Epic Racing around the World

Welcome to ‘08, folks.

It seems like just yesterday we were wrapping up the season…warm and tired in Moab, but looking forward to all of the calm and quiet that winter would bring.

Heading into winter, typically everyone’s full of high-fives and high hopes for next season’s races…it always seems like we have so much time to prepare. After all, July is a long time from now, right?

Well, sure, July isn’t even on the radar for quite awhile, but…the work started months ago. And now that its already mid-January, weeks and months of what was supposed to be a calm and restful winter, have already past. Last week, before heading back to school in Boulder, Blake stopped by the Sager Training compound in Portland to put in some quality time…in the rain, and cold. What else were you expecting? Sun? Fender up, soldiers.

In an effort to keep the cobwebs out of the legs and prevent my frequent flyer miles account from stagnating, an early season trip to Texas for some late season cyclocross was scheduled. Things didn’t quite work out en route when the red-eye flight was canceled without any solutions available…other than to sit the night out and head home on the first available plane. I ended up back in Portland before the re-scheduled Texas flight would have even landed.

While missing out on a pair of warm and sunny cyclocross races isn’t the best way to start the season, the aborted trip did have a silver lining in that, from the gun, I was reminded to roll with what life gives us, and make the best of it.

Either that, or learn to fly a 757.

It turns out, I was easily able to roll the Texas ticket into one to sunnier and warmer Southern California’s last (or first) UCI ‘cross race of the season this weekend. Texas is great, but I’ll take sunny LA over San Antonio, without too much arguing.

While things have been quiet here on the monaviecannondale.com site here for the past month, I’m sure the rest gave everyone the rest they were looking forward to. Stay tuned for a new look on the site, announcement of the moving and shaking the team’s about to unveil, as well as our ‘08 schedule of events.

Of particular interest…10 days in Puerto Rico in late March/early April, with an open invite for all.