My season 2011.

Now couple days after the last races of the season, I'm sitting down with coffee and thinking my season backwards. So many things happened last season that I can hardly remember all of them, I really don't, but it doesn't matter really – the main thing is that there were the main moments that I learned from and I'll never forget.

I started my training on October after another disappointing season, with new focus. I decided to leave sprinting for the big boys and took individual pursuit in to my program and adapted my training. From the very beginning it started to work. The winter hours were put into action in late February as I started in my first World Cups. I did a clear personal best and I was sure that it will only get better. But it wasn't quite so.

After a week at home in Finland I was spot on back in work in Wales, but couple days later I started to feel feverish. I thought that alright some viral flu and a rest week will do. It only got worse and worse. After two weeks of more or less high temperatures I flew back to Finland as I wasn't getting any treatment in Wales. I don't know today how long I could have lasted if I didn't come to Finland. As I went to hospital here I was straight away hospitalized and got out only 10 days after. I was diagnosed with acute abscess around appendix, which is rare, but yeh – it all started to get better as soon as I got the right antibiotics. I still didn't know if I was to ride my bike at all this season. I was just happy to get back to full health.

On April the first I got out of the hospital seven kilos lighter and my hemoglobine was around 120s. All the work started from scrap. The goal was to get into some sort of racing condition at the end of the summer as I started my training slowly again. My first session was 20 minutes on indoor rower just trying to hang up the total time. For then on I added the load and got better and better.

I recovered surprisingly well and got on the start line monts ahead of the plan and well I did. That was the first signal that the season wasn't lost and I kept working. Seldom I've felt so good after a regional race than that day. That little trophy for a 2^nd place from Kauhajoki Chrono means a world to me. I was second and I had had a decent ride and I was on podium in my very first race only less than two months from the illness. A little race, with hell of a meaning!

The real season started in the beginning of July with NC U23 time trial and I was in rather good shape. I started well, the people in split times and my service care said that I was doing a good job. Then came a thunderstorm and forced me to abandon. It didn't happen that weekend, but to be honest it wasn't supposed to. But that day meant to me that I'm in contest for top places in Finland again and the track season was only beginning. Next weekend was the omnium in which I fought well, but still others were stronger. I knew where i was going, and I knew I had no chance in the omnium, but still whatever the race is I hate losing. It has been always hard for me to do training races without caring about the result, but this season I had to learn it.

The next weekend was a team sprint, from which we got a bronze. But the next weekend was the weekend of my season, the weekend of my first NC golds, the weekend that meant that I'm really back. The kilo gold felt so good, but I couldn't quite yet take everything out of it as we had still the Team Pursuit coming on. The calm Friday night I got one gold and silver. I don't know how it all did happen, I just started to feel amazing earlier on the morning and I somehow felt that the day is gonna be a good one. It had all turned out good. It got even better the next day as I won the Individual Pursuit and was in finals with my good friend. We had a good final, and it felt pretty special to ride with a good friend in the final – I enjoyed it. I had had my best NC season ever after a spring of doubts and emptyness.

Then it was all about the Universiade in China. Tapering went well and I did well in races too. The track was good, but not quite as fast as indoors. I was 12^th in Individual Pursuit, 13^th in Sprint and somewhere in Keirin. The trip was amazing and I met so many so amazing people. It was the perfect way to end up an unforgettable season.

Now after the season I still can't believe everything that has happened. I ended up with the best results so far and I have many questions without a clear answers, and some of them will never get one. Why did it all come so well together? What made the difference? I'm feeling so lucky now, but at the same time I know that the hard work did eventually pay off. But what happened this season is special for me, and actually I'm sure that this season was a turning point for me and my career. All the special moments this season hail from March. A friend of mine said to me after the track nationals that: 'Can you remember the day when you felt so good after your first road ride?'. And I sure can and still I enjoy riding my bike more than ever. Now I do know that I can be a winning rider, I also know that it is only matter of working hard and one can overachieve.

At last I want to give some thanks and credits to people around me:

My mom and dad – you were here for me on the bad days and on the good days, without you I don't what would have happened.

My friends – the support from you guys helped me to get back on two wheels fast I'd never believed myself.

The staff at Newport Uni – thanks for the support with my academic work, I wouldn't have passed my year without it.

The people at Jorvi hospital – without you I might not be riding.

'Life is the only thing worth living for.'

Chien-ju

Shenzhen, 26th Summer Universiade

The Universiade was big, it was huge and it was far from here. We flew over Russia and landed in Hong Kong on 11^th of August. The flight went well and I even got to visit the pilot's office as the captain was my friend's, Illi's, father. It was so cool, thanks Matti! The organizer had made the custom issues easy for us and we were soon arriving in the athlete village. It was all good, despite me lacking my bike and two other guys lacking their poles.

After some 15+ hours travelling we got the room keys and I settled in with two archers. The funny detail in the apartments was that they had the toilet and shower on the balcony. We were told that the architect had forgotten them from the drawings. Anything can happen. After a good night sleep it was time to start gettin familiar with the heat and the surroundings. Afterall, organizers took care of the bike and it arrived the village as we were in the opening ceremonies.

The opening ceremony was overwhelming. I have no words really to describe it. Colourful, big, cheerful – everything. They opened the stadium wall and we walked with other teams into a packed stadium with 13.000 spectators. Just hours earlier I figured out how big the Universiade was: all athletes were transported to the ceremonies in buses escorted by police cars on cleared and closed highways. Wows!

After three days of training it was racing time. We started at 8.30am and I was in the middle of the race. I went on too quickly and died a little bit. Finishing with 4.50,231 was enough for 12^th place which at the end wasn't too bad. I lacked only tenths from my PB, as many people lacked many seconds. The heat played big – we had tad over 50 celcius degrees in our warm-up area and in the sunshine the temperature reached sixties. I had slight troubles with breathing during the race, but still the ride wasn't a bad one. On that day I still had the sprints left. At the time of the qualification I was white and felt very much uncomfortable. A bad ride, but qualified. I clearly didn't make it easy for myself, hahaha. On the first round I faced Miao Zhang, and he took it quite easily with the last 200 meters being 10.9s. On the repechage I got the place three and went from the whistle. It lasted until 650m when the guys caught me and the second one passed me. Korean won, I was second and the Japanese was third, which meant that my sprint was over. If it had been one-on-one repechage I would have won, but it wasn't and I was out. Still to say that it was the ride that got most cheers from the spectators.

After two days of resting I had the Keirin, which was just a bonus race for me as it fitted the program. The big guys are bigger than I am and I had no chance in my first international Keirin. They went when they wanted and I cried in their wheels. It was more about some more track time than trying to really do the impossible.

My races were now over. I can't complain on the results. They were a good standard in big races in a hot weather. My main race went almost as planned, but I was surprised by the heat. The sprints and keirin were good experiences for me. I'm happy how I coped.

The rest of the days were cheering for other Finns, shopping and enjoying!

Now I'm happily jetlagged in Finland!

Almost on the way to Asia.

Good morning,

I'm up early this morning. I was to go to the velodrome around eight this morning. But as I look out of the window and saw the rain radars, it wouldn't make any sense. Rain, rain and rain, which means no track time today. I'm not really complaining. This summer has been amazing and this is the first morning I've had to adapt my track session because of the weather. So far so good and I'm off here in two days time.

Now it is only less than 40 hours and I'll sitting in airplane on my way to Asia for my first multisport games. The 26^th Summer Universiade will be held in Shenzhen, China from 12^th to 23^rd of August and cycling will make its first appearance in the games. I heard from my Swiss friend that Summer Universiades are only second to Olympic games when considering the number of participants - I'll catch you there Simon! This year there will be 12.000 athletes and 73 from Finland, to me it seems quite big having mainly raced here in Helsinki. I'll be riding the Individual Pursuit as my main event and other events as they seem to fit the program.

I thought that I'll add here some more links for you:

Universiades 2011 – official page http://www.sz2011.org/Universiade/

Official Live Stream http://www.fisu.tv/su4/shen.html

More Live Stream http://eurorivals.net/2011-summer-universiade:-live-other-streams.html

I dunno whether the cycling will be in the streams. In the athlete village there are internet spots, but what I don't know how well I can keep my blog updated. But stay tuned in my Twitter!

http://twitter.com/#!/antonaro

'It is everywhere'

Chuang-Tzu

Competition venue (C) www.sz2011.org

Overloading.

Just today after the last 2km effort it occured to my mind – what's the point in cycling? I figured quickly out that I guess I'm doing this, because I like it pretty damn much and I like to push my limits. I couldn't breathe nor walk too well, but riding hell of a distances or intervals, in my case, can be fun. I'll go back to the moment the question occured: fourth 2km effort this morning after an intense six days of training, dead legs, no power nor did the heart beat any more than 85% of my max. Some would say it indicates fatigue. There I was hanging on my tribars thinking about the answer.

I didn't quite find the answer yet, despite the fact that I like it. But as if I come with a clear answer I'll share it, definetly. That moment pretty much sums up my last week. I've been doing loads of training after training, intervals after intervals to overload slightly – and now I've got there, I'm dead tired and my legs are completely empty. So target achieved - my form is currently low and fatigue high, but fitness is good.

Now it is just to desing the taper and let it its magic. Supercompensation must be the best thing in the world for an athlete. I'm so looking forward to Shenzhen!

'When you get there, there isn't any there there.'

- Gertrude Stein