My final stay in Girona for this year has had its ups and downs to say the least.  It took a little longer to expect to recover from the World Championships.  I would basically pass out around 10PM and I would stay that way for a solid ten hours each night.  I guess my body was just not used to seven hours of racing on the bike.

I did start to come around after four or five days of rest, so I started to get in some good days on the bike.  As soon as I was feeling like my old self, I headed towards the hills and ended up on what was one of my favorite loops.  A really nice climb followed by a gravel descent towards a massive reservoir and up another mountain.  Sounds awesome, right?

The only problem was the gravel road must have had a rough summer as it was barely ridable compared to the last time I rode it in the spring.  I ended up washing out in a turn, at a fairly low speed, and my poor uncovered hands took all the blow.  Nothing too serious at all, something you would expect to have happen about every time you go mountain biking, but at this point in the year it was about the last thing I would like to deal with.  So I just laid there in the sun for a good fifteen minutes, or until I realized I had a flat tire so I would have to change that and pump it up with some bloody palms, not fun!  Days like this one you just have to make it through and forget about it as soon as possible.

I took a few more days easy to refresh the body and more importantly refresh the mind.  Did some shopping and spent a day down in Barcelona with Timmy Duggan.  Add in a few good dinners and some wine and I was once again feeling my old self and motivated to finish out the season on a high note.  And then I awoke yesterday morning to a scratchy throat, great!  That is how about every cold I have ever had starts.  So I am back down at the moment, and I am taking it very easy in the hope that I can hold off this cold and get in a few good race days before my last racing goal of the season, Giro di Lombardia.