Another quiet month with no racing.
I was faced with some disappointment earlier in the month finding out that I was selected only to be the reserve for the team pursuit at the Elite European championships in Munich. After some consideration, my coach and I made the decision that I would stay home to prepare for my track national championships that begin the 2nd of September.
It was quite a let down as I had marked it out in my calendar and I really wanted to go, but in reality, had I gone just to be a reserve, the likelihood of me getting a good weeks training in would have been unlikely.
So, instead I had some weeks of training at home, while also spending some time with my family, that had recently moved to Spain.
Despite not making the official team for Euros, I remain optimistic to gain some great results at the national championships in Valencia and also in Barcelona at the 'Memorial Miquel Poblet' international track meeting and hopefully will be considered for the Elite team at Track Worlds.
During this month, I have also been training hard on the road, and since doing so, I have realised that I haven't done as many road races as I wanted to do this year. I had really hoped to get some flatter technical races in, for example those in Belgium or Holland, but unfortunately it didn't work out. Typically the Spanish calendar is hilly, with many races clumped around the brutal climbs of the Pais Vasco. And as of yet, thats still not my cup of tea.
Anyways, I am looking forward to the next month, with the races that it will bring and also the travel around the country. Amongst the racing, I'll get a few days to relax in Valencia after the track championships, and also get to see the Vuelta España up and close, once it gets closer to Madrid. Looking forward to cheering some familiar faces on, proudly wearing my VCL jersey!