Goodbye Cat 4... Hello 3s

This week I officially got my Cat 3 road license.  It was a mixture of emotions for me because it was  really something I NEVER thought I would accomplish.  It makes me reflect on the past three years and all that has happened to get to this point.

I always tell people the best thing that can happen to a person is having their bike stolen!  I know, I know WHY, you may ask... Because it gives no better reason to get a new, BETTER bike.  Who would have thought that leaving a garage door open could change your life.  Well as it would happen when my bike was stolen I replaced it with a nice new Specialized mountain bike.  While working down in Louisville, KY on a project I began to take it out on the trails at night after work.  I rode more and more and eventually started taking it on the road doing longer and longer rides.  After a summer of riding I was falling in love with the sport and decided to get a real road bike.  When I brought that first road bike home it was like no other feeling.  I thought it was just about the coolest bike in the world. 


Early bike ride in the Daniel Boone Forest in Louisville, KY

 Ironically my first ride was on a set of rollers I had bought to train inside for the winter.  Note: my old mountain bike in the corer and hairy legs!  After a few months I thought I was in great shape and would try to enter my first race...  What an eye opening experience that would be.


One of the first times on my new road bike



It was early March and the race was on the south side of Chicago in Calumet Park on the shore of Lake Michigan.  The temperature was hovering around 50 degrees, it was misting rain and the wind was blowing 20+ mph in what seemed to be coming from every direction.  I had to ask someone to pin my race number on for me, not yet realizing to take my jersey off first.  Everything I did was a new experience.  At the start my heart was racing and I was so nervous I thought I was going to pass out.  At the gun I could not clip my shoe in and was at the back of the pack in the first 20 feet.  Within two laps I was off the back and riding into that headwind all alone in last place.  I was able to NOT get lapped for about 10 minutes but after that it was all over.  I was lapped at twice by the pack and as they flew by I thought to myself... "How could ANYONE go that fast"  Eventually I finished completly exhausted.  It was dark and I was cold and wet and tired.  My race stats were as follows.  Average 19.4 mph for 35 minutes.  Average heartrate 172 bpm.  But something in my head just said, "well you're just going to have to work harder."





Early Race in 2009 Before Joining XXX



It was much of the same for a long time.   Ride more, and try not to get dropped by the pack.  Then eventually it was try to finish WITH the pack.  My goals for this year were to finish on a podium and be ranked anywhere in the IL Cup series.  Meaning to score at least 1 point.  Achieving that first goal at Glencoe this year was an unbelievable feeling.  But how do you feel when you go so far beyond your goals.  For me winning a race was not even a goal this year because I didn't think it was even possible.  Don't get my wrong I dreamed about what it would feel like and thought about it all the time but it was never "real."   



To win not once but twice this year and upgrade to Cat 3 is hard to put into perspective.  Its a little scary to be moving into a class where the riders are so fast and the field of talent is so deep.  But in another way it makes me so proud to know that I accomplished that, and I am one of those riders now.  Its been a long year and 18 races is a lot for one season and it makes me think what more can I accomplish?

Fall riding is my favorite time of year and I'm going to spend it NOT thinking about racing but just enjoying being outside, catching up with friends, and riding for fun again.  But its also a time to reflect and think about what the goals might be for next year and just how far can you push yourself?  We'll certainlly see.

After the last race of 2011