Liege, Remicourt, Sinaai and back troubles...

Well, Liege was a total failure on all fronts. After the training camp in the Alps and subsequent 5 days off the bike with a fever all took its toll, and after just 70km I was out of the race. More worryingly however, was the severe discomfort while riding – my position feeling as though I had never ridden the bike.

Convinced racing would be the key to my return to form after a 4 week absence from the peloton, I raced the following day in Remicourt - a 77km support/chopper race to the second stage of Liege. Noticing a marked improvement in my position although still a long way from being comfortable, I knew the race could only be a training exercise to try and pull my body back into shape. To some extent it was successful as putting the pressure down, both Dom and I rode off the front and were joined by 3 other riders and built up a solid lead. However, never out of sight on the square shape course, we were reeled in after a couple of laps. I soon slipped back into mid-peleton mediocrity, joined by sleeveless triathletes and Radioshack replica kit wearing types – not a place I pride myself in being. Arriving at the finish a few riders had moved off the front, and I ended up in a mass sprint for the line, finishing in a top 20 position.

Still feeling fairly fresh, we decided to race again the following day in Sinaai, - this time back to a traditional style kermis, 110km of flat out aggressive racing. Adding an as yet unseen element to this race were 2 long cobbled sections with narrow smooth paths lining them. Naturally, all 56 starters were drawn onto the narrow paths, and what resulted was a totally lined out peloton every lap. Aside from the obvious difficulties from riding in this way, (very little protection from the wind), I also encountered the problem of being unable to see anything other than the wheel in front! Often, a rider would sit up unable to hold the wheel, and the gap only becoming apparent once we left the cobble stretch, often leaving deficits of 50metres to be closed.

Feeling far more comfortable on the bike, which I can only assume is from my body adapting back to racing rhythm, I rode hard, put in a few attacks and bridged over to breaks. With over half the field being shelled out the back by the closing stages of the race, I prepared for the sprint for 5th – 4 riders eventually getting away. However, totally dehydrated, with temperatures over 30 degrees, and poor positioning left me crossing the line in 17th.

Adding another top 20 result is another good outcome, but the result is largely irrelevant. I'm definitely getting back to race rhythm and the hard training in the Alps will hopefully start paying off in the next couple of weeks. However, the immediate concern of my back troubles was revealed today after a visit to a sports doctor. Instantly he noted my vertebrae are twisted and blocked, which has resulted in my hips rotating slightly. After a lot of stretching, and even more cracking, my back is at least straight now, although still painful. I can only hope this doesn't result in any long term issues.