As the road season is winding down and I am starting to plan for a winter indoors on the trainer, I realized that I had not posted any updates in a while. Whether good or bad I simply didn't have much to share. Logging miles both out on my own and in group training rides has been the essence of my summer.
I did manage to buy a new set of wheels. I hate to admit it as they are a local company, but I honestly have no love for Zipp wheels. Too much carbon. Too many aero claims. If a wheel is round, and doesn't weigh a ton, it is good enough for me. So I ended up with a set of Weinmann rims laced to Origin-8 hubs that I got from my shop of choice, DG Bicycles. They are lightweight and durable, with a shallow 20mm or so profile. Since I'm looking to do the hour using Merckx Rules, it doesn't make much sense to train on deeper aero rims.
As for my training, the increased daylight of summer allowed me to steal an extra 16 miles by riding to and from the start point of a Tuesday/Thursday night group ride that is a staple of my routine. Unfortunately, by late July and again in late August the fatigue began to build up and I need a week or two off just to recharge. Conversely, hitting that wall gives me important information about how ineffective my trainer session were last winter, as well as how hard I can push myself and when in the lead up to my attempt next year.
Additionally, I am a bit late, but it is time to start seeking sponsors again. I can't do this without their support, so I will need to buckle down and make sure I have more direct contact with potential sponsors this time around. I've been making mental notes all summer of different local businesses to reach out to and I am thinking that expanding my focus away from companies that I thought would have a direct connection to the mission of The Merckx Project may help as well.
So if you are reading this and feel that you or your business would be interested in a different form of exposure, please feel free to contact me for more information.
