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Well what a year! I've been riding seriously now for about five years, a relatively short period of time in some people's eyes. However it still amazes me how many new challenges can face you from one year to the next, even in my short racing lifespan. You think you've got it all figured out at the end of one year ready for the next, and something completely unexpected, in fact two things in my case, ruin your plans.

I trained hard coming into the 2007 season, starting with a trip over to Granada Spain, to train without being held back by the weather. I did an early season Maxxis cup race putting myself up against the best in Europe, came 14th, room for improvement but all going well.

Then two weeks before the first National I broke my little finger riding downhill with Marc Beaumont. Sounds pretty insignificant, I know, but it was incredibly painful. In fact I was writhing around in agony for 45 minutes before Ibuprofen knocked the edge off the pain. Turns out I completely snapped my finger and skin was all that was holding it on. Due to my finger being in two pieces underneath the skin, I had to spend 5 weeks with my finger in traction. Any movement would have caused it to fracture again. So, 5 weeks at least off the bike! This meant I missed the first two races of the year, including the first National. It was so hard to be sidelined for that race.

I managed to keep my fitness up by spending some long and very boring hours on the static bike in the gym, and some inventive ways of working the weights machines with a cast on my hand, made the cast smell pretty bad too!

My first race back was the first round of the World Cup in Vigo. I'd been training hard for this race since the first of January and five weeks off the bike before the event was not the way I wanted to prepare. However, I was riding really well, and more importantly I was still super pumped to get a good result. In the final I came ninth, my first ever World Cup top ten. I was totally stoked. Ok, so the weather worked in my favor a bit, and probably put maybe ten riders, whom I would normally expect to beat behind me. But that's racing and it's the first time the weather has ever worked in my favor, infact it usually seems to work against me.

Next race was the National at Ae Forest in Scotland. I rode good here and came seventh, with two foreign top five international riders (Minnaar and Leikonnen - Honda) in front of me. My aim for Nationals this year was top five and this was a National top five.

Next race was the second round of the World Cup at Champery in Switzerland. All I can say is; what a course! It was the steepest and most challenging track I've ever ridden. It was also really good to ride, very scary but World Cup tracks should be a level above the normal I would say. However, my worst nightmare happened here. On the second day of practice I got highsided off my bike and crashed down a banking while trying to slow down on a super steep section, for someone who had stopped on the track round the next corner. Catch netting was strewn across the track where I landed and my arm went through the netting as I fell, stopping me dead and resulting in a dislocated elbow. The pain was unbearable but after what seemed like the longest hour and a half in my life I finally got to hospital and was given a large dose of Morphine and Valium while they put it back together. The pain of the injury was nothing in comparison to the loss of my race season, and a place in a World Champs squad I had proved I was good enough to be on. In reality any chance of getting back up to full form before Fort William was never going to happen. I was pretty gutted. I had to spend 5 weeks off the bike, mid season, while I did physio to get my arm working again. Missing five races, three of which were World

My first race back was the National Champs, I came 12th, which I would normally be disappointed with, but after what had happened I felt wasn't such a bad result. The next few races were much the same and I found it wasn't the getting my arm fixed which was the problem but the psychological barriers which I would have to overcome to get my form back. During this time however I did some cool races including the Mega Avalanche. At the top of that mountain looking at the glacier I was just about to ride down, with 750 other riders breathing down my neck, ready to do the same thing, all at the same time, was the first time I've ever been really scared when riding my bike…. but what a race!

After the Mega Avalanche things started to come back together a bit. I raced most weekends, two more Nationals and some Regional races. Had a second place finish at the Scottish Champs - was pleased with that. As anticipated, I wasn't selected for the World Champs squad, but despite knowing this would be the case, I was no less disappointed. My whole focus from now on was to be the last round of the World Cup at Maribor, Slovenia, and to finish the season where I left off - in the top 20. The Maribor track was a great track for me. It suited my style of riding and I enjoyed every run. I rode well too, even qualifying 26th without a chain due to it coming out of the chain device 30 seconds into my run. The final went well and I finished up 22nd and only one second off a 13th place. The question I asked myself was “If I'd not had all the injuries I'd had this year would I have been one second quicker?”…. I'm pretty sure I would. I made a few mistakes on my run but was very happy to finish the World Cup year on a positive note.

That pretty much rounds up the year to date. Apart from the Edinburgh Street Night Race I've just done. It was one of the most fun events I've done and I want to do more events like this in the future. It's got to be good for the sport to take mountain biking to the masses like that and I want to be a part of it.

Still, one more National to do at Innerleithen in Scotland, due to a round being postponed because of heavy rain that water logged the venue in July. So at the moment all my focus is bent on that. However my mind is already thinking about next year, how I'm going to approach the season and all the things I'll do differently - hopefully I'll have a bit more luck. I'm sure however that somehow something unexpected will happen and to be honest I'd be a bit disappointed if it didn’t. I am looking forward to a rest though, ever since I dislocated my elbow it feels like I've been playing catch up and trying to make the best of a bad situation or season. It's time for a break, reflection and a fresh clean start, to learn from the bad things from this year and to remember the good things for next years racing. I know though, after I've had a couple of weekends at home without having to pack the van on a Friday afternoon or catch a plane to go and race, I'll be bored and itching to start preparing for next year and do what I had planned this year.

See ya next year.

Cheers, Tom