Spring classics are on my mind.
I haven’t written much lately. I have just been wrangling the family, trying to ride and find some form.
But I have to say, for the first time I am pretty excited to race my bike. I haven’t been doing it much in the past few years. Sure a few Saltairs without much passion. Sure I have be fixated on the technical aspects of the sport, from equipment testing and selection to coaching and finding that thin edge out there for others.
But not myself.
Maybe it was the clothing. Maybe for the first time, not having to worry about anybody else and what a team or teammate things or wants to do is what has brought it back for me. But it is there for me and pretty cathartic.
I have ridden the TT bike 2 days this week already. I am already thinking of pulling the slc-sl outta the rafters and getting it ready to fly. The fenders are dangerously close to coming off the winter bike if the weather would offer to cooperate and with The Hell of the North [1] on the horizon, I can see wrapping up the use of the ti bike for the season.
It’s funny, how many times have I said to clients to identify simple, achievable goals. Go to each race with SOMETHING that you want to accomplish.
And I can see that for myself today.
I do plan to go to the first few RMRs and see where fitness is. Goals for the first 3-4 of these? Don’t be stupid, don’t be on the front and just finish with the pack.
Really.
Simple goal, be pack fodder. But it has probably been 3-4 years since I started a season and raced throughout the season from start to finish. So, I don’t want to or expect to stand out. I just want to be part of it.
HotN will come and while not a peak race or anything, I would like to do well in it. Maybe a step above pack fodder.
Tour of the Depot [2] – a local stage race with a TT, yeah, I would like to do well there. But with a son’s birthday on the 9th and Easter on sunday, who knows if that will happen.
State TT – I would like a PB for the 40k.
Beyond that, there is a hut trip in the plans, Tour of Bozeman [3] looks like fun and if any or all of the above goes well, there is always the Record Challenge [4].
I can almost think of myself as a bike racer again…almost.
-g