Out with the old, in with the new.

Usually, ringing in the new year comes complete with making all kinds of ridiculous new promises to yourself. If you really work hard, maybe you make it to March before your new promise is a thing of the past. Even still, I can't help but resolve to make some sort of change each year. Usually it's something along the lines of "stop procrastinating", or "become more organized", or "finish everything I start"...blah, blah, blah. This year, however, I want to be a better bike racer. Simple enough. All I need to do is read some books, listen to a few seminars, eat better, train harder, get a new bike, and go to more races. The only problem is, I've already done all that. Well...almost.

Since the end of the last racing season (which ended on a terribly sour note...), I've read and listened to enough physiology to make even the most educated professors vomit, I've purchased my dream race machine, performed more base training in the last month than I care to shake a stick at, and I've even added some pretty healthy choices to my diet. With a little luck, I might just make this my best season yet. The only thing left to do is go to a crap-load of races.

There's a pic of my new Tarmac SL4 frame. Now, if I can just find some quality components....

Pre-ride essentials. Sync iTunes and eat some carbs. This is a honey and fig rice cake, as made from the new book "The Feed Zone". Check it out. My last 2 rides have included this tasty gem beforehand, and orange-coconut macaroons mid-ride. I've been really pleased with the fuel they've provided.

Recently, I've gotten into making blender drinks (the non-alcoholic type). Here is today's concoction: fresh chopped pineapple, pear, banana, mango, and blueberry. I just fill to the level of the fruit with water, then blend, and voila! It sure beats having to take the time to eat all of that (I've usually separate it into 2 drink bottles...one for now and one for later). In the background, you can see the green bowl with my pre-wrapped rice cakes that I made the other day.