A New Beginning

It's 2012. January 2nd, 2012 to be precise. In two and a half months or so I will embark on what will be the eighth season of my bicycle racing "careeer". When you've only lived for a grand total of twenty one years, eight years is a long time, so long that it is hard to think about a time when I didn't ride or race bikes. Recently, however, I've begun to think about what life will be like after I hang up the bike. It's become increasingly apparent that I will never get paid to ride a bicycle. In the face of that realization I almost quit racing after the 2011 season. I was burned out. I had no desire to train or even race my bike. I didn't pedal for two months. Still, when I tried to quit, I couldn't do it. Instead, I committed to one more go 'round in "big time" bike racing. I started riding again. Not everyday. School and the weather have limited my time on the bike over the last three months. My motivation has returned. I've been itching to get on the bike full time again, but I also forced myself to take it slow and ease my way back in. I didn't want a repeat of last season. I don't want to burn out in May. But finally the time has come to begin training again. Today was the first day of what will likely be a long, slow build back to peak form. This year I want to do everything as best as I possibly can. I want to race right, train right, rest right, eat right, sleep right. I want to do all the little things. When I get to the end of the season (and possibly the end of my racing "career") I want to be able to say that I did everything I could to be the best bicycle racer I could be. So maybe the one hour and ten minutes I spent pedaling around Forest Park in the cold and windy conditions today don't seem like much, but it's a start, and there's no better place to start than at the beginning.

I'll be updating this blog throughout the season, detailing my journey through the cycling world. These are solely MY opinions and not those of my team or sponsors.