XO Communications p/b Cisco

As many of you know I'll be joining team XO for the 2012 season. I'm excited about it, I think its a really good position for me to be in. The level of riders I'll be learning from is huge, a lot of ex-pros from pretty big teams like Rock Racing, Snow Valley, Rite-Aid and a few guys that have spent a lot of time racing in Belgium.

The team camp we had in Asheville, NC a couple weeks ago was a big confidence booster, for everybody. I think I speak for the team as a whole when I say that everyone on board this year is super strong, knowledgable and overall just a well rounded group of guys, both on and off the bike. Its important that a team get along well, and know each other, especially in a sport as trying as cycling. I'm happy to say, I think thats exactly what we have this year.

The riding in Asheville is great, its no wonder hat pro teams like United Healthcare choose the location for training camps. Whichever way you choose to ride you'll find yourself going uphill for hours at a time. The 12 days were filled with some long rides, a good focus on team building, and food, lots of food.

It was all fun. Except for a small run in I had with a pick-up truck that left my bike pretty hurt and my front wheel unusable, but I recovered just fine and thanks to a great teammate, Jared Nieters, the owner of the best bike shop in the world (Haymarket Bicycles), the bike was up and running the next day.

We were also lucky enough to get some good racing in at the Greenville Spring Training Series in SC. The first day was pretty rough for me, as I covered the first attack of the race which ended up turning into me and one other rider being chased down by the peloton for 40 miles. But, it meant my teammates in the race didn't have to chase, so they could sit back and rest up while I suffered. 

The next race, and final day of camp, turned into an awesome way to finish up the week as our teammate Adam Farabaugh took the win against a solid field. The guy is pretty strong. Overall it was a fantastic time. The team, sponsors, and everyone else involved is pretty excited for what should be a seriously successful season.