sunburned n' loving it

Equipment has arrived at team headquarters and I got a sneak peek at the new bike for the year, pretty fly ride! In a size 54cm they tip the scales at 15.2 lbs, with pedals. I didn’t believe the first person to tell me this, but its been verified, the 56cm weighs something like 15.4, these things are barely UCI legal!

After a big rest last week I feel the first inklings of good form beginning to grow. I still suffered like a beat dog at the shoot out, but I was more active in the little moves that come and go, and I had a good go in the flat sprint out of the bunch on the way home, topping out at some pretty good speeds. A lot of friends, team mates, etc.. have been wondering about more specific markers of my form, but I am not training on power, and we don’t have a scale at the house - so any indication of how well I am going is in my own perception. So, I perceive I am getting better, I perceive my arse is shrinking and my legs growing, but at the end of the day the proof is in the pudding and we’ll have to wait and see if I start hurting people in April.

It’s a drag I have to leave in three weeks already, training is going so well and I am so relaxed I am hesitant to give it up. But on the other side, I am missing the comforts of home, my friends and family, and really being around other people. Where we live is pretty remote, and as calming as it is – and as glad as I am that I had the chance to sort of unwind 4 stressful years of college by going solo out in the desert – cabin fever is starting to settle in a little. I have a great room mate, Ty, and we are getting along great, just telling stories and laughing at each other when we’re smashed from hard training, but even going out for a coffee after the group ride and being around lots of people is really refreshing. It will be weird living in a city again!

Thanks for all the homies out there keeping tabs on me and sending me the good vibes - I need to get some sleep so I can make the most of my dwindling time here in the sun.