How much coffee is too much?

Whew, a month to the day since my last post. That’s sad for someone who claims to be a journalist. What can I say, I’m spent. The days of waking up fresh, hopping out of bed and jumping on the bike seem a distant memory. Exhaustion has become a theme. Mentally I don’t have a problem getting on the bike but my legs feel otherwise. Every time I ride I feel worse and my training numbers don’t look good. My body is smacking me in face telling me to take a break, something I haven’t done all year so it’s long overdue. I’m resting up for state road race championships this weekend but it’s not looking good. I wanted to hold some form till Carolina Cup in a couple weeks but at this point it doesn’t look possible. I’ll make a decision this weekend but I should probably bite the bullet and hang the bike up for a couple weeks.

The good news is I can hang the bike feeling good about my season. Elk Grove didn’t go quite as planned. It was by far the best amateur field I have ever seen. Those races were hard, period, and there were still 50 guys legitimately fighting at the end. I couldn’t believe it. Regardless, I didn’t feel great on Saturday and bad luck killed me on Sunday when I was stuck behind a crash after free laps had expired. Oh well, the legs were feeling a little better and I was ready to rip it at Crossroads. The five crit series has always been a big deal for the team and I had been looking forward to it all year. Now that it’s all said and done, I rode well and feel like I took another step up. I was in the action every night and had a couple shinning moments. Of course there was some frustration thrown in there but overall I can’t complain too much. The team rode well and once again it was great to be a part of it. Sixth and 12th were my best two finishes but I wasn’t exactly sitting back saving it for the final. I tried to line up every night with aggression and old school fury on my mind. It didn’t quite work out with bunch sprints being the norm for the week but I was able to stay consistent and finished 6th overall for the series. The week definitely left me wanting more but I felt like I had shown myself and was ok with my effort. Unfortunately, after Crossroads everything fell apart. I became sick and just haven’t been myself since then. I think the seven races in eight days were the swansong of my season. Oh well, I had been going good for a while and it’s just time.


Under the lights in Statesville during Crossroads.

Looking back, it’s been another year of ups and downs but most importantly I’ve taken another big step up. I’ve had a blast and when I think back to some of the great memories from the year, on and off the bike, I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I also learned a lot from my experiences racing with the pro team so I’m eternally grateful to the managers for having faith in me and giving me those opportunities. Whether or not my performances warrant a spot on the pro team remains to be seen. Would I love to be on the pro squad next year, you bet your ass I would! However, that decision isn’t up to me. Next year is still a question mark but hopefully things will start to take shape in the near future. Regardless of what happens with contracts for next year, I’ll be back stronger than ever and I’ll be looking for big things. Now all I have to do is work my ass off so I’m ready, can’t wait to get started! Oh, wait, cross first though.