classified as a beginner’s category but make no mistake it is intensely competitive. Upgrades are earned not awarded.

Cold Shoulders

You could say it maybe looked bad when you go for a warm up and come back colder than when you started....

Great Expectations

Great notions for the season can then be firmly put in place. It’s straight out with a big black pen to choose my dates and plan my assault on the roads of Ireland. What courses “suit me” (if any)?!, a Saturday here, that Sunday there, every weekend in March, out with Google Maps – Where the f*ck is Magherafelt? And the big dramatic finish - A3 National Championships (if only!).

A Dark Place

“Dr. Google” says the standard recovery time is 6 weeks. 6 weeks from 22nd July is 2nd September, add in 3 weeks to get a few sessions in on the bike and we’re up to 23rd September. The Armagh Road Race is on that day, one of the last races in the calendar. I could possibly make it, couldn’t I? I could still salvage something. I don’t need to win it, I just need to get one point.

Running out of Road

2018 was not supposed to end like this. I just needed one more point to make A3. There were plenty of races left to do it but now it seems I have run out of road.

Turning a corner

When I was younger I always wanted to be one of those kids who could pull wheelies, bunny-hops and skid sideways without taking half the skin off their legs. Unfortunately, hands off the bars was about as far as I graduated.