Well, not really. This year got off to a great start with some fun races - even my failed attempt at cross-country racing - but quickly devolved into an academic and viral slog of epic proportions. Even going into finals week I had a fever.
Oh well, sometimes you just gotta deal and keep on truckin.
The sickness, of course, is not to say that there wasn't some badass riding this school year. Got to watch Stage 3 of the Tour of California right in my own backyard...
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| Little brother of my friend Anthony, Ian had never ridden steel with Campy before |
We watched the early-stage break go by at the corner of North Livermore and Manning, with an impressive 5minute gap that, obviously, would have no chance of lasting up Mt. Diablo.
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| (I'm really pretty bad at the whole picture thing, but here they come!) |
And, then, we wandered right on over to the finish in Livermore, where an abundance of Michelob Ultra was to be consumed by the adults, and where two high school students were to receive nasty sunburns holding the spot at the finish barriers! (worth it, in case you were wondering)
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| I think you can make out the awesome that is known as "Boom Boom" Boonen at the front of the pack |
Add on top of that some of my own race antics...
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| Wow, look at that kid sitting extremely upright with locked out elbows and not a worry in the world... Oh wait, this is a criterium? |
And maybe some outstanding academic accomplishment (holy smokes, look at those sideburns!):
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| Feel free to read about how much of a nerd I am here. |
I think you could call it a pretty good school year for me on and off the bike. Hopefully this summer has a lot more "bike" in store for me than "school."
Yeah! Summer rocks!
Congratulations on all of your hardwork Danny! Hopefully you can reward yourself with some good bike time- It is hard to keep the balance between brainwork and bodywork, but I think you are well on your way!
ReplyDeletenote to self: get the kid a good telephoto lens for his birthday, graduation, or something.
ReplyDeleteother thoughts:
well done with your academics. i hope that you take some time to really enjoy the summer vacation before your senior year begins.
one "failed attempt at XC racing" hardly defines ones cycling career- especially at age 17. bicycle racing is often quite brutal, if you haven't noticed already.
your racing images do a great job of capturing the excitement of the Tour of California... maybe not so much the racers. wait until they get really close, see note to self above.
the fear experienced while racing a spring crit (juniors, no less) is quite natural. overcoming the self-preservation instinct will help you relax, as will racing as often as you can. i would be scared stiff racing with that bunch of squirrels, too.
best to keep the "chinese caterpillar fungus" facial hairs at bay with a regular grooming regimen. at least for now. (see link, scroll to "introduction to the western world")
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiocordyceps_sinensis