On the road we find social comfort with teammates and social networking websites via our laptops and blackberry.  We prepare each day specifically for the next in hopes of fresh legs and the prospect of victory.  After time away we return to our homes and our routine; train/eat/rest/repeat. Time spent with family and friends is never fulfilling enough during the season, always abbreviated before we leave once more.  I can clearly relate when I spent my winter overseas in 2008.

During the winter of 2008/2009 I spent my off-season in Maui, HI.  Training full-time in the company of several international cyclists who reside on the island during the winter, I was given a glimpse into the life of  a pro tour rider : The endless hours of training, the nerve-wracking contract and sponsor negotiations, the travel, the hotels, the pressure to perform, dealing with the press and public, the excitement of the races, and the fearsome consequences of injury.

Maui was awesome

My time spent in Maui was fantastic, I gained much perspective and clarity in life and sport.  Periodization of fitness was great as I pushed my body day after day as my intention was to race in Europe the following spring.  Motivation to race in Europe is what got my butt out the door of my shack day after day of training in the fierce Hawaiian trade winds and the epic climbing routes up the 10,000 ft Haleakala.  My time in Hawaii was cut short by 2 months though due to a matter of personal nature and I reluctantly returned home to Ontario during the winters wrath.  The months that followed until my arrival in Asheville are months I still think about – what I did wrong – what I did right.

I spent much needed time with family, met several extraordinary people who I am proud to call my friends and resurrected my social life, something I had neglected since my days working in the horse industry in Florida.  On the flip side my Europe plans met their demise stemming from a worldwide recession, I became ill from training at a high intensity while recovering from the flu and “fooling around”.  Fighting a chronic illness resulted in motivational problems and a great loss of fitness which has really hiccuped my season thus far.

Regardless of what happened during the winter/spring of 2009 I learned a wealth of life lessons, just when you think you have some aspect of your life figured out you are confronted with reality – sometimes it hurts and is hard to swallow.  I’m glad I went through what I did, learning from my mistakes I have grown stronger because of them in both mind and body.  Moving on to new and better things I’m relieved to be back on track with my career as an amateur cyclist.

These summer days in Asheville have been fantastic, racing once more I have found a happy medium in my training/small social life.  Here are some highlights of my week:

Heat Training sessions

• Flopped my training over, more intensity, less miles and more “C/B” racing
• Discovering my relationship with coffee as moved to the next level
• Found a superb cafe in downtown Asheville “World Coffee House”
• Broke my ipod again. Grrrr
• Heat sessions have resumed again after a year off.  Block heater, the “shed” and my bike on the training for 1-1.5 hours.  Better yet time spent in the shed takes place at the crack of dawn
• Launched a new business supporting my cycling habit, more details and shameless plugging in the coming days…
• Went hiking and blackberry foraging
• Found under 1$ turkey cuts at the grocery store.  .33 turkey back?  Works for me.
• Realizing every day I need a haircut, yet Im determined to grow my hair enough to rival that of “80’s haircut Pat”
• Burnt my pedal axle after a heat session, too much torque and not enough grease.  That’s a first
• Just under 4 months till I return to Canada, looking forward to coming back.

Until then…I ride

As for today I rode with D from NY, a climbing stud in the works.  We tackled Mt.Pisgah with 3×3 vo2max.  20 min ice bath upon returning home, throw in some food, two episodes of scrubs and I was back on the bike for a PM heat session to the tune of Armin’s most recent playlist.   Good hard day of training, tomorrow calls for 3 hours of tempo at the bakery “race” with Z and coffee.  And of course I write this donning my naked-man-riding-a-horse-picture-shirt.

Take care eh

-EuroG

• My head took initiative and decided being shaved every 2 weeks had to stop.  I know have hair
• Have avergaed 27 hours of training in my first 5 weeks (850km +/_ with roughtly 30,000 ft of climbing/week.
• Survived a neighborhood tornado on my first day
• Managed to sneak a 900 meter closed course victory on 2 wheels
• Began to increase training stress with surronding “C” races and group rides
• Have awesome tan lines once more
• Cracked my bike in 3 places
• Crashed 3 times
• Ran over 2 turkeys and hit a bear
• Re-discovered my love of baked beans, rice cakes, fig newtons and oatmeal
• Broke a fingernail playing nintendo Wii
• Broke 2 fingers in a crash and dislocated my shoulder
• Once again watching “Scrubs” with reknewed zeal
• After a race in Virginia walked out with 300 bags of chips, 4 twinkies and 30 banana’s, not sure what to do with the chips, suggestions anyone?
• And finally aside from doning spandex I ALWAYS wear my naked-man-riding-a-horse-picture-shirt
• Learning to speak fluent espanol

As for this canuck today?  I rode 4 hours and found myself stuck in a thunderstorm decending Pisgah mountain at 80km/h.  Some may say that would be tough and difficult. I say I couldn’t have been anymore pleased; riding my bike when I choose – in beautiful scenery and roads – rain or shine – helmet of no helmet.  Why should I complain about winds and pelting rain?

Life is good, fettuccine and my bacon butter sauce await.

Take care eh.

EuroG