Georgia

Post date: Apr 06, 2011 1:19:5 AM

We had an awesome cabin with plenty of room for everyone. We stayed up late, woke up early, rode like hell and ate every meal like it was our last. It was some serious team bonding; each of us united by the fight we faced up each hill. Bo helped us find the most masochistic routes, and he was good at it.

I didn’t know what to expect, and realized ten minutes into the first climb that I had never ridden up a real hill in my life, much less a mountain. The experience is magical and demoralizing at the same time.

We would leave each morning as a group, but could not stay together on the climbs. I would watch the road ahead snake off into the sky, and my blood would fill with some mix of anxiety and adrenaline. It was curvy enough to only see 100 yards, so it was really hard to prepare for what was coming. As I got used to the climbs, I began to find a rhythm. The tunnel vision was still intense and vibrating with each heartbeat, but it no longer felt hopeless. The descents were some mix of the same feeling, only instead of testing endurance, it became a test of courage and my ability to pick lines. I am a lot worse at descending than I thought.

We saved Brasstown Bald for the last day, and it was a serious fight. It’s the highest point in Georgia, and the route we took to the top put us at 6000+ feet of climbing over 45 miles. Bryce, Ian and I all got off and walked at some point, but only because it was a better choice than collapsing on the roadside.

This was one of the best trips I’ve ever been on. It made me regret joining the team so late, but also grateful that I had joined at all. It’s an incredible beginning to a lifetime of bicycle racing.