Season over – Vegas baby!

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October 4, 2007

Coming full doughnut

I have just arisen from my deepest slumber of the past week (a whole seven hours of glorious shut eye!) My body hurts, my skin is dry and the hair on my face has been there for days! Paints a pretty picture, doesn't it?

My season is totally, absolutely, without doubt over. It's a warm autumn day in San Diego, I have just purchased some doughnuts (like beer, I buy them in six-packs.) and am going to sit out in the yard, eat until I feel sick and reflect on my year in the US of A.

It has come full circle as I was in San Diego in February getting ready for training camp and now I am back here getting ready to go home in a few days, but don't worry I will be back soon enough. I re-signed with Jittery Joe's for next year and am really looking forward to once again being able to fetch bottles, take guys to the front, occasionally have a dig when I'm given free range, and also to drink as much coffee as I can. It has been a good year, but not a great year, and I am looking forward to settling into a more normal life here in the US over the next couple of seasons.

Last week was full of new and wonderful surprises, I got to go to Las Vegas (haven't made my mind up about that place yet.), do Interbike, hang out with my team for the last time this year, meet some really great people, and, oh, do a car park crit at 10 o'clock at night. As I slip back into the 'real world' over the coming weeks I am sure I will give more thought to what I have achieved and what I want to achieve next year. Right now my mind is still a blur! I feel I have learned a lot from people this year, but I have not given myself time to really think about what I can gain from it. I am sure this is common to most people.

A few surprises over the past month have come from two of my best mates, Austin King and Neil Shirley. Austin and I hit it off at training camp, shooting crap about the good ol' days in Belgium; alas it will be no more. Kingers has decided to retire at the ripe old age of 26. Real Estate and an Audi A4 await for him. Read more about his new adventures at akingslife.com or velocitygroupaz.com. Neil Shirley capped off a good year with third at the US Championships, coming in behind Leipheimer and Hincapie. Couldn't have come to a nicer, more determined guy. Neil and his lovely wife Cindy are going to be parents soon. Have fun trying to get your afternoon nap in mate! I really enjoyed the companionship of all of my team-mates this year, and wish them the best of luck next year.

So once again the suitcase is to be loaded up, bike packed away, (and 'chucked' onto a plane or two) and I'll be hitting the same old roads for my summer in Australia. I am not going to spend as much time in Oz this summer, as I will be back in San Diego in January.

Right now I have some doughnuts to eat!

Really, I'm just a fat kid at heart.
Cody