The Season Ending and the Season Beginning

So Iceman came and went and proved to be the season finale for me just like every year. This year was a cap to a successful comeback from the neck injury. Everything about the race was great! The weather was awesome, the race went smooth, and the post race sunset on the season was a blast. The cheers at the start line were awesome! It was a really cool moment for me standing there as all my fellow comrades clapped and cheered for my return. I’ll never forget it. It makes me realize how many close friends I’ve made over the years because of this sport. Cranking out mile after mile, hour after hour, with so many different people has given me the opportunity to develop and maintain so many close relationships. If I can take anything away from this sport, it would be the friendships. I hope to get to know many more of you out there on the roads in the coming years.

With that being said, the racing season for next year is already taking shape. Looks like all the sponsors will be back for 2012. I’ll still be rocking the Notubes wheels. If you haven’t heard of these fantastic race wheels, you’ve been living in a cave, which I suppose I can understand if you’re a pro cyclist. Anyways, they’re all over the podiums and they make great products. Rochester Bike Shop is supporting again as well, so get down to RBS in downtown Rochester for all your cycling needs. They’re great people and will bend over backwards to take care of you. Also on board again is CPA Crossings to support with the entry fees. Bryan Smith and his colleagues started this company on their own blood and sweat. I’ve had a chance to ride with Bryan on a couple of occasions and he’s a no bullshit straight shooter stand up kind of guy who’s definitely not afraid to push himself on the bike. So spread the word about this great company and the wonderful support they are providing for the team! Mucho appreciation! And of course we can’t forget the Trek 29ers. The new Superfly is straight up race ready out of the box rocking the top-o-the-line SRAM XX kit. Hopefully that’s what I’ll be on next year (hint hint).

The training has been going really well. I swooped up a killer new toy. It’s a Cycleops 300 Pro indoor spin bike. This baby comes power tap equipped with all the bells and whistles. I’ve gotten on it a few times and run a few tests. Very humbling experience looking at the power numbers right in front of you. Hopefully training with power is going to really help boost the fitness. It’s great to have something like this permanently setup in the basement so it’s ready to just hop and go. I’m still running a ton of stairs just about every day on my lunch break. It’s helping to keep the winter padding on the waist to a minimum. On the weekends I’ve just been cranking out the miles on the dirt rds to keep my endurance up. Other than that, nothing all that special for this time of year.

The 2012 schedule is shaping up. Looks like a another run at the NUE series, and I’m really taking interest in this new UltraCX series as well. The timing of the two series looks to work out perfectly. I’m also going to try my luck at the Leadville lottery again this year as well, but if I don’t make it, there’s plenty of other very cool options. Then of course there will be the fall run-up to the Iceman. So I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and getting ready for a power packed winter of training. Hope to see you out on the roads!