http://757292659.qzone.qq.com Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:02:09 GMT Qzone zh-cn Copyright (C), 2005-2008, Tencent Tech. Co., Ltd. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:20:19 GMT http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1258341619

最近，我感觉象连续睡了1个月或者2个月刚刚醒来似的。温度从20℃一下到0℃，在几天的时间里。天气怎么回事？也许我应该这么说：“我们做了什么，天气突然会这样？”



确切地说，这是50年来最冷的11月。真让我担心。一些评论者认为可能是全球气候变暖的影响。虽然这种极端的气候变化很少见，但全球气候变暖肯定和这样突变的气候有关。


现在，冬天来得很早，我也希望春天来得早些，明年3月有舒服的天气，至少我认为，漫长的冬季天气还是会很寒冷。


美国及很多国家的美元在下跌。美圆疲软，对中国的石油价格很不利。在国外，一般石油的价格以美元下跌油价会上涨。市场会通过调整增加油价来提高您购买油的价格。然而，人民币并没有能和美元对等。这意味着国际油价以美元的上涨，我们就要付出同样数量金额相同的石油（因为，正如我所说的，人民币并没有和美元相等，及其他货币）。这样就使得不断增加燃料价格，因此，在航空，出租车，公共汽车及火车票上的价格有可能会增加。


在我的国家马耳他，我的家庭对汽车很有兴趣。具体地说，优化汽车，改装汽车并且参加飙车赛。在我刚开始参加自行车比赛时，我曾经参加卡丁车比赛，虽然我很喜欢赛车，但那时，我自己没钱买卡丁车…



English Version:

My racing season came to an end some days ago. It's time to take a well-deserved break, refresh and relax a little. Only, something is wrong is the weather! Ironically, during this time of the year I would usually refrain from training and take time to do errands that I usually do not have time for, as well as meet friends and enjoy loads of beer drinking. Obviously, I would gain some weight, just as I already did, but it doesn't matter. Now's the time to indulge a little and enjoy driving my car, albeit not in the city centre!

I recently felt it's like I slept for two straight months and woke up in January. We went from 20 degrees Celsius to zero degrees Celsius over the past few days. What is wrong with the weather? Rather than asking this question, maybe I should ask:
"What did we do to make the weather change like this?"

It has been officially recorded as the coldest November in 50 years. It does indeed make me worry. Critics argue that it might be the effect of global warming on the weather. Whilst such extreme weather changes are not rare, global warming does have a stake in influencing such extreme weather changes.

Now, just as Winter came early, I hope Spring will come early too. It makes the temperature feeling that much comfortable come March of next year. Even though, I personally feel we are in for quite a cold and long Winter.

Other things going on around the world right now include the ever-weakening United States (U.S.) dollar. A weak U.S. dollar is not good for China's oil price. Oil is priced in U.S. dollars and a weak dollar would make oil prices rise overseas since, one non-U.S. foreign currency would buy more U.S. dollars, and thus more oil. The market will then adjust to give you the same oil for the same amount of money by increasing the price of oil. However, the Chinese Yuan has not been gaining ground on the U.S. dollar. This means that an increase in the international oil price in U.S. dollars would mean we are paying more Chinese yuan for the same amount of oil (since, just as I have said, the Chinese yuan has not been strengthening against the U.S. dollar, unlike other currencies). What will this mean? An ever-increasing fuel price and thus, a potential increase in airline, taxi, bus and train fares.

Back in my country of birth Malta, I come from a family that has an interest in cars. More specifically, fine-tuning cars, automobile modifications as well as participation in drag racing. Before I started cycling competitively, I used to race go-karts, but back then, i had no money to personally buy a go-kart. I do loving racing automobiles though... ]]> http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1258341619#comment 134218240 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:20:19 GMT http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1258341619 http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1257907567

8天后，我参加了上海的60公里公路车比赛获得第6名。尽管有些小挫折但看起来我的赛季已经做好了准备。


事后看来，2009年的赛事高峰于09年4月12日开始，当时以我骑行的精湛计时我获得第2名，观看者的喜悦欢呼令我感到惊讶。那天随后的山地车计时赛我获得了第4名。


比赛一个接着一个，我希望做好赛前的准备，以免出现尴尬的比赛。首先在天目湖的比赛，因仓促的迟到时间以及压力，影响了我的比赛表现。


然后是5月南京的禧玛诺车迷节赛，无论我怎样的艰苦努力，我不能协调的追赶领先者的步伐。比赛的两个小时侯我已排在第10名，可在第3圈最后一小时中我的小腿严重抽搐，不得已退出了比赛。


事情进展的几乎顺利，在上海安亭的比赛是严格的标准公路赛。我在参加72公里赛的最后，我遭遇了神奇的前胎被刺。奇怪，因为我身体的重量都在我的后轮，而后轮却很好很新，我因前胎爆胎结束了我的这场比赛。第2天，我参加了太仓的比赛，崩溃导致那场比赛的取消。


6月份，我回到马耳他度假。我在自行车上面花费了很多高昂的代价。尽管在南京和8月中旬的常州赛，我想为了取得好成绩，我用了一个月的时间来准备。


然而，我的命运在上海比赛期间再次受到了打击，2009年9月5日上海安亭的第二场比赛时后轮爆胎。8天后，在千岛湖150公里的比赛中，我的车链断裂。6天后，我在无锡的比赛时受到严重的感冒侵袭，我意识到应该首先照顾我的健康。


9月的最后一周，是本赛季的第二次高峰期。在南京紫金山的比赛时我保持在第五名时，奇怪的后胎破损毁了我的比赛！


2009年10月2日太仓的比赛，由于不正确的比赛时间，等候和压力，我的腿没有比赛的感觉。3天后，我的比赛感觉来了。在洪泽公路赛时，我努力去争取夺得好成绩几次，因阻挡及失去团队的配合，最后我获得了第7名。


洪泽的公路赛后，情况有很大的差异。随着气候的大幅度下降，10月17日我参加了苏州的阳澄湖公路赛时，我刚患上了重感冒。那几天天气寒冷，我稍作了几天休息，又参加了在华西的山地车比赛。该赛道非常陡峭，如同几天前一样，我不能取得好成绩，除非有什么奇迹。


11月1日，我再次参加了苏州阳澄湖的一个“大”精英组公路赛。可能由于气候寒冷或下雨，比赛从140公里缩短到了112公里。因长期感冒引起的呼吸道感染服药一周受抗生素的影响，在比赛中我尽量保持自己的最佳状态。一些职业及业余参赛者他们的速度象驾驶摩托车一样快，我们其他的成员坚持尾随他们后面。骑行21公里后，我顶着逆风，还有两名参赛者在我后面，他们一直跟随着我们。1公里后，我的腿突然肌肉抽搐很痛苦而冻结，可能是因为我的肌肉药效导致。我无法选择，只能停止，请求医疗按摩援助，然后慢慢的骑回终点，在长时间的快速，寒冷，逆风，抽搐，我只能提前退出了比赛。


11月7日星期六，我决定加入我朋友在南京参加的植物园山地车赛。33公里比赛的比赛中有12个高难点，快速的岩石和湿滑的赛道。从一开始，我就觉得我的腿似乎还留在常州的感觉。更坏的是，我大部分地方采用了错误的处理方式，使得自行车更艰难。最后，从35个参赛者中我获得了19名。这条赛道并不适合我的体型，因为体型轻盈的特点将具有优势，然而，我的比赛状况也不是很好。


总之，我感觉我错失了很多取得好成绩的机会，如果不是因为爆胎，机械故障，或者缺乏团队的配合，生病等这些因素。坦率地说，依我所有的计划去努力的比赛，相信我肯定能取得好成绩。然而，我非常失望。希望我以后能取得更好的成绩！




English Version:

My 2009 racing season started in the third week of March with the HuangShan mountain bike race. I finished 29th in the Elite Category, much to the delight of the ChangZhou Cycling Club, whose sponsor Bridgestone was quite pleased considering that there were over 150 starters in the Elite Category of this year.




Eight days later, I raced in ShangHai and placed 6th in a 60Km road race. It seemed that my season had been prepared well, despite minor setbacks here and there.




With hindsight, the climax of the 2009 came on 12th April 2009 when I rode a superb time-trial and finished 2nd, much to my surprise and the delight of the onlookers. That day I even placed 4th in the mountain bike race that followed the road time-trial race.



One by one, what had to be races in which I expected to do well in, resulted in embarrassing race performances. First there was the mid-week race at TianMu Lake, where a late arrival to the race as well as stress, compromised my race performance.




Then there was the NanJing Shimano Bikers Festival in May, whereby no matter how hard I tried, I just could not match the pace of the fast race leaders. Whilst racing in the top 10 after two hours, a severe leg cramp in the third and final hour, sent me reeling down the classification.




Things seemed to be going well during a criterium race at ShangHai’s AnTing. I was in a breakaway towards the end of a 72Km race, when I suffered a mysterious front puncture. Mysterious because despite most body weight being placed on my rear tyre, the rear tyre was clean as new whilst I suffered a puncture in my front tyre calling it an end to my race. The next day, I raced in TaiCang, where a crash caused cancellation of that race.



In June I returned to Malta for a holiday. The time spent off the bike cost me dearly. Despite racing in NanJing and ChangZhou mid-August and doing relatively well considering the circumstances, it would take me another month to reach good race form.



Meanwhile, I was victim to fate once again, suffering another rear tyre failure during the second race at ShangHai’s AnTing on 5th September 2009. Eight days later, my chain broke during the 150Km Thousand Islands Lake cycling race, also forcing me to retire from the race. Six days after, I would race in WuXi still suffering from a bad cold and realising that I should take care of my health first.



The final week of September was when my season’s second climax seemed to appear. I was racing quite well for 5th position at NanJing’s Purple Mountain when a mysterious rear puncture also ruined my race!



On 2nd October 2009, I was due to race at TaiCang but I was given the incorrect race start. The stress and waiting cost me dearly and I would not feel my race legs during the race. Three days later, I realize the day of my season has arrived. I power to the front of the HongZe Lake road race and try to go for the win several times, only to be forced to do all the work in the wind at the front of the race and finally claiming a poor 7th.



After the HongZe road race, things were not the same. My race form along with the weather temperature dropped considerably. I raced at SuZhou’s YangCheng lake on 17th October 2009 only to realize I had just caught a bad cold. I treated the cold for some days, rested and raced again in HuaXi’s mountain bike race. The race circuit was very hilly, and just like the days before, I could not do anything special except finish the race.



On November 1st 2009, I turned up at SuZhou’s YangCheng lake’s traditional end of season ‘big’ elite race. The race was shortened to 112Km from 140Km just before the race, probably due to the cold and possibly wet weather. Still having the effects of a week-long antibiotics medicine to fight my prolonged cold and chest infection, I tried my best to keep myself in the race. The ex-professional racers as well as unofficial professional racers rode like motorcycles, with us full-time employees trying to stick to their buttocks. With 21Km to go, I attacked into the headwind, dragged two racers behind me, but they were not really willing to work for our breakaway. A kilometer later, my legs froze with sudden painful muscle cramps, probably due from the medicine effect on my muscles. I had no option but to stop, ask for medical massage aid and then rode slowly to the finish area and retired from the long, fast, cold and windy race.



Finally, I decided to join my friends and attend the highly-contested NanJing Botanical Gardens mountain bike race on Saturday November 7th. The 33Km race was contested over 12 laps of highly-technical, yet fast rocky and slippery circuit. Right from the start, my legs felt like I left them in ChangZhou. Even worse was the fact that I tackled most corners in the wrong manner and was rather inflexible on the bike. Eventually, I finished 19th from 35 race starters. The circuit was not suited to my physical characteristics since light and agile physiques would have an advantage, albeit my race form was also not good either.



All in all, I feel I wasted so many opportunities to achieve very good race results had it not been for punctures, mechanical failures, lack of team work and still being sick. Frankly, for all the efforts I put into planning the races, going to the races and actually racing, I am very disappointed. I hope I can achieve better results next time around!


]]> http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1257907567#comment 134218241 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:46:07 GMT http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1257907567 http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1256540235 首先祝大家重阳节快乐！我希望这个传说中的中国节日能改善我的期望。

自从上次更新我的日记有一段时间了。主要是因为没有我预想的成绩。看似一些琐碎的事情及其他因素困扰了我，但合并起来就好象运气不佳的一种状态。

我总是因天气的突变易患感冒，并且咳嗽，已经服了几个星期的药，但很难痊愈。

比赛方面，我投入了很多的财力和人力、时间以及承诺，参加了各种公路车和山地车比赛，但我对我的成绩感到失望。我没有4月初成绩理想（第2次在南京的个人公路车赛那么精彩的比赛成绩）。除此以外，所有的比赛不是因车胎被刺，或是设备故障，或是比赛时间的突变，就是缺乏团队的支持，以及受感冒的影响。这些因素导致我不能有很好的比赛成绩。（请参阅我2009年至今参加的所有比赛，以及日记中部分照片和比赛的详细细节。）

这个重阳节是我生活中的关键时刻，因为需要改善我的工作、运动和健康。最后祝愿大家重阳节快乐。愿上帝保佑我们。


English Version:

Happy ChongYang festival to you all! I hope that this festival can enable us to improve and move higher just as the Chinese festival legend.

It has been some time since I last updated this blog. The main reason is that I have not been having the results I desired. I have been plagued by a number of events, which in isolation may seem trivial but when added together, the results look like a serious state of bad luck and ill-fated events.

Illness-wise, I been been victim to the sudden change of weather. I caught a very bad cold and a bad cough, that still does not want to go away, even after more than a week of starting medication.

Racing-wise, I have been putting in the time, effort, money and commitment to participate in the various road and mountain bike races, but I am rather disappointed at my race results. I have not achieved a good race result since early April (2nd in the NanJing Road Bike Individual Time-Trial). Other than that, all my races have been characterised by punctures, equipment failures, sudden change of race times, lack of team support, illness as well as sudden disappearance of high race performance. Honestly, I am very baffled at my lack of good race results. (Please see my 2009 Race Results diary section for details of all the races I raced so far this year as well as the Photos section of this website)

This is where ChongYang festival comes at a critical time in my life, since I need the improvement both in work, sport and general health. Happy ChongYang festival to you all. May God grant you double what you wish to me. ]]> http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1256540235#comment 134218240 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:57:15 GMT http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1256540235 http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1254814412
在2009年9月13日星期日千岛湖比赛后的几天，我的喉咙疼痛了数天。在9月19日无锡惠山的自行车登山赛时，我把它看作是个很好的训练赛。在比赛中，我的身体感到很疲惫，因为还没完全康复。

一星期后我参加了南京紫金山的山地车比赛，赛道的过程中有3个很高的上坡和2个诡谲的下坡。当时我骑行在精英组的前5名之内，当后轮胎被刺破后，意味着我的比赛将以不幸来结束。

2009年10月2日星期五，我开车去了太仓准备参加早上8：30举行的77公里公路车赛。当到达比赛现场后被告知77公里赛是在下午2点举行。当时很郁闷！我在凌晨4点醒，然后飞快的驾车来到比赛现场，却被告知我的比赛时间还早。不用说，在比赛中我的腿感觉不是很厉害，但我很高兴能完成精英组77公里的公路赛。

在2009年10月5日星期一，我参加了在洪泽湖举办的30公里比赛，去年我参加的是山地车赛。但是，今年我参加了公路车赛。于比赛的前一天开车到达了洪泽湖，下午去试骑了一半的比赛路程。在比赛当天，我意识到，我双腿的感觉棒极了！
腿有强壮的感觉不是常有的，每年内会有两次，三次。此外，在洪泽湖的比赛赛道有点象我家乡的赛道（常州没有公路赛），我决心做我最好的比赛。

我打算攻击第一个上坡，与另一个竞争者一起。这是自3公里后开始了真正的艰难行程。比赛时团队应该紧密的相互帮助，但实际上，我感觉只有我成了单独的竞争者，他们一个个开始追逐，超前，有时单独，有时一对。我努力加快速度并且把他们抑制在后面。直接地（预期），另一团队的两名竞争者开始攻击我。我仍然不顾疼痛的追逐着。另一次的攻击接着而来，我设法再次的追逐他们。

几公里后，我决定独自攻击。我追了数米以后，回头看我自己的团队也在追逐我（他在做什么？？？？）。然后我感觉我不仅在与我的对手比赛，连我的团队也要与我比赛。我伤心的失望，但这是没用的。我设法与对手队达成妥协，允许他们有两个竞赛者可与我单独在一起，因为我们是最强的。他们拒绝了该提议，我对他们如此的贪婪看重比赛中的排名感到愤怒。
每次我追逐了对手队的车手，竞赛者看着告诉我：“你今天太强大”。然而，实力并不意味着什么，除非它是理智地使用！当我们刚接近一个弯道，终点线却已在视线内。我在痛苦中用尽最后的努力追赶竞争者想超越在前面。在5-7米处他们封闭了我们。我拼命的冲刺，因为我可以，但我的力量离最好的距离太远了。我哭了，哭着喊道：“我应当做什么方法？”

如果有一个比赛真正要登上领奖台，它就在洪泽湖。这不是一个很大的比赛，也不是一个很小的，但它的某一方面能连接运载我的感情。比赛结束后，很多人与我打招呼：“你今天非常强大”以及“抱歉，让您生气了”。这一天，我明白了，残酷的比赛其实是很冷酷的。



English Version:

A lot has happened since the last time I reported my racing news in this space.

After the race at Thousand Islands Lake on Sunday 13th September 2009, I was sick in the throat for some days. On Saturday 19th September I did a road bike hill climb race at WuXi's HuiShan. I treated the race as good hill training. During the race, my body felt exhausted because I had not yet recovered from the sickness.

A week later I raced at NanJing's Purple mountain. The mountain bike race course included three long ascents and 2 treacherous descents. I was racing for 5th place in the elite category when I punctured my rear tyre, which meant the end of my race and continuation of my bad luck.

On Friday 2nd October 2009, I drove to TaiCang early in the morning for a supposedly 8.30am 77Km road race start. When I arrived at the race location, I was told the 77km road race was scheduled at 2pm. I was devastated! I woke up at 4am, drove my car like a madman fearing I would be late for the race, only to be told I was too early for the race. Needless to say, my legs did not feel strong during the race and I was pleased to finish the 77Km road race with the main group of racers.

Finally, I raced at HongZe Lake on Monday 5th October 2009. I did the 30Km race last year with my mountain bike. However, this year, I wanted to race with my road bike. I drove to HongZe a day before and rode half of the race course in the afternoon. Come race day, I realised that my legs felt great!

Great legs do not come often; maybe twice to three times a year at most. Furthermore, considering that I felt the HongZe Lake race location as my hometown race course (there have been no road races in ChangZhou), I was determined to race at my best.

I intended to attack at the first climb, which I did, along with another rival competitor. It was after 3Km that the real suffering action started. I should have been racing with the help of my team but in fact I realised I was racing alone against a team of racers. One by one they attacked and rode away, sometimes alone, sometimes as a pair. Each time I stepped up the effort and speed level and brought them back. Immediately (as expected), the team counter-attacks with another two racers. I still ignored the pain and chase them down. Another attack ensued and I managed to chase them down again.

With only a few kilometres to go, I decided to attack alone. I gained a few metres and looked back to see my own team mater chasing me (what was he doing????). It was then that I realised I was racing not only against rival teams, but my team was also racing against me. I cried in frustration, but it was no use. I also tried to reach a compromise with a rival team to allow two of its racers race ahead alone with me since we were the strongest. They declined the offer, and I was so angry at their greed of wanting all the top rankings in the race.

Each time I chased the rival team's riders, the racers looked at me and tell me "You're too strong today". Nevertheless, strength does not mean anything unless it is used wisely! As we approached a bend in the road, the finish line was in sight. I was in pain from all my recent efforts to avoided racers running down the road ahead. We were grouped closed together, with three others just five to seven metres ahead. I sprinted as hard as I could but my power was far from the best. I cried, cried and cried: "What did I do to deserve that treatment?"

If there was a race a really wanted to make the podium, it was this race at HongZe Lake. It is not a big race, yet not a small one, but it carries an emotional connection in my regard. After the race, I was greeted with "You were very strong today" and "Sorry to get you angry". That was the day I learnt how cold racing can be. ]]> http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1254814412#comment 134218241 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 07:33:32 GMT http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1254814412 http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1252910758
在星期日比赛的前一天（星期六），我从常州的家出发驾车5个小时到了千岛湖比赛附近的宾馆。行驶最好的部分是千岛湖的高速公路，沿途秀美的风景，起伏连绵的山丘，很宽的公路是非常好的比赛车道。

比赛的开始很快，在湿滑的柏油路面，特别是小坑，还有一些水。一旦出城，比赛的速度就更加快了，约150名的参赛者在挣抢车道，撞车是不可避免的。我们必须通过14个黑暗的隧道，下坡的路口有很多的减速带，有着这样美好的风景，但在比赛中，我们却无暇欣赏千岛湖的自然风景。
在最初的几公里之后，觉得在小组的后面太危险，以至不能停留。当我们过了第一座大桥约5公里处，我超越了。后来得知，在那刻，有个小组在后面有很严重的撞车发生。

然而，再次的不幸接着而来。首先，在通过一个小收费站时（由于道路的颠簸，使我的水壶颠出了我的自行车，另一个从我的运动服后面口袋颠出）。而后，当我在攀登一个主要的上坡时，我的车链断裂了！
我站在路中央，不能动，认为这简直不可思议。当所有的车辆通过，举办方的服务车才来帮助我修理车链。当他们帮助我修理时，我吃了点东西，顺便方便了一下，舒缓了我紧张的肌肉。接着，我重新快速的投入到比赛中，尽可能的追赶在15公里前面的主要小组。丢失了5-7分钟，因为修理车链耽误的时间，意味着我将用超快的速度去追赶。这是不可能的，所以，只有一个公平的解决办法：希望小组能减缓一点速度。
以我的速度，在我追赶25分钟后，举办方的摩托车阻止了我。根据比赛的规章，落后的参赛者于领先者相隔10分钟，就必须退赛。实际上，从比赛开始只有约30人直至比赛结束！

在我两次的公路车赛中我第二次又没完成，我真的很期盼能有好运和优异的比赛成绩！更不幸的是，我在写这篇文章时，我正在感冒。




English Version:

The race at Thousand Islands Lake was supposed to be my first taste of elite road racing in China. With so many former professional athletes taking part in the 150Km long road race, the race was surely to be one of difficulty. Indeed, teams from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan flew in to HangZhou to make the start of the race.

On Saturday, the day before the race, I drove my car 5 hours from my home in ChangZhou to the race hotel in QianDaoHu town. The nicest part of the drive was the QianDaoHu highway, where the wide highway along with beautiful scenery and rolling hills surely made for a nice drive to and from the race venue.

The race kicked off rather fast, with the initial road tarmac being rather slippery, especially patches that included water on the ground. Once out of the city, the race pace rose even further and with the large number of racers (150+), crashes seemed inevitable. We had to ride through 14 dark tunnels, cross several sleeping police bumps on the road and cross many bridges that offered such beautiful scenery, but during the race we obviously had no time to admire the natural landscape of Thousand Islands Lake.

Just after the first few kilometres I decided that the rear end of the group was too dangerous to stay in. I moved to the front as soon as we crossed the first major bridge just around 5Km into the race. I was later informed that at that precise moment, there was a large crash at the back end of the group.

Nevertheless, I was to be unlucky once again for the second consecutive time. Firstly, I lost two water bottles as we passed a small toll gate (the road bumps made my bottles jump out of my bike and out of my rear jersey pocket). Then, when I was riding at the front of the group just at the top of the first major climb, my bike chain snapped!

I stood at the side of the road, motionless, thinking that this cannot be true. As soon as all the bike racers passed, the neutral service car stopped and came to my aid. They fixed the chain. While they did so, I had something to eat, stretched my muscles and visited the bathroom. I got back into the race and time-trialled 15Km as fast as I could, trying to catch the main group. Having lost 5 to 7 minutes while the neutral service car fixed my chain meant that I would have to ride faster than the group itself. This was unlikely, so there was only one fair solution: hope that the main group would slow down a little.

25 minutes after time-trialling on my own, a race official motorbike stopped me from racing. I was more than 10 minutes behind the race lead and according to the race regulations, those racers which were 10 minutes behind the race leader, were forced to retire. In fact, only around 30 starters made it to the finish of the race!

With 2 'Did Not Finish' from my latter 2 road races, I really surely hope for some good luck and some good race results! To add salt to the wound, I am also suffering from a cold as I write this right now. ]]> http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1252910758#comment 134218241 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:45:58 GMT http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1252910758 http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1252291698
前一次在上海安亭的比赛已经是3个月前了。当时，距离终点还有一小部分的路程时，我的公路车前胎因为被利器刺破而导致无法继续比赛。在这次周六的比赛前，我期望不再有同样的情况发生来毁了我的比赛。

上海安亭的赛道很有趣，我很喜欢，它是椭圆形的，因为没有要减速的弯道，很适合我的大体形。在比赛中，已经有好几个参赛者的车胎被刺破，每次看到别人车胎刺破时，我希望我不会是其中之一。我很认真的比赛着，直到1小时后我的车后胎也被刺破了！不能再继续比赛，我当时心情很低落。

实际上，我的赛车内胎质量不怎么好，所以，我决定改用无胎车轮。在此期间，我会轮流使用我的一些其他比赛轮圈和碳轮圈，直到我从国外订购的新内胎抵达。

在这次的公路赛前后，我也似乎有另一种比赛。我第一次在中国独自驾驶我自己的汽车，由常州我的家至安亭参加比赛。2小时候我轻松地找到了比赛地点。
在结束上海的比赛去高速的途中，我出现了一个重大的问题。分辨不清高速路口，最终找到A30路口。很庆幸，上海公路车赛大都在星期六下午的市郊举行。以后，我会尽量避免驾驶去上海市区的所限麻烦。
9月将是个很忙碌的月份，我比赛的高峰时间将在10月结束。这是我9月和10月暂定的比赛日程：

9月13日星期日—千岛湖公路赛（150公里-中国最大的业余公路车赛）
9月19日星期六—无锡公路赛
9月26日星期六—南京山地车赛10月2日星期五—太仓公路赛
10月24日星期六—上海紫竹绕圈赛公路赛




English Version:

On Saturday 5th September 2009 I made my way to ShangHai's AnTing circuit for the 72Km road race. Saturday races usually mean I won't be fully rested since I would have worked the day before. Albeit, it does not really matter since ShangHai races are usually held on Saturdays.

The last time I raced in AnTing was 3 months ago. On that occassion, my road race was spoilt by a front puncture with less than a quarter of the race remaining. Before Saturday's race start, I kept my fingers crossed hoping no puncture would ruin my race again.

The circuit at AnTing is interesting and one which I like because there are no slow corners. In fact, it is oval in shape and suits my large physique. Early in the race, there were quite a few racers who punctured. Each time I saw someone puncture, I hoped I would not be one of them. I was racing relatively well until just after an hour of racing my rear tyre punctured! I could not continue the race and was actually rather demoralised.

In fact, in view of the bad quality of the tubular tyres I am racing on, I have decided to change my tubular racing tyres. In the meantime, I will race on different carbon rims using clincher tyres until the new tubular racing tyres arrive from overseas.

Before and after the road bike race, I also had some sort of race. Attending the AnTing road race also meant it was the first time I drove my own car in China to a bicycle race. Fortunately, after driving for 2 hours from my home in ChangZhou, I managed to find the race venue without any major problems.

A significant problem arose on my way to ShangHai after the race. I got confused driving on the ShangHai highways and ended up driving most of the A30 ShangHai highway most Saturday afternoon. Fortunately, most ShangHai bicycle races are held on outskirt towns in ShangHai. Next time, I will avoid driving into ShangHai city centre in view of the hassles imposed.

September will be a busy month as I will be racing to prepare to peak my race form for the end of season October races. Here is my tentative racing schedule for the months of September and October:

Sunday 13th September - Road Race - Thousand Islands Lake (150Km - China's largest Amateur road bike race)
Saturday 19th September - Road Race - WuXi
Saturday 26th September - Mountain Bike Race - NanJingFriday 2nd October - Road Race - TaiCang
Saturday 24th October - Road Race - ShangHai ZiZhu Circuit
]]> http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1252291698#comment 134218241 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:48:18 GMT http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1252291698 http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1250845657
对于骑行三个星期自行车的我而言,我没有预想到这个月的比赛成绩非常好,因为比赛的成绩通常和刻苦有规则的高效率训练方式有着直接的关系。因此，在这个月的训练时我把它当作比赛来训练，因为我比赛形式相当于超长的最佳水平。

原定于8月9日在南京江心洲公园举办的山地车比赛因受台风的影响延期于8月15日进行。南京江心洲狭窄的赛道虽短，但相当艰难。每个参赛者都要骑行8圈，并且要扛着随身的自行车绕过一个大圆树木，奔跑着几个台阶，还要小心谨慎地经过紧挨着河边满是淤泥湿滑的大理石道。

我有一个良好的开始并且名列前四，因为一些汽车在赛道上，比赛的执法人员发出了信号（我以为是取消比赛的信号），因此，我立即刹车减速，放弃了前位后我才意识到，执法人员的信号意味着“要小心”。

在江心洲公园狭窄的赛道意味着，一旦我骑在第8名位子左右，想要超越他们非常艰难。最终，我用训练的方式对待比赛，并且运用良好的锻炼比赛。我最终获得了第八名。


第二天，2009年8月16日星期天，常州横山桥举办了普利斯通杯第二届山地车比赛。比赛组织是令人敬畏的，大约有140位参赛者另外还有近300名来自江苏省的观赛者！这次比赛的规模非常好，因为这是常州举办的第二次自行车比赛了！

前一天我在南京的比赛表现一般，我决定从湖塘我的家出发骑到比赛地点，我骑行了30公里。然后在横山桥外面做好赛前的准备。考虑到是常州的比赛，想要专注在8月份有很好的比赛方式我觉得有些困难，因为，这个月结束后我的比赛目标是在10月份。

我有一个良好的开端，不仅必须按下刹车而短跑着上山，还要避免潜在的与其他参赛者碰撞。从那时起，我用稳定的速度比赛，安全第一，特别是在变化莫测的下坡路段。

精英赛包括一些引人注目的参赛者来自江苏的南部。我们常州的参赛者都知道，他们将给我们带来竞争的难度。事实上，前4位名次却被常州夺得，与去年获得第五名相比，完成今年艰难的比赛，我获得了第六名。
在比赛后，我骑车回家时，我一直在考虑，在最近的几天里，这场比赛的成绩还能接受，愿上帝保佑，我希望明年的常州山地车比赛能有更好的成绩！
9月将是一个繁忙的月份，我的比赛高峰形式将在10月结束。这是我9月份暂定的比赛日程：
9月5日星期六—上海安亭公路赛
9月13日星期日—千岛湖公路赛（150公里-中国最大的业余公路车赛）
9月19日星期六—无锡公路赛
9月24日星期四—扬州公路赛


English Version:

It's been just about six weeks since I returned from Malta and started training for the second phase of my 2009 racing season.

Considering the three weeks I spent off my bike, I was not expecting my race performances to be very good this month since race performance is usually correllated directly to training efficiently, regularly and effectively. Hence, the races this month were done for training and were considered as training races since my race form is quite far from its best.

The NanJing mountain bike race at Island River Park originally planned for the 9th of August was postponed to the 15th of August due to the disturbing typhoon weather. The narrow circuit at NanJing Island River Park was short, but equally tough. Each of the 8 laps required riders to dismount and carry their bikes over large logs, run with their bikes up several stairs, manage their way through a deep mud hole as well as ride carefully close to the river on slippery wet marble.

I got off to a good start and was in the top four before a race marshall signalled race cancellation (or so I thought) due to some cars on the race course. So, I immediately braked hard and slowed down, only to lose positions and realise that the race marshall's signal meant 'be careful'.
The narrow race course at Island River Park meant that once I started the race in around eighth position, it was hard to overtake riders. Eventually, I treated the race as a training race and focused on getting a good workout from the race. I ended the race in 8th position.



The following day, Sunday 16th August 2009, ChangZhou's HengShanQiao hosted its second mountain bike Bridgestone Cup. The race organisation was awesome, with around 140 competitors and another 300 spectators coming from all over JiangSu province! The race turnout was very good for ChangZhou's standards since it was the second time in two years that ChangZhou hosted a bicycle race!

After my average performance the day before in NanJing, I decided to ride to the race venue from my home in HuTang. I rode 30Km and I was then ready to make a good workout out of the race at HengShanQiao. Focusing on races in August would mean forgoing potential better race form later on in the year. Hence, considering the timing of the race in ChangZhou, it is difficult for myself to be in very good race form in August since my end of season goals are focused on the month of October.

I had a good start, only to have to press the brake whilst sprinting the first uphill in order to avoid a potential crash with another rider. From then on, I rode a consistent race, putting safely first, especially in the treacherous downhill sections.

The elite race included some high profile riders from the South of JiangSu province. Us local ChangZhou racers all knew that they would give us a hard time. Indeed, the top 4 positions of the race consisted of non-ChangZhou racers, with last year's winner taking fifth and myself finishing the tough race in 6th position.

After the race, I rode back home. Considering the stress I have been through in the past few days, the races' performances can be considered as acceptable albeit, God willing, I hope to perform better in ChangZhou's mountain bike race next year!

September will be a busy month as I will be racing to prepare to peak my race form for the end of season October races. Here is my tentative racing schedule for the month of September:

Saturday 5th September - Road Race - ShangHai AnTing
Sunday 13th September - Road Race - Thousand Islands Lake (150Km - China's largest Amateur road bike race)
Saturday 19th September - Road Race - WuXi
Thursday 24th September - Road Race - YangZhou ]]> http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1250845657#comment 134218241 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:07:37 GMT http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1250845657 http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1249267607
我还亲眼目睹了武进拥有良好的道路。在常州南部，东部和西部地区的道路维护的很好。一旦进入无锡地区，就能发现质量差的道路。在通往宜兴至金坛以及洛阳阳山的两条路能看出对比。

在我先前的博客中曾提到，常州在这个星期天将举办第二届山地车比赛。由于特殊情况举办方只能把比赛推迟了一个星期。我鼓励大家参加比赛！

这是我以后5个星期的比赛日程表：
8月9日星期日—南京江心洲公园山地车比赛
8月16日星期日—常州横山桥山地车比赛
9月5日星期六—上海安亭公路车赛

同时，上星期我听到了悲惨的新闻。一位马耳他同胞不幸遇难了，凌晨5点15分他正在骑自行车训练。他遭遇了车祸，当场死亡（肇事司机逃离现场，因为酒后驾车没有保险）。他现年45岁是3个孩子的父亲。这一消息震惊了马耳他体育界，并在危险道路上设置了提醒标记。

以下是关于事故的详细链接：
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090730/local/cyclist-killed-at-bahar-ic-caghaq
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090730/local/cyclists-cornea-to-be-donated
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090731/local/may-fathers-death-make-roads-safer
http://www.timesofmalta.com/blogs/view/20090731/betfair-lifecycle-challenge-2009/cliff-micallef-1964-2009

以下是肇事者被指控酒后驾驶和过失杀人罪：
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090801/local/unemployed-motorist-charged-with-manslaughter-drink-driving

最后，葬礼：
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090801/local/hundreds-of-cyclists-in-fitting-send-off-to-cliff-micallef

愿他安息。



English Version:

Over the past four weeks, I have been preparing a solid base for my forthcoming races. The weather has been far from ideal. Rain seems to be forecast everyday for the coming days. I cannot remember such a Summer in ChangZhou since I arrived here in 2007.

I have also been witness to the relatively-good roads that WuJin government boasts. The roads that belong to ChangZhou in the South, East and Western areas of ChangZhou are generally well-maintained. Once crossing into the WuXi district, one can immediately notice a degradation in the quality of the roads. The roads leading to YiXing from JinTan and YangShan from LuoYang are two examples of such a contrast.

In my earlier blog, I mentioned that ChangZhou will host its second mountain bike race this Sunday. Due to circumstances beyond the organisers' control, the race in ChangZhou has been postponed by a week. I encourage you all to attend the race!

Here is my schedule of racing for the next 5 weeks:
Sunday 9th August - Mountain Bike Race - NanJing Island River Park
Sunday 16th August - Mountain Bike Race - ChangZhou HengShanQiao
Saturday 5th September - Road Race - ShangHai AnTing

Meanwhile, I woke up to tragic news last week. A compatriot from my country of birth, Malta, was killed while training on his bicycle at 5.15am. He was hit by a car (the driver of which fled the scene, was under the influence of alcohol and driving without insurance) and died on the spot. He was 45 years old and a father of 3 children. The news shocked the athletic community in Malta and has created an increased awareness of the dangers present on the roads.

Here are links to details about the accident:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090730/local/cyclist-killed-at-bahar-ic-caghaq
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090730/local/cyclists-cornea-to-be-donated
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090731/local/may-fathers-death-make-roads-safer
http://www.timesofmalta.com/blogs/view/20090731/betfair-lifecycle-challenge-2009/cliff-micallef-1964-2009

Here is the link with details about the motorist charged with manslaughter and drink driving:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090801/local/unemployed-motorist-charged-with-manslaughter-drink-driving

Finally, the funeral:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090801/local/hundreds-of-cyclists-in-fitting-send-off-to-cliff-micallef

May he Rest In Peace. ]]> http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1249267607#comment 134218240 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 02:46:47 GMT http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1249267607 http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1248330059
我搜寻了我理想的域名，但大多数域名已经被采用了。

经过几个星期的考虑，我产生了一个想法：www.XiaoLaoWai.com

“Xiao”可称为“小伊”和“LaoWai”指外国人。

所以，如果您想访问我的QQ空间，只需输入www.XiaoLaoWai.com 在您的浏览器，您就可以直接看到这个空间。

此外，如果您想给我发电子邮件，您可以这样做：XiaoYi@XiaoLaoWai.com

我希望这样能促进您的记忆！


English Version:

Recently, I decided to purchase a domain name so as to link it directly with this space in order to facilitate remembering my QQ space and in order to make it convenient for those who would like to visit this space directly rather than searching through their QQ list for my space.

I searched for my ideal domain name but most of the domain names I wanted were already taken.

After many weeks of thinking, I came up with an idea: www.XiaoLaoWai.com

"Xiao" should stand for "Xiao Yi" and "LaoWai" for foreigner.

So, if you want to visit my QQ space directly, just type in www.XiaoLaoWai.com into your browser and you will be directed to this space.

Moreover, should you wish to email me, you can do so at: XiaoYi@XiaoLaoWai.com

I hope this facilitates your memory! ]]> http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1248330059#comment 134218240 Thu, 23 Jul 2009 06:20:59 GMT http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1248330059 http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1247561879
在这些没有训练的时间里，自行车比赛还是按照原计划执行的。实际上，失去训练的这段时间给我的精神和体重两个部分都带来了影响，我的体重增加了。我希望，能把训练的水平提高到以往的任何时候，都是很费劲的。

在2009年下半年的赛季里，这个月我不打算做任何比赛。我的比赛计划在8月、9月和10月，11月初也许会有一场比赛。我相信，只要奠定良好坚实的基础，在不久的将来，最终会有好的回报，不能急于训练的过程，在短期内实现目标。短期训练不是我的目标。

在2009年8月9日上午9时在横山桥常州将举办第二届山地自行车比赛。这将是我2009年下半年参加的第一场比赛。我邀请你们观看一些山地车比赛并且为我加油！

最近，我被一些不幸所困扰，从我的公寓问题、自行车问题，工作问题以及我的手提电脑问题。因为我所有的训练和跑步数据都会输入电脑做详细的分析，电脑对我的训练是极为的重要。我期盼好运很快来临！


English Version:

It has been some time since I last placed an update regarding my athletic physical form. My recent visit to Malta meant that I spent about 3 weeks off my bike. The only athletic activity I did in Malta was some swimming and a light jog. Indeed, I did lose quite a lot of fitness and to my disappointment, I put on 5Kg during the month of June!

The time off the bike and away from racing was planned beforehand. In fact, the break served to refresh my body both physically as well as mentally, despite the increase in body weight and loss of fitness. Hopefully, the break should result in a higher level of motivation than before.

I do not plan to do any races this month in order to work on my base fitness for the second half of my 2009 racing season. I plan to race during August, September and October and maybe a race in early November. I believe that having a good base and a solid foundation will eventually reap rewards in the near future, unlike immediately rushing the training process in order to attain short-term goals. Short-term goals are not my objectives.

ChangZhou will host its second mountain bike race in HengShanQiao on 9th August 2009 at 9am. That will be my first race of the second half of my 2009 racing season. I invite you to attend and enjoy some mountain bike racing and cheer me on!

Recently, I have also been plagued by bad luck, from problems in my apartment, to bicycle problems, to work issues as well as my computer that decided to stop functioning. The latter is vital to my training since all training and racing data is downloaded into the computer for detailed analysis. I just hope for a turn of luck to come soon! ]]> http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1247561879#comment 134218240 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:57:59 GMT http://757292659.qzone.qq.com/blog/1247561879