Roman Success

Latest report from the USA, as received from Roman Van Uden (AGS Cycling Deputy Captain in 2006) now racing for Team Rubicon, along with Logan Hunn (also a Grammar Old Boy):

"Cold pretty much describes the first two weeks i've spent in north west USA. I had been warned it would rain every day but I have only been caught out in a decent rain/hail storm once while training in Portland. So the weather hasn't been too bad. Booties leg warmers and a thermal jacket are essential. My bedroom consists on one quarter of the basement of Norrene and David Godfreys house. (Founders and managers of team Rubicon.)

My first race got off to a shaky start. I found out the hard way the seriousness of crossing the centerline by getting myself and a team mate disqualified. The road was very narrow and I took a gamble to ride over the centerline and stay out of the carnage going on in the pack. It didn't pay off. I accepted the decision but was disappointed it was because of the riders crying that the officials made the decision.

We recieved out new yellow and black team kit the morning before a 2 hour drive to the Tour Willamette Valley, wine country, central west Oregon. It won't be the best performance by our team this year. A high of 17 degrees (at least 7 degrees warmer than anything experienced so far) ment uninsulated skin suits for a 6.6 km prologue. Ever other stage was wet and miserable. My best performance came in the Saturday evening criterium, where only one other of my team mates finished.

Aside from our poor performance whilst racing I had a shocking introduction to the life of ameture racing... racing on a budget. We stayed in a neat University town in a down grade motel. Four guys sharing one small unit with 2 double beds. Pretty cosy. The fact it wasn't a smoke free room didn't help. The place reeked of the build up of cigarette smoke on the walls, in the curtains and seeping out of the pillows when I lay my head down to sleep. We changed rooms the following night after dragging the smell with us the following day.

This evening (Tuesday) was the first local circuit race for the season, PIR (Portland International Raceway (similar to the Manfield circuit at nationals.) It was a cool course and the four of us who were well enough to race after spending a weekend next to each other in close courters, were on the attack most of the race. Logan (team mate) was up the road on the final lap and guys were chasing hard, coming round the final bend, as the road widened up onto the start/finish straight on the race car track, Shaun (team mate) open up the sprint very early, about 500 meters out, so early no one bothered to jump on his wheel. I stayed in the front of the pack switching wheels as we swallowed up Logan and then shaun I made a late charge with about 100 meters to go swinging around to pip the win from about three riders to take the win for the team.

Up and coming races:
Sat - Kings valley road race 110km
Sun- a local criterium
Thurs? - Under 23 Sea Otter Classic. Around the Saga Raceway in California.
Sat - Sea Otter Classic NRC race (National Race Calendar) racing against all the pro teams in America. $3000 1st place (and eternal glory)"