I've never been a fan of blogs. Maybe it's because they seem so cliche and that it seems most everyone has one. I guess I'm one to be different. In the past I've reported on my racing and training through the Cycling Center website (www.cyclingcenter.com) and that seemed to work pretty well. Although I would not update it very frequently and only did so during the season. Plus, I deleted them after every season. I want this year to be different. This will be my brainstorming notebook, my post race journal, and my photo album.
Maybe I should back up a bit and introduce myself to those of you who don't know me. I live in Michigan and my one and only passion is racing bikes. I started riding road bikes when I was 13 and began racing when I was 15. I'm now 20 years old and have spent the past two seasons in Belgium racing for an amateur team: Cycling Center. My goal is to race at the highest level I can attain. Whether that is Pro Tour, domestic pro, or Category 1 races in Michigan... I don't know. I've been racing in Belgium to find that out and I head back for my third season on April 17th. In '05 I was there for 3 months, in '06 I was there for 6, and this year I will be there for 4. By the end of this year I will have spent over a year of my life in Belgium. But I love it there and that time has been the best time of my life.
So Vince, what have you been up to all winter? Well, that could be two dozen blog entries in itself, but I'll try to catch you up with a brief summary. I got home from Belgium in September and went to school while continuing to train and work (at Starbucks, the best employer in the world). That was a busy time although training wasn't at the top of my list after 6 months of straight racing. I basically took October off the bike and recharged physically and mentally. I began training in November, building up my aerobic base and improving my overall strength. In late January and early February the Cycling Center team had our training camp in Albuquerque, NM. I was there for about 3 weeks. Our camp was held in conjuntion with the Navigators Insurance team and Team Lipton. It was great to be surrounded by so many great athletes and to be able to train in some decent weather in NM. I need to mention the Veloport Corp. who sponsored our camp and treated us so well the entire time. Check 'em out through the Cycling Center website. Got back from NM... trained, worked, trained, etc. Fast forward to the present.
This past weekend were my first races in about 6 months! All considered they went great. I raced in Waterford Saturday and in Ann Arbor on Sunday. They were both training type races and a good test for the legs after a winter of primarily low intensity and strength building. I feel like I'm on track for a good season in which my fitness will gradually increase throughout the season. I placed 11th Sat. and 2nd Sun. I love the Ann Arbor races because they are such a great day of training for me personally. I wasn't able to dothem last year because I was in Belgium but this year I will be able to do 2. I ride 2 hours to the race, race for about and hour, and ride 2 hours home. One of my all time favorite rides! Sort of like in Belgium when we ride to the kermis races (usally 30- 60 minutes... but the races are 2.5 hours). well, that't oficially my first blog. All of the entries prior to this were first posted on the CC website. They are from 2005 and 2006. Thanks for reading.
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