Well my master has been looking at his pack and has picked me out to be the prize puppy. When it comes to finding the finishing line first it seems I am fastest to take that golden bone.

But make no mistake I'll be a big underdog when I line up at the Tour Down Under - I'd love to mix it up with the best of breed - but I have a feeling these greyhounds have a better pedigree than me. I am very excited though, gotta try to keep a lid on it down on the startline don't want those snooty pooches to chew me out.

I may find the shows out in Qatar and Oman, slightly easier to win in a dog fight - I hope I can persuade hand that feeds that I can go on those holidays with the Drapac handlers. I have been hoping to follow the sun, rather than head towards the cold of Europe. I am a fair weather canine after all, I'd like to keep my summer coat.

OZrocker wrote:


The management at Drapac have decided on our three major goals for the first season part.

Easy - This goal is something that we endeavour to do every year, and with a stronger overall team we feel that this can now be classified as a comparatively easy goal. We want to get a stage win in Le Tour de Langkawi, and with our riders' many past successes in this race it should be easily doable.

Medium - This will be a bit more difficult, as we will be fighting for a top place in a race less familiar to most of our team. However, with Graeme Brown's past results in this race we think that a top 5 finish in the Clasica Almeria is not beyond our reach.

Hard - Our biggest race of the year, we were ecstatic to get the invitation to compete in our local World Tour event. Despite what will no doubt be a tough field filled with the best riders from all around the world, we will aim for a stage win in the Tour Down Under. It won't be easy at all, but there would be nothing sweeter all year than a victory on home soil to cement Drapac as a household name on the world cycling scene.

Well I am well and truly in the dog house tonight. I went and got myself detached from the pack of hounds as they chased the rabbit together down to the finish. Some young pup got his head over some pretty prize pooches to grab the big prize, but compared to the Sky breed us Drapac's are mongrels to be sure.

I cruised in to the finish with another Aussie breed Cam Woof and we got a few howls of laughters from the sides of the road. Indeed deserved for being toward the back sniffing butts up menglers hill - I really need to reign my instinct in and get my nose out in the wind before the big climbs as I have one or two too many treats and I am after all a well pampered pet.

I may well have gone from my masters special pet down to the runt on day one of my cycling career, this was not the sort of crit wacky race I am used too - the predigree protour pack were simply too refined for old Matt of Leigh.

No medals for me tonight, I have gotta get out onto the road tomorrow and put that embaressment behind me. I think my Drapac buddies are still out on the road looking for me - I'll tuck myself in and keep my tail firmly between my legs.

I am beginning to get used to hanging around in the pack - I know where I want to be at the front chasing the hare in first place but I need to get used to pacing myself and certainly at lot better at the dogfight that is getting to the head of the pack. Some of these protour guys are like rottweilers and are lead brilliantly into place by their mates.

I have got four stages under my belt now and each ones I have improved my performances I think. Of course if I was still working with my old boss Dic Van D'Arstardly, he would have blown a gasket. But here my owner is a more level headed guy and indeed my fellow breed guys are really helping me out.

I managed a mini sprint near the end of the group with Steele Van Hoff a real rugged Aussie breed on stage 2. I came in together with the old Dawg Greame Brown on stage 3 and even stuck at the end of the main group on the corkscrew hill stage. I am getting there slowly, but this road racing lark is somewhat different from the circuit style I am used to.

I am ahead of the bitch now on GC at least, this dawg couldn't be behind her, though I am fighting the instinct to go sniffing around to see if she is in season. May check her out on stage 5, Willunga does not suit me and perhaps give it a go at winning a medal on the last day. Maybe then I could perhaps propose a match?

You know this hound was somewhat overconfident going into my home race - I just expected to rock up and give those other dawgs a good licking. Actually I was somewhat of a pampered pooch and these packs chewed me up and spat me out real good.

On the last day the whole Drapac pack once again got caught out, this time around the street circuit in Adelaide. Not hills though, just strong riding and being caught behind in a wind assisted split. When it got to the finish I found I could still do a bit of a sprint, at least I know I still have that in my legs.

I have been shipped out to the desert now, in some different styles of regional races. I did a set in Qatar - the lack of hills was good but boy does that breeze blow and it really dries my nose out. Again we got caught a number of times and giot split off from the actual pro's but I feel as if I am beginning to sniff out the splits. I got 23rd on one of the later stages, I feel as if I am getting closer to the front.

In Oman now, I was told that this was a chance to work on my climbing not that happy about that this dawg is scared of heights! Still managed my record highest finish of 9th on the first of the two wacky races so far, which is amazing.