The Season Ahead

By Calvin Watson.

I am writing from my European Base, where I spend the majority of my time once the season is underway. I have just returned home from Volta Catalunya, a really tough seven-day World Tour race, where I saw fellow Australian rider Richie Porte take home the win. It’s really nice to see another Aussie winning, only if it can’t be a fellow Trek Factory Racing team-mate of course!

On a personal note, I’m happy to have completed Volta Catalunya. Now I have five days to recover properly before heading back to Spain for Vuelta Al Pais Vasco: this is an important preparation race before the Ardennes Classics.

Our season is well underway, and the next April/May is a really important time in the World Tour racing calendar. Many of the big classics are underway, and it’s always an exciting time for the cycling world. We will be hoping for a top performance in Pais Vasco, by Frank Schleck and Bauke Mollema. My role in the team will be to support these two leaders throughout the week, doing what I can to make their lives as easy as possible on the road.

After the Ardennes Classics, I am going straight into my first grand tour the Giro D’Italia. I’m really excited about this prospect, but also a little nervous. Three weeks of racing is something I have never experienced before, so I’m hoping I have prepared well enough in training to be ready for what lies ahead. I’m sure there will be a hell of a lot of suffering involved to make it to the end of a three-week grand tour! But I am super excited and up for the challenge!

On the Turbine front, it’s fantastic to see more and more people using the Turbine. There is a big interest from the pro peloton now: many team mates and fellow competitors are constantly asking me, “What’s this little gadget you have?” It’s a small advantage that I may not have to myself in the coming years, because I know most of my competitors will soon have their own Turbine!

Until then….