Let’s talk about snakes - Australian King Brown Snakes!
Yep, they are everywhere around here apparently. Get bitten and you have 15 minutes left unless you get help.
The opening of the Manager’s meeting today was a warning about these highly venomous snakes, given that they will be around the track in this hot weather, trying to seek shade in the heat of the day, maybe trying to come inside on the really stifling days (it is supposed to be 39 degrees on Thursday) and they will be out and about at night and in the mornings around the storage units, when it’s a bit cooler.
Fair to say, there were many alarmed glances being thrown around the room when this conversation kicked off – mostly between the Kiwis attending the meeting! We decided to walk home (we are staying only a couple of kms down the road) – scaring ourselves along the way and shying away from any branches, long grass, drains and anywhere shady where a King Brown might be lounging out of the heat.
The closest hospital is five minutes away so, on the advice of the Velodrome manager, we’ve got our fastest route sussed! It certainly makes us realise how lucky we are in little old NZ, with nothing of the kind to worry about.
Today has been incredibly hot – well into the 30’s – and it's energy draining if you are not careful. All the riders are trying to stay out of the heat and drinking plenty of water and electrolytes. Thankfully all of our rooms have air-conditioning, so most are making good use of it.The track session today was a bit of a fluff of the legs – a few short, fast efforts. Everyone is looking sharp and have their lines sorted, lap times sussed and their head in the game (not to mention the odd P.B. here and there) ... it’s time for the real thing!
The first session starts tomorrow at 12.30pm, with Nick in the U19 Men’s Omnium – first up with the Flying Lap and later on the Points Race. The Sprint Boys have their Team Sprint heats in the first session, before the finals at night and the continuation of Nick in the Omnium Elimination, along with Steph in the 500m, Matt D in the Kilo and Aimee in the Scratch Race.
So it’s over and out from Adelaide for today ... Wish us luck! DT
Captions:
1. Training day in the pits
2. The two wise ladies
3. Lee with his game face on