Grant recipient Matthew Davis provides an update on his training and competition.
Europe
The Perago Trust helped me with my dream of riding in Europe this year.
On June 4, I flew to the Netherlands to stay at Watersley Sports Park in Sittard Netherlands for a three month stint of training and racing under the flag of Regional Team - Zuid Nederland (RT-ZN), with the Zuyd Cycling Club.
Our team competed in U23 and elite road races and kermesse in Belgium and Netherlands.
It was exciting racing, but tough to start with. There was lots of learning and I managed to get myself and team mates into breakaways on numerous occasions.
My best placing was 16th, but I was in the team to do a job of a domestique to help my team leader, not to personally win races.
I also went to Paris to watch the Elite Men's Olympic road race, which was an exciting experience.
My time in Europe has been invaluable to my cycling and growth as a person.
Tour of Southland
I raced the Tour of Southland for the third time this year. I definitely felt the gains of my time in Europe.
I got away in breaks and placed 7th on the final stage.
I was extremely happy and proud of how I rode.
I would like to thank the Perago Trust immensely for helping me get to Europe this year. It was an invaluable experience and one I couldn’t have done on my own.
Thank you and regards,
Matthew Davis