It wasn’t long ago that I was sitting around Italy sipping on cappuccinos and eating brioches at the local café, taking little day trips to Milan and somehow fitting in the odd ten-day cycling tour or day race every now and then!!!

Yup…life was good…

Even on the tours you have your food prepared for you, live in hotel rooms, have your whole day’s itinerary worked out for you, plus you get a daily massage! I mean, how stressful can things get? Ok, I’m probably not really painting the whole picture here, but I have to admit that life is pretty good on the European cycling scene!

Now I am back home and into a full training and full time working schedule …and back to having minimal time to myself. In some bizarre way, I also think life is still pretty great! I mean I’m really well looked after here with a great coach, a bunch of awesome friends, a fantastic family and to top it all off I live in the Hotel d’Loane where my mum loves cooking!!! Can’t get much better than that!

So since returning to Aussie soil and checking back into the Hotel d’Loane, I’ve been enjoying the good life again. After a two week holiday from work and the bike, I’ve somehow gotten my brain wired around the idea of once again working full time whilst fitting in a full training scedule. Hmmm, better check the brain function again! So I’m back into the full swing of my Aussie life and re-acquainting myself with my old faithful rides, like Nebo – Glorius, Mango Hill, Samford- Dayboro- Mt Mee, Coothas, Zupps and of course the Lifecycle shop rides.

It’s a good thing I’ve been back racking up the k’s on my favourite rides again because a few weeks ago, after my first successful European cycling trip, I had the great news of being offered a full Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) Scholarship for 2007. The scholarship means I’ll be racing with the AIS team in some Australian and New Zealand races in early 2007, will go to regular camps at the AIS from December onwards and that I’ll be returning to Europe to race for the Australian team next European summer.

It’s exciting news and just quietly I’m pretty proud of what Blair and I have done during the past year….since starting my cycle racing from pretty much scratch to now being offered a full AIS scholarship. There are also so many other people to thank who’ve helped me get to were I am… and they are of course, my own family, my Stockwell family, Greg for editting all of my articles, my friends and cycling buddies, my other supporters, Romeo and my sponsors. Thanks again, and please remember that a part of my success has definitely been because of you and next year when I’m back to sipping unbelievable cappuccinos in Italy I’ll be missing you all.