I did some more bike racing. Didn't go too well, but it's cool.
I went to Europe for two weeks with my dad. A week in Denmark, a week in Paris. It was indescribable. I can't possibly write a blog post about it, seriously. Maybe I'll post a couple pictures from time to time, but I wouldn't even know where to begin.
Came back, worked a bit, rode some. My mom came out to visit me, and we're at the tail end of her visit. Today we rode, then went for a sail. I have a pretty spectacular sunburn.
That pretty much gets us caught up.
So what am I blogging about then?
Cyclocross.
Without getting into it too much, the time I spent in Europe opened my eyes to possibilities. Endless, endless possibilities. And I want to be free to explore those possibilities, without having any regrets. Of all the things I anticipate regretting, top of the list would be never committing myself fully to racing my bike. So this cyclocross season I'm going all in. Okay, I'm still working 40 hours a week, but I'm approaching my training and my life with a level of serious commitment that I've never practiced.
How serious am I? Pretty darn serious. I'm not drinking alcohol until January 14th (the day after nationals). I am, so far, 7 pounds lighter than I was when I got back from Europe. I have done all the little extra things that make a better athlete - daily yoga, daily core strength exercises. I have two gorgeous new bikes to race on. I am on a fantastically supportive team. I am going all in.
If I do something crazy next spring, like sail to the caribbean or ride around Europe (I'm not saying I will, I'm just saying anything is possible) I will have no regrets, no "what might have been" moments to look back on.
Okay, here's one Europe picture. It's me and Napoleon. Seriously.
