uchinada course check

I'm writing this from our fabulous hotel in Kanazawa. The kids are bathed and in bed. I'm on my third beer. And it's only 7:30!

I was worried about the event even taking place after the heavy rain of the last few days. It kept raining all the way down to Kanazawa, but had eased off by the time we reached the race course.

Set in a “bokujo” or animal farm, it's completely flat with long straights and technical corners. I rode round the course once to check it out.

The TTT:

I believe time will be made up on the straights and not the corners as many people say. The straights are long. The back straight in particular is sheltered by a levee on the right and a thick hedge on the left. We should be able to get some speed out here. The corners are tight T-junctions and cross roads. All teams will have to slow right down to go through these safely.

There was a whole array of TT bikes, aerohelmets, aerowheels, the lot on show. I had to remind myself, “it takes more than a Cervelo to turn a donkey into a race horse!”

The road race:

For the mass start race, I think the corners will make a huge impact. 100 riders will start on a big 2 lane road. 1.5 km later, they will turn 90 degrees left into a farmers access road! You HAVE to be at the front here.

Here's my promise to myself:

• Get a good spot on the start line.
• Use the right side of the road to pass the masses.
• Treat it like a race to the corner. One big effort.
• Be at the front on the corner.

If you're not near the front here, you're asking for trouble. After that, it's 9 km of narrow roads with a few corners thrown into the mix.

I hatched a plan with Vamos san and Oono san after we checked the course. It's definitely a case of putting your cards on the table. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

I think we should put all our focus on the TTT. We'll have much more chance of controlling our destiny than in the RR. In the RR, keep our plan, give at go, and see what happens.....

In the evening we enjoyed a nice stroll around Kanazawa. A beautiful city. With the surrounding coast and mountain options, a great base for a working cyclist. Another beer, another bath, a massage, and into bed early for an early start tomorrow.

Saturday's training: Uchinada RR course check (10km)