Since being told that I need to stop racing and limit my training I have been trying to get out with coaches that I admire and learn as much as I can from them. One of the coaches high on that list is Steve Gleeson, the junior coach at Break Your Limits. Over the last few years Steve has built the strongest junior squad in WA and developed some of the best junior athletes in Australia, including current Australian junior No 1 Liam McCoach.
Today I got my chance to head out with Steve and the squad.
I have ridden with the Juniors before, but those times it was all about doing a favour and being more of a chaperon. Today I was there to watch and learn.
Seeing the squad operate and Steve do his job was very impressive. Steve has a gift for knowing when and just how hard to push. He is not an easy coach by any measure, but neither is he unnecessarily mean. The kids all love him, but at the same time, when he barks, they listen. I have heard just how close knit and respectful a group it is and today I saw it first hand. Basically they are just great kids being that are being developed by a particularly gifted individual. I don't know if what Steve has can be taught, but it was awesome to see it in action none the less. Every time I watch a good coach, whether it is Paul Newsome or Steve Gleeson I learn a little bit more and I am loving it.
The riding itselt went okay, although as with Thursday I had a few moments where I pushed harder than I know I should and I also made a very rookie mistake in front of the squad.
With the intensity, the reality is that I simply can't ride with these kids when they really fire it up. Even fully fit I think I would struggle to mix it with then, but with a limited heart rate, the minute it gets a bit keen I have to excuse myself. It probably took me longer than it should have to remove myself from the action today, but I did it in the end. Going forward that is going to have to be the norm until I get any other news from the Doctor.
The rookie mistake came later in the ride when I unfortunately got a flat. Very annoying since I have gone ages without getting a flat and now I have had two in three months. Normally I would say that it is an indication that the tyres are on the way out, but these really aren't. I think it has just been a case of being annoyingly unlucky. Still if puncture three comes along, then I will be having a very stern conversation with my current tyres. Anyway, once I realised I had a flat I set about changing it only to find that I had bought the wrong tube. The Caden 38mm rims I am using at the moment need a tube with a 60mm valve stem and I had bought a tube with a 42mm stem. I am actually pretty careful about this usually, so all my tubes have gaffa tape on them with the valve size written on it (obsessive I know). However, this morning it turned out that the valve stem length written on the tape was incorrect, hence the incorrect tube. Whoops.
Not a total loss though. I could have begged a correct tube from a member of the squad, but rather than do that I thought I might as well make the most of the morning. The place I got a flat was a really nice park along the Canning River and so I thought I would ring the family and see if they wanted to come out for a bit of a family outing in the process of picking me up, which they did. So I simply sat and waited to be picked up while watching the squad do their brick run. Once again, very impressive
The flat was possibly a blessing in disguise as well, as it protected me from myself. As it was, the ride was around 60km long, which is probably about as far as I should be riding at the moment. If I hadn't got the flat the ride could have ended up a lot longer, which may not the best idea right now.
Still I did really enjoy getting out and seeing the squad in action. The plan is to do the same thing next weekend and I can't wait.
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