Yesterday I did one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do.  I gave Jay my notice.  After eight years, I’m leaving Jay’s Cycle.  I have had a great time there, and still enjoy every day, working side by side with some of my closest friends.  So many of my friends are people who I met through the shop; as cyclists we have a common understanding and similar sensibilities, and those friendships were strengthened by sharing some suffering out on the road.  Don’t worry, those bonds won’t go away.  If anything, I’m going to have more time to ride, so I’ll likely see you all pretty often.

Most of all, I’m proud of what we’ve done with the business over the last 8 years.  We’ve built a staff of intelligent, articulate, easygoing, and confident people with a very professional attitude.  Customers get a higher level of service than they could have imagined, and they enjoy the time they spend there.  We gave back to the community with a number of charity events:  The LBI Ride to benefit the ARC of Union County, the Pan-Mass Charity Auction to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Research Center, and my cross country trip to raise money for cancer research.  And we have built a community of riders, more than just a club, that ride with respect and spread the word about cycling.  It’s been amazing to be at the center of all that, and to enjoy the resulting success.

What’s next?  On February 22 I will be moving into the role of General Manager of the Sneaker Factory stores.  I’m really excited about the move, as it presents a whole new set of challenges, yet I have a wealth of experience to bring to the job.  Mike Conforti, the owner and a close friend of mine, has done a wonderful job improving the business since buying it 4 years ago, and I plan to help him take it further.  We’re eager to get started.

EnduranceGuru.com is going to keep cruising along.  So many of you that I’ve worked with are going strong, having fun, and kicking butt on their various adventures and challenges.  Business is good, and growing.  There are a lot of great things in store this season, and I hope you come along for the ride . . . or run!

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After seeing the forecast for Saturday’s weather, I was pretty excited to get out on the road.  Temps were supposed to hit the 40s, and it would be sunny with little wind.  Not bad.  I got to bed early and set the alarm with plenty of time to spare.  But things rarely go exactly according to plan, do they?  I dashed around trying to find my gloves and my new shoe covers, and finally got out the door at 9:32, leaving me 28 minutes to spin the 8 miles to Westfield for Don’s Old School Saturday Ride.  Somehow, I managed to get caught at every single traffic light between home and Jay’s Cycle, and I arrived just a couple minutes after the group had left.  The guys didn’t know what route they had taken, which was just as well because I needed a break to warm up my frozen hands.

I headed back out the door and went exploring.  I wanted to check out possible routes for a charity ride I’m planning with my friend Sarino to benefit the Streetlight Mission in Elizabeth. We’re hoping to start the ride in Scotch Plains at Evangel Church, but the challenge is finding safe and scenic routes from there that avoid traffic congestion, imposing hills, and ugly industrial areas.  Unfortunately, on this trip I found plenty of traffic and ugly industrial zones, although no hills at all.  I’ll have to get creative with the route planning, and I promise it will be an interesting route.  Come ride with us on June 26th.  I’ll keep you posted with details as plans progress.

After another hour of messing around in the South Plainfield area, my hands were frozen again, so I headed home.  The temps had never made it past 36 degrees, and there was plenty of wind, but it was still worth it.  It was great to get out and breathe some fresh air and get the legs turning circles.  I was trying out some new gear for the first time, and I’m pleased:

• Castelli Spunto jacket - super warm and windproof.  I was toasty warm with just a baselayer underneath.  Probably too warm - I could have worn a lighter baselayer and been extremely comfortable.  My favorite jacket ever!
• Castelli Cardio Bibtights - warm and reasonably windproof, although they’re a very snug fit.  Their XL is any other company’s medium.
• Castelli Pioggia shoe covers - perfect for today, totally windproof, light, breathable, and lined with just the right amount of fleece.  My feet were extremely comfortable.
• Specialized Romin SL saddle - excellent!  I really like it.  Amazingly comfortable even on the first ride.  And it lives up to its billing as the most ergonomically designed saddle ever.

After I got back home and warmed up my hands again, I took a quick spin on my new TT bike.  This has been my project over the last month, piecing together my dream machine.  Finally this week I got the 3T Mistral aerobar I had been waiting for, and I was able to put it all together.  S-Works Transition carbon frame, S-Works carbon crankset, SRAM Force deraillers, SRAM Red shifters and brake levers, TRP time-trial aero brakes, Roval Rapide SL 45 aero wheels, Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX tires, and an old Koobi TT saddle that I inherited from Otto after one of his bike renovations.  It felt amazing to blast around the block.  Fast, and almost scary.  The bike is blazing quick, and once I get the fit totally dialed it will be incredible.  I’m looking forward to racing some time trials and triathlons on it this year.

Check out the profile of this bike - narrow is aero!

Anyone interested in a well maintained 2005 Specialized Transition with brand new Vuelta Carbon Pro wheels and new Michelin tires?  It’s an awesome machine, but I won’t be needing it anymore.

If you’re interested, send me an e-mail.  I’ll take $1,000 for it, and I’ll include a complete fitting.  It’s a 56 cm frame, great for anyone 5′9″ to 6′ tall.

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I was sad to miss Don’s Old School Saturday Ride this morning, but I couldn’t force myself to brave the 26 degree temp with the chill of a gusty 20 mph wind subtracted from that.  Too many frigid winters spent training outdoors have done their damage, and the circulation in my hands is terrible.  As a result, my fingers freeze in spite of every precaution.  I don’t mind the cold so much, but the risk is too great.  So days like today relegate me to the basement.

My training studio is pretty simple:  my 17-year-old CycleOps Fluid trainer, a riser block, an ancient Panasonic 17″ tv, a vcr (I still haven’t invested in a dvd player for the studio), a pile of videos, my rollers leaning in the corner, and either my TT bike or my CX bike with road slicks locked in position.  A de-humidifier and a fan keep things bearable.

After lifting weights and running a few miles with Jenn and Winston yesterday, my hamstrings were a bit tight, so I was content to warm up slowly, letting the capillaries dilate, the pores open, and the lungs to expand.  I put on my favorite video, Stars and Watercarriers, a classic Jorgen Leth film that documents the 1972 Giro d’Italia.  As I warm up, I move upward through the gears, falling into rhythm with Merckx and Shoenmacher on the screen as they lead the peloton up the Cima Coppi, relentlessly pushing the pace until the best climbers in the world have fallen off their wheels, an only Merckx can continue to accelerate.  Before I know it, an hour has gone, my waterbottle is empty, and a puddle of sweat is on the floor beneath me.

This is the start of my 2010 season.  It feels pretty good.

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