year in review: the early season

It seems we often take a look back at the previous year as we begin another year on the calendar. Various media outlets look at the big stories, top tens, or the best and worst. This is all somewhat arbitrary, considering the 'new year' could be any day on the calendar if we really wanted it to be. For me though, especially this year, it really marks the end of the cycling season and the start of some time spent resting the legs and some cross training (really, cross training, not [cyclo]cross training). While a retrospect of the last year may be somewhat cliché, I feel that it provides a much needed reflection in creating a quality plan and goals for the future.

So, in continuation of my cycling season in review, I'll take a look at the early season build up and early season races.

In January and February I was simply trying to get out once or twice a week in the cold weather. Bundled up I would hop on the mountain bike and ride for about an hour on a loop that took me through some of the quieter streets in the area. Riding the mountain bike with studded knobby tires made me work a bit harder while going slower in turn keeping me warmer on some very frigid nights.

In mid March and through April I started to pick up my mileage and time out on the bike. As the weather got warmer I became more anxious to get outside. April 7 brought the first race of the season. While I wasn't really in racing form, it's probably better that I wasn't. This race was a real wake up call for me to get out more and start training. Really, I was still reviving my base. I had kept general fitness over the previous two summers with regular riding and some swimming in the winter, but both summers were less than stellar. In fact they were probably two of my worst summers in some time. Reflecting on this, I feel that my base is significantly better entering the 2008 season. I think I'll be able to accomplish even better results given my current base.