After being eliminated from Dancing With the Stars a couple of weeks ago, I watched the show online last week, knowing that I would be back for another bit of dancing on tonight’s final show.
fter spending some time learning what it takes to be a director sportif in the team car with Trinity Cycling in Belgium last week, I arrived back to Ireland on Monday and was straight into rehearsals for our final night routine.
With just a brief cameo dance at the end of the show however, we only had a couple of hours practice Monday and then didn’t meet up again until yesterday morning, where the former contestants spent a few hours going over our group routine.
In the group dance, each of us had our own little part, one we had previously danced during the show.
For me, they picked the umbrella scene from my Singing in The Rain routine a few weeks ago and thankfully it wasn’t too complicated, which was probably just as well as I’d been at the Olympic Ball the night before in The Mansion House and may not have been fully alert.
Although I’ve ridden in four Olympics, I’ve never been able to make it to the ball before because it was previously held in December always clashed with pre-season training camps with my teams, so it was great to get to finally attend one.
I spent much of the night with the track cycling duo, Mark Downey and Felix English, before joining some of the lads from the rugby sevens squad when Jordan made a brief appearance. As Jordan had to dance in the final today though, he was on his best behaviour and left early but the night was great craic.
Yesterday was a long day but it was great to catch up with people. On every other show day, there was lots of rushing around, practicing, getting last minute steps right, costumes adjusted and stuff but today was more relaxed and more sociable. Once our rehearsals were done this morning we spent about an hour sitting on the grass in the sun chatting to each other which was lovely.
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On Monday, comedian Neil Delamere had told me that he’d bought himself a bike to keep fit after the show so this morning I brought him my spare Team Ireland jersey and shorts from last year’s world championships to get him started, although I don’t think he realises there were only ever two sets made.
It was lovely to be able to watch the show tonight without any pressure at all.
It was great to see the judges strut their stuff at the start of the show tonight. We all know that they can talk the talk but tonight they showed they can dance the dance too and I have to say, they were brilliant.
Although I wasn’t dancing, it was actually nerve wracking watching the final. The standard was so high that any of Nina, Jordan, Erica or Ellen could have been declared winner and nobody would have argued about it.
I wasn’t lying when Nicky Byrne asked me if I would have like to be out there tonight.
As a sportsman, I wouldn’t have wanted to, or been able to, take the place of one of those four in tonight’s final.
Only the proper dancers were left tonight and it was really cool to watch.
I purposely hadn’t watched any of the routines this morning because I wanted to have the full audience experience of seeing it in unfold live front of me and I have to say they were all amazing.
My favourite dance of the night was Jordan’s final hip hop dance. It’s not a style that’s usually seen on the show but I think it was dynamic, fun and really suited him and he really pulled it off but I was also delighted for Nina to be awarded with the glitterball this year.
When the show was first pitched to me back in December, they said: “You are going to love this show. It will make you nervous. It will frustrate you. It will push you out of your comfort zone, but it will change your life.” I didn’t really believe them at the time, but I believe them now.
It was nerve wracking waiting for the results every weekend. I have been so frustrated that I literally stuck my head out the window to scream at one point. I have never done that in my life before! I have been pushed so far beyond my comfort zone, I don’t remember where it was in the first place, but it’s been an unbelievable experience and has opened me up to a whole new side of life.
This series has been so intense, but I’ve made so many friends on this show, from the people working backstage to the celebrities, the pro dancers, the choreographers. I truly enjoyed the whole experience.
Another thing I have to be thankful for is the time spent in Ireland. In 14 years as a professional cyclist, I have never spent so much time at home with family so it will be strange to pack my bags and leave my grandparents’ house tomorrow.
I really have to thank Karen Byrne again for her patience and her expertise. I wasn’t the quickest learner and but she got me further than I could have dreamed.
Although I had been eliminated a couple of weeks ago, in the back of my mind, I knew we’d all be back together for the final and I was looking forward to that. But from tomorrow, the show is over. And not just for me. For everyone. It’s back to reality. We’re not on Dancing With the Stars any more. Everyone is back into their own different careers.
Thanks to everybody for supporting me on the journey and thanks to the Irish independent for giving me the opportunity to write a very different type of diary than I’m used to.
The final show of Dancing With The Stars closes another chapter of my life but within the next few days I will be sitting down to write another one as I’m hoping to bring out a second book, a sequel to Inside The Peloton, so getting a proposal together and starting to write is one of my next tasks.
First off though, I’m heading to the wrap party now with everyone in town. It should be a great night. Who knows, I might even get up and dance!
