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Long live Elvis
Posted: Wednesday January 26, 2000 08:41 AM
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.
January 25, 2000
Not a great deal has happened since I last spoke to you. I returned from Orlando to spend Christmas and New Year with the family in the North of England. Went to a cool New Year's party in Bentham (North Yorkshire) with Vikki (girlfriend) and some of my family. The hosts were my friends John and Mandy Carr. I used to work for John as a laborer (builders mate) -- there was plenty to eat and drink with fireworks at midnight. The sky was so clear you could see all the other fireworks along the valley bottom. This combined with the natural beauty of the night sky etched a memory I hope I never forget. Once midnight had passed it was onto the karaoke machine. Long live Elvis! I had to recite a rendition of "Blue Suede Shoes." Fortunately we had qualified first aides on hand to administer CPR to my cousin's husband David as he had passed out on the floor after laughing so much (just joking). New Year passed, and I headed out with my teammates for some warm weather training in Lanzarote (a Spanish island off the coast of North Africa that has a landscape consistent of that with Mars). I had intended to do some quality road miles combined with some weight training. However, on day three of my 14-day stay, I contracted the flu, I suspect from my teammate, Chris Hoy, who had the flu over the Christmas period. So for the following seven days I did nothing apart from getting highly agitated by Chris and Craig's rendition of various scenes from various comedy shows and Chris' constant flatulence. We had no TV, so they had to keep themselves entertained some how. I suspect that when they retire from cycling they may form a comedy duet. For the remaining four days, I managed to do some minimal training, consisting of some one and a half-hour daily road rides and one weights session. It's now January 21st, and I have been back from Lanzarote for a week. I have been back on the track at the Manchester velodrome for the first time in several weeks. I have begun to incorporate some short speed sessions and some standing starts into my training schedule on a mixture of gears in preparation for my visit to Australia where I suspect I shall be put through some grueling training by our newly appointed coach Martan Barras (a French Canadian chap who has been the Western Australian track coach for the past few years). I am also continuing and progressing with the weight training, currently squatting 140 kg and dead lifting 180 kg, and incorporating some road training miles into my regime. I must say however, due to my back injury in December and my episode of flu in January, I am not at the same level of fitness I was at this time last year. Still one must only look forward and not dwell on episodes that are out of my control. On the equipment front it seems as though LOOK may have a problem with their 2000 compliant frame. I was supposed to take delivery of one from them for testing at the beginning of January. It has not yet arrived. Meanwhile I shall be testing a Corima track frame with the SRM power cranks (see last installment for explanation). I have a meeting on the January 25 with a chap called Armen from Adidas about a special skinsuit (as the word implies a tight fitting garment worn by cyclists while racing) they have designed for use at the Olympics. I tried on a prototype while in Lanzarote -- it was an all black number with long sleeves and full-length legs. It looked like the cat suit Bruce Lee wore in the "Game of Death," boy the looks I got wearing that on the bike! It's time so sign off now. My next installment will come from Perth, Western Australia, where I shall be for the next two months. So until then be happy and have fun. -- Jason
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