Wednesday, April 8, 2015

I am back in business! It’s been around 3 weeks since I crashed at Omloop het Waasland, and I have been back in Belgium for a week or so already. It has been an eventful week as we had our team/press launch in Gent, and I have been back training on the road again. I was getting quite fond of the turbo however…. not! 


After my accident I flew home on St. Patrick’s day to firstly recover and then restart training. I spoke with the management and my coach and we decided it was better to be at home and get looked after properly so I could return to action as soon as possible. It turned out I needed just over a week completely off the bike - it really killed me inside! I guess not having so much time without exercise in the past 2-3 years made me crazy. However it’s what I needed to do in order for me to come back to full condition as fast as possible - in hindsight, it only made me more motivated! I was lucky I went home and got further medical attention though, as I started to get the first symptoms of a skin infection in my ankle which could have caused a lot of further complications. It was a deep wound right to the bone so it would have been very easily susceptible to getting infection. I knocked it on the head with a strong course of antibiotics and once the stitches got taken out I was immediately on the turbo again.



I spent around a week training indoors and I was and still am feeling better every day. I didn't lose too much condition thankfully, as I had a good winter backing me up. I was knocking out 2-3 hours a day on the turbo, and once I got back to Belgium I continued the same until the An Post-Chain Reaction team/press launch where I got back on the road for the first time and with success! Up until that point I was being extra careful not to reopen the wound but it’s been lasting even through some intense and longer sessions on the rough roads here. All positive signs! I can’t wait to start racing again. Through the past few weeks my motivation has remained high as when I touched down at OHW I was starting to feel really strong, so I was motivated and confident I can get back to that level. Just need some luck now I will be back in no time!

The An Post-Chain Reaction team/press launch for 2015 took place in Gent on the 2nd of April. It was the perfect opportunity for the team to meet the sponsors and press before we tackle our 2015 season. We arrived in Gent on the 1st of April to do some photos and meet the sponsors and press who came over from Ireland, then on the morning of the 2nd we rode the Ronde van Vlaanderen finale with the king, Sean Kelly. It was awesome for us to get to know the people who make it happen for An Post-Chain Reaction. Without the sponsors the team wouldn’t be able to function at a professional level. For me, I got on the road again for the first time since I crashed. I am happy to say I am back in full training and on the road to a good level again. The finale of the ride was made extra special with a feed stop 10km to go, where we rehydrated with Kwaremont 6.6% Belgian Beers - the perfect end to an awesome ride! 


After the ride and some lunch we then had to scrub up for some interviews before we changed into our team kit for the team presentation. I really enjoyed speaking to the Irish press about the upcoming season, it really made it sink in that I am now a part of this team - something, as an Irishman I am extremely proud of. The following morning some our technical sponsors gave the riders a briefing on their line of products. We had HIGH5 Nutrition, KASK Helmets and Continental Tyres talk us through the best way in which to use their equipment. Big thanks for the informative morning and I look forward to using some of your advice in upcoming races. 
Big respect to Kurt Bogaerts and the An Post-Chain Reaction staff for organising such a professional event. It was a great few days and I’m sure everybody had a lot of fun!


Now my plan is to ride the U23 UCI Coupe des Nations - Ronde van Vlaanderen, La Cote Picarde and ZLM Tour as part of the Irish U23 National team. I’m proud to have been selected again this year, I’ve ridden these events in the past few seasons and they have been the highlight of my season. Unfortunately this year I am entering them under different circumstances so wont have the condition I would have liked. Regardless I am going to give 100%, as I always do when I pull on the national jersey. 


Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more news over the next few weeks. Follow the team and I on twitter to keep up to date on our upcoming events: 

My Twitter: @Eoin_McCarthy

An Post-Chain Reaction Twitter: @AnPost_CRC

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