2009 - Bike Year in Review

This 'year in review' post has become an annual blog thing, so I'll keep up the tradition and bang on about a few good results I had last year. I started the year in recovery mode from the broken collar bone from Tour of Bright '08... recovery meant indoor V02 intervals and TT efforts getting prepared for the Australian Masters Games in late February. As I missed out on riding the TT at Bright in '08, I refocused on the Masters Games ITT. That all went to plan and so did a lot of other races this season, it was a good year!



National:
- Australian Masters 1 Individual Road Time Trial Champion 2009.
- Australian Masters Games 2009 Individual Road Time Trial. Masters 1 - Gold.

State/Open:
- Victorian Masters 1 Individual Road Time Trial Champion 2009.
- Victorian Masters 1 Road Race Champion 2009.
- CSV Masters Time Trial Series Winner (A grade, 4x 1st place, 1st overall in series).
- CSV Masters Road Race - Ballarat. 2nd Place. A grade.
- Preston Mountain Classic - Fastest time (scratch). Masters.
- Victorian Masters TTT. Silver. (Hawthorn Team #1).
- Tour of Bright. B Grade Stage 2 winner (ITT). Finished 5th on GC overall (@40secs).

Local/Club:
- Blackburn Kew Boulevard ITT. 1st Place. A grade. New 20km course record (30:11).
- Ballarat CC ITT - 2nd place.
- Nth Combine: Lancefield - Carlsruhe Weighbridge (18th April) 1st Place. A grade.
- Nth Combine 3 Day Tour - 2nd A grade ITT, finished 4th on GC.
- Nth Combine: Roly Kelson Memorial (Newham 90km Handicap). Fastest Time.
- Geelong CC ITT Paraparap 28kms (15th August 15th) 1st Place.
- Coburg CC Crits - 2nd (Feb 21), 1st (Oct 24), 4th (Oct 31).

So those are all the 'on paper' results, as for the racing memories of the year...

- Chasing Michael Gallagher (my minute man) and his support car around the Pararpap course on a stinking hot windy day in Geelong. In the process winning by 18 seconds and getting best time of the day.
- Getting into an early break at the Victorian Masters Road Championships with three of the strongest guys around and helping to make the break stick. Shane Stiles, Reece Stephens, Matthew Chessum - many thanks!
- The hotels, car trips, weekends away chasing TTs and other events all over Victoria and one in the ACT. Its always good to get out of the city, even better to get out to the country to race bikes!
- Finding a coffee after freezing cold races. 600ml Coke is almost as good too!
- Team Kosdown. An awesome bunch of guys to ride and race with. We know we're no ProTour squad but we still enjoy every race we do regardless of what level its at. Being presented with some personalised green and gold team kit after Canberra was a highlight.
- Reaching the Tour of Bright ITT start ramp, something I didn't achieve in 2008. Rolling off the start line I could hear a few cheers as they announced my name as I rolled out. That was a very cool moment. Just having won the M1 National TT title, being in great form, having that kind of support - then putting it all together to ride a solid TT at Bright for the stage win. Nathan Elliott's parents were at the finish line with a laptop with the instant results... I got a "Shane, you smashed it!" as I rolled past, that's what I went there to do, job done.

So onto 2010... The plan is to take a breather for a few weeks, keep riding, keep training, and do it all again. The CSV calendar isn't out yet for the road season so I can't lock anything in. The Australian Masters Road nationals are in Ballarat in early October so that ITT will be a big focus this year, along with the road race. If the CSV Time Trial series isn't running I'll be traveling around the state doing any club time trials that pop up. I also plan to get more input from experts - more aero, more power, less weight, less wind drag.