Why do I race my bike is a question that I ask myself A LOT. After racing on the track saturday night, I went to bed very sore, tired, and needing to take my inhaler. I missed hanging out with my friends to race my bike, but why? Well, these are the answers that I came up with.
1. I feel accomplished after I finish a race or training ride. I know that I am working hard towards my goals and that my hard work will pay off. There is no other feeling like finishing a 90 mile race and knowing that you gave it your all.
2. Cycling provides me with goals in life. I am a highly motivated person and having goals drives me every day to work hard. If I can dream it, I can do it.
3. The people and places that Cycling has taken me to are amazing. I have raced all over America and have even raced in Belgium! I would have never been able to go to Europe if it weren't for cycling. I have also met the most wonderful people through cycling. I feel very blessed to know the people that I do. They truly care for me.
4. Cycling also keeps me in shape. If I wasn't cycling, I would probably be 15 pounds heavier and eating whatever looked good.
5. Competition. I am very competitive and I am wired to compete. I like trying to do my best to overcome my competition and rivals.
Those are a couple of the reasons that I love my sport. I feel as though my bike is my identity, and I wouldn't know what to do without it. Life is not very easy for me and cycling gives me an outlet to plug into when I need to let my anger out. I sacrifice a lot for cycling, but it has given me so much in return. Cycling has also taught me a lot about life. Cycling has taught me that life isn't easy, you have to work for what you want, and patience is key. I love my sport and I wouldn't do anything over in my life.
Thanks for reading and being a part of my life.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Winter Fitness
One of the problems about living in Michigan is that the winters are nasty. They are cold, wet, cloudy, dark, and just straight up miserable for me. I personally hate being cold and I do not prefer to ride outside when it is in the 30 degree range. Therefore, I have been riding my bike in my basement which is not a lot of fun either. To keep up my motivation for training I decided to go up to London, Ontario to race on their indoor velodrome (a wooden, steeply banked oval) on saturday night. The velodrome is about 2 and a half hours away from my house and is located in an old hockey arena that is not heated very well.
The racing started at 7 and was in a tournament format. It started off with four groups of about 11. The top 6 from each group qualified for the semi-finals. Then the top 6 from each semi final qualified for the final race. If you did not make it in the semi-finals, you had one more chance to make it into the finals by getting 1st or 2nd in the "last chance race" for the riders who didn't make it through the semi's.
So the first heat went smoothly for me. The semi finals were a lot faster and I finished 7th, one off from qualifying. Even though I was really tired, I hopped back on the bike to try and get into the finals. The last chance race started off super fast and I just followed wheels and conserved myself. Near the end of the race I felt very good and I made my move. I caught two riders off the front and passed over them. I finished 1st! Now I had to worry about the 140 lap final scratch race with the best riders. The race was super fast and it exploded immediately. At lap 40 my legs had had enough and gave up on me. I finished 8th overall.
It felt very good to race again and especially to ride a new track. My goal is to go to junior track worlds this year and I am feeling very confident in the fact that I can do it. Thank you for reading my blog!
The racing started at 7 and was in a tournament format. It started off with four groups of about 11. The top 6 from each group qualified for the semi-finals. Then the top 6 from each semi final qualified for the final race. If you did not make it in the semi-finals, you had one more chance to make it into the finals by getting 1st or 2nd in the "last chance race" for the riders who didn't make it through the semi's.
So the first heat went smoothly for me. The semi finals were a lot faster and I finished 7th, one off from qualifying. Even though I was really tired, I hopped back on the bike to try and get into the finals. The last chance race started off super fast and I just followed wheels and conserved myself. Near the end of the race I felt very good and I made my move. I caught two riders off the front and passed over them. I finished 1st! Now I had to worry about the 140 lap final scratch race with the best riders. The race was super fast and it exploded immediately. At lap 40 my legs had had enough and gave up on me. I finished 8th overall.
It felt very good to race again and especially to ride a new track. My goal is to go to junior track worlds this year and I am feeling very confident in the fact that I can do it. Thank you for reading my blog!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Putting Things into Perspective
I believe that everyone sees life from a different point of view. I also think that our points of view are created by the experiences that we have had in our life. I do my best to see life through the point of view that everyday is precious and that tomorrow isn't guaranteed. My point of view is created from the fact that life hasn't always been easy for my family. In October, 2010, my friend and cousin Kyle Zuleg was killed after a tree branch fell on him while he was camping. It was a clear night and it was a freak accident. I honestly could not believe that it happened until I was actually going to Chicago for the funeral. Kyle was only 16 and had such a great life ahead of him.
Also, early onset Alzheimers runs on my dad's side of the family. My dad's dad had it, and I have lost an aunt and an uncle to it already. Since my dad does not have it, I am safe though. Early onset alzheimers is a genetic disease where your brain slowly fails. Many elderly people get alzheimers, but early onset alzheimers starts when you are in your mid-late thirties. While in Texas, I am living with my Aunt who has early onset alzheimers. We just celebrated my Aunt's 44th birthday the other day and she has 3 young children. The disease is getting worse every month and it is hard to watch. I am not even sure if she knows who I am.
I am not saying this to make people feel bad for my family. I am saying this because staying here has given me a new take on life and family. Because of the fact that my family has gone through so many struggles, we are all very close to each other. I would do anything that I could to help out one of my family members or friends who needed me. If I ever get upset at how life is going at a certain moment, I just need to realize that I woke up with great health, a roof over my head, and I have a great family. We should all take time to enjoy the little things in life that make us happy!
Sincerely,
Richard
this is my cousin's website: http://www.kyleshineson.org/
Also, early onset Alzheimers runs on my dad's side of the family. My dad's dad had it, and I have lost an aunt and an uncle to it already. Since my dad does not have it, I am safe though. Early onset alzheimers is a genetic disease where your brain slowly fails. Many elderly people get alzheimers, but early onset alzheimers starts when you are in your mid-late thirties. While in Texas, I am living with my Aunt who has early onset alzheimers. We just celebrated my Aunt's 44th birthday the other day and she has 3 young children. The disease is getting worse every month and it is hard to watch. I am not even sure if she knows who I am.
I am not saying this to make people feel bad for my family. I am saying this because staying here has given me a new take on life and family. Because of the fact that my family has gone through so many struggles, we are all very close to each other. I would do anything that I could to help out one of my family members or friends who needed me. If I ever get upset at how life is going at a certain moment, I just need to realize that I woke up with great health, a roof over my head, and I have a great family. We should all take time to enjoy the little things in life that make us happy!
Sincerely,
Richard
this is my cousin's website: http://www.kyleshineson.org/
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Its Hot in the South
Well, Im going through my second full day here in Houston, Texas and Im getting used to things. I was expecting it to be warm down here, but I was frying on my ride today. I thought that I was in a desert with no shade. I almost ran over a snake too, which you don't see in Michigan that much. Anyway, I did a 50 mile ride today and I though that I was going to die from the heat, haha. I am definitely a northerner. I guess that being hot is better than freezing my butt off though.
I am having fun playing with my younger cousins, two twin boys who are in fourth grade and a girl who is in sixth grade. The boys have already kicked my butt at playstion and xbox. They are super good at Call of Duty, which my parents would still prefer me not to play. Yes, being an only child makes me a little sheltered. Yesterday we celebrated my aunt's 44th birthday and it was a lot of fun! There was good cake and we were all in a happy mood.
I am keeping up with my school so far, Im only 2 days in, but I am proud of myself so far. Its hard to concentrate when there are so many Texas cowgirls I could be chasing outside. I am having an awesome time here and I am getting some good training in. Thanks for reading!
I am having fun playing with my younger cousins, two twin boys who are in fourth grade and a girl who is in sixth grade. The boys have already kicked my butt at playstion and xbox. They are super good at Call of Duty, which my parents would still prefer me not to play. Yes, being an only child makes me a little sheltered. Yesterday we celebrated my aunt's 44th birthday and it was a lot of fun! There was good cake and we were all in a happy mood.
I am keeping up with my school so far, Im only 2 days in, but I am proud of myself so far. Its hard to concentrate when there are so many Texas cowgirls I could be chasing outside. I am having an awesome time here and I am getting some good training in. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Whats Up In My Life
Hello good friends and family, thanks for reading my blog. Lately I have been doing a lot of schoolwork, cycling, and trying to spend some more time with friends. I am in the part of the cycling season that some some people call, "the offseason". A lot of competitors find this a time to relax and kick back, but I find it the time to work even harder and try to improve on my weaknesses. I have been doing a lot of stretching, core work, and I have been spending a lot of time on my bike. I also decided to hire a nutritionist to help me make sure that I am fueling my body with the best food possible. I am really feeling a lot of improvement all around and I am feeling the rewards of my hard work.
My schedule for the next couple of weeks kicks off with the Iceman Cometh Challenge mountain bike race in northern Michigan. This race attracts over 4,000 racers from across the U.S. and has a great atmosphere. It is 30 miles of challenging trails and dirt roads that takes about 2 hours to complete. It is the one mountain bike race I do a year, but I always have a lot of fun at it. I leave for this race tomorrow afternoon and I am super excited for it!
After the mountain bike race, I will have to come home that night and start packing up things for Texas. I am leaving for Houston, Texas on Tuesday and will be there for two weeks while staying with family and getting in some really good training. I will bring my school with me and work on that while I'm there. I think that it will be a nice change of pace for me and I love being around with my family!
I have one final exciting announcement. I will be racing for the IS Corp Junior Cycling team out of Wisconsin this upcoming season! They have produced many great riders on and off the bike and are invited to the Tour de la'Abitibi (a UCI stage race in Canada) every year. I will be getting to meet all of my new teammates very soon and I am excited about being able to race with such a great group of people.
That is the summary of what has been going on in my life lately. I have very big expectations for this upcoming season and I am going to come out swinging. I am taking care of all the little things and I will let my legs do the rest. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed.
Sincerely,
Richard
My schedule for the next couple of weeks kicks off with the Iceman Cometh Challenge mountain bike race in northern Michigan. This race attracts over 4,000 racers from across the U.S. and has a great atmosphere. It is 30 miles of challenging trails and dirt roads that takes about 2 hours to complete. It is the one mountain bike race I do a year, but I always have a lot of fun at it. I leave for this race tomorrow afternoon and I am super excited for it!
After the mountain bike race, I will have to come home that night and start packing up things for Texas. I am leaving for Houston, Texas on Tuesday and will be there for two weeks while staying with family and getting in some really good training. I will bring my school with me and work on that while I'm there. I think that it will be a nice change of pace for me and I love being around with my family!
I have one final exciting announcement. I will be racing for the IS Corp Junior Cycling team out of Wisconsin this upcoming season! They have produced many great riders on and off the bike and are invited to the Tour de la'Abitibi (a UCI stage race in Canada) every year. I will be getting to meet all of my new teammates very soon and I am excited about being able to race with such a great group of people.
That is the summary of what has been going on in my life lately. I have very big expectations for this upcoming season and I am going to come out swinging. I am taking care of all the little things and I will let my legs do the rest. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed.
Sincerely,
Richard
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