Off Season Update
19 Oct 2006
Hi Folks, I know it has been a little while since I typed, but I
have been keeping busy. The off-season this year has been filled
with activities, all of it fun stuff, and not the usual work, work,
work, that I have had to endure over the past few years. In years
past I have had to work a somewhat “normal” job as a result of being
a poor bike racer, and while I’m am not rolling in the dough, some
head-way has been made on my behalf to moving from the poor bike
racer category, up to the “if anything goes wrong I’ll be a poor
bike racer again” category. It is nice to not have to work, and it
has meant that I have been able to have to most fun off-season ever.
Activity city it has been. First off, I bought a new motorcycle when I first got home. For those in the know, it is a Kawasaki Z1000. She is a beauty. I took her down to the local race-track on the weekend for an open day, and gave her a real hiding. My moto riding is coming along well, being able to corner hard enough at the track to scrape the foot-pegs means some work on my technique to get some more motogp hang off action is in store for the next outing down there.
Golf has been on the cards as well. I’ve been getting out for 9 holes a week. While I was away I moved house and while I can’t walk to the beach like I used to, I can now walk around the corner to the golf course, great stuff. My game is coming along well. Last week I was trying a new stance and it worked out real well, much more consistency with my hits. I’ve been out wakeboarding a couple of times, that has been fun, but this time of year it is quite windy, so I haven’t been able to do anything real good, cause I suck and keep crashing and getting face-fulls of water. Plenty of beer has been drunk here, and as a result I have taken up the challenge of home brew. It is going well, I have one brew not far off being ready to drink, and another brew just got bottled and I have a 3rd in the brewer right now, so hopefully in a few weeks it will be beer city at my house and pretty much the best time that I know off.
In amongst this, you will be pleased to know that I have been getting some Madden in, of course it is 2007. My franchise is kicking ass, who would have ever guess that the Titans could actually win about 5 super-bowls in the row?? Good news is that according to the game, Vince Young is going to be the best quarterback in the league in about 2 years time, so lets hope that the rest of the team will be good enough for him to work with. Looks like Travis Henry was a nice acquisition this year, I can’t believe they finally won a game!! My team (Brisbane broncos) also won the Rugby League grand final and Sydney’s team finished 2nd in the Australian rules grand final. Motogp is shaping up to be an awesome finale this year with Valentino Rossi making the most unbelievable come-back from a disastrous start to the season to be leading American Nicky Hayden going into the last round.
Oh I forgot to mention I have gotten into mtb-ing since I got home. I got together a single speed courtesy of Hodge at Addictive Cycles there in Braselton near Atlanta, got her set-up and it is awesome. Went to a 24hr mtb race a few weeks ago and did a couple of laps for the team event. It is quite an amount of fun it seems. Heading to the Australian single speed champs next weekend for plenty of partying, some huffy toss, 16inch race and of course the main championship race. I believe they have a hill that you can avoid by drinking a glass of beer. I think I’ll be on the beer loop!!
On the bike front I have a week and a half left
before training starts again, and actually I am starting to look
forward to getting back on the bike, which is a real good thing.
2007 looks like the cards may be in place elsewhere for me to have a
great year and get some real runs on the board, so I’m pretty well
gee’d up from the feet up to get stuck into the training and be
ready to go for tour of California. Well anyway this is about all I
have to report at this stage of the game, so to everyone I hope the
weather is treating you well, it is 80deg here right now…haha, sorry
for that one!!