Finally a Moment of Respite

Where did all of the days go? This last month flew by with the start of school and the second month of base training. I feel caught up with school and now that its a rest and recovery week, I feel even better on the bike.

Thinking back to the last season, I felt overtrained twice by this time of the year with a six day a week riding schedule. This year I have felt unstoppable with the diet modifications, less frequent weight training and a greater understanding of training methodology. If you guys are looking for a nutritional plan, again, I recommend the Paleo Diet for Athletes. I also hear that the Primal diet, part of the broader primal blueprint, is a good diet that includes more saturated fats and a more holistic approach. Check it out at http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ (thanks to Nick Bayma who pointed it out).

There is much to be excited about right now in the local cycling world. One thing to be psyched up about is the Bloomer Park International Velodrome and its summer schedule of events. A USA Cycling madison camp will be held at our local track in addition to other events like the Three Day where teams will be coming in from across the country over the Fourth of July holiday; be sure to mark your calendars.

I'm also stoked to be joining the Essex Brass Cycling Team out of Troy, Michigan. Many of you already know this, but I thought I would share the news. We are going to have our first get-together this weekend to meet everyone and to get ready for the season.

With the new team comes a new bike. I'm awaiting the arrival of a Scott Addict R2 Frame. It is ridiculously light and looks pretty sexy I might add. It will be my first bike with an integrated seat mast. This could be a bad thing since I always Merckx my saddle (if you don't know what I'm referring to, check out "A Sunday in Hell" where you can see Eddy Merckx adjusting his saddle and handlebars every other minute before Paris-Roubaix). This isn't a good practice so the limitations of the integrated seat mast may prove useful.

And arguably more exciting than all of this, I will be graduating in May and figuring out where I want to live and work as a nurse. I'm starting to look around now that my resume is dialed in. I'm thinking about heading out to the Boulder or Denver area to find work and cycling. If all goes as planned, I will be able to race most of the season in the Midwest and then move or stay around here. We'll see what the job hunt brings.

Keep up the good work training (if you are)!

Speaking of training, I have to confess real quick that I looked like a huge sketch-ball at the Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario last weekend. I made the drive with Terry Palmer, Tom Elias and Brent DeRosario. My second time up on the track, I hit the corner too slow and ended up slipping down the track tearing my shorts and butt cheek. Ahh, nothing like the familiar feel of road rash sticking to your pant leg all week. My one crash of the season is now out of the way...