On Track

Wow, I'm shocked and ashamed that it's been over a month since my last post! It's odd since there were multiple times I found myself wanting to write but something always seemed to get in the way. It's time to get my social media priorities straight fo real.
Fresh on the brain right now is my trip to January Nat's yesterday. Isaac, Zach and myself piled into the Mountain Khakis team car for the trek over to my old home turf on the roads outside of Chapel Hill. While not an official race, it's a coveted title and everybody who's anybody shows up, kind of. More than anything it's a gauge to see where your fitness is at before racing gets underway. I can say I'm content with where I'm at right now. I'm definitely not ripping it by any means but for the first hard efforts since the last cross race I feel like I'm on track. It puts my mind more at ease since I would like to get started off on the right foot with the team. I'm pumped about riding as an amateur for Moutain Khakis fueled by Jittery Joe's this year. It's an amazing program and I couldn't be happier to remain a part of it. I can remember when I first started riding bikes, Jittery Joe's was hot shit. They were pro, and they were cool. They were in another dimension. They were guys I looked up to and when I saw them in pictures I dreamt that one day I would be there. While I'm definitely not there yet, I feel like I'm getting closer and knowing that Jittery Joe's is going to be on my jersey this year is an amazing feeling. At the same time, when I line up at a race in that kit I have big shoes to fill and I don't take that responsibility lightly. I still have to prove that I deserve to wear the jersey. Being faster is what I think about, whether it be during those long hours out on the bike, when I'm in the basement on the trainer, when I get my very small paycheck from work or whenever. It has become part of who I am. Hopefully that transpires into results and validates my position on the team, I guess time will tell.
The roads and old friends from Chapel Hill also brought back memories and it was nice to catch up with some people I haven't seen in a while. It's hard to believe it's been five months since I've moved from Chapel Hill. It felt like yesterday that I was out on those very same roads. It's probably because I trained on those roads for four years and know them inside and out. I can remember going out there when I first started riding and was working my way up to two hour endurance rides, wondering what racing was going to be like. Ahh, such a long time ago. It puts into perspective what a long road it's been yet I've still got so far to go. It's motivating to look at how far I've come and look into the future and think about how far I can take it. It's the start of another year and I'm still just as motivated as I was then. I'm stronger, smarter and more mature but when I look inside myself I still see the same thing I did then, a bike racer.
Up ahead there will be much to write about. The first couple races, team camp with lots of sweet new gear, as well as a probable trip to ECU for some performance testing in the lab. All that in addition to the usual so it should be a fun several weeks. I'm mos def looking forward to it and I'll be sure to keep you better informed.