May punctuates my year with an important training block leading into the June / July tours and setting up the second half of the season.

Usually when there is a three week opportunity without races, there is great benefit in seeking a high altitude location to train… in attempt to gain added endurance benefits from living and training with lower O2 levels. I chose to come to the island of Tenerife and stay up at the highest possible point, the volcano El Teide at 2200m elevation. Half way through the tough training block things are moving along well…. the leg fatigue is most certainly dulled by the unique and completely stunning scenery around the island.

What a month it’s been! Podium results for our team Hitec Products in some big races including victory in Trofeo Binda World Cup & second in Wednesday’s La Fleche Wallone by Elisa. I’ve been happy being able to contribute to the success of the team results while i’m back training and gathering form. I bumped in to Jane from CyclingNews in Huy pre race for a little chat about the season so far and what’s up next…. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/neylan-psyched-for-aggressive-la-fleche-wallonne

What a great feeling to finally be on the UCI race circuit preparing for tomorrow’s Trofeo Binda World Cup in Italy… A dinner table full of international stories and consistent laughing yesterday evening was a warm welcome back to life on the road with my Hitec teammates and staff. The energy and morale in the team since coming together in January has been something I’ve never experienced before… extremely motivating and empowering for the season ahead.

My European season is off to a slightly later start than I had expected after facing some injury challenges in the past months…. The ability to recover from intense training, manage small niggles, is all normal in walking the work/rest tightrope of being a professional athlete. However, I’ve discovered the hard way that It’s a completely new ball game managing the body in this rather foreign thing called winter! Like bygone challenges in my career I am listening, learning and embracing the (uncomfortable!) position of needing to apply absolute patience while my body catches up with my ambitions.

I am extremely grateful to Hitec team management and staff along with Scott Sports for their wonderful support during this time. Now as I gather condition I am excited to be back focusing on achieving our team oriented goals for the remainder of the classics.

As a team we are really enjoying sharing our stories via a revolving weekly blog on cycling news.com….. Inspired by my Summer in Australia engaging with communities in and out of the cycling world I enjoyed sharing a few insights into my philosophies on and off the bike with life as a professional cyclist…. Enjoy! http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/team-hitec-products-uck/beyond-the-podium