These workouts are hard!

Been a while since my last update!

Well Nationals has long since past & before I was able to blink I'm already back on the indoor trainer getting those hard workouts done that every rider is reluctant to do.

I have since changed coaches from Jack Vandyk to Trevor Gunderson in the off season & am looking forward to embracing the new goals we have set. I am very grateful for what Jack has done for me as an athlete the past couple years. He helped me realize discipline & hard work is what progresses you as a rider. Following your program throughout the off season & achieving more consistency in training each consecutive year is key. He is incredibly knowledgeable & was a huge part of me being able to get into Category 1/2 in a few years time. It was also great to have him in the same Peloton as me when I pulled off a Road race & GC win with his help as a teammate. I wish him the best in his future endeavors as a coach & athlete!

Racing some bigger races this year I felt I was unprepared in terms of race experience & specific preparation for particular races. Trevor Gunderson definitely has a wealth of knowledge & experience racing at the Category 1 level In Canada & other Countries throughout his years of being a cyclist. He has a tremendously strong background in Track riding & has had great success peaking for specific races one of them being Age group Track world champion back in 2010. Age group or not that's still an incredible achievement. He also helped me get on the SRM this off season which I'm already enjoying working with him & sending the files over for analysis each workout. We are definitely taking a different approach with the focus being early off season threshold work. Recovering from each ride is key as the indoor trainer sessions are pretty taxing on the body. Making sure to roll out & get the protein shakes in right away have become routine. I also am trying to ensure weekly massage as this helps with minimizing risk of injury in the knees especially with the big gear/longer intensity work.

Since Nationals I mentally checked out for the rest of the season.

I did the prologue & part of the crit in RMCC revenge but was just mentally exhausted. I wasn't even burnt out physically I just was still caught in a mental battle of how to be as fast as the boys at Nationals. I understand it comes from years of riding & experience however I didn't start as young as most of the top end riders. My progression curve has to be more efficient & happen in a shorter period of time to achieve my goals. That's the reality. If it works out & I achieve my goals set in my early thirties then that's fantastic. If not life goes on. I'm still going after it & have no intention of quitting anytime soon. As many say.. you can always quit. The door to exit is always there... waiting for you.. Anyhow I did the Kicking horse hill climb with my teammate Evan & that was fun. We also did the Revel stoke hill climb which I did a few days post shoulder surgery & still had 13 staples in my shoulder. Hindsight I probably wasn't fit to climb a hill for 20+ kilometers but it's all good.

I'm back into a weekly training routine with the coach & will be heading to Maui late December with my good buddyy Patrick Paquette. Just like last year we are super pumped as home base will be in Paia this year as opposed to Kihei which was a pain in the ass to navigate across Hansen road every time we wanted to go towards Hana or Haleakala. Should be a good time to spend new years on the Island and get some solid training in.

I also took the liberty of deciding to work towards building a Nationally recognized brand called the "Time To" group. I have launched additional business's that will form a corporate conglomerate with Time To Shine & will all be under the TTGroup umbrella. This is super exciting but finding that balance & equilibrium is so incredibly important. A lot of people say in order to be a pro/elite level cyclist all you can do is ride your bike every day all day. Well I want to do it my way. Growing business's & racing at the highest level possible simultaneously. Maybe I will even achieve some lofty goals along the way. The formula has been working well for me up to this point in life. That is what a successful lifestyle is all about in my mind.

Crush the training & enjoy life!