Mitch check's in

Mitch will be writing a few entries from time to time this season to give a little perspective from a wife's side of things. Without further ado, I introduce my wife... Mitch

You and I’ve got what it takes to make it….

Mike and I married in 2004 at Addison Oaks…the venue of the first race that I ever came to support Mike at back in 2001. Guns N Roses - Patience was the song Mike and I first danced to as a married couple, this puzzled some people as it may not be the “typical” first dance song for newlyweds, but we liked it and felt a connection to the lyrics. Looking back on it today, there is definitely some significance and connections from it to the places that our journey has taken us. Many of you are aware that the past 8 months or so have been personally difficult for us to say the least…from a cycling perspective those of you that usually enjoy hanging with Mike and I and sharing a beer or two with us at Michigan’s two biggest races the Ore to Shore and Iceman may have noticed that we were “a no show” and “a DNF.” We had not missed these two events in nearly a decade, Mike plans his season in preparation to be at his best for them; they are a major focus of the season.

Mike has often referred to me his “teammate”, in life and in terms of the support that I provide him with his cycling…we just want everyone to know that the team is ready to take on another season!

A big “thank you” to all of our family and friends that have been and continue to support us while we have been picking up the pieces and getting the wheels up!

See you at the races!

Mikal and Mitch

The Rat Race

Up at 4:30am, get the cycling gear on, get on the bike and pedal to work like crazy! Finish work at 4:30pm, get the gear on and pedal home like crazy! Rush rush rush. Rush everywhere to everything. Getting in the hrs and miles can prove to be quite a challenge. I'm always on the lookout for any way to save an extra 5 minutes here and there. I thought I would share a few of my time saving secrets which help me grind out the dual lifestyle.

1. I make all my meals for the whole week on Sunday, then save them in the refrigerator. It saves time, and I eat a lot more healthy this way.

2. Grocery shop and do errands on my lunch breaks... on the days I drive of course.

3. I train on a singlespeed rigid mountain bike. This cuts way down on the time I have to spend on maintenance. Save the race bike for race day.

4. I train and ride right from my door 90% of the time. Driving to the ride = waste of time, unless I get to ride Lummis and McDreamy ;-)

5. Of course my wife Michelle helps me a ton with keeping the house cleaned up, doing the laundry, and a bunch of other glorious household chores like caring for the animals and paying the bills. Thanks Mitch!

6. I also lay out all my cycling clothes and my work clothes for the entire week. All I have to do is grab them and go.

I'm sure I'm leaving out more time management stuff, but you get the idea. It's a ton of effort to find the time to eek out that last bit of performance that may be overlooked. But I guess that's why they call it a rat race.