Back in March I started my long preparation for the Inline World Champs. [Shane Dobbin] For this year I wanted to focus all of my energy on winning at the Worlds again. I was tired of doing the same marathon races, year after year. Don’t get me wrong, I love racing marathons but after eight years of the same thing, I needed a change.  Of course there were times where I thought to myself “You idiot, why are you here in the wet and cold NZ winter instead of enjoying the European summer?” The same answer always came to mind, I want to win.

Generally speaking, Worlds this year was not a great success for me. I crashed in late June or early August and never seemed to recover. While in Gijon I was still not 100%, a trip to the physio later and I was sidelined for a week because of sciatic nerve damaged caused from my crash earlier in the year. This was becoming a habit for me. 2005 Worlds I had to remove a wisdom tooth several weeks out from racing while I was in China. 2007 Worlds I pulled my adductor while in team training. [Shane Dobbin] Now this crap! In the end my physio did a great job getting me back on the track in time but a crash in the first race inflamed my back again and kept me out of the remaining distance races on track. I gain form during the Road section of Worlds but was still without a medal, let alone the Gold I was chasing.

Marathon day came and there was nothing left to do but win. As a team we had a great plan and we all executed it perfectly. One after the other our attacks went until finally we broke the field and the favourites were forced to take a rest and let us go. Five of us soon became four, then after a big effort from DJ Nation (my teammate from NZ and Cado Motus) the group was only three. By the end of the race my legs carried me to my forth World title and second in the marathon distance.

 What more can I say, it was by far the best victory I have had. The entire team worked for it and my wife and parents were there to watch.