Well this years cycling season is getting closer as my first race will be next week. From then it's pretty much racing every week after that. My preparation so far has been going well so let's see how it's goes in the races.
Team preparation this past month has been pretty hard. The sprints from behind the car and the standing start sprints have been breaking my legs. And that's just a Tuesday. Most Wednesdays we do power work which isn't so bad. Then Thursdays are quite nice as its just distance I.e 150-200km.
Also this past month I've taken the opportunity to finish off doing the things that I should do during the season. The diet kicked in in January but the drink has now been knocked on the head for a while. Hope it all pays off.

first one of the year

  
     Hi All, hope you have all had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year. The Cycling season is nearly upon us so im now back in Italy doing team preperation. That basical means 11 guys trying to kick the shit out of each other. Fortunetly it's three weeks long then a rest week. So far it seems to be going well, but it is only the second day.
    It's been more then two months since I last wrote. Well all I've been doing is catching up with friends in the North East and trying relax as much a I can. I have been out on the bike a bit but mainly I was doing gym work, oh and playing takeaway bingo. I got them all except Chiense, but being since Im from Tesside I had a Parmo or two.
   For all readers on Facebook, I am now on twitter @matthewwoods92. When the season starts I plan to leave weekly staments about the races and I will to a blog monthly.
    

last post of 2012

This past season has been fantastic. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have helped me out this year. Especially the team and the Dave Rayner Fund. This year I have learnt so much and had a great experience thanks to them.
  My next blog entry will be the start of 2013 as now I'm rest till then. So see you in 2013 and thanks for reading.

    The past couple of weeks has pretty busy, with trips to Tuscany and other parts of Italy for races. Its been a long season, starting in February and now there are only five weeks left. It's mainly flown by with all the important races I've been fortunate enough to do, but now these last couple of weeks are dragging. I have got all my training programs for gym work and on the bike for winter when I get back to England. Thankfully it's all nice and easy until I return back to Italy in January to start the speed work.
   Good news is that when the season finishes I might actually be able to see some sites of Italy as I've booked a trip to Rome for a couple of days with a mate of mine from England.
   My plan was to have a good last month , but now I have a virus. So for the last month or so I'm just going to take it as it comes and then a whole month off... woooo.
    This has been a great year of racing. I was told that this year was only to be used as experience. Considering that I have do better than my expectations. I'm 21 next year so it;s the start of the make it or break it year's. Counting the ends for this season to end, but counting the days for next season to begin.

Capodarco

   The past 10 day have just been racing and laying about. The most important race I did was the Gran Premio Capodarco, which is comes with the fraze, Who ever wins Capodarco become a professional. It was certainly one of the hardest race I've done.
The other races have been a mixture of international and national race dotted around the country.
  I have now started this new diet which isn't a whole lot of fun, but I guess you have to do it in this sport. It all depends on what I'm doing jurring the day for what I can eat. If I got out to do hard training breakfast consists of a caffe latte, one glass of fruit juice and a slice of toast, then take food on the ride. For lunch mainly carbs with a bit of protien, yogut in the afternoon or fruit, then for dinner protien with veg or salad. When I do nothing breakfast is coffe or tea with a glass of fruit juice and fruit and yogut to eat and maybe a small slice of toast if im still hungry. Lunch is an even mix of carbs and protien, then dinner is protien, with veg or salad again. I'm dying for some chocolate....
  Now I have atleast a week without a race so its just rest for abit now.

new news

  In the past two week life has been pretty quite here in Italy. Obviously I have sent most my time training, but have the Olympics to watch in the afternoon has keep preoccupied as well. Training these days mainly consists of one day a bit fast, then the rest just getting hours in on the bike.
  Racing has been on a Sunday, so Monday has been a rest day. Gives me a chance to recover from racing, and now since there are no more stage races, there's no need to go out on the bike. I spend the more lying in and doing hour and a half of gym work. The afternoon is sent in the sun at the bar.
  Tuesday is about 130km training with a couple of hills done at max heart rate minus 15. Usually on a Tuesday I try and cook something from Jamie Oliver or try to cook something new. Then head of to the piazza.
Wednesday is a late start with an hour and a half of gym work done before I go out on the bike. Then 90km done on the bike nice and easy. Wednesday just normal cooking because frankly, can't be arsed.
  Thursday is the distance day. nice 5/6 hours on the bike. After that there's not much of the day left so I slumber of to the piazza again with my mates.
 Friday is a rest day so in the morning I do another hour and a half of gym work, then I try and clean the house. I would like to say I clean the house every Friday but I don't.
Saturday I'm now trying 3hours30mins, as I seem to go better in stage races so trying a bit more the day before a race to see if it changes anything. Generally get 90km in with a hill.
 Sunday is race day. The past races it.s been going well with gaining experience and getting stronger.
The next couple of week got quite a few races coming up so I will keep you formed, also new diet is kicking in so i'll tell all in the next blog entry.

In the past two weeks I've have been trying to get a bit of form back, which isn't easy. I've been slowly getting it back though and have now been selected to do another stage race. This means I get my first experience of a team TT, which is a lot harder than you think. It's a short stage race of only 4 days but apparently it's hard, but should be good fun. Cycling still going well in general as well but these days with it being 40 degrees it means early start.

On the other hand my cooking has got a lot better with me whipping out a Jamie Oliver recipe every other day. Apart from that not alot really has happend. just a lot of nights at the bar and afternoon eating ice cream.