Sunday I hit the trails at Peninsula State Park with a group of locals calling themselves "The Faithful." it was 31deg. during the ride and everyone showed up in their insulated XC ski gloves. Yours truly forgot his helmet, and Brian F. offered to make one from his Carhartt hat and some bubble wrap, but I didn't plan on crashing, so I just went without.

Now I ride a pretty good amount, but these guys are amazing to ride with. Brian F is an elite XC skier, Erik in a world-ranked surf ski racer, Freddie races Expert XC, and a few others, all faster than me. I can generally keep up with these guys on the road, or the flats, but as soon as the terrain points up or the handling gets tricky, I get dropped. My goal for this winter is to work on climbing, riding at and anaerobic level, and focus/picking good lines, which will help to improve my riding economy.

I am beginning to plan out my racing season with a focus on the Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike Series (WEMS), and one or two 24-hour races. In the past I have never really laid out a training season appropriately, but this is the year to do it. I have a few good references to consult, and (finally) the self discipline to get out and do this on my own. We'll see how it goes...