Why I'm Here

The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster of bad luck during some races, lack of will at others and then the usual assortment of ups and downs that keep us cyclists/masochists coming back for more. I've taken some time recently to reflect on where I've been and where I'm going...

So here we are, just a couple of weeks to go before the start of the race and I just want to affirm several things, both for my benefit and the benefit of any poor sap who might be reading this. Here are some random thoughts on what brings me to the 2007 RAAM and Team Strong Heart...

Why I'm Here:
-For the kids and counselors and anyone who might be remotely impacted by Camp Odayin
-For my own psychological benefit, knowing that I can compete and achieve success on and off the bike
-For my parents, who raised me to believe that the hardest fought victory is sometimes the sweetest and most satisfying
-For my cycling teammates, present and past, who have taught me the meaning of friendship, selflessness and courage, on and off the bike
-For my friends off the bike who have shown me hospitality and generosity through the entire RAAM training and development process
-For my co-workers at Boulder Fire Rescue who understand why I need to eat that organic pasta and push away from the chow table when "Trainwreck" is being served up
-For my roommates in Boulder who put up with my incessant mess of bikes and gear at our home
-For the one friend in Boulder who is always up for a coffee and a ride, even if he whines through the entire ride about how tired he is
-For the people I've met, ridden with, trained with and bounced ideas off of along the way
-For the selfless crew who will help us get across the nation in one piece
-For my teammates on Team Strong Heart who will be sharing this arduous, epic race with, from beginning to end with no questions asked

I am forever changed by all of you and I am ready to lay it on the line on June 12.

Frozen Dinner

Well it had to happen at least once racing out here. Today I was dropped and dropped out of my first Colorado race. So far this season has been looking great...I've had decent early season form, have battled a few colds but nothing too bad and have been looking forward to the RAAM and a great season of racing. So I suppose today was a foregone conclusion and was just a matter of when, as opposed to if.

I was blasted right off the line and I believe that I wasn't mentally prepared to race in mid-40's rain/slush/heavy wind. I spent most of the day trying to recover from overnight at work where we were shelled with 4 calls resulting in about 3 hours of interrupted sleep. In between naps before the race I kept checking the weather which of course looked fine until about 20 minutes before the race when the rain and wind picked up, resulting in a terribly cold field. Right off the gun the pace was ridiculous and it appeared that 2 riders got off to an early break. I had 4 other teammates with but wasn't able to make any sort of attempt at even sitting in. Today's event reminded me that it's: A. early season, B. Colorado racing isn't what I'm used to quite yet, C. good to eat some humble pie in a new race environment with a new team.

Back to work tomorrow, with a couple of heavy training days sandwiched before the RAAM simulation next weekend. I'm headed to the allergist on Thursday to see if I have any recurring or treatable allergies. My breathing has been hard/heavy, especially in the morning, which may be a diagnosable problem. Time will tell.

The next big race weekend comes on the 19th and 20th of this month, just a couple of short weeks away. Have two big criteriums to battle through and should ante up for at least one of them, especially since my team (GS CIAO/Wild Oats Presented by Al's Barber Shop) is co-hosting the race on Sunday. It would be special to race the North Boulder Criterium to a top 5 finish or ride in support of a teammate who may finish strong. Time will tell?

I'll check in post RAAM simulation, early next week...until then...

Keep the rubber side down.

Tim