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Last weekend was the official team presentation for CR4C Roanne where we unveil the new kits, bikes, and riders to the public. The weekend also serves as our first “mini camp” to jumpstart everyone’s training before a longer camp in the south. Saturday morning everyone met at the team’s service course, caught up with those who we hadn’t seen in a while and received our new team equipment. Then it was time to put a lot of that new clothes on just to stay warm for a rather frigid 5 hour ride to recon a stage of the Tour du Pays Roannais…a race to come at the beginning of July.

For some, this was the first long and hard training ride of the season, while others have been logging big hours on the bike to prepare for the earlier races. Naturally, when you get 16 elite athletes together for the first time, there will be some healthy competition as each rider tries to gauge his fitness and impress the others. The result of this was a fine training ride that bordered on race like intensity from time to time, leaving us all tired and hungry for the rest of the day.

After such a ride I would usually stuff my face with food for a while before taking a nice afternoon nap, but here we needed to spend the remaining hours of the day taking photos, listening to and giving speeches, watching spectacles and generally socializing with the public and team sponsors. Not easy to do when you’re thoroughly exhausted, but a necessary part of our job. Here are a few videos of the night:

After we all collapsed into our beds in preparation for a repeat of the day’s training that would come in only a few short hours. However, upon waking the next morning it was much to our disappointment (or not for those with especially tired legs) to find that mother nature was not cooperating, at least by French standards. Snow was blowing around in the sky and certainly making things relatively miserable, and safety was an issue to ride in such a large group. With that, the ride was cancelled and we spent the morning going through some meetings about new team policies, tactics, etc. I was truly excited about another long training ride though, so when the meetings were done I decided I would kit up and get in a solid ride on my own. It certainly brought memories of home as the snow numbed my face, but I was quite pleased to have finished up a great weekend.

So that put an end to the annual team presentation. I was left with some added motivation from seeing the other riders and the reality that 2012 is upon us. Very much looking forward to our training camp in southern France where we will be pinning numbers for the first races of the year. It will be all the sweeter since the light snow from Sunday has in fact accumulated and stayed, along with an incredible cold front which seems to have hit most of Europe. I have been on the trainer all week and am starting to go a little stir crazy…some long rides in the sun will do me wonders!

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably noticed something new about the site… finally got things redesigned a bit for a fresh look.  Hope you like it!

Aside from scouring youtube for tutorials on updating my site, I’ve been busier than ever with training for the 2012 season.  After about a month of working on my own, I did my first official training camp last week in Philly, PA with my coach, Brian Walton and his Cadence staff.  A lot of Brian’s elite and pro riders gathered to brave the cold weather for a week of testing, fitting, and riding together.

The week went really well – it was great to meet Brian’s other riders and we got everything dialed in with my position and power zones.  After the homework was done we had some fun with the local weekend group rides.  A highlight of the week for me was what they call the “wreck’em ride”.  Basically just a group ride which goes out to this 5 or 6km loop where they complete 3 laps of all out racing, only this week there was a twist.  Limited to the 39-15, it was the highest stakes spin-fest I’ve ever competed in.  5 of us slipped off the front and quickly put distance into the others, but the effort was 10 times harder than anyone could have expected.  With a lap to go everyone was dying, as seasoned pro Scott Zwisanski pulled away to solo in for the win.  Couldn’t bag the first win of 2012, but hopefully the week’s efforts will help take one when it really counts.

Other exciting news for me is the addition of Bont cycling shoes as a sponsor for 2012.  I got the chance to try them out during the camp and my first impressions are really positive.  I’ll be posting up a full review in the coming weeks as I really get them dialed in, but for now a big thanks goes out to Bont!

It’s been quite a while since I posted anything, so it’s time for a bit of an update from me. Since finishing my season at Paris Tours in mid-October, I enjoyed a wonderful 3 week off season. It involved lots of delicious food, much sleep, and all the time I could spend with family and friends. Needless to say, it was a much needed mental and physical break. The more I travel, the more I value my limited time at home and it was certainly a great visit.

When the break was done, I was more than ready to get back to work and as motivated as ever to make this a big season. I slowly got back into training around my favorite loops in New Brunswick, but has since migrated south and very far west to avoid the cold and the snow that I am now pleased to hear has found Atlantic Canada (OK, maybe I feel a little sorry for you all). I am in Rohnert Park, California, staying with my wonderful Great Aunt and enjoying the company of my distant family while I put in long hours in the saddle. This place truly is paradise for cyclists and anyone who enjoys the outdoors. The training routes are endless, the views are stunning, and the people are amazing. I couldn’t be happier to be here to start training again.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day in the US, so before sitting down to a big feast there was a huge, 75 or so person group ride which featured the likes of Levi Leipheimer and Peter Stetina. It was pretty cool to get the chance to meet these guys and chat as we wound through vineyards and rolling hills. Haven’t really had much chance to take many pictures yet, but I’ll try to get a few and post them up. Also working on take two of a website update, but it will likely be a while in the making. For now, it’s off to the gym to try hard not to embarrass myself with the ridiculous weight I’m bench pressing (Ie. The bar :O…) Thanks for tuning in!