Hillsboro Registration Opens Jan 30th

Important!!! The online registration for the 2008 edition of the Hillsboro-Roubaix opens January 30th! Do not delay in registering as they put a limit on the size of each field. Last year the race was closed after only 10 days of registration. I strongly encourage everyone on the team who plans on going to register either the first or second day. I would hate to be able to only send down half of the squad this year.

Aint That The Truth

69 Days To Go

69 days to go until the Hillsboro-Roubaix. Thank god its a leap year, then we get the extra day in February! It looks like we will either caravan it down on Friday or rent a huge club van and stuff it full of gear, either way will be going down a day early. I suppose if we get down there early enough we could pre-ride some if not all of the course. Who knows, doing so may prove critical to how succesful of a debut we have.
It is incredible to think of all the hard work, emails, phone calls, meetings and decisions that have already been made, and we haven't even turned a pedal in anger yet as a team. It has been a long few months since we started talking about forming this team, and I'd like to think we have come a long way. And I can only imagine how much longer we have to go. The good thing is that the team allows Elvis, Tony and myself to make most of the decisions on their behalf. And they actually trust us! Lets see how long that may last. Well back to the rollers for me, I can't wait for the weather to warm up.

Why We Do It

Why do we ride our bikes? Why do we put in all the hard work we do? I am too old to dream of turning PRO, however, I continue to take my riding seriously. I am careful of the types and quantities of foods I eat, I monitor how much sleep I get, I listen to my body, and I focus on my machine and the equipment I choose. I make sacrifices in life to get the most out of my body and my bike. I enjoy reading about the lives of the PROs and I look to them for training methods and practices that I believe make me a better cyclist. This is why I am drawn to insight about teams and their preparation and the reason I seek out information written by the mechanics, coaches, and the people who care for the riders. Will any of this information actually help me to turn PRO, not likely, will it help me be the best cyclist I can be? Absolutely.

Cycling is one of the few sports where, as a fan, you can be as close to the PROs as possible. A cyclist can watch a race and relate to the pain felt and understand the effort put in during training and the sacrifices made during the season. I have no idea what it's like to get hit by a 300lb linebacker or to hit a homerun and Wrigley Field, but I do know what it feels like to run empty during a long ride, or to suffer during a brutal climb. I have seen 205 flash on my heart rate monitor while bridging a gap or chase down an attack. So, whether you are screaming in a PRO's face on Alpe D'Huez or riding the exact same bike as your favorite rider, cycling is a sport that allows the fan an up-close and hands-on experience.

The parallels between the average (serious) cyclists and the PROs allow us to have an understanding of what is required to compete at a high level and gives us the ability to truly be in awe of these great athletes.

So why do we ride our bikes? Why do we spend time away from our families? Why do we suffer when we should be having fun? We do it because we are chasing a dream. We do it because we know deep down that this is what the PRO's do. They suffer in silence just like we do. They put in the long lonely hours, just like we do. If going out and putting in the time and effort brings me a little bit closer to being PRO, then that is what I will do. If putting in all the hard work brings me just a small bit of glory, then it is all worth it.

Wise Words

"The day I no longer turn up at the start of a race to try and win it is the day I shall no longer dare to look at myself in the mirror"-Eddy Merckx