Being the
strongest guy in the groupetto and riding hard at the front is like being the
smartest guy in prison and insisting all the other inmates are aware of it;
you're the best of the worst, nobody likes you, and chances are most people in
your vicinity are thinking of ways to kill you.
This past week
at the Tour de Beauce I found myself in the unfortunate position of dealing with
people like this. To be fair, I’ve probably been this guy on at least one
occasion during my racing tenure--that said, it’s still annoying. Obviously, if
given the choice, I wouldn’t have been there but my legs and body pretty much
stopped doing anything productive following the race’s second stage.
Like…ANYTHING productive. Cleary, that time of year has come where I
just need to sit on my sofa and make sure it doesn’t go anywhere. I’m
tired—which sounds like such an underwhelming description—and I’m ready to
relax a bit.
To date, I can’t complain much about my season. I’ve managed
to stay healthy and consistently fit for several months, I’ve managed to pull
out some decent results, and I even got to come
aboard one of the best domestic teams in the United States for the
remainder of 2015. Sure, it hasn’t been without a few frustrations—I wish I
hadn’t flatted on Oak Glen at Redlands, I wish the commissaries at Joe Martin
knew how to interpret the three kilometer rule, I wish my crank arm didn’t fall
off at nationals, and I wish my form didn’t take a complete nosedive at
Beauce this past week. All in all though, I’ve experienced more luck than most,
so I should just keep mum.
It goes without saying that I'm excited to join SmartStop Pro Cycling for the rest of the year
While it may be many weeks overdue, I’m ready to step away
from my bike for a bit and recharge. Beyond the traveling circus that is bike
racing, I've barely seen my friends this year—in fact, I’ve barely even seen
my own home and roommates—and actually catching up with them in person would be
nice. With any luck they still remember me.
Backyard BBQs with friends and the Boulder Farmers' Market--hallmarks of summer.
Kale. It's delicious.
