So, a couple of weeks ago.......

......we had a meeting with Larry Nolan(in the pic above - with our own Chico Corsa President Geno Gruber. Uh, Geno is the um....well.....he's the um........let's just say, he is shorter than Larry). And man, I was impressed.

Sure, how could you not be impressed when you have a former World Champion come to your town talking about your absolute favorite sport in the whole world? Talking training, technique, tactics, racing, equipment, etc. I mean, what's not to like??? Well, I mean, if you're a bike geek and all.

I've seen Larry race many many times, and he always amazes me. He'll go into a race, and if you watch him - especially in the criteriums - he'll wait, watch, pounce at the perfect moment.....and here is a guy who possesses the speed and ability to lap the field......solo! It's amazing to watch - especially for us Cat. 4 dweebs who couldn't breakaway to save our lives!

But no, that is not why I was impressed with his talk.

During his presentation, Larry started off by saying something that really hit me. This past year, Larry has only taken 5 days off of the bike in total. He actually broke his Patella earlier this year.....but continued to ride......with one leg!! The reason??

It was because of his love for the bike. Here's how he put it, for the most part: "I love bicycling. I love the riding. I love the racing. On the morning of a race, I can't wait to race the race. I love being in the race, watching what happens, taking part in the racing action. And that night, after the race, it's the last thing I think about before falling asleep. I love to ride my bicycle. I don't have tons of time to ride because I work full-time and have a family - but the time I do get to ride is precious. I love it."

That, to me, was motivating. His enthusiasm for the sport really hit me. You wonder why a guy like Larry Nolan is a Cat. 1 who wins - a guy who was Champion of the World?? Because he loves it. And if you read the blog of that other Cat. 1 guy I like to talk about all the time, you get the same sense from him too - he loves it!! There is a type of motivation there that borders on a cycling charisma. It's infectious.

Anyway, I'm blabbing - I'll shut up now.