Edmonton World Cup and Holten European Cup

So I decided it was about time that I started a blog so that I can keep anyone who is interested up to date with my happenings. I was hoping to start with some good news but unfortunately nothing goes to plan. So here goes....

I travelled to Edmonton only a couple of days before the race knowing that I have done plenty of travel and that I can get into the time zone pretty quickly. This worked, I immediately got into a nice routine and with some easy training I was ready to race. I had highlighted this race as one that I was going to 'hit' at the start of the year so I was keen to get the result I think I am capable of. Training had been good; my running was finally starting to come back to me after a couple of years in the wilderness.

The Race...The swim was solid without being exceptional. I came out in about 10th (give or take) and was in a good position in the front pack at the start of the bike. This is where it all went wrong. As we started a decent another athlete crashed in front of me and with little time to react I ended up going straight over him and straight over my handlebars. I landed heavily on the back of my head and left shoulder, consequently destroying my helmet and leaving a little skin on the road. Footage of the crash can be seen in the following link.

http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/rouault_runs_to_first_world_cup_win_in_edmonton

I didn't realise that I scrambled onto the grass until I saw the footage myself. Obviously the knock to the head was more then what I first thought. I wasn't able to get back up and continue the race so the result I was after would have to wait. This was a bitter pill to swallow as I knew I was ready to race. The body was sore but with no serious damage I had escaped relatively unscathed.

From Edmonton I was set to travel to Holten in the Netherlands for a race 6 days later. I managed the travel alright but unfortunately the race came a couple of days too soon and I wasn't able to start. The skin that I had lost and the knock to my left shoulder prevented any real movement so swimming would of been near impossible. Not the start to my trip that I was after.....a DNF and a non start.

I am back in full training now at my European base of Aix-Les-Bains in France. I will race again on the  21st of July in the Geneva European Cup and then again on the 10th and 11th of August in the Tiszaujvaros (Hungary) World Cup. The Tiszaujvaros World Cup was another race I had planned on 'hitting' earlier in the year so this trip is not completely lost.

I will endeavour to blog frequently (internet pending) so keep an eye out. Below are some pics from Edmonton, Pre and post crash.

Thanks,

Mk