Well as i sit here in girona writing this, I cant help but think about what the people in my home town of Christchurch are doing.. Normally at this hour they would all be sound asleep, but yesterday the city was struck by a massive earthquake and now that amazing city is looking more like a warzone than the city ive come to love more than any other.. Buildings are literally down, and worst of all, deaths.. how sad and my heart goes out to them all. Luckily my family and friends are all ok, but many people would have lost someone they love, man how cruel life can be at times.. So i just wanna say that im thinking of you all and stay strong!

Stages 5 and 6 in Oman were good for me.. I had a good time trial, with no real stress or warm up.. I rode 50km in the morning and felt anything but good! the tt was super hard though with 650m of climbing.. I just rode within myself, controlled and i was pretty pleased with it even though i didnt feature.. I didnt expect to, it was no course for me but i got off the bike happy..

The final stage was pretty straight forward until we got to the finishing circuits.. It was so nervous anyone would have thought there was 10 billion dollars on the line for the winner. The cross tail wind to the finish made life very difficult and hence the nervousness of the peleton.. there were crashes, braking, screaming and more crashes.. I did my bit trying to pull our sprinters into the right position with a kilometre to go and got out of there… i was praying to get through the peleton in one peice.. man it was dangerous.. too many clowns in the peleton who think they can sprint when actually they cannot! Cav won from our team which is great for both us, and him. I seen him at camp in december.. then in down under and now in oman. Cav is going to have his best year this year i reckon, and milan san remo is well within his reach.. he is getting skinnier and skinnier which is always a good thing cause at the dec camp he was anything but that. lol.. but i was pleased to see him win in oman, we tried a few times but it wasnt to be.. now he has won the flood gates will open and he will bowl everyone from now on..

For me the race in oman couldnt have ended any quicker.. It was a nice experience but i was ready to leave as soon as we crossed the line.. i went into it very relaxed knowing that i was there for training. the training i did before it was very easy, no real efforts, just good quality so that during oman i got what i needed heading into a very important time of the season for me..

This weekend is my first real goals.. well euro goals.. I nailed my first goal well winning the nationals. Now i want to be on the podium at the opening weekend in belgium. I feel my body is ready. ive recovered well from oman and i know something good is brewing!

so its exciting times ahead. keep following and thanks for the support you all give..

again my heart really goes out to my home city of christchurch.. Shit here i am relaxing after training, music playing, happy and focusing on whats ahead excited to see the outcome.. The people of Christchurch are all wondering what next, will another one come, will i live, far out….. You never know when your times up so you got to live every day as if its your last. be strong people and i really hope you all pull through..

right, stretching time for me.. a few core excercises, then a couple of ‘to do’s’ that i was meant to do yesterday and then im off to belg tomorrow night for our team recon thursday..

ciao ciao
roly

Hey there,

Imagine this.. A 30min bus ride before you even had time to think about the toilet… A 2h boat ride. A 216k stage done very slowly for most due to the dirty head wind, then a 250k transfer back to the hotel.. thats what we had yesterday, and man it was a long day, made even longer by our genuis driver that got us stuck in a traffic jam for an hour watching all the omanians celebrate mohammads birthday! believe me if cav, myself and alba had a gun, the driver would have probably copped it! lol

Aside from all that the boat ride was pretty cool and something different.. the stage was very boring and it took all the mental strength of the peleton to get through it. it was literally 130k into a head wind… then the rest was done at 50-60km/hr, so super fast.. gossy run third again which kept him in the lead, and our boys did a great job riding all day on the front!

Todays stage was harder from the start. a real race so to speak. full gas as soon as the flag dropped and it didnt let up till the 40km mark.. 40k uphill that is! i was super today, really felt strong which is what i am after here in oman, i was quite active too trying to get into the move but it wasnt to be.. still the feeling are here now so thats a good sign..

now i got taught a very valuable lesson today.. one being dont get caught at the back, well last wheel when the x winds hit.. i wasnt there intentionally, i had just stopped for a toilet stop and was casually making my way back up. i stopped briefly and spoke to our director, even he didnt mention the left turn coming up in about 3s time! we turned left, i felt the wind but didnt think much would happen due to the difficult climb to the finish.. How wrong was i! It went full gas in the gutter! and i was left scrapping with the scrappers who were getting dropped out the back.. i could do nothing but laugh, and swear! now that was where my day ended!

look i wouldnt have won today as the final climb was way too steep. but i did feel good enough to test myself and really give it a go.. But it never happened. atleast i had a good excuse, or one that i thought was good anyway! but even at the ripe old age of 30, im still learning..

tomorrow we have a tt which is very hilly.. alot of climbing in only 18km long.. im going to give it a hot one and use todays test as tomorrow! will be interesting as to how i go. not a great circuit for me, but nothing to lose so lets see how it goes..

anyway, as i write this im still sitting here laughing about the last 2 days! only 2 stages to go here and then im off to europe.. i cant wait for that..

happy reading
ciao

Hi there,

Well a great result today by HTC Highroad with gossy winning the stage and also pulling on the leaders jersey.. I was better too, which was more than welcomed i can tell you!

It was a pretty non eventful stage with a small break going away early, and rabobank controlled the peleton until the steep climb mid way through.. Only 30 of us were left at the top, i was there, but only just! i felt ok, but still lacking that spark that i had down under.. But in saying that, i was still there which is a good sign for the days to come.. I pulled hard with 2k to go as the front group of 70 riders started to bunch up and box in gossy. i did this to stretch the peleton out into one line, enabling gossy to get into a good position. He did just that and finished it off nicely to win the stage..

Its always a nice feeling winning in this team. all the boys are in great spirits and i feel like the old body is returning to the level it was at earlier in the year.. This race for me is basically going to get my body race ready for the opening weekend in belgium next weekend.. Ill just keep chipping away with my eyes firmly on that weekend as i really want to produce something special.. quite a few have this idea also so its all about doing the small things right so that come show time im ready!

Tomorrow we have what you would call an interesting day.. Anyone that has sea sickness wont feature in the race though as we have a 90m boat ride to the start! then a 209k stage, then a 250k ride in the cars back to the hotel.. its gonna be a full on day and i can hear everyone complaining already.. bit of excitement never hurts, but why cant we just start and finish close to the hotel!

apart from that there is not too much else to report.. obviously in the peleton today there was alot of talk about contador and being able to race again.. im not going to go into it too much, but lets just say its going to open up a huge can of worms… i guess any comments made from any riders isnt great either due to the whole ‘proof’ part of it.. i think you can probably tell with me even saying what i think though!

enough of that.. time for dinner then rest.. man jet lag sleep rocks.. i wish you could sleep this deep every day, how great that would be..

happy reading, will be updating tomorrow..

ciao
roly

Hi there,

Well now the first race of my euro season has started, so have my blogs.. ive been off air so to speak of late, as i really had nothing to write.. from now though ill update my website after each stage, or race so you all know whats happening in my world..

I had a pretty good time in NZ post Tour Down Under. Was kept very busy with my son, girlfriend and training, and time passed by way to fast.. I didnt do a heap of training, knowing that the year ahead is long, but the training i did do was of pretty good quality.. 3 x 3 day blocks and a few days off in there too and before i knew it i was on a plane and off to oman..

I have to say i strongly advise against travelling long haul the day before a race.. today i felt as if i did it all with my eyes shut, and legs like wood.. I felt strong but had no zip whatsoever! But still, i knew it would be like this so i just rolled with it, knowing that everyday ill become stronger as i get back into the swing of things.. well i better!

This race is more a training race for me. im here to log some racing kilometres before my first lot of goals which are at the end of the month.. my level at down under was very good, and ill be back to that, hopefully even better actually in no time at all..

Todays stage started late.. as the one of the trucks the bikes were being brought to the start in had a puncture… so 2 of the 4 trucks arrived, meaning half the peleton were ready to go.. our bikes were in the other truck and arrived an hour later.. we basically finished the stage as the sun was coming down, which for me, still on nz time was not a good thing! it did cross my mind a few times that the truck drivers kids and families would all be rocking around on new bikes! we all had a laugh that ebay would have been flooded with the latest gear. then they turned up, and we were off!

it was windy today, and bloody nervous.. So many guys take risks to be at the front its just unreal.. you would of thought it was the biggest race of the season at times… the roads were open though, nice seal, amazing weather and it come down to a bunch sprint. cav run 2nd in a photo finish. i had a lot of go in me, but just got pushed way to far back and never got a go at the end..

Its a pretty cool place oman.. Just blows me away as to how some people live.. quite a cool experience being here and we are staying in a luxurious place right on the water front.. its real nice and the beds are super comfy which makes my jet lag sleeps even better..

Ill update tomorrow. Its 8pm here and im so tired its mad! we have a meeting at 9.30pm so staying up for that will be harder than the race.. i wonder if they will know im not there!

thanks for reading, and tune in, its going to be an action packed year!

ciao

14 February 2011

Hayden Roulston kicks off a 2011 northern hemisphere pro tour season that he hopes will bring significant results with the Tour of Oman that starts tomorrow (Tuesday 15 February).

“The training has been going very well, I’m feeling good and really excited to get my European season started,” Roulston said.

“I know I’ve been at a good level for a while now and I want to have a crack and nail some major results this season. I know I’m at a good level physically and mentally, and I have had the classics as a goal for some time now.”

Roulston said his HTC Highroad team support his goal of targeting the European classics for a good result and the Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallist is specifically focused on the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix where he achieved a top 10 finish last year while ill.

“I had a good result in Paris Roubaix last year when I was really sick and know I could have gone much better than the 10th I got – it showed I can mix it with the best on those big one day classics and I am really looking forward to mixing it up again this year full fit.”

After the six stage Tour of Oman Roulston heads to Europe for two one day races on February 26 and 27, the Omloop Het Volt and the Kuurne Brussel Kuurne, where he was fourth last year in freezing wet conditions.

Roulston then has a two week break before the seven day Italian tour Tirreno Adriatico and then he lines up in support of Mark Cavendish for Milan San Remo on March 17 before hitting the main classics, the Tour of Flanders on April 3 and Paris Roubaix on April 10.

“After a break for a few years this is my third season back racing the pro tour in Europe and I know I’m ready for a big season this year. I’m really enjoying being part of the HTC team, we have a very strong group and that is really important.”

Roulston said he was also looking forwards to wearing the New Zealand National Champion’s jersey in Europe for the first time.

“I worked so hard to win that jersey and I’m really looking forward to wearing it in the big pro races in Europe.”

Roulston will return to New Zealand on 14 April for a break before returning to Europe with a focus on securing a spot in the HTC Highroad team for July’s Tour de France.

Hi there,

Well we tried.. We rode the race as if we already had the lead, tried to control the turkeys (us being turkeys also!) for the first sprint, got some vital seconds, rested for a second, then tried to win the last 2s in the mad dash for the line….

We didnt quite achieve our goal for the day, but we all gave it our best so although the boys and i were slightly disappointed we were all pretty proud of the way we rode throughout the whole tour. It was a great race, and especially for the spectators, a great finish.. yes winning the tour is what we wanted, but 2nd with gossy is better than 3rd! it was a great display of ‘team’ from HTC Highroad, and i know i left the race smiling and im sure the other boys did too.. some probably smiling inbetween panadols after the last night though lol!

Personally i have taken alot out of this race. I showed i have developed into a rider where i can foot it with the best. i had great form all week, i felt comfy everywhere, and even in the sprint leadout where ive always had nappies on, i felt in control too. I always thought i could be right up there, but that only takes you so far in professional sport. This race has given me great confidence as i sit here thinking about what lies ahead. the season in europe awaits now, and im so focused on WHAT i want to achieve. ive got all my goals written down and ready to get ticked off!

Right now though im taking 2 days in sydney relaxing and enjoying life with a bike in the lockup! its quite nice. Did a bit of shopping this morning, which actually was as hard as the race.. i fly back home to nz tomorrow, then its back into it in order to be ready for my next race which is the tour of oman. following oman i head to my base in spain where ill be for a few days then its off to belgium for the first race of the classics, het volk.. i am really excited about the classics this year, actually i cannot bloody wait!

thanks for following me through the race and thanks for the support shown out on the roads in adelaide. hendy julz and i all appreciate it hugely!

ill update in about a weeks time with how my trainings going.

ciao ciao
roly

Hi there

Well today was just as we expected, exciting racing for those of you watching, enormous crowds on willunga hill, and a bloody hard race to boot!

It finished up ok for us… Ok meaning we picked up vital seconds to move gossy within 8s of the lead with one action packed crit to go.. The ideal result was of course having gossy win, and he just about pulled it off only to get pipped on the line.. Positives from today are, the race will be won and lost tomorrow so its going to come right down to the wire… which in one respect is pretty cool. But, it would have been nice to have the jersey in our team tonight, but as ive said many times before, gossy and team HTC Higroad would much rather have it tomorrow night

The day started with a hiss and a roar with side winds making the whole peleton feel as if we were at the start of some mad classic in europe. the only difference being it was 30 odd degrees! A break went away from the start and sat at 2mins.. That was fine for us and we sat back and conserved as much as we could so we were all ready for the 2x up willunga.. Grabschy our german tank kept us out of the wind, and started pulling heading towards willunga the first time.. Cav was riding also, and we had bernie protecting us from the side wind.. so all in all it was a great team performance today. everyone played apart. over the climb the first time we still had 4 of us, and bernie got back to making 5…

The last time up the climb i looked after gossy as best i could, keeping the pace steady and just being there really should he need me.. A small break went away over the top with a couple of danger men.. I really wanted to take gossy across here, cause i prefer in this stage of the race to be chased than chasing! Everyone was on their limit but we decided to wait and chase them..

I was flying today, and felt really strong.. i pulled to bring that group back, then pulled again to try and split the group and get rid of the super talent meyer… We couldnt quite pull it off though.. Coming into the last straight gerro and i rode as hard as we could, it was head side wind which made life difficult but my day was nearly over so i gave it all.. In the sprint gossy got boxed, or flicked so lost a bit of momentum… But still picked up some seconds which is really important for tomorrows stage..

Typically here in down under tonight a few boys go out.. Its normally over by now, and the guys tend to relax.. i think now for sure our team will be in bed early! so will the other contenders team too.. Tomorrow is going to be an awesome day to really witness some great racing.. its quite funny thinking this time last year we had basically won the race, and it was time to relax and enjoy the atmosphere.. Not this year!

Ill do all i can to help the team wrap this up.. I believe we can do it, weve shown we are super strong so heres hoping for the best.

will update tomorrow with what i hope is a good read! either way its been a great race, great crowds and good support here for myself by you kiwis on the road.. But we want more! we want that jersey!

ciao
roly