OLYMPIC KITTING OUT

On Friday I went to the Birmingham NEC to get fitted out and collect my Olympic Kit. Having been through the experience four years ago for Athens you'd have thought i'd have taken it in my stride. But no, I was just as excited as the first time. In actual fact I was more so and it took me by surprise. Already knowing what to expect from the kitting out was something that added to the excitement. What would the kit designs be like? What would the opening and closing ceremony uniforms look like and would they make us look like a bunch of silly sailors like last time? What would be the little surprise extras that made going through it all once I got it home feel like christmas morning?

The other buzzing feeling I had was that of reaching a marker point. It was the first feeling of really appreciating that it is all real....I'm actually going to be going to the Olympic Games. For an athlete the kit fitting out is one of the many unique experiences of the Olympic Games. Getting the kit represents the first step in becoming part of the Great Britain Olympic Team, representing your country and being in the privilledged position of competing in the pinacle sporting arena and fighting for the ultimate glory of becoming Olympic Champion. It is unlike any other event that we will compete in. Four years on from the Athens Games I've been given another opportunity to join a team of the most elite and talented athletes in Great Britain. A team comprised of the absolute best competitors from a multitude of Olympic sports. For the duration of the Games I'm not just a cyclist, but an athlete, and one who joins forces with athletes from other disciplines in a special unity to become an Olympic athlete.

It is because of this that I found the kit fitting on Friday to be so poigniant. When I decided to retire from rowing I made the decision knowing that I'd be retiring from International sport and would therefore not be going to the Beijing Games. I'd accepted that never again would there be all those special things that are unique to the Games like Olympic trialing and qualification, Olympic kitting out, opening and closing ceromonies, the Olympic village, Olympic poduims and medals, special Team GB events etc etc. But here I am doing it all again! It is an extatic feeling to have achieved so much and to be feeling the anticipation and exhilleration of another Olympic Games after I'd accepted that it wasn't going to happen again. Specifically energising for me is getting the experience from a completely different sport and with a different support network and team mates around me. I really can't wait to get out there and crack on with it!

So as you can see I've included a photo of the massive bags of the ludicrous amounts of stuff we get supplied with. Cool eh! Unfortunately somewhere in one of those bags is a pair of deck shoes........it seems the nautical theme did not escape the kit designers this time round either :-(