In Jody Cundy's latest blog he discusses his Paralympics roller coaster, Rio 2016 and moving house!
I have been so busy since the Paralympics finished earlier this month! I have just finished a cycling session with some 'Believe in Britain' competition winners which was really good. We had a two hour track session and I rode alongside all of them, giving them tips as we went.
Looking back now, the Paralympics for me were an absolutely amazing experience. I knew it was going to be a big Games, from the build-up you knew it was going to be something special but we got there and the stands were full; the public reaction to the Paralympics was huge!
By the time the Games had ended, I walked through the Westfield shopping centre in my GB kit and that was crazy! It took me half an hour to go the next ten metres with people stopping me for photographs! I have never known that kind of public response, it was crazy.
The Games were an incredible roller coaster of emotions for me. From the deepest lows to some of the highest highs, I've certainly got some stories to tell from the best Paralympics ever.
I was surprised by the attention I got, especially after the kilo event, I wasn't expecting it to go as big as it did (I shouldn't be, I lost it in front of 6000 spectators and the worlds' press). I think it's forever going to be my 'John McEnroe, moment,' but it has definitely put the hard work and dedication that goes into winning Paralympic gold into perspective. It's not my proudest moment in sport, but if it has moved Paralympic sport on post my outburst then that is a great thing.
The bronze medal I won means so much more to me than any other bronze I've won in my career. As pleased as I am with my pursuit medal, I would love to have won gold at a home Games.
Inspiration
The legacy from the London Games is already apparent in my opinion. If my Twitter feed is anything to go by it certainly is! I am getting messages from children and parents alike that have got into new sports, or dusted off sporting equipment to get back into sport that they've not done for years. So I think we have inspired a generation and not just one generation but a whole bunch of them!
Looking ahead, the Rio Games in 2016 were always a distant hope for me when I was looking to London. With London being the experience that I had, Rio is now the absolute goal for me. Now it is just about spending four years of trying to nurse my body through the training that it needs to do to get there, for me to arrive in Rio in one piece and be at the top of my game.
That is going to be the hard part as I will be 37 by the time of Rio so the London Games would have probably been my absolute prime but Chris Hoy seems to have done a very good job of prolonging his career to get to London and possibly beyond so I may have a few chats to him!
The motivation won't be a problem though, that will always be high because I want to go out on top. Winning a Paralympic gold medal is such a good feeling that I want to do it again.
VIP
Outside of cycling I have also been fairly busy since the Paralympics. I am in the process of house-hunting - purely because I have so much kit now I have no room left in my house for it!
At the weekend I was invited into the VIP boxes for the Manchester City vs. Arsenal game with a few other cyclists from the Paralympics and Olympics. At half-time we all did some interviews on the pitch which was pretty special.
I am in the middle of training for the National Championships later this week in Manchester so it has been all go for me!
After that though, I am going to try and fit in a holiday to recharge the batteries in the sun, and then it's back to training and working out exactly what the focus is and the goals along the way to Rio.
Speak to you all soon!
