(Not Quite) Business As Usual

The typical off season of a professional cyclist begins in early October and runs the length of the month. Rolling our bike to the garage corner, it quietly collects dust for a couple of weeks before training resumes in early November. For me, this was always a bittersweet time; even though riding in New England is spectacular year round, there is no better time than autumn.   The weather is generally crisp and cool yet with glimmers of warmth, there are no constraints of intervals nor regimented training, and the foliage is truly the stuff you find photoshopped on a postcard. Sneaking in rides in the off season has always been a hidden pleasure of mine. Now early in retirement I don’t have to subscribe to the rules of off season -- to rest and recuperate after a taxing season -- and you see that in the fact that I continue to ride nearly every day.I haven't slowed down yet this off seas--... err, retirement. I will continue to ride my bike indefinitely. Sure a rainy day here or there will be enough to dissuade me from going outdoors, but Zwift is a blast to use and quickly fills in those cracks.*I love the bike. I love the freedom and adventure it provides; I love the community it brings together and the humanity it instills. I love the lessons it teaches and discipline it offers. It’s for these and so many reasons I continue to ride and am part of so many great events and organizations like World Bicycle Relief, Cycle Kids, and Seacoast VeloKids and others throughout the globe now in my, ahem, golden years (here's to many of them) of retirement. More than anything, my love for the bicycle is why I proudly host the Krempels King of the Road Challenge. We're now in year five which promises to be the biggest one yet. As with years past, we focus this day on family and friends, sponsors and supporters, so this day is a great ride and not a race. (The only "race" is to the beer garden afterwards.) This is a sum total of everything I've put into my ten year professional cycling career and still so much more.I encourage you to come out to the ride, and if you can't do that, there is this event on Tuesday the 13th at La Festa in NH, this event on Thursday the 15th at Trade in Boston. And you can find my fundraising page here.See you out on the road.*Download Zwift now so that you're ready for a great event we're co-hosting on November 1.