Who am I Racing For?

Ted, Dan, Mike and Jim

Bad asses, all of them...

Who am I racing for this season? Well technically, myself but I have to put my license with someone so I decided at the end of last year to become part of PACT/DISHnetwork, a small masters team that's got a bunch of state and national champs. Oh, and a multiple-time world's medal winner too. These guys are good and a lot of fun to ride with. I'm totally cool with the change of direction. This arrangement allows me to basically race when and where I want and also to ride composite without a hassle. That in itself presents a small amount of uncertainty (which races will I do? who will I race for?) but it's okay - in the end I get to decide and that's a very good thing. The freedom to make my own equipment, clothing and competition decisions has been liberating - but sponsorship is nice and I always have and will appreciate it.

The PACT/DISHnetwork team kit for 2009

I miss some of my teammates but it's like leaving a job - you still keep contact with the people you like. The one very cool thing about PACT is that I actually train regularly and race with the guys on the team - we're not spread out all over the place and there's no drama. The bottom line with them all is basically, "shut up and ride your bike." Indeed...

This past weekend turned out to be pretty decent for riding - mornings were COLD but warmed up nicely enough that I managed more than 160mi for the weekend and was at last able to turn off my furnace (hopefully for good!). It was excellent to get outdoors, see the guys and remember why I love to ride the bike. Getting home after 4 hours in the saddle and being totally wasted is a feeling I've been missing lately.

I haven't seen any results but I understand the PACT/DISH guys had a good weekend at the indoor TT and the training crit in Wisconsin - nice job guys, way to represent!!