Welcome to the Olympic Games. I thought I’d pen a brief jolly this evening as I now have two full training days before our semi-final. This will be the last time I put a blog up until the regatta is complete.

What inspired me to write was a question from BBC presenter John Inverdale in our post-race interview this afternoon. He asked me about social media (Twitter) and whether or not we should be using it at the moment. If you’re reading this then I’m sure it hasn’t escaped you that I pressed “pause” on my Twitter account (@PeteReedRowing) about three weeks ago having been very active until then. I decided not to tweet, but much more importantly, not even to log in to read tweets. Everything that came in was brilliant support but from time to time, you’d encounter someone’s … Read More »

We’ve been sheltered away from everything for the last 4 weeks. First in the Austrian Alps and then to a sea level lake in Portugal to put the finishing touches to four years of hard work.

We returned to the UK yesterday having consciously thought about what to expect so that there were very few surprises. It was an inspiring experience and exactly as I imagined. Olympic rings, volunteers, adverts, cameras and well wishes were surrounding us from the moment we disembarked from the plane.

One thing I wasn’t expecting was the strength of the military presence that has been evident since our arrival. From Heathrow to the hotel and lake, I really feel like security, supported by the military, is taken care of. The Royal Navy (working with the Army, RAF and Police) are proud to be providing a safe, secure … Read More »

This is to help top photographers, Laura Woolnough & Ginny Jory promote their Olympic project. A beautiful and extensive collection of incredible sporting portraits will feature in their exhibition which will officially open on July 27th and is only 5 minutes from Hackney Wick station.

The show will stay up until September, so if you want to see my portrait along with many other 2012 Olympians and Paralympians then find the time to make the trip to Hackney:

“The finishing line”
St Mary’s Church,
Hackney Wick,
London,
Open daily.
www.OlympicPortraits.co.uk

Thank you to Laura for the time you spent with me all those months ago and also for letting me use some of your shots for this website.

Dear faithful Team GB fans,

Thank you for your continued support and seemingly endless optimism. We’ll keep the hard graft going if you guys can keep that pouring in. I wanted to write you all a quick message to say, during games time, try your very best to wear kit that identifies you as Team GB supporters. I can’t tell you what a boost it is for us to see a sea of Union Flags as we’re rowing. No matter where we are, if our red, white and blue dominates the grandstands; if your roars drown out the visitor’s cheers then you can count yourself in the many that make the small differences that help us across the line.

If you are lucky enough to have a ticket, be sure to take my advice and let us absorb your pride. If you … Read More »

I’m winding down on social media before the Games in order to internally focus on the job we have to do in our boat. I’m feeling happy at the moment both on and off the water. As the Olympiad builds to it’s four year climax, we are starting to slowly taper which we don’t do this well at any other time in the cycle; not even the for the World Championships. We’ll be telling the BBC all about it in a few hours when they show up at the hotel for our official media day so keep an eye out for news on PeteReed.com and on the BBC.

In my spare time on camp I try to find 10 minutes each day to get my camera out to shoot the scenery, other athletes and maybe a bit of Portuguese wildlife. Until … Read More »

The great thing about Twitter is that you can only cast out 140 characters. Brilliant – I haven’t got time for much more now as I’m busy working so here are a few key points:

Our altitude camp was great. My hands are in a state. I’m naturally winding down social media before the games but please keep the support coming. I’ve put a few new photos into the 2012 Season gallery. The portraits from poker night are fun to look at… poor old George Nash.

Great to be home with my girlfriend and dog. It’s a shame it’s only for 1 day. Final prep now. I can’t wait.