True Meaning Of Teammates

As I laid in the dirt, just after my head smashed directly into a large tree, I look up the trail to see my teammate – who shall be named - Kelly Hudson - emailing and without even a look back yelling “you OK??” After I shake myself off and make sure I have not compressed my spine in some way, I yell back – “I’m good – keep emailing, texting, listening to music whatever you are doing – really I’m fine” all a while laughing and thinking we have to do away with the electronic devices in our training for the Pisgah Stage Race later this year…..

As I continued chasing Kelly around the trail, I started thinking about my teammates and how everyone is important in reaching our overall goals. We are a small mountain bike race team but we are strong. The key to this is all the support and motivation we give one another – something that is lost in a larger team dynamic. Even though our individual long-term goals may be different, we still stick together with training and even through injuries. From meeting at the gym in the early hours of the morning for an extra workout to hitting the trails for some ride time or coming together for our weekly CompuTrainer session at TotalCyclist. Everyone offers different knowledge and experiences - in a sense “we complete one another”! I know exactly how that sounds but we really are a team packed with such positive encouragement and it works!

For me, today began with a 6am gym workout with Wieczorek – a necessity! Going to the gym that early I admit is torture for me but if I do not show I am afraid I would never hear the end of it! Wait – I KNOW I would never hear the end of it! And if W did not show, he definitely WOULD NEVER hear the end of it! Then Kelly and I hit Sherman Branch this morning trying to get one more ride in before the rain moves in again. He had his new Lynskey Single Speed and I sported the SuperFly Single Speed – not our normal rides - so our ride was more comical than an intense training session. So much “eye candy”!!! Being back on the trail again was a delight and a ride with Kelly always pushes me beyond what I would do if I were riding alone. Then plans came together for the Cohutta 100 Mountain Bike Race in the spring - Kelly, Scott and myself will be motivating, laughing and suffering along side one another for a full day of some intense racing.

I see good things coming in 2011……. Definitely a year filled with laughter!!!!

Cricket