Bumps in the road make the journey more interesting and worth it….
I would say that the build-up to this World Cup wasn’t optimal. Two weeks after the Cambridge World Cup I had a little accident on the track while mock racing. I collided with my team mate and came off the track, banging my head. I take my hat off to those that deal with a concussion. It was an eye-opener – headaches, disorientation, moodiness, and fatigue. But a week after, I got the clear to train and was back into it! I was very lucky.
First day back on the bike after a knock to the head. Happy days!
Resting and healing up! Bruising coming out on my leg nicely…
I am now back from my first adventure to Hong Kong. What a city! Full of skyscrapers and…… skyscrapers! Our first glimpse of the city was early in the morning on our way from the airport to the hotel. It wasn’t the fastest trip as we were right in the middle of the peak morning traffic. But this was a blessing as we got to see both sides of the harbour. I was in awe as it was quite beautiful; beaches, huge bridges, small islands, water, and lots of buildings.
Km’s of buildings!
Dare to climb? Bamboo scaffolding
We settled into our hotel which was about 15min bus ride from the velodrome (on a good day!), which was located East of Hong Kong. One thing that amazed me was seeing bamboo scaffolding 50 levels high, and still going, to build these tall structures. It was incredible!
View from the top floor of our Hotel
The venue for the racing was quite spectacular, opened in December 2013. Surrounding the velodrome are artificial lakes, playgrounds, cycling paths etc. To see more about this venue and pictures checkout this link. Although it wasn’t the easiest track to ride on, it proved a good challenge to ride smooth and technically sound.
Hong Kong Velodrome
Gloomy race day. The weather wasn’t the best during our stay
And now to the racing. I was only competing in the team sprint, and to race in the finals the next day, we had to be in the top four fastest teams. Long story short – I didn’t go as well as I know I am capable of. I didn’t even come close to a PB, and went slower than in training the week before. However, my team-mate was on form and she pulled us back to a fifth finish with a season PB. We were gutted just to miss out in the final round, and I do feel I did let the team down. However, a top five finish gives us good points to keep us in the top nine for Olympic qualification spots.
Quiet before the storm – first day on the track
So now that I am home, I have two weeks to get into top shape for NZ Nationals (10 – 13th Feb). I am looking forward to putting on the Otago skinsuit and racing in events that I don’t normally get to compete in.
Thanks for all of your support throughout my trip to Hong Kong! Especially to the following; family and friends – how you lift me up! And to my lovely supporters; Topedo7, Purebread, Aspen Manor Motel, and Steve Joe.
I will leave you with a quote I found during the trip:
Feel like you are smiling on the inside because of how hard you’ve trained, how much you enjoy racing and have the golden opportunity to discover how good you can be – Jim Afremow
Let’s go out and discover then!
By for now,
Kt x
