Alex Zanardi Handbike Off we go! 05.02.2012: Good morning everyone! I will begin with the "usual apologies", I have not been writing

Good morning everyone!

I will begin with the "usual apologies", I have not been writing here since New York's Marathon of last year...


I have never been a particularly organized type of guy, but since when I changed sport the spare time has been widely reduced.


I won't complain but, as said, I apologize to all of you. Anyway, I finished my duty on TV; last Friday I went to Rome to record the last two episodes of "And What if Tomorrow Short" that is broadcast every Friday night at around 23.


Last Friday has been the one of the "catastrophic snow" in Rome. Managing to set off from Padova, challenging Apennines with heavy lorries blocked in a row, reaching the Capital zigzaging to avoid cars stuck everywhere to get to the city center, setting off in the evening heading to Castiglione della Pescaia where I had to pick up my wife risking to be blocked on the Flaminia road covered with snow (I quite just managed to avoid the roadblock that last the whole night) and back in the car heading to Padova getting there at one in the morning has been a deed that makes my overtaking at the "cork screw" look like a rookie's move.


Anyway, an amazing experience that took a lot of energy off me is now archived and now I will have the chance to entirely focus on training that has become a daily activity.


I am really happy on how things are going but I do not want to say anything for good luck, but let's say that I start seeing the result of all the maintain and strengthening work done in the past months. At the moment I am a lot ahead of where I was in the past season, I know that it is gonna be hard to improve and reach an absolute higher level, but I will have a go at it.


This will need some small sacrifice from an agonistic viewpoint.


Preparing the London races of 5 and 7 September is the only priority and I will have to skip some races I would have liked to run in such a way not to obstacle the training programme.


The first of these sacrifices will be the Marathon of Treviso on which my presence was given as nearly certain. I am sorry as I won last year on that very fast and nice circuit setting also the best time ever in 1h 02' e 58'' which would have been nice to try and improve it.


That is a shame, I will start in Rome (snow allowing...) next 18 March, then I will come back to the Capital in May for a World Cup race that will be organized on a course that announces to be very spectacular, but in the meantime I will have already raced in Marina di Massa, Piacenza and Padova.


Here is my calendar, that is still provisional; if someone of you wants to come and see me here we go with the possible choices:


March: 18 Rome Marathon


April: 07 Rosenau F Intl. race P1; 15 Massa sea time attack; 22 Padova Marathon


May: 19/20 Piacenza Paracycling; 25/27 World Cup in Rome


June: 02/02 Schenkon CH Intl. race. P1; 30/01-07 Verolanuova BS


July: 08 World Cup in Baie-Comeau Can.


August/September 28/09-09 London Paralympic Games, my races will be held on 5 and 7 September.



I close this with a good luck to my fellow countrymen that will go to Los Angeles tomorrow for the Track World Championships.


These do not involve Handbike as it is believed that a three wheeled vehicle cannot lap on the flyover corners of a velodrome.


Maybe in the future this will change as I know for sure that it is not true; last week I joined my mates in Montichiari where one of the nicest velodromes of the International scene is present.


They were there for refining work and I did not resist the temptation to try and lap with my handbike.


That has been great! I had a lot of fun and I not only managed to finish the scheduled work but I am planning to return there as I believe that some work and specific tests can give better results in such a place.


Anyway... Good luck to our CT Mario Valentini, all the guys of the National team heading off to America and particularly to my friend and mate of the Barilla Bluteam Fabrizio Macchi!


Finally, and a big ciaoooo to you all!


Alex Zanardi -