Waffle with personal updates

Thought I’d welcome November by having a ramble about things I’ve done in the past few weeks, things that have happened/changed and what is coming up in the future. Hey that’s what my blog is for right?

Since the last blog, I’ve been getting stuck into a good training block, working with my former coach now current coach Tim Ramsden of Blackcat Cycling Coaching.

The first big update to bring you is that next year I will not be racing predominantly in Spain for 2023 and I am no longer being coached by Cesar Neira. It was amazing having Cesar as my coach from April of 2021 to now and he was fundamental in getting me the contract with Escribano Sports Team for the 2022 season and the opportunities for the junior races I rode in Spain in 2021. For my family and I, due to 2022 being a hard season plagued with crashes, illness and bad luck with no strong results to impress teams out in Spain. It was best to call time on my time in Spain as the offers I had were not of a high enough standard to convince me and my family to spend the money for another year to live in Spain. Quiero dar las gracias personalmente a César por todo lo que ha hecho por mí. Estos meses que pasé bajo su supervisión fueron de los mejores de mi vida y los recordaré para siempre. Les deseo a usted y a sus ciclistas lo mejor para el futuro.

After making this decision, we knew I had to return to Spain to collect my things but before I went out a very special evening was booked. While I was in Spain, my mum told me that she had got tickets for the Independent Pedaler’s evening with Alex Dowsett. I’ve always watched Dowsett in many variations of bike racing. Most notably are his two, hour record attempts in 2015 and 2021. It was very interesting to chat with Alex personally along with fellow quick man in the TT’s Chris Fennell and hearing Alex’s life journey being one that’s similar to mine gave me motivation that I’m on the right track. Big thanks to the Independent Pedaler and Alex himself for making this very interesting evening possible.

Over the last week or two, I’ve been suffering from a cold (no COVID happily) which forced me off the bike for a while so in this time, my family and I decided that to not interrupt training further into the winter block, I would fly out to Spain to collect my things and fly home the next day and that’s what I did last weekend. I packed up my track bike and any other bits and bobs I had lying around, said my goodbyes to Cesar and flew home with my things.

2 days after I came home from my trip to Spain, I was again with Chris Fennell but this time I was helping him out with a study at The University of Kent Sports Science Department he is carrying out into looking at ageing in people. We carried out tests starting with body composition measurements, leg force measurements and then finally the test I was most familiar with, the good old VO2 max test. It was a very informative day learning the procedures that Chris was carrying out and having a waffle about the season ahead for both of us and planning where we could both do some pretty rapid times in the TT’s. Thanks to Chris for having me as part of the testing group.

For now, the priority is getting this illness got rid of, to get back on track with my training and now I definitely feel like I’m heading in the right direction toward being well again. Stay tuned to hear what the future holds for 2023…

Thanks for reading

Lance