Ahh Off Season...

So CX is officially over for almost two weeks and I'm already going through a bit of withdrawls. I guess my illness in early October kinda set me back a bit and I feel like I was racing better and better through the end of the season. Truth be told I wish I was racing until mid-January but 2011 is on the horizon.

As it sits now I'm debating next year's schedule. So far I'm thinking of 4 NUE races, and the H2H series with the Windham world cup, a few road races, and a few other local races thrown in. OR...and that's a big or - I'm debating on doing a stage race, which I really can't afford. At this point I really feel like I was shafted by not being able to finish out what was looking like a great NUE series last year. I'd really like to be able to put on a couple of good races and finish really well in the series this upcoming season.

On the other hand, this will be my first year as a pro and I would like to see how well I can do in the local H2H series. The local series is going to have a new format to encourage a larger pro field and it should make for some great competition. I did one pro race last year as a cat1 and it was promising.

So the off season riding has resumed and it's nice to not have to do really high intensity training. So far I've done a few rides on my fixie and haven't really stared at my heart rate and it's been nice. With the CX season in full swing all of my workouts were designed to be short and intense so the longer, base rides are a welcome sight.

The other biking news I guess would be the fact that my superfly has been sold. Thanks to ebay, the 2009 fly is gone and I recently heard that my new ride will be coming in soon. The date I was originally told was 12/27, and the rumor is that it may be even sooner. It's going to be a fun ride.

Last Race Weekend of 2010

It's been a crazy up and down for the past 38 weeks but this weekend is the end of my 2010 racing. It'll be 25 races done and a lot of great memories. 5 road races, 7 CX races, 3 Endurance XC races, and 10 XC races. The road races were entertaining and just fun with some good training thrown in. The XC races were a lot of fun with some great competition and just a fantastic season. The Endurance races were a blast and the most fun I've had this season, and still where my heart lies. The CX is a great late season fitness test and it will really help going into the 2011 season. I didn't get to do as many this year as I'd liked but there's always next year.

With that said I have my last two races coming up back to back at the Horseshoe Scramble in Warren this weekend. It's my last hurrah before base starts and should just be a lot of fun. As usual it looks like it will be a small field and those riders that do show will be solid. The new category has been fun but tough. The A racers really don't fade and if anything they get faster towards the end. Just watching their technique is making myself a better and faster rider.

The main goal this weekend is to try to get into that third podium spot for the NJBA CX cup. Sadly I am fighting for 3rd since the A race has been poorly contested. There just weren't that many competitors out there this season. Still I'd like to get on the podium if at all possible. As of now there are 6 registered for the Saturday race and 5 for the Sunday race. I need to finish well and not finish too far behind the other guys that are fighting for the top spot in the series. At the moment it is Troy and Maurice tied for 1st, BL in second, and myself in 4th and Fred in 5th. Maurice is out in Oregon racing nationals, Troy is registered for both days as is BL, Fred, and myself. Currently Fred is in 5th with only 20 points less than I have so I need to keep an eye on him for the overall. It could be a lot of fun. Any way it goes it will be a blast and a great way to rip it up and end the season. Hopefully things go well.