The Off Season

After 6 months of racing, the end of September is welcomed with its shorter days, colorful changes and a huge exhale after a hard and exciting season of competition on my mountain bike. It's a time to look back and reflect on what I learned as a racer, how I grew, and what I look forward to for next year. It's time to enjoy fall rides mixed with climbing and running. It's time to rest.

Looking back over the 2011 season, I feel fulfilled and excited after experiencing so many incredible races in different places on such varied terrain. We traveled from West Virginia to New York, and even to Idaho for my first ever PRO XCT race in the Sun Valley National Championships. To have finished that race alone was a huge personal victory! It was a great season filled with many memories that I will honestly never forget.

Photo from KPDS

The end of September also brings our annual trip to East Burke, Vermont with some of our closest friends where we sleep under the stars, sit by campfires, and enjoy long days of riding on some of Vermont's finest trails in the Northeast Kingdom. There's no better way to end the season, and it's something I'll look forward to each year for years and years to come. We couldn't ask for a better group to share that time with...

So what's next? This past summer I received my USAC Pro license and could not be happier to have been offered a spot with the elite riders on Team CF for the 2012 season! They are an incredibly talented group of riders with years of experience, and I respect each of them greatly. I plan to race several more races in the PRO XCT tour and hope to make it to Mellow Johnny's in Texas, Ute Valley in Colorado, Mt. Morris in Wisconsin, and I wouldn't want to miss the 2012 National Championship back in Sun Valley, ID. I'm also hoping to try a couple of the longer races, hopefully in the NUE. After October, training starts and I'm excited to work with a coach for the first time ever! I look forward to snowy rides, long weekends on the road and fun nights of climbing in the gym. The winter can often be long and intense in PA, but with the anticipation of next season and so many fun events mixed into the interim, it'll be a great few months.

For now, I'll enjoy the rest and all the joy that comes with the off season.