Ribbed off

My season sadly has come to an early end. On sunday i fractured a rib avoiding a crash by jaming my brake hood into mi left rib cage. In consultation with the doctor and my team it was decided i should put my race bag in the cubboard for the season and look ahead to next season. Of course when somthing comes to an you tend to want reflect and i have only great memories of my time with Androni in 2010.

I guess my season was shaped by the relationship i developed with the team leader michele scarponi. Very early on we struck a great accord between each other and had trust in what we could do for each other, This being that i would give my all to help michele achieve great results and in return i knew he gave everything to deliver his best performances. This was a great learning experience for me in highlighting how much enjoyment and satisfaction you can feel by watching the success of your fellow team mates. Michele had offered to repay this with some domestic work for me when i was in top form but unfortunately in the second half of the season, fatigue, tiredness and ultimately this broken rib meant this did not occur. Maby in the future we will switch roles but regardless i am super pleased and greatful about the time i have had riding with michele.

There was never a moment to relax during the season as our team never turned up to make up the numbers. Our directors ensured that every pre race team meeting had a spercific plan about how we would be involved in what happened on the race course. Marco Bellini, Giovanni Elina and of course the ever so stylish team manager Gianni Savio did not except any passengers. We were all expected to turn up ready to work whenever we pinned a number on and if you were unable to perform it left you feeling empty as you knew you had let down your team mates. This inspired me to do all i could to not experience this as for me this is not a nice feeling. For this i am very greatful to the team staff for enstiling this bike racing work ethic into me and am sure that it will benfit me in the future regardless of my employer. It does not only stop at the riders and management where i felt this responsibility but the whole staff, massage guys, mechanics, and the doctor, they all put in everything and it was super important to me to know that after every day at the office i had given all i could to justify the daily massage, cloaths being washed, bike cleaned so well it always looked brand new, and of course just the fact that all is done for you so you only worry about pushing those pedals. It has been truly a great honour to be part of such a professional organisation and i again i am greatful for the cyclingisms that i know have as part of my cycling tool kit from my time with the team.

So a great year with a great bunch of people and i wish the androni team all the very very best for the future

cjwurf