Privateer Diaries: Boulder Bliss & A TT Bike Scramble
A quick life update from the Colorado mountains.
This piece is a bit more of a life update than a deep dive on any topic. I’m working on an article currently ‘Project vs Performance Athlete’, which will hopefully drop next week.
If you enjoy reading about my random thoughts, please do share with a friend.
I often get lost in the craziness that is who knows how many days on the road, races and contracts. I spend time thinking about the next project, planning, and scheming. Recently, I’ve been very good at what’s happening at the moment.
Boulder, Colorado
I’m currently staying with the Lydic family in Boulder, Colorado and it very much feels like I’m at home here. Rob and Patty are the most welcoming people I could ask for, then Andy and I are spending many hours frequenting cafes and riding in the mountains. It really is lovely.
There’s something oh-so beautiful about being in Boulder. It’s a return to routine, big training hours and some of the most incredible training roads that one can ask for. Riding through the mountain roads, up to Gold Hill and beyond I’m in my happy place. Doing big training hours and scheming is where I’m at my best. It’s days like these that I realise I have one of the best jobs in the world.
I desperately want to bring Maggie out here so she can witness it too. It’s a place I think she’d love and a place I could see myself living in the future.
Redlands, not Sea Otter?
I’m in Boulder for another week and then it’s heading out to California - Redlands is back on the cards.
If you’ve been reading this Substack for a while you’ll remember that Redlands was Ribble Rebellion’s first race last season. There was a certain amount of craziness on my behalf going into the race last year. I’ll admit that it’s nice to not have to stress about the logistics of seven riders travelling internationally to a bike race.
It’s only now that I’m realising how much work Rebellion was. I’m much more relaxed this year. I’ll be heading to Redlands this year with Good Guys Racing, a team out of NYC. They are by name and nature, a group of very good guys and I’m looking forward to spending time with them. It was also nice when my plane ticket simply arrived in my inbox, just like the good ol’ days - thanks Cormac.
Redlands means no Sea Otter. I want to go back to Redlands as I’m a roadie at heart and there’s something that I love about stage racing. That being said, with my job predominantly being racing gravel and working with partners, long term it looks like Sea Otter will be the choice.
It doesn’t make sense for me to skip the biggest cycling trade show in the world - and the first round of the LifeTime Grand Prix to compete in a road stage race just down the road as a guest. But, I’m lucky to have the backing of partners who let me race what I want to race - that’s something I will never take for granted.
Panic TTraining
Returning to Redlands means a return to the TT bike. I haven’t pedalled a TT bike since I finished 3rd at the Redlands TT last year - that’s not ideal.
My bike sponsor, ENVE, doesn’t make a TT bike which means I have the choice of any bike on the market.
While yes, it’s a dream. It’s also a slight pain. Sourcing a TT bike for potentially one TT per year is a bugger, and I cannot afford to sink the $5-10k that it would have taken to purchase my own S-Works SHIV or similar.
Luckily, my ENVE teammate Mr Alexey Vermeulen has a Factor Hanzo sitting in his garage here in Boulder which he has been kind enough to lend me. I’m ever so thankful to Alexey and the more I work with him, the more I realise he’s one of the best people in bike racing.
With that said, Alexey and I are very different body shapes and the Hanzo has a slightly annoying system when it comes to getting the front end dialled. I’m working on it, but trying to fully customise a full TT bike at a couple of weeks notice isn’t the easiest task in the world!
One could argue that it’s much more stress (and money) than it’s worth for a 20-minute TT, but I desperately want to do a good GC in California.
What More?
Namibia: I was on the phone with my agent, Ryan Sosna-Bowd, the other day, and the idea of Namibia came up, as there’s a UCI gravel race there in August. The current idea is that I fly out to race the UCI, and then we can do a mini bike-packing/camping trip, too. More on that soon, maybe.
Weight: I’ll probably write a full piece on this soon but I’m currently in quite a heavy ‘cut’ phase. My next three races (Redlands, Levi’s, Traka), all rely on me being at a competitive race weight, and I’ve got a little bit of work to do there. It’s hard being in the land of the world’s best cookies but I’m slowly but surely dropping those final couple of kg’s. I’ve had an unhealthy relationship with weight in the past, as has every cyclist. I enjoy the process, but equally crave the calories! I’ll admit there’s also a sadistic part of me that enjoys this process.
New Partner: Next week I’ll be announcing a new headline partner for this Substack. They’re a brand that works with some of the biggest names in endurance sports and they’ve changed the game when it comes to my capability of committing to doing more writing work.
Altitude: Can you allow me to bitch about the altitude and how it’s so much harder once again? Cheers.
New Bike: My ENVE Melee arrived today - yes, I’m very excited to get it built up.
While you’re here…
I’ve added a paid subscription and a ‘Buy Me A Coffee’ link to this post. As the year progresses, I’m planning on building this blog and putting out articles which I’ve always wanted to write but, for whatever reason, haven’t wanted to pitch. Your contributions allow me to do that.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/joelaverick
The following brands are racing partners of mine which allow me to do cool stuff.
Will it be worth it to purchase a front end extension system? Then you’ll have an extension system you could transfer between bikes for those kind of last minute TTs. Although that might be a pain with routing and installing. Just a thought.
Try putting the saddle down on the TT bike. Yes it will feel weird but you will adapt - it’s also commonly less aerodynamic drag