Sweet NM

I am returned to the "Land of Enchantment" for almost 24 hours now, and I have been nothing short of enchanted. Where do I start? Upon landing last night in El Paso, I was greeted by my familiar friends, the gusty winds of NM.  I guess they missed me! Then as I arrived to Las Cruces and the house, I could see the mountains glowing from wildfire. Yes, my mountains are on fire! In the light today, it was easy to see the smoke billowing off the fire-stricken area(s).

It is really hard for me to believe I have been away for close to 5 months. I had this serious revelation on my ride today as I was noticing the pecan groves in full bloom. Incredible for me to believe that when I had left, they were getting ready to harvest the pecans. Now they are watering, fertilizing, preparing the grounds, etc. Anyway, the training was nice. I was short on time, but I really enjoyed the beautiful sun, warm temps and light winds. The less enjoyable moment of my ride was getting a flat. I can't even make it one day riding here without a flat! After my ride, I enjoyed a much needed straightening at Daugherty Chiropractic. Chris does great work, and always helps me to feel better. And to finish this day off, I got doping control today already! A busy 24 hours, but I am happy to be home. I am super excited to go get some good mexican food. Also excited to have a trip or two up to the mountains by Silver City and/or Ruidoso or Cloudcroft for some good training.

I suppose I owe an update from my week in Belgium. Fleche was a rough race for me. I had good legs, but something was off for me. There was just something not clicking for me, so all in all I was a bit disappointed in the end. I am happy to have had the experience for my future though. Sunday was Liege, and it was super difficult. I made it to La Redoute, the same as last year, but I think I was stronger this year than last. I do have a regret from the race though. There was a certain moment after the first big selection of the race when I was near the front of the field and some attacks were going. I hesitated to follow the move(s) and knew immediately that I had missed a big opportunity to do my job for my team and give myself a great chance for finishing highly in the race. Despite this disappointment, I feel like it is a good sign of my maturation as a rider to recognize these moments and know where/when I need to be in a race.

My next race is Tour of California. I am excited to take part in my first ToC. I am also honored to be a part of the team for such an important race for our team. The race is going to be pretty epic I am sure. It will be even better for me because I will have family, Busches and Savres, coming out for parts of the race. It is going to be fun to see everyone. Ciao ciao!