Pages

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Pros and Cons

Lately I’ve been focusing on a lot of the negatives concerned with moving. The prospect of living in a crappy apartment and working at a shit job is generating some anxiety. As the search continues, things are starting to shape up and the likelihood of that becoming a reality is diminishing. However, it’s hard to get it out of my mind until things are set in stone.

While that is a reality I have to face, I feel like I’ve been neglecting the pros. Since starting this venture, the standard comment has gone something like, “Do it now, while you’re young.” I always felt that paralleled a lot of other quests where people my age have ventured forth to see the world and began their adult lives. It dawned on me that I haven’t really seen the world. Yes, I’ve traveled to some races but I’ve mainly raced locally and always lived in central North Carolina. I haven’t really gone out and seen the world. I haven’t been backpacking in Europe or thumbed my way around Thailand, both of which seem to be popular these days. Moving to the Northeast will let me see new things, meet new people and gain an entirely new set of life experiences. Yes, there are unknowns in the future and from a certain perspective the darkness ahead is daunting, but that’s part of the beauty isn’t it. The adventure and mystique of the unworn path awaits.



Vermont…the current front runner for locale.


In addition to the drastic changes that are about to happen on the life front, I’m also incredibly excited about this year on the road aboard a shiny new Cannondale. I’m really looking forward to doing more national level races with a strong, dedicated team. While I’ve been on various teams the past few years, I’ve never been part of core group of riders that did almost every race together. Even last year on Mountain Khakis I only raced with the pro team sporadically and otherwise I usually only had one or two teammates. I can’t wait to race with six other guys week in and week out and really be a part of a team dynamic. We have experience, youth and strength. It should be good fun.

So there it is. The glass is half full again. All things considered, it’s shaping up to be a fun ride. The big news this year is that you will be able to come along and saddle up with me and BikeReg.com/Cannondale in a forthcoming video diary. Once the season starts, I will be creating episodes every few weeks so you can get an inside look at top level amateur racing in the U.S. and the struggles we face in, “The Pursuit of Pro.” Stay tuned.

No comments:

Post a Comment