It is now the second half of the year but the very beginning of the season. One which will prove to be very full of happenings and it has kicked off in such a way.

After such a successful world championship and some down time with family it was back into training and the winter began to settle in. Adelaide seemed to be wetter and colder this winter than any I remember previous but maybe that’s just because I don’t like the cold.

We had our first race in Perth in late June and it was followed by a week training camp with the intention to escape the wet cold weather of Adelaide but sadly it seemed that the Adelaide weather missed us so much it followed us across the desert into Perth and yep you guessed rained the week we were there. Racing was good fun and a shock to the system after so much time away from the intensity. It was the first time domestically I would wear the rainbow bands of triple world champion but sadly my form from the worlds was locked away safely in the “bank” for a years’ time for I was unsuccessful in winning a race. I placed 2^nd in the sprint and keirin and 3^rd in the 1500m handicap.

After Perth it was back to Adelaide where I have been keeping very busy with training and my community activities. I joined up with the Port Adelaide football club and their Community Youth Program aimed at teaching kids in primary school about healthy living and eating and the affects of alcohol and smoking. It has worked in well with my training program and it is something I enjoy doing. Seeing the penny drop for many kids is a great reward. The PAFC boys also came out to one of our track training sessions to check out our sport and what it takes for our riders to be successful. It was a great day and we had a lot of fun even getting a few of them on the track and on the ergo’s.

I have also been busy with public speaking engagements talking at events including the Adelaide Crows Chairman’s Function, Local Sport Legends Awards, and doing interviews for programs like SA Life which aired mid July and a photo shoot for PINK magazine due out this October.

Raelene Boyle also celebrated her 60^th birthday in style holding a fundraiser for the National Breast Cancer Foundation for which I am an ambassador. I donated my Pink and white road bike from last season to the fundraiser as well as a dinner with myself in Melbourne courtesy of my sponsors from BHPbilliton. The dinner alone went for $4000 and the total raised on the night was over $430,000. Incredible!

I also participated in the celebration of the one year to go till the London Olympics with the AOC in Sydney late July doing media interviews and attending the gala fundraising dinner where I was interviewed on stage with the legendary Kookaburra Jamie Dwyer also from Rockhampton. Numerous World hockey player of the year it was really nice to catch up with Jamie and some familiar faces as well as meet some new ones.

The team also farewelled our Sport Science exchange Student from Bath Emily Wood. After spending her year working with us she finally headed home to a cold England but warm with love from family and friends. Emily worked very hard in supporting the riders and staff of the team and it was sad to see her go.

Last month I was one of millions of viewers who witnessed Cadel Evans become the first ever Australian in the 108 year history of the Tour De France win the coveted yellow Jersey and myself be inspired along with the nation to chase a dream. The image of Cadel Time trialling on the second last stage is a powerful image for me and one which I will re visit often in my mind when the training gets tough for I know that the hard work done now and every day till London will be key and that I must fight through the difficulty that lay ahead if I want to succeed.

This month also our juniors raced the Junior World Titles in Moscow on the track and they topped the medal tally winning 6 gold medals and 1 silver medal. Congratulations to all our juniors who rode so hard and proudly represented Australia. I think we certainly do have a great depth of passionate and talented riders coming through the ranks.

This month I competed in the US Grand Prix of Sprinting and I had some wonderful results. Kaarle and I teamed up again in the team sprint to obtain victory over our Dutch rivals Yvonne Hijgenaar and Willy Kanis. Kaarle and I broke the track record by a whopping 6.5 seconds. The second day of competition saw the Individual Sprint in action and it began with qualifying. The morning session wasn’t as hot as the previous day which saw the men ride very fast times but the track was still fast for I qualified fastest in 10.89 seconds. A new Pb, a new track record breaking the previous record which stood since 1988 and only a mere 0.1 second off of the world record. I and my team were very happy to see this time for the stage of the season we are in and the high moral rolled on into the sprint where defeated Willy Kanis 2-0 to take the win.

Training has been going very well for me this pre season and I have been working hard with what feels like renewed levels of motivation and dedication to the challenge that lay ahead. How could I not with performances from fellow riders like I mentioned above. I know how hard it was to become triple world champion this past season which saw me win the sprint and the keirin for the first time in a long career thus far. I know that my rivals will be working very hard to beat me and so therefore to my conclusion I know I need to work even harder then I have if I want to have the best chance to win in a years’ time in London.

So things are about to get very busy with the world cup circuit beckoning again in November, but for now it is just training hard, putting the money in the bank on and every day account and doing the preparation to the T to ensure that the bank is open for an almighty withdraw in August next year. I hope you have enjoyed my update and I will be sure to keep them coming.