before and after
In 2001 I started cycling for fitness. I weighed 260 lbs and smoked a pack-a-day. In October of
2001 I rode my first century, the Foxy's Fall in Davis. In 2002 I rode several centuries and got
hooked on speed via the Monday and Wednesday night Sacramento Wheelmen rides. In
2003 I joined Team City, ran a marathon, became a shop rat, started racing cat 5, and
completed the California Triple Crown by riding 3 double centuries in one season: the Davis
Double, the Eastern Sierra Double, and the Terrible Two. In 2004 I focused on racing cat 4
and stunk it up pretty good, but managed to eek out two fifths and a fourth in 28 races. In
2005 I won 3 races, got a second and a sixth and upgraded to cat 3, then achieved my goal of
finishing the Nevada City Classic. In 2006 I focused on studying to become a coach and tried
to consolidate the fitness gained over the past five years, building a base big enough to
withstand the rigors of training to be competitive on a national level by 2008. In the process I
logged 10,329 miles in 595 hours, not counting BMX riding with my son and commuting to
work on the fixie. I attended the USA Cycling Summit at the Olympic Training Center in
Colorado Springs and I passed the test to upgrade my USA Cycling Coach license to level
two. I am required to wait five years to get to level one. In my previous life I was a freelance
trumpet player and am in the Sammies Hall of Fame.