Sunny Days and Pale Skin

Another day brings new problems worthy of blogging. I need not continue to bitch about the cold weather because at last we are getting a break from the ceaseless northern chill that hung around for the past two months. Now I am focusing my concerns with the expectation that shorts weather riding is right around the corner.

Today I exposed my arms and shins to the sun for the first time since October and I realized that my pasty complexion is super not pro. I am going to have to do something about putting some color into my skin before California. Even though I have little to no idea what it means to be "pro", I sure as hell know that you cant be going around looking like a Krispy Saltine. This is no Clearasil commercial, there is no bragging rights about being "clean and clear". Shaven pale legs look disgusting and feeble.

If I am as committed to this "breakout" season that I have been building up to my friends and family, I cannot do them wrong by not resolving this massive problem in swift time. As of now I have two ideas; first is the Clemson Cycling approach (more specifically the Ben Zawacki and followers approach...no hate) of going to a tanning salon and wearing my kit in the bed (I admit, I did it once or twice before), and the last idea is to lay out for a few hours after each ride to really hit those hard to reach spots. Regardless of how it gets done, we can all agree that it has to ge'it dun. I have to use those uv rays to burn the intimidating image of fitness into the eyes of my competitors so that people wont even attempt to cover my moves.



Cycling cosmetology is crucial but rarely discussed topic, just look at every cat 3 cyclist in america. Maybe Alex Grause (the "king"of UVM cycling swagger) could chime in and enlighten me on how to pull off the image of an accomplished cyclist, but we all know, this is not an image for me, this is my breakout year baby. Somebody dust my shoulders off.

I Prefer Barbecue Over Mexican

Its seems like every day someone makes a smug comment regarding my decision to spend the winter in the southeast. I do understand why so many people to go westward from the instant the leaves start to turn, but I am not that weak. As a New Hampshire native and a seasoning Vermonter, I am accustom to extreme climates. Racing Nordic in the darkness of winter and riding bikes when it was humanly possible, every winter I have pushed myself to the limits of what I thought was possible.

Although I have not experienced Arizona training personally, Toby Marzot compares, "a 3 hour New England winter ride is the equivalent of a 6 hour Tucson winter ride". This is both a blessing and a curse for someone in my position. Let me first point out how this makes my situation sweeter than everyone out west, and then I will get into why I may have made a bad call moving to NC.

I can do half as much training and still be as small as all you guys, or I can do that same amount of training but have the privilege of eating twice as much without gaining weight. Both options are equally awesome because as this posts title suggests, I love BBQ and the south has a shit ton of it for me to eat. Ummmm meaty!

The obvious down side to this temperamental weather is that it becomes nearly impossible to get in humongous training blocks. I've coined the phase "Myserson-Miles" to describe back to back 6 hour days, because the concept of criterium racer doing tour racer type training miles was completely foreign to me until this past winter. Each day I am more and more starting to realize that my stubborn New England attitude may be what is screwing me.

I am a crit racer by default, but that is probably because I haven't done enough to improve my road racing skills. This cold weather riding has limited the number of long rides that I can do in a week and has forced me to put precedence on intensity of training. As a result, I am really good at going hard for a short period of time but I cant make it to the finish with the lead guys in a 4-5 hour race.

This season has to be different. I cant make the same mistakes I made in past seasons while going off of poor advice. There is no substitute for volume, PERIOD! I have to use all the powers that make me sweet, like my ego, my superior brain power, and the incredible tenacity that one can only have after being in a nine person family, to motivate me to stop being such a little bitch and just get out on my bike and put in more Myerson-Miles. Only then will start to change my reputation as a bike racer. A revelation that may have come a bit late this season, but late is better than never. My goals are still centered about being successful in the us crit circuit, but I wouldn't mind turning some heads in a couple road races this year.

As I start to hypothesize about next winter I figure that I have two options. Either rent a condo in a retirement home in flordia, or I can sac up and learn to enjoy eating the unamerican foods that dominate the southwest. It hurts me to admit it, but I have a pretty good feeling about going to jump on the train and head west next winter with the rest of the US cycling crew.

Another day passes and another cyclist starts a blog

Hello ya'll! I decided to start this blog because everyone else is blogging and I cant be the only pro cyclist who does not have a blog. I am not confused about about the lack of importance that my posts will have on the lives of others, but I will do my best to piss you off enough to motivate you to comment and post your opinions. This is going to be a super long season and I am excited and eager to take on the responsibilities of being a second year pro on one of the fastest growing pro teams in the country. I am currently working on an article about a recent Retul bicycle fit that I had done at Portsmouth Trek Store located in Portsmouth NH, that should be up this week.