I still don't know what the hell is happening for me next year, but I have a few leeds that I might take advantage of. I'm really looking fore ward to next year for a lot of reasons. Part of getting fast on a bike is changing things that didn't work the year before, or simply modifying them to be more efficient.

Last year was a shit show, and blatantly showed me what I was doing wrong. I learned a lot about my body and myself, and I'd like to think I learned the hard way to listen to it better than I was. The older you get the more you realize you are far from invincible.

Next year I want to do some experiments as well with training. Nothing huge, just little things, like staying a bit heavier. That is a red flag in most cyclists minds, but I think it might be for the best. As soon as the season ends I bulk up from 155 to about 175, so I think my body is naturally a bit bigger and heavier than most skinny cyclists. I think it might work best in the 160 range. Ill see how that goes.

Also, throwing in more rest, less LSD and more intensity in the early year. I don't know where I'll be so I might forgo Tucson. I'd love to train in Georgia in the Spring. The weather isn't as good, but the riding is better I hear, and it might give my head a fresh start.

I'm hoping to get everything figured out in the next week. At least that will give me a clear flight plan.

Stevie and I have been riding quite a bit. Its great. I started working 3 days a week instead of 5 and getting more day-to-day things done and its working out well. So far November has been amazing here on old PEI and I'd like to think I'm taking advantage of it

Cooked

The CPEI Banquet was last night which always proves to be a good time. Usually this time of year when the fall fades into the brink of winter I find I don't see as many of the people in the cycling community as often as I would like. The banquet is a good way to catch up again before the big snows hit, and its a good recap of the year.

Because the Canada games guys are my drinking buddies on the weekend, I don't really look at them as 'the Canada Games Team.' last night was a good recap of their season as their accomplishments were awarded, and a few stories were told. Every one on the team overcame a obstacle. Whether it be broken hands and wrists from brawling, or working on school during training, broken bikes , or simply not riding a bike competitively until this year. When looking back on the year it was great to see them go through that journey and to compete alongside them.

I hope the Craftsman team comes to fruition. It would be great to have an avenue become available for these guys to kill the rest of the Maritimes in Atlantic races. It wasn't long ago that riders from the the Island would regularly sweep the podium at most Atlantic Canadian races. Maybe its something in the soil.

Work Work Work is what I do all the time. I haven't really been doing much else other than french class which I'm skipping tonight because I'm exhausted from work. I've started to take a recovery/protein shake after work because I'm just fried afterword. 10 hours of lugging is killing this guy. My arms however are loving the attention. They use to be little and weak but Ive noticed a huge jump in bulk up there.

Being able to rip phone books in half is a cool party trick, but it doesn't make you fast on a bike, so I guess it will have to go.

Looking for a team in Europe...anyone have a leed?

Trivia Fact

As of 2006, 200 million blogs were left without updates

BFF

Cool things are happening from ERIC and CPEI http://2010cssc.blogspot.com/, check it out!

Shorter Days.....

I guess its time for a year recap and whats going on in my head. This year was a really terrible year, and also a really great one at the same time. I experienced a lot of problems with my body throughout the season. Some that have been explained, some that haven't.

I was forced to take a lot of time off, and it showed me many things. One was how to let go of things that you cannot change, and to let life take you as it pleases. Turning Pro was one of the most exciting things to happen to me in my life. I was living the dream, and it sucked that when I got to where I worked for years to get to, it wasn't meant to be.

This year taught me a lot about being an adult. I felt I aged a lot this year in terms of mentality. Although the years racing was feable, I also got to travel to a lot of cool places, see lots of new things, and experience a later summer without it being bike oriented.

(Many, many coffee shop days this summer)

I hung out with the guys a lot more, and simply enjoyed the summer, as most years I was away racing. I did the Tour De Quebec, with the Canada Games crew, which was a great experience, one of the highlights of my year. I took a job as a kayak guide which was something I always wanted to do. Many of my days were spent sitting at the coffee shop chatting, and the nights sitting at the bar drinking, or having campfires. It was a great way to chill out. I also did the cabot trail ride at the end of the year, which has always been an extrordinary way to spend a weekend.

As the winter approaches here on old PEI I find myself working construction again. Balls its tough, but it keeps you on your toes. A little bit of suffering a day is good for the body.

( Tried to hang out with this guy as much as possible)

For next year my plans are straight foreward. I plan on going to Europe. Most likely I'll end up in Northern France, where the races are long, hard and shitty. Hard man racing is what I love. The harder the better. Every racing cyclist would be lieing if they said they didn't want to race in Europe, and I feel I've put it off for too long. Coach Luc is working on my set up now. I've even enrolled in French class to work on the lingo. Its tough when the instructor barely speaks English.

From a racing point of view, this year has shown me just how much I love racing a bike. You don't realize how much you love something until its taken away from you. Motivation was always high this year, and I find as the fall wears on I cant seem to stop thinking about next year. I realized that I love racing bikes not because I like the ride of the bike, but I like the competition. If I cant sprint to climb or race someone into the ground it starts to come out in odd ways as I learned this summer. I love the competitive feelings when a group of people are simply trying to destroy each other. That's what does it for me.

I rarely hop on a bike these days(work, daylight, etc) but the time to start training is coming soon.

Check out bartape.net for great docs on the Cervelo Test Team.