'Off'-Road to The Commonwealth Games

After meeting up at GLA with five Scottish Team members (Alex Coutts, Ducan Urquart, Gareth Montgomerie, Robert Wardell and Ruth McGavigan) twe all took a deep a few deep stretchs and starting the three leg journey to Melbourne, Australia via Dubai and Singapore. Many hours later we arrived in Ballarat, Victoria on the 15th of January.

Coach and the trip coordinator Greame Herd had set up a furnished full functioning house in a great location and others already present were Ivor and Elaine Reid, Even Oliphant, James McCalum.
It was great to meet the team members from the track and road for the first time, furthermore two ladies from the track world, namely Katrina Hair and Kate Cullen. With Ruth, Katrina and Kate here they provided balance in a house full of male cyclists. On the 23rd the Greame and the six srong road team left for Zealanda Nuevo for the Tour of Wellington.

The next ten days were spent recovering from the flight and adjusting to the new time-zone and temperature. We saw a day of 43 degrees celcius and so what a pleasure it is when it rains here! Rain normally (torrential) lasts around ten minutes.

It took me a week before I found out that I have family here in the town of Ballarat. Where ever I go in the world I find family. I also seem to move around the world and be in a perpetual blackberry season. Have been out filling the old water bottle with some at the end of some training rides.

Today was Australia Day and so around the central town lake, named Wendouree, there has been alot of live music culminating with some fireworks dampened slighty with some most welcome but un-timely rain.

Also today was the road squad's second day in the Tour of Wellington. Very good and bad outcomes; Duncan was second in the road stage and Evan was second in the critirium. Sadly Robert was eliminated from further satges after a mechanical failure caused him to loose alot of time and James McCalum was involved in a crash - cuts and bruises but should out there again tomorrow.

I look forward to travelling to my new base in Napier, (North Island) New Zealand on the 30th of Jan for three mtb races and then will return here on the 5th of March afterwhich we will all be preparing for the Games races. The mtb XC race is on the 23rd of March.