Back in the Saddle

Rolling at Harper's Cycling for the 2 Mile Indoor TT Race.

Ok, I like 'blogging' but it isn't completely devoid of sacrifices.  For example, I was perfectly fine enjoying my afternoon without a cheesy Aerosmith song in my head.  But, alas, "I am back"... and as promised, I will begin blogging again, now that I have officially decided to race my bike again in 2013.  It felt good to put on the AE/Velosport kit and renew my license.  The jersey fit a bit tighter than I remember, however, but my result at today's indoor time trial (roller race) was reinforcing.


I totally lost focus, and actually began to resent cycling for a bit.  You may think I am kidding you, but I am still upset about this Lance Armstrong situation...  Don't mess with my role model... nothing good will come of it...  on the other hand, why make a bad situation worse by disowning the sport.  I could go off on a 10 page rant, but it is hurting my brain thinking about it, and I still have that crappy Aerosmith song in my head, so I will digress.


Here I am racing, alongside Dewey Dickey at the 2010 Bikes, Blues, BBQ event in Clear Lake, Iowa. 
(Seems releveant, for reasons I will elect not to disclose).

Here I am racing, alongside Lance Armstrong at a racing event in 2010 when he was on the Astana squad.
(Seems releveant, for reasons I will elect not to disclose).

I respect both of those guys... alot.... maybe I will process my opinions in a later post, as this is probably confusing.

In other news...The American Equity/Velosport team is in a major transition... It isn't going to be anything like it was in 2011/12.  I remember how proud I was when Lou asked me to be on the team and told me the details of the sponsorship and the caliber of rider's on the team...  Racing on this team in 2011 was one of the highlights of my amateur cycling career.   2012 was a bit of a struggle for me, but there were plenty of highlights, and I learned a lot about the concept of 'team', and feel inspired to find a better balance between personal and group interests.

Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, we lost most of the Cat 1,2 team this year (Luke Guyton, Matt Zimmer, JJ Bailey, Louis DeWild, and most likely Kevin Severs, etc. ).   Luke and Matt, for example, decided to accept a great offer from Grand Performance.

However, the core group is still very much intact.  Lou Waugaman, Jeff Bradley, Paul Deninger, for instance.  We will be much more laid back this year, as we don't have the same situation as in 2011/12.  This could actually set the stage for a very enjoyable year.

My results at Saturday's race were very rewarding.  Local event newsman Brad Hesford took some video footage and posted it on his site, the Vision of Muscatine.  I am encouraged that I am able to use my sports performance knowledge, education,  and experience to my advantage, even despite the fact that I really have had trouble finding motivation to race my bike, as of late.  I trained less, but achieved the same result.

Bike racing isn't about results for me... it is about affiliating my self with the 'right tribe' of people, and enjoying the social, physical, and mental health aspects of the culture. (suspicious... if it isn't about 'results' then why were my results 'rewarding'. )

Having said that...  I got a bit carried away with my upper body strength work, and will need to shed at least 10 pounds if I hope to have a shot in hell of being competitive once gravity becomes a factor.  I have 10 weeks until my first outdoor test, and I think I am right where I need to be.