Changes

For the last week, my body has been slowly adapting to the altitude and training load that I’ve been serving it. The epic ride to Estes last weekend left me feeling tired for most of the week. It wasn’t until this weekend that I started feeling the me of old reemerging. Sunday was by far the highest quality day of training that I’ve had this season. I did a TT up Flagstaff, and then did another 30-40 minutes of LT up Four Mile Canyon and over to Sunshine Canyon. After that, I went home, took a nap and then went out and did a 5 pm Stazio Crit. Today, I’m definitely feeling pretty worked, but I expect more adaptation to occur, and I will continue to whack myself for another week in preparation for the Gila in a few weeks.

I’ve also been taking care of all the structural issues that have popped up this year while I’ve been in town. I saw my chiropractor, Dr. Reichlin (TIAA-Cref team Chiropractor, and chiropractor to many top pros), a couple times. He straightened me out and got my motor neurons firing again using a cold laser. I also went to get a bike fit today from Chris Soden at Pro Peloton. This guy is good; he fits a bunch of the top local pros. We made some pretty major changes to my bike and my cleats and found that my posture is horrible. So now I feel very strange on the bike. I hope to adapt to the new setup after a few rides. More than anything, getting the fit and talking to Chris was a huge reminder of how important stretching and a strong core are.

While I’ve been unable to find any sign of form this year, I can honestly say that since I’ve been back to boulder I feel stronger than I’ve been all season. Taking a break and getting some quality training in has screwed my head back on straight. I can clearly see my goals and objectives now, and have the knowledge and motivation to accomplish these. I know that I made a lot of rookie mistakes this year, and that if I would have had the knowledge and experience that I have now, I’d be a hell of a lot stronger right now. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. My job now is to correct for all those mistakes I’ve made and try to cultivate my form to new heights while there’s still time. There’s still a lot of racing left this season, and I plan to be coming up soon. I also have this new experience and knowledge to carry with me into next season which will prove to be very useful.

Right now, my teammates are probably all feeling their nerves begin to set in as the first stage of the Tour of Georgia will begin tomorrow. Good luck guys!

Recharging

I haven’t written on my blog for a while, and if you have the patience to read this long-ass post, you’ll kind of get an idea of why (that and the patchy internet access of the past few weeks). I was in Oregon for the last two weeks and I’m now back in Boulder- my home, my sanctuary, and my training grounds. I've had a turbulent start to my racing season. With a string of lackluster results, and a living situation that dissolved my accustomed access to privacy, reality, and life outside of cycling, I left Oxnard feeling lost and mildly depressed. However, I am very enthusiastic about my plans for the coming weeks that will bring me back to a high level of mental strength and happiness with my racing sure to follow.

One thing that I seem to lose sight of at some point in the season every year is that my main limiter is my mind. If I'm racing slowly, it’s because I’m mentally cooked. I’ve come to the realization, as I do every season at some time when I hit a low point, that I'm capable of racing at a very high level, but when I’m not fully mentally committed, I will perform suboptimally. Basically I need let my mind engage, to man-up, not be a pussy, and ride my ass off. That’s what I love to do, and I have to remember that. Sometimes, in order to remember this, I need to take a break. I think that when I or any athlete gets into a funk, we have a hard time reflecting on why, other than that there’s something physically wrong with us, which is a very negative thing to dwell on. Sometimes it’s important to step back from the bike for a period of time and submerse yourself in and around things, other than cycling, that make you happy. It’s this time away from cycling and competition that makes you realize how much it means to you, and how much its absence leaves a void in your person. I miss all the wonderful emotions that cycling and racing evokes and remember why it is so important to me, and how I can really tackle the rest of the season.

I went to stay with my parents in Grants Pass for a couple weeks. That was relaxing. My parents eat as healthy as even the most new age co-op shopping Boulderite, which is exactly my style. And it’s just nice to be with people who love you unconditionally. Yep, Oregon was a good break. A 180-degree change from racing and living in a house with 7 or more cyclists that gave me the break I needed to recharge my mental batteries.

Right now, I’m hungry to train and race again. I’ve been fantasizing about hammering up Flagstaff Road (I know, its sick) and trying to beat my record of 24:50. Yesterday I did an epic road ride up in the mountains with some good friends. It was one of those days where you feel like you could just keep going and never stop. I kind of acted on those feelings, because I was out for eight hours, and the ride time was about seven. Luckily, I still got home in time to make it to happy hour at the Mountain Sun and had my favorite post epic ride meal of beer and a Junk burger. I don’t think I could have been more satisfied.

My next big race will be the Tour de Gila so training in Boulder for the next few weeks couldn’t be more perfect to prepare me for the big climbs and the altitude that I’ll be up against. I’ll be back on form in time to do my job at Gila and ready to hammer the rest of the season.