The following week, I finally got the package with some essential things, that would have mattered much on my ride to the seaside.

Giro Monza helmet - much nicer, lighter, more comfortable and better ventilating than my old crappy Prowell helmet.

Shimano SH-R099 road shoes with three straps and (silver) carbon sole - new shoes after 10 long years!

Shimano SM-SH10 Red (no-play) SPD-SL cleats - should be a vast improvement over the original SPD system.

Shoes + cleats = nice combination! Can't wait to start using them :-).

And finally - Shimano 105 PD-R540 SPD-SL black pedals. All-in-all, a whole world of difference over my old setup - I can't believe how much energy I've been wasting with it! :-O

02/Jul/2008 - Since I've been feeling really well and strong after the ride to the seaside, I decided to go back to racing :-).

Warming up @ the National Time-Trial Championships. The evidence I've been spending (too) much time on my bike is undisputable! :o)

Aero helmet I got from the UK a couple of weeks before the race...

...along with the rest of the kit. Every bit helps on a TT event...

...especially being quite fit (for my standards) :-).

If I've ever been physically and mentally prepared for a TT ride - it was the time!

3... 2... 1... Start!

I scored 2nd place and silver medal in Elite category, by doing 23 kilometers in 33 minutes - 41 km/h average - quite sattisfied with that.

I've done a few more road races in 2008, but roll on 2009! New tyres (Michelin Lithion) - proved to be crap - both have burst a sidewall very quickly!

Unfortunately, I was sick for 15 days early in 2009, which had completely exhausted me and messed up my plans to go one better at the 2009 TT champs :-(, but it didn't stop me from training and doing some races and recreational rides, that I will present in the following updates :-).