Races are Won in the Off-Season

Or so the saying goes, if you want to go big as far as results during the season, you have to go big in terms of commitment to training during the lonely months of winter. With spring racing heating up in March, that means lots of miles in January. I always thought it was funny that I put in the most miles of the year during the worst weather of the year.

This winter has been no different in my rural surroundings of Jackson County, NC. The local cycling community (small as it is) takes a collective hiatus during the dead of winter, so chances to share in the misery are limited to my wife Deb and drives to other locations to ride with other racers. So far in the first 3 weeks of January, I have logged just over 1000miles and about 800 of that by myself. Training is going very well, despite sub-freezing temps, frozen precipitation and early darkness. I keep warm and entertained by dreaming of flying in summer races. Let's hope the miles pay off!