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I nearly passed out with the fright
In 1999, British cyclist Jason Queally set two British records at the World Championships, finishing second in the Olympic sprint and fifth in the 1-kilometer time trial. The 29-year-old also won the Olympic sprint at the European Championships and won three World Cup events. While working as a research technician at Lancaster University, Queally began riding at the Manchester velodrome and developed an interest in cycling. In 1996 he decided to ride full-time. Check out Queally's diary every month on CNNSI.com.
August 22, 2000
Only 24 days, 7 hours and 55 minutes to go before the big one. I arrived in Brisbane two weeks ago and have settled in nicely. I am currently residing about five kilometers to the west of the city in a fine hotel called the Cardinale. Have not been up to a great deal -- just training, eating and sleeping, although I have been up to the surfer's paradise for a look around. Cool beaches. On the way to the Gold Coast we stopped off at the Dream World theme park. In the four hours we spent there, we managed to have a go on four rides, all pretty frightening. However the coup de grace was something called the Tower of Terror. You are sent 120 meters into the air in a seat and then released. I nearly passed out with the fright. I could not physically scream until I reached the bottom. As soon as I was released from the chair I was on a mission to find a WC. Just returned from picking up our official Olympic kit. Marks & Spencer and adidas have supplied it, and all seems to be rather fetching. The most practical piece of kit has to be the binoculars, which have already been put to good use. The fauna in the local vicinity of the hotel is quite remarkable; especially now the winter coats are starting to molt. Only two more days left here in Brisbane and then we move onto Melbourne. The weather down there in the south will be a bit fresher than here, but at least the track is an indoor facility which has an identical layout to Sydney. Training has been going to plan, which is good for the mind. At this stage in the game the mind is one of the most important factors that will contribute to an optimal performance on the day of competition. So far everything that my Olympic federation has done has been very positive, and I must thank them for this. I will try to keep in contact with short sound bites over the next few weeks leading up to the games, hopefully giving you some insight into the emotional roller coaster I will be experiencing. I have to go now as Chris has just informed me of some essential viewing from our observational platform (balcony). Take care. -- Jason
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