After Granfondo

Thank you to everyone who came out last Sunday on the inaugural Valley First Granfondo Axel Merckx. What a blast it was to be back in a bunch riding and laughing on the bike.
I have to admit that once a competitor always a competitor. Listening to the ambassadors Kevin Cutjar and more particularly Alison Sydor where she told all of us at the Granfondo festa (the before-ride dinner) that no matter how much experience you had in racing you always push yourself a little harder than you should. I thought to myself there is no way I will push myself the next day during the Granfondo. We left Penticton safely before climbing Peach Orchard Road in Summerland. I knew that Svein Tuft was going to go hard up the hill and make a selection for what he called a good training ride. I saw him accelerate, dropping everybody attempting to sit on him. Then my competitive side wondered if despite the little training and lots of promoting for the event I could still stay with him up the 1km climb. It has been awhile since I rode that fast or that hard up a climb. I looked behind me and there was only one other rider left. My legs and lungs wondered what was I was thinking and I also realized that if I wanted to enjoy the rest of the day I had better fall back to the chasing bunch, where the tempo was more to my level of riding.
I really would like to thank all the volunteers, my core group on staff, for putting on such a great event. I also would like to acknowledge and thank my wife, Jodi, for being such an important part of the event. Like I always say, behind every athlete there is a strong woman and, just like my mom was for my dad, she is an exceptional woman.
On another note, the Tour de France has reached its second phase with the Pyrenees as an appetizer. I must say it has been very exciting to see Philippe Gilbert trading the champion of Belgium’s colors for the “Maillot Jaune.” Safety in the peloton has always been a challenge in the first week of any grand tour, but I urge the UCI and the organizers to take measures with regard to the amount of cars and motorbikes in the race. Also, drivers with no experience with the peloton should not pass riders during the race.
I hope the rest of the race will continue to be exciting. I will be back on the job directing my TrekLivestrong squad at the Cascade Cycling Classic next week. But I will be following every stage of the tour unfold until the finish in Paris. Until then, may the best rider win with a lot of crazy battles.