Lost to the Battle

Upon arriving in Brisbane, picking up the hire car, driving to our accommodation and putting our bikes together, I saw on channel 7's 'Morning Show' my horoscope for the week. As a cancerian, it was predicted that I would spend time and create bonds with people who I did not know and endure experiences that would leave me hungry for more.

I was to be guest riding with the Adelaide based Veneziano Blefari Cycling Team, a group of guys who I had never really met until the airport, and never really talked to besides organisation of the trip. We were first travelling south of Brisbane to race the 'Battle on the Border' before heading back to the airport to pick up two other riders and a parent to help drive the team bus for us, then heading inland to race the 'Tour of Toowoomba'.

Going in to The 'Battle on the Border' I knew that I was going alright seeing as only the week before I had finished 7th on GC at the 'Tour of the South West', but as this was my first race at an NRS level I planned to take baby steps to start with. We arrived at our beautiful accommodation organised by acting team manager Lachlan Ambrose, bikes were the first order of business. Beds were claimed by riders and bikes unpacked we began to have a look around the masterpiece that we would call home for the next week. A beachside, three story townhouse only 250m from the beach. A massive chapeau to Lachlan for booking the house without blowing the budget.

Every stage of Battle on the Border was flat out, no one was being allowed to get away whether on the flat or uphill the pace was on. Despite knowing this on the second stage I attempted to break away, successful for around ten minutes I was caught just before the base of the days first K.O.M., this is when I knew I made a mistake. The rest of the day was spent solo and stuck in 'Struggletown' and despite my best efforts, I was forced to DNF. Not quite the way I wanted to ride my first NRS tour but every event has a reason a moment to learn from. The rest of the tour I spent look out for the rest of the guys on the Veneziano Blefari team, making everything as easy as possible for the guys. A really good showing by every one in the team, very impressed with all the guys that rode especially seeing as this is the very first race ridden by the Veneziano Blefari team.