slowly getting into form

Hi all,

We are now into August and into the big international races are just round the corner! One in particular, the G.P Capodarco 16th August. My form has been improving steadily  and I've manage to churn out a couple of great results in recent races too, Trofeo Cita di Garrufo and the Giro delle Valli Cuneesi in particular. 

The Trofeo Di Garrufo was on the 14th of July near where I live. It's was a UCI 1.19 standard race but seemed harder to me with 8 circuits of a 16km course with 2 hills in a circuit. The race was pretty hectic in the beginning, with everyone trying to get a man up the road in the breakaway, but every time the break went away, the team without a rider would bring it back. Finally, after 40km a group broke away with 17 riders and then followed by a second breakaway with 12 riders (including me!). As we got closer to the leaders we started to climb, I felt this was the perfect opportunity for me so I jumped across the gap before the race started going down hill. I was the only one to get across to the leaders, so we now had 18 up front and the advantage had now grown up to 3minutes and stayed that way going into the finish. The last hill was 25% and spilt everything up, I tried my best to be savvy in the final km's and I got 7th position in the finale, something I was really pleased with and looks good for the next few months!

Next up was the Valli Cuneesi, another international race but this time up in the Alps, and a level UCI 2.12 on top of that. The first stage was the team time trial, 20km of holding on for dear life as my team mates racked up the pace on a windy circuit!  We were proud of our effort as we got 10th on the stage and that was without doing a lot of preparation for it beforehand. 

The second stage was only 130km but finished on a 15km hill with an average of 12%. The first 40km was 'same old same old' as the teams controlled everything. As the race settled and the wind picked up as so did the pace, so I got myself to the front ASAP as I knew  there was a little 2km lump coming up. On the crest of the hill it split and a breakaway of 30 had formed. I didn't really see the situation behind me as after the race progressed I was the only one from the team in the break, so I was pretty much hiding from going on the front and trying to look after myself for later in the day. The break had 4 minutes advantage and was growing so things were looking good. The hill was full on from the beginning so it was just a matter of survival of the fittest! At the end of the stage I was second under23, second foreigner and 8th overall after getting 9th on the stage. 

The second stage was set up to really split up the race as it was 150km with 2 hills. The first, a 6km climb with and a average gradient of 12% and then the second of 7km, with and average gradient of 10%. For the whole day my team mate where great, looking after me and working for me the whole stage. After the first hill it all split up and I was in the second breakaway, with 3/4 up the road and I was in a group of 15. On the second hill it split up further, with everyone in small groups of 2s and 3s. At the end of the Valli Cuneesi I ended up 2nd under 23, 2nd foreigner and 10th overall in the race after losing some time on the final stage. Going into the race I'd certainly have taken this result in such a big race, the team were great and I was happy with how I was feeling throughout, certainly building!

Overall, things are going well here in Italy, just trying to find time to relax with all the training and traveling. It's now reaching peak summer time so it's about 36-40 degrees everyday where I live, so this means being smart and training early in the morning before it really hots up! Anyway training is going well, life is going well and the results are coming now, just got to carry the form into the up and coming races! i.e GP CAPODARCO! 

CIAO AMICI!!

Back from England

This past month and a bit has been a lot of traveling. I finally managed to come back to England for a bit after six months in Italy. The main reason for coming back was to do the national cycling road race, and to see family. 

The national champs was up in Scotland. Pretty much a city centre crit in Glasgow. It's was flat circuit with three little hills in it. I say hills but they where more like speed bumps. In the race I tried to go with the right breaks but after the six pro's went of the front I was just a bit lottery. Ended up doing nothing and just go round in a group of about 30. 

After the nationals I was at home for another two weeks. I manage to see most my mates and have a couple of meals with some mates. It also gave me a good chance to rest up and go for the races in the last part of the season. 

The first race back in Italy was only yesterday. For me it was a chance to get back into the swing of things. Unfortunately I had to work for the Italian lads as it was there regional champs. But when you have team orders you have team orders. Anyway he lads felt really good and everything is heading in the right direction for a peak in August which I have planned. Hope it says on the right path as there are many international races and UCI 1.2 races. 

May 2013

Hi everyone, may was a month mainly preparing for the Pescanectoria u-23 race. The preparation was trying to grow the legs. Tuesday was 150km with sprint and the specific progressions. Wednesday power work 5 mins with 53✖13 then 5 mins spinning. Repeated 6/7 times. Thursday 200km. Then racing on the weekend. 

The Pescanectoria went well except for the first stage. The first stage was 150km with two 3/4km hills. Unfortunately I had a bit for bad luck and miss the head of the bunch when it broke away and lost 1:07. The second stage was the hill stage. 160km with 8/10km hills. The weather was awful with rain and -2 degrees. I manages to squeeze out a 15th position and 23rd overall. The last stage was a sprinters stage with is being 150km and all flat. After about 100km it started hail stoning and I ended up in the breakaway with three others. Unfortunately it stopped raining and hail stoning so the inevitable happened and they brought back the break with 3km to got. Still went well just the first day didn't go as I planned. 

  After all the racing and training the wasn't much time for anything else, anyway now on the June and the nationals. 

April 2013

Hi everyone, this month has been a busy one. It's started with a couple of doctors visits and him say I'm a load a crap more or less. I now have spent the last month trying to change my pedalling style, as he said I don't pedal roundly enough. So now after most training sessions I have to go and do an extra hour of exercise. I was told to think of it as a good thing as he said my body has a lot to improve on so I can only get faster.... Hopefully. The down side is that now for a month I can only do one race a week so my legs can recover from the exercise. 

   There has been a couple of good races latterly. The main one being the international race at Sora in Lazio. 175km done at an average of 45kph. It was a nice and hilly race with a long lap of about 20km with a 4 km hill then the short laps with a steep 3 km hill. Me and a team mate sore a break of about 20 go of the front half way through the race so we closed it and found ourselves there. After 90km in the break the last hill I helped my team mate as he had the legs that day. But ended up with a 15th. ( for weekly info on races go to my twitter page)

In general things are going ok, whether is getting better, and life is waking up in the village finally. 

March

Hi all, this past month has been a busy one. Over the Easter period it's been race after race. In the past 10 days alone I have done 5 races and have another this Sunday and Tuesday.
For all I have to do in the races is work of the others. This is because we have a few guys who have peaked for the spring races. My main objective in these early races is to get in the break as this is an optimum was to prepare my legs for summer, i.e when I plan to peak.
This last month I have also had to change my peddling style. Hopefully this means I produce more power by using every muscle in my legs.
Also this month I have booked my flights to come back and do the national champs. Been out for a few meals with the lads as well. And I've done my first appearance on tv.

Well this years cycling season is getting closer as my first race will be next week. From then it's pretty much racing every week after that. My preparation so far has been going well so let's see how it's goes in the races.
Team preparation this past month has been pretty hard. The sprints from behind the car and the standing start sprints have been breaking my legs. And that's just a Tuesday. Most Wednesdays we do power work which isn't so bad. Then Thursdays are quite nice as its just distance I.e 150-200km.
Also this past month I've taken the opportunity to finish off doing the things that I should do during the season. The diet kicked in in January but the drink has now been knocked on the head for a while. Hope it all pays off.

first one of the year

  
     Hi All, hope you have all had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year. The Cycling season is nearly upon us so im now back in Italy doing team preperation. That basical means 11 guys trying to kick the shit out of each other. Fortunetly it's three weeks long then a rest week. So far it seems to be going well, but it is only the second day.
    It's been more then two months since I last wrote. Well all I've been doing is catching up with friends in the North East and trying relax as much a I can. I have been out on the bike a bit but mainly I was doing gym work, oh and playing takeaway bingo. I got them all except Chiense, but being since Im from Tesside I had a Parmo or two.
   For all readers on Facebook, I am now on twitter @matthewwoods92. When the season starts I plan to leave weekly staments about the races and I will to a blog monthly.