A bit of a long trip back home from Europe 🇪🇺 that involved 7 airplanes ✈️ , 4 airlines 💺, 2 overnight layovers 🏨, and 1 lost bike 🤷🏻♂️ over 3 days 🗓️ gave me plenty of time ⏱️ to reflect on what was an extremely successful period in Greece 🇬🇷.
After finishing the year’s first international stint in February, I wasn’t necessarily discouraged per se, as I knew perfectly well just how much higher the caliber of the fields I was racing (read: riding next to ever-so-briefly) was. The ass-kicking I received every day I would easily deem a natural occurrence, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t scrounging for more from myself every time I threw a leg over the saddle, and, bit by bit, I discovered the ittiest-bittiest ways I could improve, ticking items that I could soak up in order to become a better bike racer.
Fast forward to this past set of races, and it genuinely felt like not only had some of those little action items actually permeated the pores of my bike-riding brain, but that I was truly competing again. I’ll be the first to say that I understand completely the level of the peloton was nowhere near what it was earlier this year, but that didn’t make it any less satisfying to once again become an active participant and animator in a competition that saw the team take a win in a one-day race with
@tylerstites , a stage win with
@scottmcgilljr , and KOM jersey that I worked very hard for, alongside numerous other top-ten finishes and stellar performances from
@hugoscalajr ,
@brendanrhim , and
@cbikemore thanks in no small part to the help from
@isaiah.newkirk ,
@gabrinkadownhill , and
@sunderdanish . The
@rhodes_international_cycling put on an incredible event that showcased an absolutely beautiful part of the world, and I hope to visit there again soon.
Riders are still across the pond racing Volta ao Alentejo in Portugal, where they’ve already racked up several podiums, so you should follow along, as they are knocking on the door of a huge result. As for me, I’ll be posted up in Santa Fe, NM as part of altitude training prep for the upcoming North American block, starting with
@redlandsclassic in just a couple weeks!
📸
@nassostphoto