Yikes, where does the time go. My year end summation of 2014 has been forgotten, until now, the almost last week of January.
I had planned for a long and in depth look back at last year complete with all sorts of analysis and video. Instead 2014 will get this quick and simple blurb.
The Good
Plenty of good this year. The finish at the Barry Roubaix is certainly one, and realizing I missed a podium by one spot was one of those "well crap" moments of the year.
Sticking with the gravel theme, the 8th place finish in the MTB category for the Gravel Grovel was a highlight. My training paid off and I felt like I had a great race. The only thing that could have gone better was my pit stop at the halfway point. Too much time spent getting the chain re-oiled and getting food. Need to cut that down to one minute max in the future.
My bounce back from my mid season slump was a good thing. After three bad DINO races (one DNF, two mid to back of pack finishes), I put in more road time leading up to the Southwestway finale, and worked to get my endurance stronger. It worked, and I had a podium finish for the last race.
Improvement on the cyclocross front was a plus, as was winning an actual cyclocross bike. Next year, must dominate Cat 4 field.
The Bad
As referenced above, my mid season slump was the most prominent downer of the season. The crash which started it at North Vernon was bad enough, but the two crappy finishes in the next two races were terrible.
The finale of the OVCX race at St. Mary's was a disappointment. I had worked hard to improve my Cat 4 ranking during the season, and was rewarded with a second row call up for the Indiana state championship. As had been shown in previous Indy Cross races, if I can get a good call up, I will stay at or near the front for the rest of the race. Unfortunately, my late arrival at the race course and missed call up ended that. Lesson learned from this? Do. Not. Miss. Your. Call. Up.
The Ugly
I think the bad was ugly enough....
Moving on to happier topics, I can announce a new team for this season. In 2015 I will hang up the DRT kit and will be riding for Matthews Racing, a mountain bike team sponsored by Matthews Bicycles on the eastside of Indianapolis (so go and buy your bike stuff there). Matthews is an established team and I know many of the riders and have actually teamed up with their riders in the past for events (see Death March 2014). They always have a strong presence at the DINO races and it will be nice to have a home base set up at races as well as some team support. I'm looking forward to a good season with Matthews and hopefully I won't screw up too badly.
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