Karl Hammarling - Scene 25: The Grand Finale
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the_hoyle |
Posted on 20-03-2015 17:37
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erm... What?
.: Manager of :.
.: My Awards :.
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sutty68 |
Posted on 21-03-2015 13:56
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As you said ''never expect anything normal'' |
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TheManxMissile |
Posted on 21-03-2015 19:05
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@Ian - Even you weren't as shocking
@Jandal - Thought it was the obvious, well spotted
@hoyle - Never expect anything here, i will always surprise
@sutty - Exactly, it's only taken 10 Acts for you to realise
Act 10: The Final Act
Scene 17: Win or Lose, Part XVII
To shake things up, to make a statement was my goal. As much as this was for the good of the sport, a truly clean winner, it was for me. Since the crash all I wanted to do was pay tribute to Wiles and now I felt like I had done so properly. For the first time in a long time I had done things right.
The media scrum usually reserved for the race winner engulfed me. Questions fired from every angle as the press tried to understand possibly the most controversial finish of all time. I payed it no attention and headed straight for Johan. He was surrounded in a much smaller clutch of media and I forced my way though.
“Congratulations Johan. Make this something special. Make this a moment that lasts forever, something you'll always remember. This is your moment, not mine no matter what anyone says. I couldn't be more proud and I know your family is just the same. You earned this, you won this, World Champion.”
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TheManxMissile |
Posted on 22-03-2015 19:57
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Act 10: The Final Act
Scene 18: I Love Us, Part I
Fair to say chaos took control. No-one in the press, or in the sport, had ever seen anything quite like it. Scrambling around to get the right quote allowed me to slink away to one side. Hannah was awaiting with the biggest and best smile i'd ever seen. For the first time in such a long time I was feeling truely ok.
Before anyone could re-gain sense we ducked into the team bus away from the crowds. I had secured Johan's career. A clean and clear future for the sport. And I had bagged a date to Lucy's wedding. Neither of us could fully comprehend the magnitude of the events unfolding. No-one would grasp it for years.
Mikel came on-board ten minutes later. He didn't have to say anything. The twinkle in his eyes said everything. This was as much a family victory as it was a team victory. He then did an excellent job fending off the scramble outside and I can't thank him enough for the peace he provided for the next hour.
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sutty68 |
Posted on 22-03-2015 21:41
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Foe once Karl will be remembered for the right reasons |
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the_hoyle |
Posted on 23-03-2015 00:21
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Seems like Karl can go out with one less thing to worry about!
.: Manager of :.
.: My Awards :.
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TheManxMissile |
Posted on 24-03-2015 11:02
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@Sutty + Hoyle - Had to go out on a bit of high
Act 10: The Final Act
Scene 19: I Love Us, Part II
It was an impossible situation to escape from then on. Everyone wanted answers and explanations. So I used my uncanny knack for disappearing to full effect. Hannah and I spent the next two weeks hiding out at her house avoiding everything. Just perfect though for us, we needed time to figure us out completely.
It wasn't a fully harmonius time. We had some issues to work through, pretty much all caused by me. Over the two weeks there was a noticable decline in my energy and emotions as my body had to cope without its boosters. Hannah did an upstanding job of putting up with me and in keeping me headed in the right direction.
Johan made some time to come and say hello. Away from the team he gave me a proper thank you but also had to press me for an explanation of what happened. And as much as I had begun to turn a corner I couldn't tell him the truth. I was scared it would take the win away from him and I was still playing the big cousin protecter.
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Ian Butler |
Posted on 24-03-2015 11:34
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Huh.
Hope he's not going to fall into a depression. Lucky he has Hannah. |
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sutty68 |
Posted on 24-03-2015 23:24
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Totally agree with Ian, hope he is not seeing those demons again |
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TheManxMissile |
Posted on 26-03-2015 10:25
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Act 10: The Final Act
Scene 20: I Love Us, Part III
As October was kicking in I had to talk to Mikel and the team. Things has exploded since the Worlds and I owed them some form of explanation. Hannah urged me to tell the truth about all the preceeding events, which of course was the right thing to do. Yet I was hesitant, still holding onto the nature that got me into such trouble.
Moving on wasn't going to be quick or easy and I couldn't do it alone. I had tried to make it quick and alone before and clearly that hadn't worked. In the end I had a Skype call with the team bosses. Some half-assed story about family pride and emotions and Wiles fumbled out my mouth and it seemed to satisfy them.
Hannah I could see wasn't impressed, but she wouldn't say a word on the subject. The Skype finished with me requesting some time off from racing to get myself together. Mikel aided that out and they granted me leave until the Omloop, at the end of February. I was still under contract and I had to make some effort to race such a classic.
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Ian Butler |
Posted on 26-03-2015 10:52
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Morpheus is your boss?
He will never forgive you |
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Ad Bot |
Posted on 25-11-2024 01:14
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sutty68 |
Posted on 26-03-2015 12:54
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Karl had a great opportunity to come clean, lets hope doesn't regret it !! |
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TheManxMissile |
Posted on 28-03-2015 19:03
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Act 10: The Final Act
Scene 21: I Love Us, Part IV
This gave me about three months to recouperate without having to ride. A perfect time to get my life into order and re-shape myself. Without the regular boost of the PED cocktail I was tired almost all the time and the weight of the deceipt was mounting up. I certainly had a new found respect for those who had come back clean.
The final weeks of October were hell. With the mix having fully exited my system I was all but dead on my feet. Ultimately Hannah stepped in and made decisions for me. She called Mikel and told him everything, probably saving my career in the process. She put me onto a new diet and fitness regime and just eased me back on track.
It wasn't easy for her. I was being a dick about everything and honestly I don't know how she put up with it. November rolled around and I was just about coming around back to reality. Doing so forced me to face up to things and become somewhat pro-active about making change. First up was repaying Hannah.
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TheManxMissile |
Posted on 29-03-2015 17:51
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Act 10: The Final Act
Scene 22: I Love Us, Part V
She had sacrificed so much for me so many times. So I put my Linkoping home up for sale. We were going to live together and unlike last time I was going to do my upmost to make her the priority. Pooling our resources we decided to rent out a house in Leiden.
This would put us 30minutes outside Amsterdam, close enough for her to communte to a job and for me to get to Higher Roads secondary HQ. It was also a little over 2hours from Lucy, Phil and Erik. My personal restructure was lifting him right up and I was going to try my hardest to be a father for him.
We would move in officially in the first week of January but decided to spend New Years there setting a few bits up ahead of time. I decided not to tell Phil and Lucy just yet, they had enough to focus on with wedding stuff. It felt really good to be taking these positive steps with Hannah, things were back on track for the most part.
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sutty68 |
Posted on 29-03-2015 19:01
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Tour de France Champion
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What would Karl do without Hannah |
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jandal7 |
Posted on 29-03-2015 19:11
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Good to see Karl getting his life and career back on track. But not to burst the bubble but it's near the end, so this will end very good. Or very bad.
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
5x x5
2x x2
2x x2
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TheManxMissile |
Posted on 30-03-2015 20:35
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@Sutty - Really not much looking back, se litteraly save his life!
@jandal - But which way will it go?
Act 10: The Final Act
Scene 23: Reflections, Part I
November time and I had to put out an answer to the questions from the Worlds. It had been a while now but still endless column inches were being dedicated to the subject. I took a trip up to Higher Roads Stockholm to check in on things and called the press conference from outside there.
Obviously I couldn't tell the whole truth, that would have gotten me arrested and banned. But I played up the personal side following the ToB and placed most emphasis on launching a family members career to the next level. I did tell the Higher Roads guys the full story in private and whilst they had some issues appreciated the honesty.
Decluttering my life lifted so much weight from my shoulders. It was like i'd hit a massive re-set button and changed everything. New chapter time and one that would be about a lot more than just me and my cycling. Before I moved on it would be worth casting one final eye backwards over everthing that happened.
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sutty68 |
Posted on 31-03-2015 00:45
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
Joined: 22-08-2010
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Nice that Karl is looking forward for once and not backwards |
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TheManxMissile |
Posted on 08-04-2015 17:53
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Act 10: The Final Act
Scene 24: Reflections, Part II
Thinking all the way back to my first blog post before my first race. All the youthful ethusiasm and nervousness. I was a hyper-active ball of a kid with all sorts of possibilities ahead. I had these grandeous goals lined up. It was such a simple and brilliant moment I won't ever forget, even if my teammates were asses about my nerves.
My season goals might not always have gone to plan but over the long run I was satisfied. I had ridden for the best British PCT/CT team in Node4, i'd helped make them the best. I had easily racked up 10 wins on my way. I'd gone beyond a Top3 at an NC event, i'd won 3 of them! This year I ticked off the big ones.
Tour de France win, yep done that into Gap. Top 20 in a Monument, i'd won two of the damn things. Ride the World Championships, checked off in some style. Really I had nothing left to go for it seemed. Part of me struggled for a motivation to return in February but I had some big debts to pay off that would drive me.
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jandal7 |
Posted on 09-04-2015 09:59
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Well this could be a twist on a story ending due to low motivation But I know it isn't yours, it's a good way to finish if I'm right
Edited by jandal7 on 09-04-2015 19:34
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
5x x5
2x x2
2x x2
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