Gent was a mixed bag personally as I wasnt entirely happy with how the racing went, however it was great to get a number pinned on and get some track racing in the legs so early in the year.
The event itself was an Interland track meet, with a few european national teams represented. It compromised of a Team Pursuit, Omnium and Madison, all crammed into the space of two days racing.
It was great riding a new track and also visiting a new city in Gent, one of the few parts of Belgium I had yet to race in. The racing on the whole went well, with a win in the Team Pursuit and an ok fourth place in the Omnium overall. It also proved a good reminder of how much work there is still to be put in before I feel I am ready to start the season proper.
Despite being far from content with my individual performance (probably a good thing if anything at this time of year), I think we have a really good Team Pursuit team and this was one of the main positives I took from the weekend. The current TP team are a super tight nit unit and I hope that will start to show in our performances on the track in the coming months, although ofcourse it will be a big fight to stay in the squad! The overriding aim of the squad will be the home World Championships in August, an event we are super lucky to have the opportunity to potentially ride and one that personally I am extremely driven to be a part of.
For now its a month at home, with some big weeks and hard yards to do! Oh and a few exams...
A huge thanks goes to Matt Winston for taking us out to the event in Gent, I am sure it will prove invaluable track racing experience for me in the long run.
