My third mountain bike race - a NORBA National in Winter Park, CO- I won the Junior Beginner class. That's a $365 Nishiki Backroads, with the first production Scott Unishock suspension fork...
That bike weighed over 33 lbs - and that's a lot for a kid who tipped the scales at barely over 100lbs. "Technical clothing" came in the form of tube socks and a cotton turtle neck. I had braces. CamelBak's weren't yet invented. Onza ruled the world.......
Back then I dreamed of becoming a Pro. Whatever it took, I would do it.
Fast forward almost two decades. These days, my bike has lost almost 12 lbs and retails for nearly $5 grand. (I still tip the scales at about 130, but that's neither here nor there...)
Almost two decades later, that elusive dream has officially come true...
I received my International UCI Pro license in the mail today. The International Cyclist Union deems me fit enough to race at the highest levels in the world. Now this isn't to say, "I've arrived," with fists on hips; and I'll be the first to tell you I'll never be on a World Cup podium, but at long last after almost 20 years of countless mileage, hard work and dreaming, one of my oldest dreams has come true.
20 years, you say? Some of my friends have done it in 5! Sure, I probably could have fast-tracked it a little but that would have meant some serious sacrifices. I probably wouldn't be married to the best and most beautiful woman on Earth,
I wouldn't be on a career path, I wouldn't have a nice home or two (or two nice mortgages), and I know I wouldn't be living the comfortable lifestyle that me and the Mrs. have carved out for ourselves. And I'd probably have burned out on racing long ago.
The point, is work hard for what you want, but be balanced. You sacrifice only what you're willing to lose. And with your self-prescribed balance, your longevity can be a decades-long journey of experiences...
