On August 30, 2014, I will officially be a cyclist for one year and as I close in on my first year I was thinking about what a total transformation it has been to move from the football player/coach mentality and training. I have been re-learning my whole approach to training, nutrition and mental preparedness as I get more involved in cycling.

By the end of my first year I will have ridden about 7,000 miles, spent over 368 hours in the saddle, completed multiple Century Rides, completed the Cross Florida Ride (165 Miles), Finished 4 Races in my first season of Racing (had a couple of DNF’s which we are working on), Lost 40 lbs, and gained a ton of new friends and fellow riders.

I have a lot of people to thank for steering me toward cycling and continue mentoring to me while I progress as a rider. Mileah Briley is the one originally go me into the whole cycling idea because of her intense spinning classes at the gym…little did I know that I would be so addicted to it. Thanks to Kyle Markel and the entire KBS Cycling Team for allowing me to be a part of such a awesome group of riders and people. The Crew at Bob’s Bike Shop (Jesse, Ben, Rod, Geoff, Nick, Nicole and everyone else) for keeping my machines running, getting me into racing and continuing to support all my cycling needs.

Thanks to Raymond Read and my coach, Dave Severn, for pushing me to focus on bike handling skills, training routines and being an all around rider. I am hoping that Dave will finally be able to teach me some patience. Finally thanks to Dr Rick (Chiropractor) for keeping my aligned and tending to my injuries and Amber Kabboord (Massage Therapist) for her continual work on my various ailments and flexibility.

A very special thanks to Rich Rudolph (Oakley) for always keeping on point with shades, clothing and gear I need for any of my sports adventures! As I prepare for the next race season and the Vuelta Puerto Rico (in January), I will no doubt continue to lean on everyone that has helped me get to this point.