Racing continues in the Pacific Northwest, and I continue to get stronger. Unfortunately, everyone else is getting stronger, too. I’ve been told that you need to race for about five years to really get that deep-down strength that lets you go in the long breaks with the real talent in the peloton. I’ve been racing for three years now. I’m still waiting for that 5-year blood/oxygen miracle.

Here I am at a stage race that was pretty well attended by some top guys. I helped my team chase down a big break so that our top guy could stay in contention for the stage race overall points. We brought the break back right before the major climb on the course, and I just shattered after that. Here’s a photo of a broken man, completely unglued from reality: