General news

I am pleased to announce that I will be finally training properly full time from 28th December as that will be my last day at my current part-time job, McDonald's. I have to say I am pretty pleased about leaving, not because some of the people who are there were not great, but because for the first time I am going to be able to live like a professional cyclist and athlete to a much larger extent than at any time in my life. This offically announces new beginnings for me and is signal just how close to France I am (not geographically speaking in this sense). A whole new chapter is about to written with so many new experiences it is hard for me even, with some structure in place, to get my head around this, so I will try not.

Not only that, but very soon I should be, finally getting my first powermeter this week and then get tested by Ben Wright, so over the coming weeks and with my racing season beginning so early, it signals an almost wholesale change is going to occur over the coming weeks, training will be completely re-evaluated as will to my diet, body positioning on the bike, everything... If I don't excited about this then I'm doing the wrong sport and going down the wrong path. However I love this planning and comphrensive analysis of my training methods etc... and finding out ways of improving myself as an athlete.

In other news, I also want to congratulate the BBC on their continued exposure of disabled and women's sport in this country and throughout the world, the problem they face and going some way to help solving these. They have well publicisied articles with the likes of Jonnie Peacock, whose not exactly Newton-esque idea of incorporating disabled athletics into the Diamond League is an idea that is exactly what I believe is needed. Cycling can also go some way to helping encourage this inclusiveness and similar exposure for all by not only holding women's races inconjunction with the men's race, but why not also do this with disabled cycling for I do not know a single person who did not enjoy nor failed to be inspired by the achievments of these brave individuals during the London Olympics. Seeing Alex Zanardi smashing round a course in the morning followed by Vos, Armistead and Brozhini hurting each other round the same finishing circuit at lunch to be served with an afternoon of Sagan, Boonen etc... racing, again, on the same finishing circuit, this does not sound bad at all, logisitically and especially monetarily. All of sport and cycling would benefit.

Here is the Jonnie Peacock interview http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/disability-sport/20680963

Another great piece of news that the BBC has delivered on gender equality is that they are going to be broadcasting all of England's matches at the upcoming European Women's Championships, hopefully this can build on the succes of the London 2012 Olympics and women's football in this country has seen a substantial increase not only over the last couple of years, but also as a consequence of been given the same platform as the men in the London Olympics. This piece of news was followed by a piece on women in sport in general across the ages in the country and compared us to Sweden, whose women are four times more likely to exercise. Here is the link to see the piece http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20715895. BBC Breakfast are going to continue with a theme of women in sport over the coming weeks and I for one am looking forward to what journalism and their findings are produced.

Another great piece of news is that Yorkshire has won the bid to host the start of the 2014 Tour de France! The plan is for the Tour to go through Yorkshire for a couple of stages, probably through some mines, over t'hill on t'righ't by 'eck, before heading south to the best country in the world, England. (I formally do not recognise Yorkshire as being part of the rest of England for ,as various fans of various sports have sung to any Yorkshireman, 'You can shove your Yorkshire puddings up your arse', sung to the tune of 'She'll be coming round the mountain'.) A stage promises to finish in London which is brilliant and hopefully they can make it a bit more interesting by including an uphill finish/maybe doing some circuits of some the odd hills found in London like Parliament or Shooter's Hill (Hint, please finish at the top of Shooter's Hill, I will be happy to die once I have seen a Tour stage finish at the top.)

Anyway I think that's all for now I will keep you lot updated with any further developments over the coming weeks. Stay safe and if I do not speak to any of you before Christmas, have a Merry Christmas and fruitful New Year.