I'm going Pink!

I always wanted a pink bike and pink jersey, so I was so happy when I found a new and happy home at the UK-based WyndyMilla Reynolds Cycle Racing Team. But then I found out I wasn't going to ride on the team's pink bike - no I was going to get my own custom built and custom-pained version of the WyndyMilla "Massive Attack" frame, and also my kit in Irish Champions colours! Uh, ok, I take that!!! (Although it's not ready yet, so I AM riding in pink right now :))

The team is focusing on the British Tour Series - a race series comprised of 5 city centre crits. Crits are not really where my strengths are (I only get warmed up by the time the race is over!), but nonetheless they are so much fun with all the close cornering and fast pace - never a dull moment.

So yesterday was my first experiment: Fly over to the UK in the morning, drive to race HQ, meet team, get new bike and kit, race crit, fly back home. And it all worked out well, considering how all was put together in such a short amount of time (if I told you how quickly WyndyMilla were able to custom manufacture (in Italy!), paint (in the UK!) and build up my "Massive Attack" race bike, my manager would kill me, because he'd get customers wanting it that quickly too).

My new custom made and painted Massive Attack bike!

It's also a sign of top quality equipment that I felt comfortable riding my new bike for the first time half an hour before racing it in a crit, probably the most technical of all bike races. And I can only say that the bike rides like a dream, and it's not even set up perfectly to my spec yet! I also love the Reynolds wheels and Schwalbe tires, both of which I've used before, so I knew how much I could push my bike through those corners.

The only mistake we really made last night as a team was that we went to the start line wayyy too late, starting at the very back, and the course was too narrow at times and quite technical with many corners, so it was bound to line out quickly and make moving up difficult. The first round of the Tour Series started off with a bang, typical crit style, high speed, sprinting out of corners, with the first lap lining out the bunch and forcing the splits that we ended up in. I think I finished in the 2nd group on the road, after being lapped by an absolutely on fire Katie Archibald (who nearly lapped the complete field I think!). So it can only get better and I'm already looking forward to jetting in for the next round next Tuesday in Peterborough!

My new team :)

My Irish Champs kit will be available on WyndyMilla for pre-orders soon - it looks absolutely amazing, so if you want one, check out the WyndyMilla facebook page for info.