First World Cup Win!
Written by Andrew Mills | 05 May 2013
Hyeres week presented itself as the second opportunity of the season to check in with the rest of the international fleet and see how the winter training has gone and what needs more attention before the World Championships in late August.
I finished fifth in Palma and close to the medals which was a positive start, however it had been a mixed regatta with some aspects going better than expected whilst other aspects were well below par. Upwind speed and fitness proved a real strong point and I was very happy with how I was managing decisions and risks around the race course. On the negative side mid-line starts - normally a strong point - and downwind speed were well off the pace.
Before Hyeres I discussed these issues with my coach, Matt Howard, and we set out to rectify some of these issues in the few days training before Hyeres. It seemed clear during the regatta the slight changes we had made were very effective in correcting the negatives and also my upwind pace and decision making remained at its best. As a result I was rewarded with my first World Cup win. It was great to get this milestone out the way and enjoy the celebrations, being met by the lads with a cheap bottle of Cava to spray in my face - I am sure I will get the opportunity to return this favour to Nick Thompson soon!
I am now looking forward to Garda, Holland and Sail for Gold to keep working on my racing skills before a return to training in preparation for the Euros and Worlds.