Hey everyone, this is my first blog for VeloNation; I'm not going to bore you with my cycling history or life story. In short I'm a 19 year old Australian cyclist who lives in Boulder, Colorado and I ride with the Chipotle development team.

The last month has been all about getting settled back into my 'home' in Boulder. Well, at least home for the next 6-8 months. The question of where home is has been playing heavily on my mind and I'll let you know when I myself have worked it out. I love coming back to Boulder. After going back to Australia in September and living solo in a tiny granny flat for a while, doing the things that can't or shouldn't be done in the season, I was ready to come back to Boulder and put my head down for a few months.

As far as riding goes, since Langkawi I’ve been mixing some solid training with lots of recovery and also some testing to see where I’m at. I find the recovery harder than the training, especially when the riding is so good here, but I think it's better to be a bit conservative this early in the year. I've been training lots with Alex Howes who is always good at keeping an eye on the bigger picture.

It's strange being half a world away from a lot of my good friends and family. I always find it hardest for the first month. You hear about everyone starting uni, having a good time back in Sydney, and its hard sometimes to feel like your not missing out. But I remember how good I have it when descending back down Sunshine Canyon after a hard training ride on a good day here in Boulder…I remember there is no place I'd rather be.

Next up is the Rutas de Americas in Uruguay and then the tour in Sau Polo, Brazil, for some fast, flat and windy racing. Hopefully that will set me up nicely for Redlands and Gila. Anyway, thanks for reading….

Lachlan