Busy end of the year

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January 6, 2009

G'day,

Well, it's been a very busy time of the year. Between the usual social commitments of the offy, the pre-season crits, pre-season training, catching up with mates and trying to organise what I am doing in 2009, it's been a flat out few months.

When I got home from the States, it was only a few days at home and I was off to the Sun tour in Melbourne. It was a weird feeling being in Melbs at the same time as the Sunnie and not racing it, after riding it eight years in a row. At the final criterium in Lygon Street I hardly watched a lap; I just wanted to be out of there.

I hardly had time to settle back into Sydney and I was off to Noosa for the crit, the golf day and plenty of good times. It is really my favourite weekend of the year and I have to thank Geoff Meyer for once again having us and treating us like royalty. Ali and I bunked with the Cantwell's and it was just a sensational five days away. My golf game hasn't improved much and my form on the bike was nothing to write home about.

Home to Syd's for a few days and a day at the races for the Melbourne cup and it was on a plane again, this time to Townsville for the Nick Gates Classic. It was another great weekend with Gat really looking after us with the fantastic accom and the black tie dinner was a perla! Ali and I then headed to Texas (not the USA version). The Queensland 900 people population version! It was a great few days out there in the country, a four-hour drive from the Gold Coast. Apart from training on roads where I'd see two cars an hour, I rode horses, motor bikes, went yabbying, had barbies and camped out.

On the way back to the Gold Coast I got a nice little memento of our trip from the RTA. The photo they send you in the mail of you driving costs a bit though. We arrived in the Goldie for Gatesy's two day extravaganza wedding. This wedding can only be described us unbelievable! A two-day wedding that was just a great weekend to end it all.

Finally we were back in Sydney for good and back into solid training with no messing around. I knew I was a bit behind the eight ball so since then the last six weeks have been some quality training in the Sydney sun. We have had a really good training group this year with some fresh faces and been really spicing the training up in all directions. I also finally got a chance to catch up with mates properly and I through a big 30th bash, yes I am getting on.

It's been a fairly low key Christmas and a quiet New Years before heading to the Bay crits for my eleventh start in a row down there. Then off to ballarat for the Aussie Champs.

Cheers Willo