My Road season has finally finished and on reflection it has been a season of ups with a dip at the end. I have been so lucky this year to have been invited to race for some awesome teams. The first was HMT Hospitals Trust, a super junior team took me to the Netherlands for a tough 3 days riding mostly in the gutter hanging on to the wheel in front. 3 days and one 7th place to show for it. Straight after it was a pretty long drive to the Basque Country. This was stunning - a country with so many bike fans. This was as hilly as the Netherlands were flat and I suffered but managed a 10th place in a stage. HMT then took me to Pamplona for a 4 day race which was much better. I must have done something right as HMT have asked me to race for the team for the 2019 season - which is great. In between riding for HMT I rode the Tour of Wales for the East Midlands - managed 3rd on a sprint stage. I raced at the Junior National Track champs and got the Club record for a Kilometre. I have crashed on the finish line at the Road Championships and was almost disqualified for drafting a team car back up to the bunch in Spain. I crept up some climbs and descended at speeds that would scare my Dad. I have eaten mountains of pasta and plain rice and had the mickey taken for ordering pizza in a restaurant. I have had a great year. I have travelled through Europe with a great bunch of team mates. The dip was in Belgium for my last race - The Philip Gilbert Classic. I didn't finish - I ran out of gas. Perhaps its a good thing to bomb in your last race as it just gives you something to work on in the off season. I am now looking forward to getting back in the gym. The Joe Humphries Grant has been so helpful to me this summer - by doing weights and learning to lift properly my sprint has been so much faster and more powerful. My off-season will be spent in the gym and on the bike and also in the velodrome - its all good and there is lots to look forward to. Thank you - I will check in soon.