Meyrick Jones Racing: Calm Before the Storm

"wise guys" quote:

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

- Theodore Roosevelt, speech titled "Citizen in a Republic" delivered at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Everything you need is already inside.

- Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike, legendary coach, and father of the running movement.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Calm Before the Storm

Quick weekend re-cap.... I worked at the Bike Gallery on Saturday during the Westside Classic Bike Race. What a blast! The shop is right on the course and we basically just watched races all day. I LOVE watching cycling races. On Sunday my friends all rocked the Oliver Half Iron - Kevin shaved a massive 45 minutes off of his previous best with an awesome race.

We are getting a bit bogged down by terrible weather - Mattias' T-Ball was cancelled and the rain has helped to enforce my taper. Viggo, Aia and Sacha are all great. I CAN'T WAIT to post a picture of Aia's project - it is really coming along.

Onward.... The next week should be pretty crazy for me...

Wednesday I will spend getting all of my stuff together, picking up the race package, going to classification, getting the bike tuned, cleaned and ready to rock. I used to do it the night before but have decided to can that habit... I just want to chill the night before.

Thursday is race meeting, AWAD (Athletes with a Disability) Lunch, Canadian Team photo, Parade of Nations, Opening Ceremonies, Pasta Party. That sounds like a lot to me... I may disappear at some point but I feel like I should be there.

My role on the boards of Triathlon Canada and Triathlon BC and the efforts I have made with the ITU to help organize this race have left me with a different feeling of ownership than when I am just a competitor. These roles have also left me with a very packed calendar this week... board meetings after the race, cocktail parties on Saturday... it's all fun but boy am I not used to so much stuff going on.

I have paired some of our Canadian athletes with local handlers and I am still a bit stressed about that (I don't need to be but I can't help it.) It helps them a lot to not have to bring someone from the other side of the country to assist during the race. AWADs are allowed 1 - 3 handlers (depending on disability) to assist with transitions.

I'll leave you with a few photos - none from Oliver unfortunately (since I wasn't there...)

The Bike Gallery - Looking good!

Stephen (Bike Gallery Owner) - Proudly displaying an Axel Merckx signed jersey. Axel came to the event and stopped in at the Bike Gallery.

Tri BC executive director Allan Prazsky racing on his way to a 4th place finish. He broke away early and was just about to be caught when I snapped this shot (the only good one I got of the racing all day.) Notice the fresh white kicks, bar tape, seat, and helmet... nice coordination and attention to detail!