Right now I'm sitting in the TGV train which is going flat stick from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /?>Lille to
Paris. They reckon that it hits 3 hundie but it doesn't feel like it. Well, actually it kinda does when you've had a couple of beers at the train station with your team-mates before getting on the train and then you look out the window when it's in full flight... <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?>

Anyway back to the racing. My latest race was E3 Prijs Vlaanderen in
Belgium and surprise, surprise, Boonen won...again. It's getting a bit like Lance in the Tour over the past years. He just wins everything. He's in a very good place at the moment. We've seen other riders have the same moment over the past years and Boonen has it for now. It's his moment. At times it has been McEwen, Dekker, Pettachi and now Boonen although I'm sure that the jersey he's wearing at the mo has special powers.

I'm still waiting for my moment. I'm finding it difficult to return to these races. The past week as been about a lot of suffering. These are probably the most difficult races to return to at the most difficult time of year. My programme, from my perspective, for my return to racing has been far from gentle and far from ideal. There's not much that I can do though but to just battle on and do my best. I thought that I would've been given a more gentle re-intro with my objective being the Giro but no. I'm straight into the deep end. I just have to hope that I'm not forcing myself too much and will end up cooked for the Giro.

One of the biggest difficulties for me in today's race was coping with the speed. It was really taxing and as soon as we hit the climbs after 120km, I was suffering just to stay in the race. Anyway, for now the week is done. I haven't finished any of the races but have trained well with a total of 1000km for the week with some intensity chucked in there from the brief moments I managed to remain in the races. For me this has been far from an ideal way to get myself back into form but as it stands, I don't have much choice for the moment.

Unfortunately, I'm only home a couple of days this week before I have to take off again to
Belgium for Tour of Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem and Paris Roubaix. That will be a week of immense suffering but I'll do what I can. For now I'm just looking forward to getting home and enjoying a few days with Carole and my little mate, Tanner.

Julz