I don’t know that this time of year is necessarily the off-season, but it’s definitely the transition season. I was chatting with somebody today about how much I was riding (or wasn’t riding) and said to them with 100% honesty: “If I can make it through the next month with some fitness left, I’ll be good to go”.

This is nothing new. In fact, it seems to happen every year. It starts to get cold, it starts to get dark, and skiing seems like it’s right around the corner (even though it’s really a decent bit off still). The riding dwindles, I start looking through the winter gear, I start brewing more beer, and cooking more things in the crock pot, and start making use of the netflix account.

I’ve still been riding, but it’s down to a few times a week, with a couple days of commuting adding the occasional miles. Riding becomes more of a chore with clothes, lights, and the more frequent bike issues that come from a long, hard season of riding. I try to mix things up to keep it interesting, but other endeavors call, like cutting firewood and growing creative facial hair (believe it or not, it takes up a lot of my time…)

I always wonder if this is something I should try and combat. I’ve considered gym memberships (boring), taking up running (painful), and even hiring a coach (expensive) to help give me some structure to this lull.

In the end, I usually end up embracing it, and then trying to dig myself back out through a strict regimen of hiking snowbowl, a semi-strict regimen of spin classes, and a more relaxed (but probably most important) regimen of riding the rollers.

Which brings us to tonight, and what is running through my head. I’m sitting here in front of the computer, sipping the first glass of Trippel off the keg for this weekend’s Turkey Fry Extravaganza. I’ve been thinking a little lately about what I want to do in terms of riding and racing next year. I haven’t quite figured anything too terribly specific out yet, but I know I want to race more than this past year, and I would like to feel more in shape when I’m doing it as a starting point.

More endurance races, at least one (if not more) solo 24 hour races, and at least a road race (or two) are the immediate things that come to mind. Specifics are still fuzzy at best, but if I have some goals in mind, I’m thinking it may help the motivation.

I rode the rollers the past two evenings and my legs are a bit sore from it, so maybe I’m turning the corner early this year? Only time will tell…..

* P.S. In case you didn’t get the invite circled around to you about the turkey fry party, here is the invite re-posted along with the snazzy graphic:

Start time: 3pm, Saturday, November 21.
The goal is to have a little thanksgiving pre-party the weekend before the big day. This allows us all to get together before folks leave town for the holiday and ready our stomachs for the big feast on thursday. I’ll provide homebrewed beer and other assorted beverages, approximately 40 lbs of deep-fried turkey, and the venue (my house).

The rest of the feast will be potluck style. Please bring your favorite thanksgiving dish, and an apetite.

I’ll start cooking and break open the kegs of beer mid afternoon, with the goal of dinner somewhere around 6.

Please bring friends along, the more the merrier.

Standard HBS party rules apply: if you know where I live already, consider yourself invited. If you don’t know where I live, send me an email, I’ll send you directions to my place, and then you’re invited.