Well it's been a while since I posted anything. 1 month ago was Cyclocross Natz, (I finished 4th). I had been focusing on that for a long time and just couldn't keep my fitness as high as I needed to. I also took a couple of hard falls in the weeks leading up to the race, which left my ribs and back in a tough way, so I think I was only about 90% at Natz. The good news is that my good friend Roger Aspholm was able to conquer a very fit Richard Feldman and win our age group. It'll be nice to see him racing around in the stars and stripes next year, even though I wanted it. If someone could have said you won't be able to win, but you can pick who you'd like to win.....I'd have said Roger, since none of my teamates were in my race. The guy's a stud! Plus he's a great guy.
Anyway, this past Saturday was my first day back in the saddle after exactly 4 weeks off. I'm a good 8 -10 lbs. heavier than I was for my last ride and a whole lot LESS fit. I need this though, every year I kill it all through road, mountain and cross season. Now my enthusiasm, is telling me to ride my bike, not some sense of resposibility to my training. Now that it's fun again I'll be doing some unstuctured training for the next few weeks. Day one was a cold (not really, but it was in the 20's) mountain bike ride with some of the usual suspects. It was my teamates, Sammy, and Kevin, along with Mike Rowell, and some guy named McCormack (I guess he used to be pretty good or something). We rode the awesome trails of Otis, right here on Cape Cod. It was frozen and fast with some crunchy snow here and there. The pace was pretty crisp, and I was pleasantly surprised to be up near the front. I knew some of the trails and others were not so familiar, but my smile was constant. We had lots of laughs and by the end there were some tired legs, including mine. I held the couch down in the afternoon and watched the Bruins destroy Carolina 5-1. It's great to take a break, and it's even better to get back to what really is my passion. Thats all for now.
JB