Now that it’s nearly March, I suppose it’s about time for me to post an update. Life has been busy, I can say that much. Settling into married life has been smooth, but it seems like we’ve barely stopped moving since Thanksgiving….
I spent two weeks in Europe in December for team meetings and training camp (find my latest Velonews blog “Rolling Recollections” on that page for a read on the emotions of going back to Calpe). Once getting back to the US, the Hagas embarked on a huge triangle-trip (because round-trip was a misnomer) to St. Louis and Dallas for Christmas to see family before returning to Fort Collins just in time for the new year. I somehow managed to fit some quality training rides around all that driving!
On the 2nd, I flew across the Atlantic for the 3rd time in a month to officially start the new season. Kate joined me at the end of my first training camp to start our Spanish life together. Life in our new place here is very comfortable–it’s a place we can actually call ‘home’, compared to the cramped and noisy bachelor pad I’d been in for the last two years. We’ve got her set up with an office in the guest room (we’re very thankful for the ability to work remotely!) and she’s got friends here for adventures when the boys are away racing bikes.
My season has had a good start so far, as I set new January records for power tests at a weight I’ve never seen so early in the year. It’s the first time a nutritionist has warned me not to get any leaner for this time of year, and I am definitely wearing more clothing than usual. Training is only training, though, and I got my legs ripped off in my first race. Stage 1 of Ruta del Sol was hard by any standard, but my legs went from feeling like a million bucks at the start to downright walking off the job on the final climb. Thankfully they recovered well and improved each day, and I had a good ride in the TT, finishing 11th. Granted, all of us are far from top form right now, but it’s usually later in the year that I start placing that well in TTs, so I’m hopeful for the races to come.
I brought over one of my dad’s camera bodies and a couple of lenses so I can continue to practice and learn on my rest days, as well as document the ongoing adventures of the Hagas. Here are some of my favorite shots taken in the last few months:
