Road Trip

After a relaxing and busy 7 days at home, I'm back on the road. This time to the first big races of the year. The first of 3 Canada Cups coming over the next few weeks. The blog updates have been scarce as Hadley and I are in Rural Quebec, where the water runs brown due to the spring thaw and the bed sheets are like sleeping in carpet. Either way its a cheap set up. This is the first time in a couple weeks where I have been able to get a consistent sleep, with no hardcore intensity, and with a bed to myself. 11 hours of sleep consistently is very refreshing.
After being home with lots of things going on, its almost refreshing to back to the life where cycling dictates your daily routine.

Baie St. Paul is the area we're in now. Its an old french town est. in the 1600's. Its super Euro with narrow streets and old buildings complimented with snooty french. Hadley and I had to wait for about 10 minutes to get a coffee at a cafe yesterday(2 other people at the bar). It's part of the experience I guess.

We've been riding the course the past couple days and its good to see a new course on the circuit which is different from the typical Canada Cup, where you climb up the ski hill, then turn around and ride the technical back down. This course is predominately flat with some nice flowly sections. There is still snow in some areas as we're super far North, but the course is mainly clear.

Since this is my first major race on a geared bike I'm getting the old stressed out feelings a few days beforehand. I keep trying to remind myself to relax, and have fun. I know I have the legs to be up at the front, but its just a matter of getting in the right mindset for it. I'm trying to picture myself riding my single speed as I did last year, and it reminds me to not give a fuck, whatever happens, happens, right?. On that frame of mind I bought a case of beer yesterday and had one with the meal to give myself a mental switch off to relax. I'm not racing still drunk from the night before, like last year, but hopefully its loosen up the legs and the mind as well.