Early Start - Dedicating - Season Notes

An Early Start
An early start in the far North of the Upper Peninsula is not the easiest of tasks.  I thought starting training in March last year was tough when I was riding the roads in 30 degree weather showing up back at my house plastered in salt.  Now I'm doing rides on snow covered snowmobile trails in 20 degree weather showing up back at my house covered in snow.  Thank God for the invention of the Snow Bike.  The Snow Bike has allowed me to take a different approach to this 2012 Mountain Bike season.  I find in this sport you are always trying to tweak something whether its your fitness, the bike, the workouts, the races, or even sponsors.  I find that change is a good thing in this sport because usually change means you are working towards a more positive result.

In past years I have started base in March and finish a few weeks after WORS #1 Iola.  This year I have moved the dates up 4 weeks.  I did this because I'm approaching the season different because of my declining results in mid summer.  The coach (Danny Kaukola - Fuel the Burn) and I are going to try and prevent this from happening again.  We will see by mid summer and especially fall time how the 4 week earlier start effects the body and mind.

Dedicating
As most of my followers know one of my biggest supporters and sponsors is Meyer Family Vision from right here in my home town of Ishpeming, MI .  A couple years back Ryan and Ron Meyer approached me to support my efforts at becoming an elite Mountain Biker.  This was very special to me and will forever hold a my gratitude because not many riders get to experience sponsors reaching out to them.  I've known the Meyer brothers for a long time.  Along with them being family and personal friends we have grown up as brothers in Christ.  This relationship brings another level to the sponsorship.  Its not only a sponsorship it is a partnership and best yet a friendship.

In the past year Ryan Meyer has experienced some illness that has brought on the need for major medical attention.  Just recently he went through a liver transplant.  His body was rapidly declining as his liver was losing all function.  This was a serious matter and a life threatening one.  Through the power and miracle of Christ, the loving effort of his brother Ron, and the steady hands of the surgeons he was blessed with a new liver from none other than his own blood brother, Ron.  After the transplant his medical condition seemed to worsen as the body adjusted to the liver.  It wasn't until just recently that he was released from medical attention and back home to continue life and recovery.

This year I will be dedicating all season to my friend Ryan Meyer.  He will be my motivation to train, race, and win.  He has battled life and is on his way to a strong recovery.  His struggle and pain throughout this process are an infinite amount more than I will ever experience from the temporary pain of a training ride or a race.  Ryan....this season is for you.

Season Notes
I was scheduled to take off for a training camp in Arizona on March 13th where I will be meeting up with family for a week, Danny Hill for a week, and then the Peariso's for another..  I am moving that date up a week to attend the 2nd stop of the ProXCT - ProXCT Bonelli.  My goal since turning Pro has been to travel and attend the ProXCT series as it is the premier Pro series in the nation.  The struggle with that is the series starts extremely early in the year and does not appeal to a Northern Snow Bird.  But because of the early start I figured I wold give stop #2 a run.  Plus, I need to get out of this place.  We just got hit with almost a foot of snow!  I expect guys to be extremely fast as they battle in an Olympic year and prepare for the first World Cup the week after.