As I tried to sleep last night I ended up pondering my top goals for 2012...It ended with quite a bit of pondering really since I only slept about an hour last night, so bare with me as I'm functioning on limited sleep. If this post seems like it's turning into a massive compilation it probably is due to sleep deprivation. Anyways....Let's get this started shall we?
This is probably the race I'm most looking forward to, but that is probably because it's the first big race I plan on doing in 2012...Heck this is probably going to be the biggest race I have ever done in my mostly local cycling career. It's in April so I have about 3 and a half months to get ready for Sea Slaughter oops....I mean Sea Otter...Basically from what I've heard is Sea Otter is one big cycling extravaganza taking the course of about 4 days...There's road racing, mountain bike racing, and cyclocross at Sea Otter now. A far cry from when it was just purely a mountain bike race, but the changes are what is making me the most excited about it. Ya see me being a roadie, mountain biker, and sometimes cyclocross makes this the perfect weekend. Although I will have to pass on the cyclocross festivities at Sea Otter. What I am planning on doing for sure is of course the XC mountain bike race, but then there's also the road stuff I plan on mixing in. They have a Criterium race on thursday, which I'm super stoked about since well ya know...Over the past few seasons I have become somewhat of a crit specialist..It must be in my genes or something, as I like to say these legs were made for sprinting. Perhaps what I'm most excited about is the circuit race, which takes place around the legendary Laguna Seca raceway. That's pretty much a dream come true for me...It's going to be tough with doing that friday morning, and then the XC in the afternoon, but I know my limitations very well, and I could do well if I don't slack off training until then. All in all should be a jam packed extended weekend full of good bike racing, and friends. Hopefully I will have something to bring home by the end of it.
Oh yes, The Stars and Bars....I am of course talking about the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships that take place in July somewhere in Sun Valley, Idaho. If I had to rank what would mean the most to me to accomplish it would be taking home the cat 1 19-24 stars and bars back to good ol central oregon. I mean...It's a fricken National Championship...
No not the Tour De France Jersey...I'm talking about the Cascade Cycling Classic Yellow Jersey..Well more specifically the Cat 3 Men Yellow Jersey..I've done this race two times in the past, and both years I helped a teammate to win the overall. Well this year I plan on changing that...This year It's my turn to grab that yellow jersey. There would be something special about it because It's a huge hometown race for everyone in Central Oregon...We have to fight off those pesky traveling intruders off that try to invade and steal our glory, which makes it such a challenge..The best part of the Cascade Classic is the support you get from friends, and family that almost always make it out to a stage or two..There is 4 stages, which makes it a tough tough race. They consist of a nice hilly first stage, followed by a time trial, and then my personal favorite the Downtown Criterium. I love going to opposite way on one ways...Plus the cheering hometown crowd doesn't hurt either. The last stage is a circuit race that takes you up Archie Briggs, or what I like to call it the wall of crushed hope and dreams. Ya see since I come from a mountain bike background, my tactics are a little bit...Well let's say unorthodox..The past two seasons I have tried solo breakaways and nearly got away with it if it wasn't for the wall of a hill that is Archie Briggs...Hence the name wall of crushed hope and dreams..Hopefully this year I won't need to put myself in position to try for a solo breakaway. But hey who knows? Maybe this time it will work?
Those races and my top 3 priorities for 2012, and my training will revolve around them...It should be an exciting year with the new squad, and a couple new races I'm looking forward to, and one I'm looking to come back to, and finally check it off in the win column...That's all for now...Time to go for a quick ride, while these guys are still sleeping...
-Austin Line
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