Date: 9 May 2006

So much has happened since I last wrote to you. My last diary entry was on the eve of the World Championships in France.  I am sad to report that I was unsuccessful in my campaign to defend my World Title and am now counting down the days until I will be given another opportunity at the 2007 Track World Championships being held in Spain. 

So what went wrong?  My coach and I both agree that the enormity of the Commonwealth Games had a bigger impact then we anticipated.  There is no question that my preparation leading into both competitions was skewed more specifically towards Melbourne.  This was not done intentionally as both events held equal importance; it was more a case of logistics.  

There were only a couple of weeks dividing the two competitions, which meant we flew into France with only one week before the race.  The Australians always like to arrive weeks in advance when competing overseas in order to let the athletes adjust.  All the Commonwealth countries were in the same boat and generally speaking their performances suffered.  Personally, I never really felt on top of my game, meaning that I left Melbourne feeling very tired and arrived in France feeling the same way.  Besides the actual race in Melbourne my time following the race was busy, with most of my days occupied with media commitments; juggling these with the responsibility of training took its toll. So I have moved on, put that race behind me and focused on trying to win it back in 12 months time.  I can assure you the loss has only made me more motivated then ever.

So here I am now in the United States, where I will spend the rest of the year racing with my American team on the road.  I have based myself back in Boulder, Colorado where the training is awesome and I benefit from living and training at altitude.  My first race will be the Montreal World Cup late May; it is a tough race as we climb a rather nasty hill half a dozen times.  I raced it back in 2003 when I rode with Saturn, the crowds were fantastic and the race itself was a lot of fun.  I will let you know all about it in my next diary entry.

I did manage to factor in a wee holiday with my partner after the World Championships.  Greg and I had a lovely holiday in Jamaica.  What an amazing place that is, for 6 days we didn't touch the bike, instead we lay around the pool and beach and caught up on some "alone time" as well as recharged the batteries for what I hope to be a good season on the road!!

So there you have it guys, that pretty much brings you up to speed with where I am at right now in my life......never a dull moment.  Oh I would like to thank all the guys that turned up for our 'Becton Ride' down to Mordialloc.  I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  It was great to finally see Hamish out on his push bike and looking a million dollars might I add!!

Speak soon x