I did get to do a little hunting the next day where I limited out on Chukar in Eastern Oregon. It was quite a bit of hiking for a few birds. But, it is nice to just get out in the middle of nowhere to find some peace and quiet aside from the occasional gun blast. I tend to do the majority of my thinking trekking around whether it’s on my bike or hiking.
I would come back the next week to more work and training followed by a busy but exciting weekend. I just joined the Hagens Berman Cycling team for the 2010 season and we had our first team gathering. It was two days packed full of team bonding, meetings, eating, and riding.
Our first day together was spent in the rock climbing gym since the typical Seattle weather did not allow for a decent early season ride. I was finally able to break in the climbing shoes I purchased about 4 years ago as well as chat with the rest of the guys on the team. It was a great first couple of hours as we all meshed well together. We eventually proceeded past the typical “first date” questions of “where are you from”? “What kinds of things do you like to do”?, etc, etc. We then made our way over to Chris Wingfield’s house where his Dad was extremely welcoming. He made us burgers, pasta salad, had a seemingly endless supply of drinks, and can’t forget the cookies! They definitely treat their guests well and are extremely kind and generous. After filling up on goodies, we then attended an open house at Cycle U where Adrian Hegyvary had a very inspiring speech which not only pertained to cycling but life in general. It was pretty deep and I took a lot away from it. To end the evening, we had a team dinner at Puerto Vallerta where we had some massive portions of chips and salsa and burritos. I’m still shocked I finished what was on my plate.
The next day we finally were able to ride together around Redmond, Washington. Talk about a beautiful area. We avoided the majority of the precipitation and made our way through the hilly landscape. I concluded the ride with a coffee accompanied by a couple teammates before heading over to Alan’s parent’s house. Once again, we were welcomed into a warm home where showers were provided and a delicious snack settled in my stomach. Still on the move, we scurried on over to another team presentation at Herriott Sports Performance where the teams were introduced, sponsors were discussed, and product was displayed. That would wrap up the weekend with the team before driving back South to Oregon.
It was a great weekend with the team and I am super stoked to start the 2010 race season. Next up is another meeting in Seattle around the middle of December then I head even further South to Arizona. It sounds like quite a few of the guys will make their way down there as well which would insure further camaraderie with the team.
Here is where I stayed in Auburn, Washington. Roxanne has been more than accommodating when it comes to letting me crash at her house.
As I write this blog post, winter is beginning to show its face a bit more. It’s supposed to snow quite a bit up in the mountains and a bit down in town here for the next couple of days. That means one thing…XC skiing! I’m sure I will have a few pics of the corduroy XC trails in the near future.
