Taking some rest

The season is over for me. About a week ago there would have been a finally added in there, but since then, I have already had a hard time staying off the bike. I had my Wisdom teeth out on Monday, and not even that is stopping me. The season went really well, but I defiantly got burned out toward the end.  I learned a lot about myself, my body, and what I want to live like for the rest of my life.  I never stop running though; I’m already looking to next year.

Last Sunday was the Wisconsin State Cyclocross championship race in hales corners. I did not plan my year around cyclocross at all this year, and it had been showing for a while now, but last weekend was a reminder of my poor planning. I was feeling alright, but the competition in the pro/1/2 race was stiff. Tristen was there, and Isaac seemed determined to go down swinging.  This made for a really fast pace, and a hyped up Joe thinking he could take it. I couldn’t. I rode pretty well though, felt really good, but started to fade a bit faster than everyone around me.  I was also really lacking in pop. I didn’t have any fire in my legs. But I held on for 12^th, so I wasn’t too sad.

I got my wisdom teeth removed on Monday, I would love to tell everyone all about it, but I really don’t remember much. I went to the doctor and woke up 2 days later missing 4 teeth and my mouth hurt. I kinda felt like the horse in Charlie the unicorn at the end. But I didn’t miss them all that much. I healed quickly, so I was almost able to eat Thanksgiving dinner to my full enjoyment. But my mouth got tired, that was new to me.

Today I went to a Badger game with my Dad, I had a blast! Not only did the Badgers kill Northwestern, but they did it looking good. Here we come rose bowl! I really did have a lot more fun than I thought. It was good, it showed me how much fun things besides biking can be, and made me second guess bikes a little, which is good I think.  The rest of the weekend is homework. It will be nice to get back to getting things done after a week of lying around. I feel rested and ready to go!

But without fail, my brain turns to next season already!

Next year should be a lot of fun; I plan on involving myself more with the cycling club here in Madison. I want to race a lot more collegiate next year, because I feel that although the competition isn’t as good, I will be able to showcase my fitness on a bigger stage than what I do now, and possibly get noticed for some bigger opportunities in the coming years. My plan is to race a nearly full collegiate road race season with just a few Wisconsin state races peppered in, in addition to ToaD. My team for next year wants to make a bid for an GC win next year, and I know I’m not going to be the guy, but I think I will be an important player in making it happen. I want to race as many collegiate races as possible though, to help my teammate win the national road race. He is a strong freshman and I think with a good team he could win, and beyond that I bet he could clean house no problem.

For my own exploits, I was in a personal struggle. I really do love cross, and nationals will be here in Madison next year. I was thinking of making cyclocross my priority and trying to win the national cyclocross collegiate race next year. After thinking about it, although I think I can still make a serious attempt, I don’t think it’s in the cards yet for me. I think that a national mountain bike collegiate title could be possible though. MTB are my first love in cycling, and I am much better off road with fat tires than with skinny ones.  My plan is to have a small peak for road season and then really hit it hard and peak again for the mountain bike championship. As I see it, I will still be strong after MTBs and I can make a strong showing at cross nats. Good to get this down, I’m done with bikes for a few weeks!