Global Update

In Michigan, cyclists are snared in the ice grip of Old Man Winter.

In Portland, the sun shines down and the air smells like flowers and other growing things.

In Arkansas, the goats and llamas are cowering in fear and a pile of empty Founder's bottles and growlers piles up outside a remote cabin.

Training for the season has gone in fits and starts. Not having a set of 200 and 300 mile races right from the get-go has allowed a bit of playfulness to creep into the spring base phase. Enough of that! With a 24-hour race over Memorial Day weekend, it's time to get down to business. A calendar was printed, notes were scrawled across it, and now it is time to start pushing pedals in earnest.

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I've seen a vision of the future. Beneath and EZ-Up in Spokane, WA sit two bikes. They are the mirror image of each other. A rider walks toward the bikes; he is lean and ready. His entire demeanor is calm, but his eyes burn. He does not see the bikes; he only sees tools. He does not see the trail; he only sees the finish line. He does not taste the water; he thirsts only for a beer at the end of the final lap.

And his shorts are a bit too tight.
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Modified ride schedule this week. Lots of road on the weekend. Full-on training program starts Monday. Stay tuned...