EFTA NECS '08 Preview

Well here we are again...first race is in about two weeks and I have maybe 20 miles on my mountain bike. But more coming this weekend and lots of trainer/commuting/road miles. I feel pretty good about this season. I think my fitness has definitely improved over last year and I am excited to see how much better I do this season...both with my fitness and my new bike. I think I have a good chance of being pretty competitive.

One of the last things I needed was some way to motivate myself mentally to push just a bit harder when I get to that point in a race where I feel like laying off and just coming in for the finish. My plan to get that extra motivation was to try and get some sort of sponsorship, so I would in some way shape or form be held 'accountable' for my results. I tried getting something set up with bike29, which looked promising at first, but later fizzled out (haven't heard from them in a while so I'm moving on.)

Instead I decided I would create my own pseudo sponsorship and just 'ride' for my chapter of NEMBA. It's a good cause, I can probably still trick myself into a little more mental motivation to try and represent the chapter well and I don't have to worry about any kind of actual 'sponsorship obligations'. Best of both worlds. And lucky me NEMBA came out with a 20th anniversary jersey that I can use as my 'kit':

LOUD

This jersey is right up my alley, loud colors that dont really match and it has an ax on it...c'mon. Fits really well too and the pockets are a bit looser than some of my other jerseys which will make it easier to get food. Which is crucial because I have come to the realization that I need about 200% more food than the average rider.

Bring on the Glocester Grind! (AKA last)