An interview and maybe a pic

I think this is the link http://www.veloresults.co.uk/2010/05/ruaraidh-mcleod/

Possible shit yarn

What has been happening. Ups and down, got sick anti bio-tics etc, so races didn't go so well for a few weeks. Coming good now, although still have a cough and splutter every now and then. The nations cups didn't go well for me, I was on anti bio-tics leading into them, I was coming right after Flanders and was going well in Le Cote Picardie(a nations cup in France) until a motor bike crashed on a narrow bridge, caused a pile up which I didn't see...but I soon realized what had happened after I went over the handle bars. I broke the fall with my head and fingers, less than ideal but I seemed ok and kept going. I got back on the back of the group just in time for the crosswinds. I was battling them for a bit, then realized holding onto the handlebars was getting more and more painful, until I couldn't bend two of my fingers(the ones you use to brake) it was shit but I pulled out. I went to ask for ice at a French pub, the kind lady gave me 3 bits...she reminded me I was in France. I would love to say that ZLM(a nations cup race in Holland)went a lot better, I punctured at the wrong time (150km into a 180km) I got back on ok, but these races have about 150+ riders and your riding on these narrow little roads. So getting to the front after chasing on didn't really happen, I missed the front split and ended up rolling in about 5 mins behind the pelton. Although that all sounds like a bit of a downer, it was all good for me. I think a week or so after I raced in De Pan on the coast, there were about 150 starters. An early break went and it was going solid. I managed to get across, just as I did that it split again and I tried but my jump across was rather short lived and about 5kms to slow so I missed the break again and was chasing with a few others until the finish. I got 15th, my sprint was something pathetic after what for me was a pretty tough race, against some pro's from the Sean Kelly AnPost team, who had ridden in some of the classics. But it was good and I was happy to be up there and in the mix especially after Monday and Tuesday where I had 4 hour days back. My training is back on track, getting in some good work. Today had a double day with the second session being behind the derny along the cannel, I did this with my host families granddad aka Bompa. I had 3 efforts to do and once they were done and I was cooked he insisted I do a few more. My Flemish and his English are not really there, so he got his extra few efforts in. But as they say here “yaaah...it's good for me”. Tomorrow I'm off to a tour in France, in the Champagne region. Its 3 stages with a TT, over rolling terrain so I am really looking forward to it. This is my first big race with the team. Now I am back from France... I crept on the first stage, I had nothing really. I lost 3 mins to the peleton and came in just in front of the shunters. Michael got up for 3rd on the stage so we would work for him the next day. In the TT I hoped to have a good one, but then again I wasn't firing. I got 4th but was 1”20 down on Michael. That put Mike in a comfortable position going into the last stage. We let a break go, me and a few others road the front for the first 50kms. Then Mike and I put it in the gutter in the crosswind and he took off up the road with 4 others. So it was job done for the day. Mike got to the break and went straight through it, won the stage. 3 others went up the road on the last lap and I jumped the bunch 1km before the finish to take 5th on the stage. So Michael won the Tour and our team Isorex won the teams classification on stage 2 and overall. So in the end it was a good tour for the team! It was tied in with the tour de france sponsors so we got yellow hats that we made look pretty sauve by bending the beaks, I'll put those photos on when I get them. Now its a fresh week of training, strength block. Double days and ergs, with a small helping of spontaneous lettuce picking for the host family. On other stuff its really good to see Clinton Avery winning over here, he's won 2 really big races so far this year and hes always in the mix in the others(he might have won more, so don't quote me on it). Its really motivating to see this, as he's one of the guys whos been over here by himself doing it for the last 3 or 4 years and its really paying off for him. As with Tom David who just got a win over here yesterday. Winning a race here is a big thing, everyone knows what everyone is doing so to get a win here doesn't go un-noticed. So its all good here, really enjoying it, my host family are great as is my souniguer Oliver(he reads this and wanted a mention). Other things over here that are different is that there are girls that stand behind class windows in there underwear, sometimes they are dancing when you ride past( I only ever ride past, never stopping). The cars are a lot more exotic, my neighbors goat yells a lot and Merdia's break easily, My rear brake has pulled right through the frame and my front derailleur hanger had several cracks in it, I operated on it, now it have a derailleur clamp that works a treat. Thats me. I am going to attempt to add photos to this blog to make it exciting(give it the Wow factor). But if there are no photo's, then I haven't worked it out yet.

Here

Hi there

Got here fine and dandy, flights went well etc etc.

My new Family is great, they are very hospitable and treat us like one of the family.

It has been Christmas every since we(Michael and I) got here, this is what I have been up to in the first few days;

1. Rode out and watched
   
2. Rode the climbs of the Tour of Flanders in the morning, then in the afternoon went and got team kit followed by a visit to meet with Allan Peiper of Team Columbia to pick up TT bike, Zipp 404's, to many PowerBars's(250+) and a few tires... big grins all around.
   
3. Meet up with Rolly and most of the Columbia classic's squad including Bernhard Eisel and Erik Zabel for a ride!!
4. Went for a few hours on the road, as race the next day, here is a little update if you like;

Yesterday was the first race, there were 226 starters on a 6.1km circuit that we did 19 times. So I got quite familiar with the course. We got to the start a with not to much time to get ready, so after getting kitted up and sorting out my bike with a 10min warm up I rolled up to the line(actually 100 meters back from the line as I was last to line up).

The whistle went and bang it was off, lots of stop start for the first few laps, you would find yourself half way down a straigh then allof a sudden you would skid to a stop... thos was because the front of the bunch had reached the corner 500meters up the road. It took me a while to work this out, I thought people were just checking their brakes something cronic.

So four laps later I had managed to find the front, which worked out well because I soon found my self trying to jump to the front group, and which I stayed in for the remander of the race. Lots of time spent in the gutter, just missing cars etc, but it was great.It was Belgium.

So I was in the front group along with Michael, he decided he wanted to go for a wander up the road with 60km to go or half way if you like. He was out there for a about 5 laps with a few others, while I rolled in the front group. His group came back with about 5 laps to go. I was feeling quite good and I tried a bit near the end to get away, but I found myself lacking that really top end stuff, but with this kind of racing, it wont be far away. In the final lap I tried to jump with just over 1km to go, but It didn't last long and the bunch got on pretty quick, at this stage there were 3 riders up the road.

So I was not in the best position, then Michael got on the front and soon after the sprint for 4^th began, it was messy, I didn't hold my own and ended 13^th with Michael in 11^th and our host brother was 2th leading in the peleton.

So It was an exciting race, all new stuff, different road serfaces's(cobbles, gravel and roads that would be called footpaths in New Zealand).I am looking forward to this weeks race already, we can race on either saterday or sunday, I guess we will just do what Dirk(team manger) has in mind. The Zipp 404s were great, really strong, and you need that here!!

Mike and I did a warm down after, just to take the lap total up to 20.

I got 15 Euro for 13^th, so a we bit of pocket money.

Today we went to the Columbia service course again, while we were there a big commotion broke out, it sounded like someone was robbing the place but it was Bernhard Eisel and the Columbia boys.He was in good spirits, along with the rest of them. We are going to recon flanders with them on Thursday, so it just keeps getting better!!

At this stage I would like to say thank you to everyone who has supported me on this trip and in the past, there are so many to thank, but you know who you are.

I will sign out now, and its a day off the bike so I will get into some core work and Dutch.

My spelling has gone to the dog's, so don't worry about that.

Bye for now.

Ruaraidh or Roarie as they say here

ps- all the paragraphs are because I typed it up in a different program, It's not an obsession

Hi

This is where you can have a look at what I'm up to while I'm over in Europe.
I'm not there yet so I don't have any new's