Hi Team!

Following on from my last update, it was into the van for a 9 hour drive down to the city of Charlotte in North Carolina. Here I, Shem, Novie and coach Dayle were staying at the Double Tree hotel for a few nights of racing and then the big Charlotte International Invitational Criterium as a Bike NZ squad. The first crit we did was an interesting one, even after arriving at the start line well before start time, I ended up at the back. This is bad enough at the best of times in USA criterium racing, but on a 4-corner circuit totaling just 0.4 miles (roughly 640 meters) it's much worse as the pace is on the whole way and it's single file. It was a 60 minute criterium, and I ended up spending the first 25 minutes going hard just to move up 1 or 2 places each lap of the 120 man field. With several breaks going and coming back, it left the pace hot, and riders pulling out left, right and center. After I saw a break of 10 riders, including Shem, ride off the front I thought it could be a great opportunity to put some of my energy to good use, and attacked to bridge the gap to the break solo. We kept the time gap for some laps, but there were too many good riders and teams that missed out back in the bunch still. It all stayed as one group coming into the final sprint, with Shem claiming 6th and I 10th. Novie was unfortunately caught up in a crash on the final corner coming into one lap to go.

I don't have any photo's from these races... So to keep the start of this update colourful here's a picture of a home made bagel burger I managed to prepare (and eat)

The next race didn't go so well for me. Upon arrival, a thunderstorm decided to roll in and drench the city's streets - leaving the many painted lines and manhole covers just asking for crashes. So after already riding cautiously on the first lap, laying off the wheel in front, a rider 2 in front of me decided to go for a skid. Luckily I managed to avoid it but didn't leave me feeling too good about racing in the rain, as I couldn't afford to crash with the big race in 2 days. I just rode steady with a small group for a few more laps, then Novie and I ended up pulling out. About 30 finished the race, with Shem managing to claim 13th.

We then had a day of riding and a trip to the movies to get out of the hotel on the Friday, before the final Crit on Saturday night (for those of you still yet to see Inception, it is one intense film!).

We were then on the start line nice and early Saturday evening, ready for the race start at 7pm. As soon as the gun went off the pace was on, however, this didn't last long for most of the bunch... A massive pile up blocked the entire road next time past the finish line, leaving only about 40 riders able to get through of the 140 starters. There were worn-through locked up tyres going *BANG* and bikes in piece's everywhere. Shem was one of the lucky ones to get through, Novie hit the deck and now has a nice new scar in his shoulder from a chaining, and I was the first of the people surrounding to not head for a trip over the top of the piled up riders and carbon fibre shards in front - must be those good SRAM breaks on the trusty Cannondale! We were able to rejoin the fast-paced action the following lap though, along with the majority of the bunch. From here it remained flat stick, with several big teams controlling the action and big breaks coming and going. The distance (80km) got to many of the riders and the fact that the announcer was calling out, "free beer for all the riders!" led many of them taking the sideline in favour of 200bpm, burning legs and sweat dripping down the inside of your glasses. Again, I struck a bit of bad luck here unfortunately, with the two riders in front of me deciding to entwine their bicycles while negotiating the last corner before the bell lap, leaving me now where to go but the deck. Somehow I have managed to perfect the art of ice skating on Keywin cleats leaving I and the bicycle coming away unscathed. So after that anti climax, it was back into the van the next morning for the return trip to Kutztown.

The next weekend was set to be another busy one. Track racing on Friday night, was once again a success, as I managed to secure more points towards the Rider of the Year by winning the 10 lap scratch and getting 3rd in the Super Sprint Elimination.

Holding the front during the Super Sprint Elimination

Then, early the following morning it was off to a town called Millersburg with the Team NZ Pro Cycling Squad for the first of a 3 stage tour called Tour de Millersburg (funny that). The first stage was a 16km Time Trial, followed by a 45km criterium that afternoon, and a 150km Road Race the next morning. I lined up on a borrowed TT bike, as my EMC2 was still in Belgium, so that on top of the fact that it had been a long time since I had done a decent Individual TT left me a bit unsure as to how it was going to go. I managed to surprise myself though, setting a new PB of just under 20 minutes (48km/h). This put me off to a reasonable starting position of 11th going into the Criterium. It wasn't your usual Crit though, with a big up hill taking up half the course it reminded me more of a Kermesse in Belgium as there sure weren't many easy moments (apart from the downhill of course...).

On the attack up the back of the course in the Millersburg Criterium

Fellow Kiwi Shem managed to ride away during the usual "let's all stare at each other and wait for someone to do something or something to happen..." phase that many bike races come to near their end, with about 3 laps left on the board. This left the bunch sprint up to me to claim, and claim it I did. Coming from a well positioned 5th wheel out of the last corner I sprinted to the line to claim the 2nd place that was up for grabs, and team mate Pres claimed 6th. The next day was a very very wet road race. With a break of 20 rolling away with just over 2 of the 5 laps to go, I found myself, along with my teammates, playing a bit of a game of chasey. We managed to pull it back though, and with the help of Pres I lined up well positioned coming into the final few corners. I wasn't quite as fearless as a couple of the Americans coming into the very last corner over the wet painted road markings though, but managed to sprint into 3rd place. This secured me enough points to claim 3rd overall in Tour de Millersburg.

Me and my big diamond prize for 3rd place overall

Following the weekend's hard days of racing, I had a couple of days easy to help the legs reset, and then it was back into some hard training leading into our final night at the Valley Preferred Cycling Centre for the season on Friday. I went into the racing feeling good, and the night's program suited us "enduros" too, deemed as the "International Omnium Championship", it featured a Super-Sprint Elimination, 2km Scratch, 10 lap Scratch, and last and most definitely not least, a 10 Mile Scratch.

Although I was feeling good, I didn't get off to the best start... After staying up near the front of the bunch and skipping my way through the elimination section of the race, the sprint quickly went down, and I felt mysteriously spun out and unable to pedal fast enough to get anywhere but 4th. Back in our pit area afterwards, Novie and I were discussing how fast it felt out there tonight, and as I went to change my gear up a chainring, the mystery was quickly revealed when I realised I had put a 16 sprocket on rather than a 15... Wooooopsy-dooodle! So after I had fixed that, I was on - in the 2km Scratch I attacked with 3 laps to go for a cash Preme, and after looking back to see a gap on the bunch, I kept on going to claim the win. Then in the the following race, the 10 lap scratch, I followed a rider from the top of the track down to the pole line while the rest of the bunch were busy looking at each other and we quickly established a gap. With 2 laps to go on the lap board the bunch had ramped it up though and were fast approaching. I gave it everything but was just pipped coming up to the line by American Sprinter Giddeon Massie.

In "the box", going full gas off the front during the 10 lap scratch

My accumulated points now held me in good steed for the Omnium, but with US Olympian Bobby Lea close on my tail for both the Omnium and rider of the year, the 10 mile was going to be a biggy - and not just in terms of the distance! The race started of as normal, with each rider taking a turn on the front and lapping back. A crash early in the race between a couple of riders left the race neutralised for a couple of laps, but as soon as the flag was lowered, James Canny got the pace straight back on again claiming a Preme in style. Not long after this, a group of 6 including myself, Lea and Novie got off the front and wound it up another notch. The group shrunk to 4 but we managed to eventually get a lap on the field. Being a lap up didn't relieve too much pressure though, as the man to beat had just done the same thing with us. After some cat and mouse games in the bunch, Novie came past to collect me just at the right time for a lead out, and we sprinted to the line for me to win and he claim 3rd, with Bobby close on my tail for 2nd. And to add to the great feeling of winning my final race in the US for 2010, it also put me clear on the rider of the year standings to claim that title as well!

The close finish of the 10 Mile Scratch

There couldn't have been a better way to finish off my time in the States, and hopefully now I will get a chance to get back on the Trexlertown velodrome again next year to wear number 1.

Feeling famous with the podium girls and local TV crew

I am now back in Belgium, after a bit of a change around due to being named as first reserve for the Commonwealth Games squad. We have a few days here on the track in Gent, before flying to the Provence region in France for a 4 day road tour, and then it's on to Bordeaux in France also for the main 3 week training camp leading into Delhi. As reserve, I will train with the squad right up until they depart for India, when I will fly home for a bit of a breather early October before getting back into it ready for the Tour of Southland and the Melbourne World Cup.

That's it for now!

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Contact me by email at: aaron.gate@gmail.com