Downtime

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.