Its been a long arduous week. I have worked my arse off the last week sending emails all over the world. So far, no luck, But i am not willing to let things go just yet.
Some steam has been let off recently. I have been living a crazy life, late nights have been the norm but backed up by big training days to blow off steam.
On one occasion i was home at 5.30am whilst riders where on the start line of the clip on challenge. It made me think, what do i want more? To live the life of other 23 year olds, or make a name of myself as a hard working cyclists. I am going with the tougher of option of the two.
I know its not about luck but about hard work. I have been slightly out of form lately and put on a few- but now it is time to get going and win some racing.
I had a good weekend up in Auckland for Myron Simpsons 21st catching up with a few mates where we enjoyed a few beers. I did not get the weekends festivities get on top of me and got in some good training with Michael Northey and enjoyed sdome time hanging out with the crew at Kiwivelo bikes for their xmas do. I was introduced to the Waitakeres and enjoyed an early morning Albany bunch after a late night at Myrons the night before.
Today has been a rest day and i have chucked some O-symmetric rings on the quantum to give them a go. Will update the progress with the rings after getting a few kms on them.
Sunday 18 December 2011
Wednesday 14 December 2011
So shit got real the last couple of days..
Pure Black racing has folded.
The news came to me by email the day after Michael Northey was the first rider in a PBR jersey to win a national title. Mike didn't have long to take in the emotions of winning his first elite national title.
The feeling of jubilation was torn from me, I was left feeling empty and broken come Saturday morning (like every other PBR team mate).
We shed blood, sweat and tears together. We were more than a cycling team and more than just mates. We relied on each other in times of need and pushed each other to new heights, on and off the bike.
What we went through together will stay with us forever and we will share memories and relationships that will last a life time.
In my time with Pure Black there were so many supporters but also those that tried to bring us down. In this post i want to ensure that the positive support out weighed the negative a thousand times over and that the negative few will never beat any of us in whatever we pursue. We are all stronger than that and the journey for each of us has only just began.
As i write this i listen to the music on my computer, all of which was got from James Williamson and Scott Lyttle, it's like they are here and we are still a part of the dream together.
Although i am not blind, i know the next month will be tough, because of the fact that in life you have to fight for everything if you want to achieve great heights. We are all now placed in the difficult situation where we are scrapping between each other for spots on the few teams that have any spots left.
No grudges shall be held. I understand that this must happen.
Its December and ideally a cyclist would be signed for a team in August/ September. Here i am 3 months later still with nothing but hope.
Time will only tell as to what i will be doing next year. In saying this, it has been a great year. I had a lot of fun with a great bunch of guys.
Without the support of Carl, Greg, our sponsors and perhaps most importantly our supporters this year wouldn't have been possible. I also know that i will be banking on support from everyone in the immediate future, so therefore everybody's help is, and has been greatly appreciated.
I could write so much as there is so much going on in my head right now, but ill end it with one thing i have learnt this week and that is the fact that in times like this you realise who your true friends are. I am lucky to be surrounded by many of them. I know this by getting an amazing amount of help in my pursuit to organise a ride for next year. Thanks so much for everyone's help.
Enjoy a nice glass of red as you never know what might happen tomorrow.
Pure Black racing has folded.
The news came to me by email the day after Michael Northey was the first rider in a PBR jersey to win a national title. Mike didn't have long to take in the emotions of winning his first elite national title.
The feeling of jubilation was torn from me, I was left feeling empty and broken come Saturday morning (like every other PBR team mate).
We shed blood, sweat and tears together. We were more than a cycling team and more than just mates. We relied on each other in times of need and pushed each other to new heights, on and off the bike.
What we went through together will stay with us forever and we will share memories and relationships that will last a life time.
In my time with Pure Black there were so many supporters but also those that tried to bring us down. In this post i want to ensure that the positive support out weighed the negative a thousand times over and that the negative few will never beat any of us in whatever we pursue. We are all stronger than that and the journey for each of us has only just began.
As i write this i listen to the music on my computer, all of which was got from James Williamson and Scott Lyttle, it's like they are here and we are still a part of the dream together.
Although i am not blind, i know the next month will be tough, because of the fact that in life you have to fight for everything if you want to achieve great heights. We are all now placed in the difficult situation where we are scrapping between each other for spots on the few teams that have any spots left.
No grudges shall be held. I understand that this must happen.
Its December and ideally a cyclist would be signed for a team in August/ September. Here i am 3 months later still with nothing but hope.
Time will only tell as to what i will be doing next year. In saying this, it has been a great year. I had a lot of fun with a great bunch of guys.
Without the support of Carl, Greg, our sponsors and perhaps most importantly our supporters this year wouldn't have been possible. I also know that i will be banking on support from everyone in the immediate future, so therefore everybody's help is, and has been greatly appreciated.
I could write so much as there is so much going on in my head right now, but ill end it with one thing i have learnt this week and that is the fact that in times like this you realise who your true friends are. I am lucky to be surrounded by many of them. I know this by getting an amazing amount of help in my pursuit to organise a ride for next year. Thanks so much for everyone's help.
Enjoy a nice glass of red as you never know what might happen tomorrow.
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http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665634/infographic-of-the-day-how-bikes-can-solve-our-biggest-problems
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665634/infographic-of-the-day-how-bikes-can-solve-our-biggest-problems
Monday 14 November 2011
Back to it... Southern Hemisphere block of racing
So i gave this a go... and i failed. But im back.
My first ever 2.1HC race was the Sun Herald tour. It was alot of fun, i finished 31st and got to hang with some of my friends from junior cycling that i hadnt seen for a long time. They are now riding the big time in pro tour teams whilst i am still trying to make my way there. My result here was enough to get me selected for PureBlack Racings tour of Southland team.
Arriving in Invercargill for the tour of Southland i was stoked to be there. The weather was warm but things quickly changed. I finished the tour 5th overall with a couple of good Stage results in the mix as well. My form wasnt fantastic but i am stoked now looking back at it. I raced at quite a heavy weight for me which showed on the climbs but i made up for it with some extra power on the flats.
It is now the off season for me. i am putting the pressure off my training until December. Last weekend was Guddys stag do, it was alot of fun and i must congratulate guddy... he survived the night and showed fine form!
I am off to the TA club race tonight... am unsure quite why im attending it but i guess itll be a bit of fun. Im looking to include some cross training over the next few weeks so give me some ideas!
My first ever 2.1HC race was the Sun Herald tour. It was alot of fun, i finished 31st and got to hang with some of my friends from junior cycling that i hadnt seen for a long time. They are now riding the big time in pro tour teams whilst i am still trying to make my way there. My result here was enough to get me selected for PureBlack Racings tour of Southland team.
Arriving in Invercargill for the tour of Southland i was stoked to be there. The weather was warm but things quickly changed. I finished the tour 5th overall with a couple of good Stage results in the mix as well. My form wasnt fantastic but i am stoked now looking back at it. I raced at quite a heavy weight for me which showed on the climbs but i made up for it with some extra power on the flats.
It is now the off season for me. i am putting the pressure off my training until December. Last weekend was Guddys stag do, it was alot of fun and i must congratulate guddy... he survived the night and showed fine form!
I am off to the TA club race tonight... am unsure quite why im attending it but i guess itll be a bit of fun. Im looking to include some cross training over the next few weeks so give me some ideas!
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Saturday 24 September 2011
Nice to be Back racing in New Zealand
Taupo to Napier was my first race for a long time!! The team was eager to come home and not let the foot off the pedals. We wanted to come to the race and race hard although many of us where not at our best. We also had Michael Torckler back from a terrible Knee injury which ended his season back in January this year.
Most of you will know the road from Taupo to Napier and it isnt an easy one!!
The team finished the race solidly just how we would have liked it. 1,2,3,4 and 6th all coming from black jerseys. Unfortunately I was not one of those riders, I missed the split early on in the race and was left in an awkward position, but i perhaps ended up with a harder day than many of those in the front group as the race blew to pieces at the back and i was very quickly left with only a few riders around me and the lead group was about 15 riders.
Tim Gudsell won the race, Michael Torckler was impressive to take 2nd and Daniel Barry 3rd.
My next race is the Round the mountain Classic in New Plymouth next weekend, a 150km Handicap, which should be good fun. In between the race we have a training camp. We are staying in Waimarama beach, east of Havelock North. It is an awesome house hooked up by Greg Cross! Will have to try and get some pics out this because this place is worth a look.
Already there have been many laughs this weekend, Im sure there are plenty more to come!!
Thursday 22 September 2011
“Building blogs is like building muscles—in order for them to grow you need to use them.”
Well i may to be in desperate need for some tape to fix my ripped muscles but as a cyclist i know what using my muscles is all about. This statement about building blogs makes complete sense so i will try my best to actually use this thing!
Today was a coffee ride, where Marky mark and i discussed all aspects of life and used each other as sounding boards to discuss future plans. It was one of those days where all facets of life where being questioned. But i think we both came away from the convo with positive vibes. I gave a lot of thought to my study plans for next year and decided i would like to give it another crack after not studying this year. I have a few ideas in mind but will wait for direction from the team as to what i will commit to. To make the most of my Prime Ministers scholarship for this year i am going to be signing up for my HT licence... will be some intersting characters there know doubt, many will live very different lives to me, and i am looking forward to the experience.
--Random--
Some cool wheels of another kind!
may not be overly practical but hey...
Well i may to be in desperate need for some tape to fix my ripped muscles but as a cyclist i know what using my muscles is all about. This statement about building blogs makes complete sense so i will try my best to actually use this thing!
Today was a coffee ride, where Marky mark and i discussed all aspects of life and used each other as sounding boards to discuss future plans. It was one of those days where all facets of life where being questioned. But i think we both came away from the convo with positive vibes. I gave a lot of thought to my study plans for next year and decided i would like to give it another crack after not studying this year. I have a few ideas in mind but will wait for direction from the team as to what i will commit to. To make the most of my Prime Ministers scholarship for this year i am going to be signing up for my HT licence... will be some intersting characters there know doubt, many will live very different lives to me, and i am looking forward to the experience.
--Random--
Some cool wheels of another kind!
may not be overly practical but hey...
Wednesday 21 September 2011
As a cyclist trying to perform at the highest level i am always more than happy to provide a drug test to prove that i am clean and reduce the amount of filthy athletes in sport. Therefore when the testers knocked on my door step at 7.15pm Thursday last week i was more than willing to provide a sample.
I am a proud member of PureBlack Racing for more than what is done on the bike. There key core values are what make this team amazing to ride for. PureBlack racing wants to be world class and to do this they have gone further than what is required by a Continental cycling team, by promoting clean cycling through an agreement made with Drug Free Sport New Zealand. We are now required to be on a whereabouts program. This means that all of us riders must let the testing agency know where we are each day and give them a one hour window where we must be present at a given location. So when attending a race or simply staying at a friends house after a few too many drinks, i must get the internet and change my whereabouts form and let the agency know where i will be for my one hour window... yes a pain in the ass, but a sacrifice i am willing to make. The team has also put us on the biological passport program, I believe we are the only team of this level in the world to be on this program. The biological passport requires us to have regular blood tests so that an athlete profile can be made, this enables them to see spikes or irregularities in our blood values which would be obtained through taking banned substances.
It took two pump bottles and just over an hour to provide a sample... so naturally i was up all night having to relieve myself after drinking so much so late at night. Although as it turned out, I was the lucky one, they left my house and went straight to his house. He got the knock on the door at 9.15pm!!!
I hope my next test comes as a blood test.. so much easier to have a needle jabbed in and a small sample taken. The testers can be out of my house well within half an hour.
The team now heads into a training camp next week in the Hawkes Bay. The camp is based around two races Taupo- Napier and Round the Mountain. It has been a long time between races after my tendinitis. They will be an integral part of my build up for the Sun Herald tour in Melboune next month.
Tuesday 20 September 2011
Monday 19 September 2011
James Morris, Tell me what is a blog and i should use one?
What is a blog, is it a diary, or is it a dick measuring competition where i compare my power data with other cyclist?
Who's to say anyone will read this...let alone gain any interest from it.
Time after time it has been suggested to me that i should write a blog to keep everyone up to date with how im going and what i am up to whilst travelling, God only knows why i have decided to give it a go whilst writing from my couch in quiet old Cambridge.
It has even been put to me that i can reap benefits from this blog thing and it could even help with creating a career perhaps in cycling but also this thing they call the life after bike riding... yes apparently a life outside of cycling does exist.
In an internet obsessed world am i just trying to fit in? or will i get some benefit from doing this... This is not a question that you James will be able to answer... only time will tell.
I even here this internet thing can put road blocks in peoples lives by typing the wrong things and this is the road i am probably going to head down... i guess i can only hope that i have enough knowledge to write a good yarn without getting fired.
I woke at 3.30am to and found myself lost in thought about what i am going to write in this thing and whether or not i should buy a ridiculously priced camera with good video recording capabilities to try and do this thing properly.
After a ride with the big 'Rhino' Simon Van Velthooven (track and Japanese Kieran sensation) today i found my mind wondering from his constant shit talk and started thinking about this blog... Chances are i will be over this thing in a day plus surely i have better things to spend my money on than a camera.... especially when the two track stars Simon and Eddie 'Whopper" Dawkins where talking about buying houses in town with the arrival of the new velodrome..again i can only try a blog and see if i keep thing going.
So TELL me is this thing worth doing???
Sunday 18 September 2011
Nobody knows this exists right now so what am i doing writing this shit
Welcome to my Blog site.... this is some what of an experiment.
To be honest i think i hate this stuff. But after killing my morning catching up with Rushlee Buchanan and Sarah Bradley this morning in 'The Deli' Cafe over a couple of coffees and a phone conversation with my best mate James Morris who rang from JFK airport in New York, i realised it could be fun if it was done my way so i decided i would give it a try.
I am going to write this thing on my terms... i could write what many want to hear but i am not going to beat around the bush. I have been too P.C in the past and i have been fucked over.
After a rough year in 2010 i have decided i am only going to ride a bike the way i like to ride my bike, i am not in this life to impress anyone other than those who leave an impression on me.
First of all i am not a cyclist.... I just enjoy riding my bike. This is not about a cyclist but Me, Shem Rodger and my take all things. Yes my bike is a HUGE part of me and will therefore have an impact on what i include in my writing but this is for those of you who know me... Shem the person.
I will also include there is one thing i like more than riding a bike and that is the feeling of accomplishing something (and there is nothing i like to accomplish more than winning!).
I'm not going to beat around the bush. If you don't like it then simply don't read.
For the Cambridge boys~ The phone call with James was made from JFK airport where he is sleeping over before he fly's to Germany to attend Octoberfest!!! Lucky Bastard! I will add that he has been up to his usual antics and living life to the FULLEST every single day...his conversations seemed to involve women and beer.
To be honest i think i hate this stuff. But after killing my morning catching up with Rushlee Buchanan and Sarah Bradley this morning in 'The Deli' Cafe over a couple of coffees and a phone conversation with my best mate James Morris who rang from JFK airport in New York, i realised it could be fun if it was done my way so i decided i would give it a try.
I am going to write this thing on my terms... i could write what many want to hear but i am not going to beat around the bush. I have been too P.C in the past and i have been fucked over.
After a rough year in 2010 i have decided i am only going to ride a bike the way i like to ride my bike, i am not in this life to impress anyone other than those who leave an impression on me.
First of all i am not a cyclist.... I just enjoy riding my bike. This is not about a cyclist but Me, Shem Rodger and my take all things. Yes my bike is a HUGE part of me and will therefore have an impact on what i include in my writing but this is for those of you who know me... Shem the person.
I will also include there is one thing i like more than riding a bike and that is the feeling of accomplishing something (and there is nothing i like to accomplish more than winning!).
I'm not going to beat around the bush. If you don't like it then simply don't read.
For the Cambridge boys~ The phone call with James was made from JFK airport where he is sleeping over before he fly's to Germany to attend Octoberfest!!! Lucky Bastard! I will add that he has been up to his usual antics and living life to the FULLEST every single day...his conversations seemed to involve women and beer.
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