Fun in Chattanooga

I just got back home after spending two weeks in Chattanooga, TN. My good friends Kym and Mark Fasczewski (Mark is my coach too!) invite me every winter to spend some time with them training and cyclocross racing. It is always great to extend my cyclocross season, and wonderful to spend time riding on the road in January. However, Mother Nature has been rather vicious in the southeast this winter, dishing out snow for the cyclocross races and subfreezing temps for many of our road rides. I was even treated to three trainer rides, due to inclement weather. Oh, my! But misery loves company, and many of my friends in the Chattanooga area made it a point to join me on my rides there.

In addition to training I was privileged to work as a coach at the SCV (Scenic City Velo) winter training camp. SCV funded this weekend-long developmental training camp for their Cat 4 women and Cat 4 & 5 men, and Mark and Kym, as well as SCV president Steve Strain, put on a stellar show. Despite the cold temps and the intermittent flurries we rode outside on both Saturday morning and afternoon teaching a slew of racing skills. The camp was held in Sewanee, TN, at the top of a mountain, and the snow flurries and below freezing temps on Saturday night forced us onto trainers while Mark lectured and answered a myriad of questions regarding racing fitness and tactics. What a super way for a club to develop its racing team. Way to go SCV! Thank you Mark, Kym, and Steve for giving me the opportunity to work in your very finely oiled machine.