Man oh man oh man……… getting back into a training “mode” is tough. And by training mode I mean riding 3-4x per week with a modicum of hammer dropping along the way. For the first time in a long time, I’ve been infected with the training/racing bug. AND, I believe (and that’s where it has to begin) that I will arrive on the start line in March prepared to duel. That being said, I’m not making predictions of any kind but I will say that the HSP shop team will at the very least LOOK fast- the kits arrive in 3 weeks or so and the team GURU’S are being built now.

This weekend is the first Rocket Ride, which is nothing more than a group ride that we are trying to put onto the map. Group rides can be really amazing and it was at the local group ride in Omaha, where I grew up, that I caught the racing bug for the first time. Group rides can be slow, or fast or chaotic or whatever you want it to be. The larger the crew, the harder it is to control, and let’s be honest, it’s fun to get out there and half wheel our pals into oblivion, even though we know that it’s not ok to do that. Blah blah. Bottom line is we wanted to put together a group ride that just goes. It will go fast and it will go slow but it will go go. And I expect that the group at the end will be much smaller than the group at the start, and that’s good. And some might say that no one needs to be doing intensity this time of the year, and you can argue that all day long. This is not a blog about coaching and where you should or should be this time of the year. You should just be riding, IF you want to. Riding is fun and a hard group ride can be a ton of fun and it give you a marker on your current fitness, for better or for worse. It’s a bike ride. It’s why we buy shoes and helmets and tight pants with pads in them.

Anyway. It feels good to be excited about getting out and riding. I’m looking forward to waking up early AGAIN this Sat. and getting the first RR on the books.
And on the topic of Rockets and….. group rides, check out this motley crew:

That’s a 17 yr old TH lighting it UP at race in Ohio back in the DAY! Great helmets.

Hope to see you Sat.

Best,
TH