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Back with a bang: The Rory Sutherland diary 2007
Talented Australian Rory Sutherland will be tearing up the US domestic circuit this season with Professional Continental squad Health Net presented by Maxxis. With the best part of six years European racing under his belt, look out for the 25 year-old from Canberra to notch up some big victories in '07.
Stay tuned to Cyclingnews for the inside scoop on Rory and his Health Net crew as they match up against ProTour opposition at the Tour de Georgia and beyond...
A long time between drinks
Yep, a very long time between drinks (for those who don't understand what that means; it's been a long time between diary entries!). I have this idea: if you don't have anything interesting to write about, don't write anything at all. Or perhaps I've just been lazy... you be the judge.
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So what has happened in 'Rory's world' since Tim and my Las Vegas experience? Well, a lot actually. Here's a list that's easier to read than an endless paragraph:
- Been to Arkansas, apparently 'Real America'
- Won a time trial in Arkansas (first for me since 2000)
- Won a stage race in Arkansas (first since 1998!)
- Proceeded to break my heel in Arkansas.... not an easy task
- Highlighted the fact that I'm not a WWF wrestler (see above)
- Experienced first hand the Philly
week experience
- Experienced the Amish culture
- Experienced the "Worst Western Hotel" in Philly
- Became sick from above hotel
- Raced in Minnesota, the state of 10,000 lakes... full of facts, I am!
- And finally, took a well-timed holiday with my visiting sister driving down
from San Francisco to LA, and then back to Boulder.
So there are the highlights of the last few months. Wasn't it easier to read than an over dramatized and exceptionally long paragraph? Hey, I haven't even whinged yet!
Well, after all this travel and 'stuff' I've come to some more conclusions - this time not about the USA, languages, or food. I'm talking about the deterioration in riders' mental capacity during the season. A really good example of this came from a discussion I had with Tim Johnson the other week. As professional cyclists, everyone seems to think we have a wonderful and enchanted life. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, and I consider myself very lucky to be doing it, but... at times it all gets a little too much. Take all that January motivation, racing pretty much every weekend/week, attempting at times to train, travel all over the country and enjoy the splendours of fatigue and sickness. Still sounding like a dream job?
So what I'm saying is that yes, we are lucky in what we do; but the lifestyle has its negatives. It also proves just how much recovery and time off is an integral part of the deal - at times we forget this, believing that our form will hold, and our bodies will take the constant beating we give them on a daily basis. Surely at times this sport, at the professional level, is not actually as healthy as 'sport' is apparently supposed to be.
So that's it, my little addition and catch up for the last two months. Hopefully I will have reached another two or three readers, and therefore taking my tally of people who read this to around 10 - Mum, Dad, Tim's wife Lynne, and Mrs Johnson can't really count.
With any luck it won't be another two months till my next entry, although I guess it depends if anything exciting happens...
Rory
