Welcome to my Journey...

As a kid, we all had a dream job we wanted when we grew up. Some wanted to be an astronaut, a police officer, a musician, etc. Me? I wanted to be an architect. At least that is what I thought... You see, a very fortunate few are able to find out what they really want to be at a young age. But maybe that is just it, they didn't know "WHAT" they wanted to be... They knew "WHO" they wanted to be.

I have been living in Colorado with my wife Danielle for almost 4 years now, and during this time I have learned more (than in 22 years of school) about myself, my family, my friends, and most importantly, my future. As a student, we have this image of our dream job but what we don't see are the long hours, time away from our family, and time we do not get to see the brighter things in life.

Colorado has made me realize that money is not everything and it sure cannot buy happiness. Over the past few years my relationship with my wife has become stronger, bonds with friends have become greater, and my true passion has been instilled within me once again. Mountain Biking.

I started mountain biking right around the age of 11 and participated in some local town races through age 15. I can remember watching the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, the first year mountain biking become an Olympic sport. After those games, my goal was to be on the US Olympic Team for mountain biking at the 2000 games in Athens. Problem was, I didn't have a coach, I didn't have a plan, and I was about to turn 16 in a couple years. Don't get me wrong, my parents have been the support system of my life since day one and I could not ask for a better set of parents and family. But to become a world class athlete at the age of 14 is quite the investment, which my parents nor I were ready to commit to.

Fast forward about 10 years through high school, driving, parties, graduation, college, Florida, drinking, more college, road trips, getting married, and graduation (again). It was time to get a job. Luckily, I took a job in the high country of Colorado and dragged Danielle into the freezing winter of Vail, CO. She wasn't a fan at first but it quickly grew on her.

I bought a bike and tried my hand at racing again. Teva Mountain Games, mens beginner class. I figured, heck, I was pretty good as a kid; I have to be faster and stronger now! Enter the pain... that race hurt, bad. First time trying SPD pedals on a much more technical course than I was used to. Almost DEAD LAST. Well that didn't stop me. The spark caught fire and I was instantly hooked on riding again. In the next 2 years I started racing again, entering town series races until finally for this past season I started taking it a little more seriously. Like, 27 races seriously. With virtually no training plan other than riding as many miles as I could, I have made it to the Expert level in Mountain Biking! I now know WHO I want to be: a loving Husband, a caring Father (of Breck for now), a positive influence on my family and friends, my community, my passion and finally... I want to become a pro. And I am prepared to do what it takes to get there.

The Future: I will say I am super stoked to be riding with Bach Builders for the 2011 season. My motivation right now is sky high and as I develop a winter training plan, I look forward to growing with this successful team. This blog will serve as my marketing tool as I continue to become a pro racer. It will contain race recaps (and not just how I did, but highlights all around), product reviews (and these will be accurate reviews... if it happens to be "free", it won't be the greatest new thing unless it truly is just that), and more (let me know what YOU are interested in, because we are in this together).

So welcome to my journey, thank you for your support, and I will see you all at the finish line... just remember, crossing that line takes only a second. How you got there, that is what will be remembered forever.

TMP