I Think I’m Starting to Party

Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the title of this post. That’s a direct quote from Travis right before he went to sleep from anesthesia for surgery on his collarbone. While it’s quite humorous by itself, I also felt like it’s a good representation of my current state of mind.

I haven’t been partying in the literal sense much at all lately but things have been starting to come together and I feel like I’m hitting a groove. My Cyclo-cross woes were answered by a quick phone call to Jon Hamblen who hooked me up with a ride on the Ken’s Bike Shop team. While I was a little upset with the lack of support from Mock Orange, I was thrilled with the switch to Ken’s. It was immediately obvious he just wanted to help out and was happy to do so. It’s a great, positive environment to be in. It also means I get the continued mentorship of Jon which proved to be invaluable on the road and I assume it will be even more so in the dirt.

After the team situation came to fruition I was eager to get the cross season started. Winston once again amazed me with the fact that I could do three training races during the week without driving more than 45 minutes away! How many other places in the country can say that? As awesome as that is, the races didn’t go quite as planned. I’ve been training but I didn’t have the ultra intense efforts in my legs that are cross racing. That, combined with some mechanicals, made for a frustrating first week on the cross bike. However, the form is coming around quickly so I should be good to go by the time the NCCX season starts. Plus, there’s nothing like getting your ass handed to you to make you want it that much more. In addition to personal ambition, Ken had faith in me and I want to repay him as much as I can while proving that I deserve everything he’s doing for me. Results are certainly part of that. So I guess there’s nothing left to do but break out the embrocation and see what I can do.

I’m starting to rough out a schedule and work in a couple trips to the northeast for some UCI races so it should be a fun season. I’m definitely looking forward to it while anxiously awaiting news for next year on the road. Ahh, the anticipation.