What's new? I'll tell you what's new!
Greetings from high atop some nameless condo in Breckenridge, Colorado. The USA Pro Challenge (cough cough... Tour of Colorado) chugs along at an enjoyable rate. Which is saying a lot because today was miserable, but in hindsight, still kind of fun. By that I mean, we started in the rain at 8500' above sea-level where there is already nary any oxygen, then shot straight up over a pass right out of the start gate, then we cooked along a long valley at a very high and relatively uncomfortable rate of speed, whereupon the skies really opened up something vicious and we were drenched. Around this point it the race we had about 50km to go and I realized a) it's not getting any warmer b) it's not getting any dryer and c) I'm beginning to shiver rather aggressively.So a trip to the cars warmed me up a modicum where I fetched jackets and played around in the warm and cozy exhaust fumes. Unfortunately in righteous crosswinds and with numb fingers, zipping up my jacket is no easy task. Thankfully I'm a trained professional and it only took me about 12 minutes.BUT seriously folks, even with these less than optimal conditions, racing in America is a blessing and a blast! And, to use my word from the second sentence above, really quite "enjoyable". I look out the window here at 8:30pm and am graced with a stunning aerial view of Breck' at its 9800' in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, especially thanks to my 8th floor vantage point. My bed is comfy, I have my Normatec recovery space boots on, I am well fed, and all is right with the world.(...actually all is not right with the world. Sheesh, the frequency with which we're hit with daily terrible newsflashes is enough to make me cry. Or at least truly appreciate riding a bike for a living. I do count my blessings, thank you very much.)After taking a win yesterday and after surviving today with only a mild case of hypothermia, I recommend you give THIS a few minutes of your time. Because it makes me happy.Nearly lastly, it's an exciting time in New England as we've just ducked under the two-months-to-go hurdle/fewer-than-60-days-to-go until the Krempels King of the Road Challenge! If you're even considering going, in two words: DO IT. I can guarantee it will be the highlight Saturday of your entire fall (unless you're getting married or having a kid or something wicked huge on a Saturday. But yeah, the KKotRC is up there in terms of Saturday greatness). And if you can't go, I recommend a) joining as a Virtual Rider, since you can do that from anywhere in the world and you'll be eligible for all the fun and prizes but don't have to pay the entree fee or b) simply donate to my ride HERE.(And lastly for real, also after taking a win yesterday, here I am ripping espresso shots in the super awesome 10 Speed Coffee mobile coffee wagon. Cause that was my quickest way to a post-race recovery bee-... I mean espresso.)