Inside Track 2013: Captain Mads Korneliussen’s weekly look inside the Norfolk Arena
Mads Korneliussen, front, will be hoping for similar form on Friday like he enjoyed earlier this term against Lynn's fiercest rivals. Picture: Ian Burt. - Credit: IAN BURT
I'm making my King's Lynn comeback on Friday at Peterborough and I can't wait.
I'm really looking forward to it as it's a derby and I haven't ridden since May 15 through injury. To make things worse, I haven't completed a Stars' meeting since April 23.
It's going to be nice riding in the team and being back in England as I have missed it while I've been rehabilitating in Denmark. It's not an easy match to come straight back into as there'll be extra pressure but I know we'll be even more pumped than usual.
We need a win, like we got there earlier in the season, to keep up our hopes of reaching the play-offs. Peterborough are looking way stronger than they have been, but hopefully we can catch their new guys – like Joonas Kylmakorpi – off guard.
We won there on Good Friday 50-40 but we can't carry any passengers this time. They've strengthened so we're all going to have to score points.
I knew I'd be riding at the East of England Showground as early as last week when I came through my first fixture since I broke my shoulder blade and fractured my spine.
I scored 11 points from six rides for Outrup on Friday which I was really pleased with considering I hadn't been on a bike for a long time.
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I was very nervous before tapes up as it felt like a whole new season. All the other riders hadn't been out as long as I had. I just wanted to get my first ride out of the way and go from there. Once I had, it didn't take long.
I was nervous about my injuries and whether I would be hard enough, able to pass people, and ride close. Would I be scared? But I wasn't, which was a nice surprise, as from the moment I touched Bjarne Pedersen going into the first corner I just got on with it.
It was a tough night as I rode against him in five of my six rides but it was definitely nice to be back. You can tell yourself a million times you'll be ok, but until you have done it, you just don't know.
I got tougher and tougher as the night went on and that was a nice feeling. I wasn't as slow as a turtle either. I couldn't be as sharp as everyone else, but I was pretty much at their level and was competitive all night, so I was pretty pleased.
Come the end I felt a mix of three emotions. I was happy, relieved and excited that I'd got through the meeting.
But mainly, I was just pleased I was in no more pain than I really was before I started.
When you ride the adrenaline gets you though – until you get home and then you start to hurt. But it was nothing normal painkillers couldn't sort out so I knew I was all good to go again and make my Stars return later this week.
- Mads Korneliussen was talking to Gavin Caney.
• Read Mads' exclusive column first every week on Wednesdays in the EDP.
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