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January 22, 2009

My time in Australia is done and I am back in the USA. It all seems to have gone by so quickly, but that is what happens whe﷽n you are having fun and are busy. I spent two months in that lovely brown island called Oz (otherwise known as home). These days it seems less like home, as I generally spend between ten to eleven months in the USA.

Things went well in Australia. They were not stellar, or even amazing, but overall things were okay. Things can be taken in a positive or negative way, and I choose to take it as positive. I am healthy, happy and well trained. Granted, not everything went my way, or as well as the previous year, but it would have been tough to best two medals in two events in th꧙e nationals. I have learned that things don't always go to plan in the sport of cycling. This also rings true in real life! I think you can teach yourself to deal with things as they come. Dealing with change isn't the easiest, but I seem to get used to it as I get older.

Being back in the states is pretty interesting. It's funny how you get used to everything in one country or another. Then you notice all the little differences between the countries (United States/Australia). I'll pen some of them further down on the diary. Another thing I came to the conclusion about is that:
1. People only remember the bad/negative things.
2. People sometimes don't realize that a foreign country actually means that....
3. A perfect place does not exist. By this I mean there are both good and bad things about both countri👍es.

So we're off on the new adventure, the adventure that is 2009, and the new formation (well, mostly new) of Team Ouch presented by Maxxis. It's going to be a hell of a lot of fun, and with a bi⛦g bolstering of the roster, I really think we have a pretty special group of guys for this year. I know, I know, I say this every year, but it's not every year you are riding with Floyd...

I'm under no illusions that it won't be a hard year. As a team we will be under the microscope, and have greater expectations than we have had before. With some serious names and firepower on the team, responsibilities will fall more on our shoulders than ever before. I'm pretty excited, new things are always fun, and when camp starts later this week, that wonderful day called "C🌱hristmas" is upon us again. By this I mean turning up at camp with your laptop, wallet, and toothbrush. Seriously, this is all you need. Bags and bags of stuff start arriving-hence the Christmas nickname. From the casual kit, to shoes, to all the race and training clothing, sponsor presents, bikes (by that I mean a few). So yes, it's a busy and fun time!

After camp it will be all systems go. Tour of California will be o๊nly a week and a half away. It's always hard having the first race of the year be the biggest. However, at least the rest of the season isn't as hard as those nine days!

Australia

• Petrol is ohhhh so cheap
• San Diego winter is 26C/80F, nothing wrong with that!
• Its' all sometimes a little too fast paced for me, getting used to traffic again is touch.

I'll have another update from Training camp, as I'm sure there will be plenty of stories to tell! Some will be told, while others will be kept in Temecula (where camp is held in California). I'll also be writing my regular daily diaryꦗ from the Tour of California!

Cheers,

Rory Sutherland
Team Ouch Presented by Maxxis