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Canceled
Posted Date: June 2, 2026
As May began we were still recovering from the baby. We were behind on our farm duties with the peppers and I was still trying to nail down the new job. We are expanding our pepper plot a bit, adding a few more rows to keep up with demand, plus fencing the entire thing as we have been unsuccessful in keeping out the deer. I was trying to ride but it was still inconsistent training at best. I have nobody to ride with these days. Dina has stopped road riding and I've been uninvited from the remaining local group rides. The riders here continue to let one guy decide how the groups ride and he decided there should be no more fast rides, therefore I am not allowed to attend anymore. He says anything above 21 mph is just too dangerous. They always tell me I'm too slow to be a racer so it's kind of funny to me that I am banned for being too fast.
I wasn't the only one kicked out this time. I tried to round up the others and start our own ride. Like the last time I tried to get a group going nobody was interested. They complain about this one guy but nobody will break away from his rides. I had one guy ride with me for one ride when we ran into each other on the old Tuesday night route. We agreed to meet up every week and do our own thing. He said he would invite others. I went to meet them for a few weeks in a row and nobody came. Then I saw some of their rides on Strava and realized they were riding together and going opposite of where I was coming from. Nobody responds when I try to contact them so I feel like they just ditched me. I have always found the local rides to be too much drama, but it is hard to match the workout you get going fast in a group paceline so I have put up with it.
There is a new high school cycling team in our area that I tried to become part of. I feel like I have a wealth of knowledge I can pass on to future riders, but apprently nobody else thinks so. I was told the riders didn't need to be around someone like me. They said I would teach them dangerous things and poor techniques. This is not the first time I have been told this. Apprently, I have no skills. I am just reckless. I only go fast because I am too dumb to comprehend the danger of my lines and moves. When I do well I just happened to get lucky that I didn't hit anything. This was the fourth high school team that has turned me down over the past 10 years or so. I guess I'll just keep my knowledge to myself then. It's really frustrating to have these kinds of things happen when I just want to get more involved in my sport and do something to give back to it. Riding changed my life and I would love to share it with others.
The Tennessee State Championship Criterium was back in Nashville at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway this year. It ended up coming on the same weekend as the DINO opener in northern Indiana. With my questionable training, I decided to take the cheaper weekend and stay home for the crit. I expected to get smoked, but I thought it would be a good workout and much more convenient than driving eight hours north to Winona Lake.
The week of the race was my final week at work. It was tough as they made it difficult on me in my final days, but when I walked out that door a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders instantly. By this point I had confirmed that I would be starting at the new job in just over a week so the stress of job hunting was also gone. I am very glad to leave this part of my life behind.
Dina and I celebrated with a ride at Montgomery Bell three days before the state crit. It was hard on my legs that close to the race, but I needed any type of training I could get right now and was not going to pass on the first real opportunity I have had to leave home for a ride since Marionna arrived. Dina borrowed our Dad's e-bike and lit me up on the climbs. I could make up time on the descents but I am way too slow climbing to even keep that e-bike in sight during the hilly portion of the course. We did the winter TT loop and got to ride together for a lot of it, something that would never have happened with her on a regular bike. I felt good later in the loop and was able to gap her. We both went all-in the rest of the loop which was about five miles. The climbing in the part is less steep so I could hold my own. My legs were actually strong which really surprised me. I managed to hold a 20 second gap on here all the way back to the parking lot which shocked us both. We spun down the road at the end and found some fun backroads with big climbs and even a few creek crossings to cool us down on a sunny day.
My goal for the state crit was to finish the Masters race. I didn't even pre-register for the Pro/1/2/3 race as I really didn't expect to survive one race let alone two. The state crit is not the ideal race to start your season with, but mentally I had to get back out there. It was time. Unlike the previous year, we had a good-sized group of 20 starters in Masters 35+/45+. It was not quite as windy as last year but still blowing fairly strong. The start was fast, but I was comfortable the entire time. I never once thought I was in trouble. I stayed in a good position and rode smart. Sometimes being scared of your fitness level makes you ride very efficiently as you try to save everything. There was one solo move early that was eventually brought back. A cash prime followed around halfway through the race and I was in a position to go for it. I kept sliding forward watching for someone to jump, but nobody went as we reached the pit road entrance on the popular kidney bean course layout. I was able to fly through the chicane and easily nab the cash. I was pumped! I never expected to be a factor in this race.
Attacks came thick and fast late in the race with the main group splintering and then reforming multiple times. I found myself on the right side of the split for once. Jason Tatum had put in some big digs. I looked back once to see the field in tatters with pain written on everyone's face. I felt good, but didn't want to push the pace as I wanted to wait for a sprint. I learned from last year and would not be at the front starting the final lap this time. They jumped me early from behind last year and I got blocked in. I wanted to try again this year. I told Tatum my observations about how bad the field looked and encouraged him to attack again as they appeared to be hanging on by a thread. He was a 45+ rider so he didn't affect me. I thought he could attack now and go solo the last three laps to the finish. He attacked a few seconds later and did just that. Finally, I had a feel of the race and knew when it was time to make the right move. He got just enough gap to hold off the one team that put riders on the front the final two laps. I sat farther back as planned, but things turned out exactly the same as last year. They jumped even earlier and I still ended up blocked in. The wind was again in our face through the final chicane and the riders spread out leaving no gaps to slide through. I got beat by the same two people and ended up third yet again in 35+, again taking the top spot in 35-39. It was a frustrating finish, but I never dreamed I would get another podium placing in this race after the terrible training of the last six weeks. Looking back, I had plenty of gas in the tank and the legs were super. I set a new power record for me in a race when I attacked for the prime. It was second on my all-time PR power output, second only to a sprint I did earlier in the week. I shouldn't have waited for the sprint. I should've gone when I told Tatum to go. The legs were there today, but I just didn't know that I had them. Jason Messing defended his title from last year and has some video form the day which is posted below.
We hung around all day to watch the other races and let the kids do the one-lap kids race. Kellen finally made a full lap. I enjoyed riding with them and also just soaking up the day. It felt good just to be back racing. I ended up doing the Pro/1/2/3 race as well. It was fast but very smooth. According to the race director the first 10 laps were the fastest 10 laps ever recorded on this course. We completed them in 10:10. The draft was strong and I felt like I was being pulled along most of the race. It felt easier than it should have been. Fatigue became as issue around 35 minutes into the one hour event. I stayed away from the back of the group but never really got involved up front. I was just there. I cramped the last few laps and was not really in the sprint. I picked off the stragglers the final lap. I ended up 19th which again was a shocker. I can't believe I finished two races. That just goes to show you how far a good winter base period can carry you in the spring. We averaged 27.8 mph for this race so it wasn't like I lucked out and got into a slow race. I again broke my previous best power output in a race, just missing out on the power numbers from the Masters race earlier. I hit 35.5 mph down the backstretch which is kind of crazy when you think about how flat this course is. A few POV videos from the Pro/1/2/3 race are posted below.
I was a little disappointed by the reception from some of the riders. It was more, "why are you here?" than people actually asking about why I missed the opening races. There is still this large group of people that keep telling me I haven't raced in years. I don't think they will ever change their mind no matter how many races I do each year. The ones that asked enough to let me explain what has been going on with our family didn't seem to care. I still got a lot of, "well you should probably just quit already." One guy was mad about me taking the prime in the Masters race. Apparently, he felt I took it from him. Well yeah, I took it from everybody. That's how a race works. He let me know that I didn't deserve it and shouldn't be out there. I think leaving with the prime cash in my pocket, a gold medal and another decent result in a second race shows I am competitive enough to be out there. I think I was canceled from the Tennessee cycling scene long ago. This blog probably had a lot to do with it over the years as people sure have let me know when they don't like something I have said.
The next Wednesday race of the Music City Crits Series came just a few days after the state crit. I couldn't wait to get back out at the speedway ready for more. This time I got to race under the lights, which is my favorite kind of racing to do. It was another hard race, but I was smiling almost the entire ride as it just felt good to be out there flying around under those lights. I know everybody tells me I suck, but I sure do enjoy racing my bike. You guys will never change that.
The Pro/1/2/3 race was very punchy. The speed wasn't as fast for the full hour as Sunday, but it was more difficult on the legs as the accelerations were hard and often. The group started exploding early. I was lacking the snap in the legs tonight and ended up getting hung behind a rider that let a gap open up. I couldn't sprint across, but I managed to chase for several laps. I had some companions with me at first but none could pull through to give me some help. Eventually, I ended up alone before finally blowing up at 16 minutes into the race. I almost chased on right before I blew up when the group sat up, but they sped up again just before I sniffed the draft. I was impressed again at how strong my legs were to sit out there by myself for so long. I set a new PR for 20-min power average by 16 watts during the first 20 min of the race, even with blowing up and soft pedaling for about two minutes of that time. I was not pulled and was able to sit on the back of the group the rest of the race after they lapped me. Other riders were dropped and lapped later in the race which put me even with them again. I again went for a cash prime as everyone is the group is allowed to go for those. I went for a similar move to Sunday in the Masters race, this time jumping before pit road and trying to fly through the chicane again. I know I can gap almost everyone through that chicane if I hit it hard. Today there was a stiff headwind into the chicane which significantly slowed me down and gave those behind me a great draft. I got passed by one rider as my sprint was lacking tonight. He just happened to be the rider that thought I stole his prime on Sunday. He let me know that he got his revenge and that I still had no business being out there anymore. Ok fella.
I almost cramped again the final few laps. I still had a good run on the final lap, but got pinched into the inside wall which forced me to back off and lose my momentum. I still managed to beat most of the other lapped riders and ended up 21st on the night. My average power for the full race was higher than either race on Sunday so it was definitely a tough race. I can't wait to get back out there for the next race. The Nashville Banner came out and took some cool pictures of the race this week. Check them out below as well as a couple of videos from inside the pack.
Rotten
Posted Date: May 7, 2026
March was wild. I was really focusing on my training to get ready for the season. The final race of the Montgomery Bell Winter Time Trial Series was coming at the end of the month, followed just over a week later by the early start to the Music City Crits Series. We had Baby #3 almost here and my Florida Gators were looking good going into the NCAA basketball tournament.
Shannon finished up work in the middle of the month and I took her place at work. It took until the third baby for me to finally get to cover her maternity leave. In the past I have been denied as they didn't want someone to cover that would have to miss even a single day during the three months. I was obviously going to miss at least one day when the baby came. I asked for a week off this time and the clinic director was nice enough to give it to me, mostly because they didn't really have another option this time.
We could feel that this baby was coming in March despite the due date fluctuating around into early-April. I figured she would arrive somewhere around the Montgomery Bell race just because I have somehow managed to not have a conflict with racing with the first two kids. When Shannon went into labor with Salem I was out on a group ride and had to sprint home so I could take her to the hospital. This time was less dramatic, but again I was out riding when the contractions got serious and I had to push it home just to be safe. It was only a couple of hours after I got back home that we were headed to the hospital to see if this baby was ready to meet us.
When we got to the hospital we started the routine checks. The nurses had trouble with inserting an IV and it spiked Shannon's blood pressure and heart rate, causing the baby's heart rate to drop. It still seemed high to me at at 120-130, but what I didn't realize at the time was that a baby's heart rate should be closer to 160. It's like the baby is doing a TT effort in there. I may not have known the proper heart rate values, but I did know what it meant when the nurse punched the emergency button on the wall. I had that, "Oh shit" moment. The nurse was calm as she had Shannon change positions. Then the crash team arrived. They had a whole slew of people in there and quickly had Shannon out of the room and rolling down the hallway. I was in the back of the group talking with a doctor who said the baby's heart rate was dangerously low and that if it didn't come back up by the time we got to the Operating Room they were going to do an emergency c-section. They took Shannon into the OR and suited me up for surgery. I had to wait outside until everything was prepped. I have no idea how long I was out there by the OR door but it felt like an eternity. You could tell this was serious, but I felt like they all knew what they were doing and everything would be ok. The nurses were relieved that I was so calm about everything. Often they are dealing with people in full panic-mode. Finally, the doctor came out and the report was good. The heart rate had gone back up and they wouldn't be cutting on Shannon just yet.
After another period of waiting the doctors determined the heart rate was more stable and we were moved to a delivery room. As the contractions started to strengthen again the heart rate kept dipping. They told us that was a sign that the placenta was worn out. Instead of a couple of nurses in the room we had an entire surgical team watch as they made one attempt at a normal birth. Thankfully, our little girl was ready to get out and one good push brought her into the room. The crowd of doctors quickly dispersed after a couple of congratulations and thankfully all the drama was over. It all happened within a couple of hours so Shannon was relatively fresh compared to the drawn out process of the other two kids. Other than a couple of initial checks to make sure baby was fine, they let us all rest much more than in our previous hospital stays for babies.
We decided on a name the following day. Shannon had initially hoped for a boy so she could name him Marion after her grandfather. I used that idea and tweaked it a bit for a girl. Both of us have Anne as a common name in our families so I merged Marion and Anne together to get Marionna. We both loved the name. Shannon got to work in her grandfather's name and I had a little girl with the name of one of the baddest ladies to ever throw a leg over a bike. I have been calling her Vos baby after Marianne Vos. She will probably hate bikes but I still love it that somehow a bike name came to one of my kids without me really trying. Her middle name was also a nod to family, picked after Gma Rosie who we visited so many times in Utah.
Vanderbilt Medical Center is in the middle of everything in Nashville. You can walk to a wide variety of places. I have been sure to try at least one new place to eat with each kid we have had. My first time to ever eat at Hattie B's was when we had Salem back in 2020. This time was no different as I found my way down to Torchy's Tacos for lunch. I had to bring in the carseat for Marionna on my way back with the tacos. The AI weapons detection system at the hospital door flagged my tacos as weapons. I got searched and the guards had a good laugh when they found my steamy bag of tacos. So close, AI.
Marionna came on a Friday night. Things went so well on Saturday that they discharged us to go home that evening. We had to wait a while for the final approval by the doctor so we got caught up on our March Madness games and then got the ok to head home. On the way, we decided we needed groceries for the other two kids at home. So I pulled into Walmart and dropped Shannon off at the door like I normally do when we have a kid in the car. Neither of us really thought about the fact that we just left the hospital. As I parked, I realized I had just sent my wife into the store for groceries less than 24 hours after she had a baby. She said she was a little tired standing in line, but otherwise didn't feel that bad. I wonder if anyone near her in the checkout line would have believed she just had a baby. We nabbed some food on the way home so we didn't have to cook and then enjoyed a peaceful night at home with just the new baby while my parents kept the other two kids for one more night.
The birth did indeed come right at the final Montgomery Bell race. Everything went so well after the initial scare that I was still planning to race. Shannon expected to be in the hospital on Sunday so she had told me to go for the race. When we got discharged early it seemed even better, but the forecast for Sunday was not a good one. Flooding was expected from heavy rains Saturday night and through the day on Sunday. With that in mind, the race was postponed one week. The forecast was right. It rained several inches and the race would have been a disaster. The move seemed to help me even more as now I had the chance to ride more this week and maybe even get a little sleep. But things would change a lot over the next week.
The first few days of having a family of five went very smooth. Too smooth. Things began to unravel about a week after Marionna's arrival when Shannon started to show signs of mastitis. She had some issues with mastitis after Kellen was born so I was halfway familiar with the symptoms. They would come and go so she didn't want to contact the doctor at first, thinking she could get things worked out own her own like before. But after a day or two the symptoms were worse. She would go through periods where she was super weak and had to be in bed. She was very cold and shaking uncontrollably. I still had a hard time getting her to talk to the midwives group we used at Vandy. When she did, she downplayed her symptoms and they decided to wait before trying some type of treatment.
The symptoms kept getting worse. She could barely get out of bed. Her parents were coming for the second week to help us out as I returned to work, but they didn't make it here until Sunday night. I couldn't leave her alone with the kids when she was basically bedridden so I had to skip the Montgomery Bell race. It was still a few more days before she finally got in contact with her doctor and was given antibiotics. Those took a couple of days to begin working. That week was one of the hardest weeks of my life. I was back to work and trying to get the farm going for the Spring while our family was falling apart. Her parents helped give her relief during the day while I was at work, but she was still in the bed for about a week. I had to feed the baby at night as she could not get out of bed to feed her. I think I slept about three hours a night for about two weeks while this all went down. I was a zombie at work each day, jut trying to make it to lunch so I could get a nap in the car. I could barely finish the work day. After work, I took care of Marionna and transplanted pepper plants during her naps. I am so thankful the basketball tournament was on TV as I had some kind of entertainment to get me through the evenings.
When Shannon's parents left, we were still not doing great. The antibiotics were improving the infection but Shannon was still very tired. We struggled for the next week and then things began to look halfway normal again as she finished her antibiotics. But just a few days later the mastitis was back and even worse than before. I was worried Shannon might actually die at one point. I was getting frustrated because I still felt like she was downplaying it and I could see her fading into a puddle of a human more and more each day. She could not produce milk for Marionna so I had to go out and get formula late one night. It was not what we had hoped to feed our baby, but we had no choice at this point. It was expensive too, almost triple the cost of what it was when we had to buy a few cans for Kellen.
Shannon finally called the midwives again and set up a lactation consultation. I wanted her to see a doctor, but she wanted to just try to make more milk. I felt like she was ok just being a bedridden milk cow if that's what this baby needed. I was not. Our family was falling apart and we needed to get her healthy again. I could not handle all this on my own. Thanfully, she looked awful at the lactation appointment. They immediately saw that she had a big infection and sent her to see a doctor which quickly turned into us heading back to the hospital. She was admitted and I had to sit outside with the baby. We didn't bring food or clothes for Marionna as we didn't expect to be checking into the hospital so I had to go back home and grab things for us. I was supposed to be working in the afternoon. I had to call out and head back to the hospital. Before I even left the house again, Shannon had been released. They decided to not keep her and instead prescribed different antibiotics. I was relieved that she didn't need to stay in the hospital but also concerned that these antibiotics would not do anything more than the first round. They also decided as a group that her breastfeeding days were over. The only way to truly clear up the mastitis was to dry her up. Shannon was bummed, but I was happy we were moving forward with a plan, one that also made a lot of sense to me.
Things gradually got better at home over the next few weeks. The shaking, cold chills and extreme fatigue started improving after a few days. She also had swollen and weak hands which took much longer to improve. I only missed that one afternoon at work, but that was enough to get me in hot water. They were not at all concerned about Shannon, which is bothersome on several levels. She's not only my spouse, but also a fellow employee of the company. They gave me a hard time about it which just irritated me with my lack of sleep. I went ahead and put in my notice though I still didn't have anything nailed down with the new company I interviewed with a few weeks before. Like I said in the last post, I was leaving there with or without another job lined up. It was over. My last day would be in May before we leave for the DINO opener in Winona Lake. If this new opportunity didn't materialize into a job then I was just going to keep searching for any kind of job and focus on bike racing until something came about. Of course, everybody was mad at me for leaving. They acted surprised and disappointed. I took one of the choices they gave me so I don't know why they tried to act like they felt that way. For years now they've been filling their mouths with sugar from taking advantage of their employees. When you eat sugar and don't care for your teeth, you can't be surprised when your teeth rot out of your head.
The Florida Gator's men's basketball team at least made me smile a little during this tough time when they pulled out the National Championship by running the entire March Madness gauntlet. One of my coworkers, who is an avid Alabama fan and gator hater, said she would wear a Florida shirt at work if they won. When they reached the Final Four I ordered two brand new shirts just in case. I figured I would end up regrettting my purchase, but they pulled it off and I was able to take the shirts into work the day after the victory. She did wear it too. Those little things were awesome for me during this tough time.
Things were obviously not good in April so I missed the opening couple of races in the Music City Crits Series. I was not sleeping, let alone riding right now. I also missed the crit at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis and Sunny King in Anniston, AL. I really hoped to finally make it to WWT this year but it was not to be. I did look back on the Montgomery Bell results and found I ended up 6th overall despite missing that last round. That means I was top 5 if my time had been correct from Race #2. I'll take that.
Easter came and went with us trying to get back to normal. We had little help with all this after Shannon's parents left. My parents seemed to think I was exagerating the whole thing. It wasn't until my mom actually saw how bad Shannon looked about halfway through this whole ordeal that she finally believed me and started helping with the kids. Nobody else checked on us. Nobody from work, nobody from church and nobody from bike racing. For the first time that I can remember I truly needed help and nobody was there. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but we got through it. Trying to get this new job lined up turned out to be a pain as well. The website that does the background check was messed up. I kept telling HR I couldn't fill out the forms, but they didn't listen for over a week. Then they reset the website the day we we went back to the hospital and I was unable to fill them out. At one point I thought I was going to lose this job. I explained our situation and again, nobody seemed to care. Finally, the director that wanted to hire me got involved and things got fixed. I had to do a drug test as well, which I actually practiced for. Shannon made fun of me for it, but I did several trial runs on how much I had to hydrate to be able to pee on the spot. I did not want to mess this up so I took it seriously. When it came time to fill the cup I did it in about 10 seconds which made the nurses happy as they had multiple people sitting in rooms that had been trying to pee for 4+ hours.
Also in April, Kellen had a nasty crash on his bike. He was descending the hill down to our house from my parents' house and caught some deep gravel. He landed on his forehead so hard that it broke his Giro helmet. The front was cracked. He slid enough to peel the shell away from the foam portion of the helmet. Thankfully he had a helmet on. I believe it saved his life.
April ended with me missing Athens Twilight. I missed another round of the Music City Crits Series to start May, but finally started to have time to get on my bike again. I was off the bike for nearly an entire month. The legs were funky when I got back to training. My whole body hurt actually. My time on the bike was thinned by frequent storms that sent me scrambling for home several times as I dodged high winds and lightning after work. But man did it feel good to get back out there.
Criminal
Posted Date: February 22, 2026
March began the countdown for Baby #3, expected by the end of the month. The due date has been changed multiple times so we will not be surprised if she comes a week earlier or waits until April. And yes, we know it is a girl. We have a few name options, but won't decide until she arrives and we meet her.
I'm sure you've read countless times about work being a thorn in my side. I work in a profession that is very rewarding with the relationships you build with patients and the satisfaction you get from helping them improve their life or recover from an injury. But the last few years have not been that fun for me. All the other things within the profession have overshadowed the good things. Between bad bosses, money-hungry owners and the hierarchy between different types of degrees within the field, physical therapy has given me more than a bad taste. I feel sick when I think about how far down the wrong path my company has gone since I started there almost 15 years ago. We used to care about patients and respect each other no matter our degrees. Now it is all about money and trying to form some kind of ranking within the clinic. I hate it. I have done everything I can to change things back to the way they used to be, but it is a constant move toward this regression and nobody willing to admit the plane is spiraling out of control toward the ground. I am simply tired of dealing with it.
Everything finally came to a head with my annual performance review. I have been screwed out of a raise the past two years even when I met the criteria for one. They set the bar so high for this year that it was unrealistic that I could make it without committing fraud. I've been treated as a burden to the company for years now and I still don't understand why. My job is to help when clinics have trouble. I come in, fix the problem and make them money in the process. I bring in no other expense than my hourly wage, which is easily covered every hour I treat a patient. One boss years ago said I made them a profit if I see just five patients in an eight-hour day. I have been seeing 15-17 patients per day regularly for a couple of years now.
When it came time for me to fill out my portion of the review form, I didn't hold anything back. I wasn't rude about it, but I made sure they knew that I knew what I was bringing to the company. I listed out all the things I did, plus figures on how much money I was making them even if I didn't meet their crazy goal set for me. I used their numbers to build my figures so it's not like I was just making up things. I asked to either stay at one place permanently, preferably where I am working now, or go back to truly helping clinics. I think the clinics need someone who can come in and help out regularly and be an advocate for them with upper-level management. We used to have a system in place like this, but it has fallen by the wayside as new management has come on board. I expected this to fall on deaf ears, but I wanted it known that I would be willing to do that and elevate our company back to the standards we once had. When I started here this was the best therapy company in Tennessee, and maybe even the nation. I wanted to get us back to that. I also asked that I be up for a full-time position instead of PRN like I have been for 11 years. I feel like I have done my time in PRN and I would like benefits so Shannon can spend more time at home with three kids.
The response was not good. My main boss guy didn't even show up. I'm not surprised as he always has everyone else do his dirty work for him rather than talk with anyone in person, especially those who have sense and might question some random thing he relays as "fact." They didn't feel there was any issue with the clinics needing help. Of course they don't. They don't pay attention to anything except numbers. That's how we have gotten in this shape in the first place. My listing of the things I bring to the company was treated as an emotional response to them saying I had "no value" last year. Well yeah. You said I had no value, so I pointed out my value. Seems like the right response for someone that believes they have value. As for that astronomical numbers goal they gave me, I somehow met it. I have no idea how. I think their math is wrong, but they denied me a raise again anyway. As PRN I should make a decent chunk more per hour than a full-time employee to account for the lack of benefits I get, but they said no raises for PRN. I asked to be moved to part-time with benefits or full-time and they said, "We'll see after Shannon's maternity leave." Sure you will, just like you gave me raises when I met your goals for the last three years. They made me feel like a criminal, like I was somehow bringing the company down, when in fact I know that I make them lots of money. They just want to take advantage of employees now. My only response to all of this was, "Unacceptable." It was the only word that came to mind.
Basically, the meeting ended with "take it or leave it." I knew when I stood up that "leave it" was my only real choice here. This place was done with me and I was done with them. I went home that night and contemplated my future. I was quitting here no matter if I got something else lined up or not. At this point I was burned out on corporate BS so much that I was ready for a change of profession. This isn't the best time for this with a baby about to arrive, but change needs to happen now. The next day I started tweaking my resume and looking for job openings. We even talked about moving if we had to. I have very few friends, especially in the PT industry and the bike side of my life. I went after the few people I thought might be willing to throw a guy a bone and one came through, getting me into contact with a company I was a student with some 15 years ago. In a couple of days I had a response and we had an interview set up. Boom.
In the meantime, it was time for Race #2 of the Montgomery Bell Winter Time Trial Series on March 2. I was excited to get back down there as I have worked on my weaknesses and am more prepared than I was in January. I knew I wasn't ready to go for a top time, but I did expect to improve by a big chunk and be on track to actually contend for a podium come the final race in four weeks' time.
I had a big week of training leading into the race, but at a lower intensity now that Tour de Zwift is over. It was a colder start to the day as compared to Race #1 with the temperature about 35 degrees when I started my warm-up. I got there a little later and then found out I had been moved way up the start order so I didn't get in quite as much warm-up time as I had hoped.
The temp was up to 39 by the time I started my 18-mile journey through the hills and hollows of the Bell. My goal was to go faster than last time, so sub-1:50. The trail was better with no mud. The pine needles were still super deep and had that feel of riding in sand again. When you are bigger and already struggling with the steeper climbs the last thing you want is something to suck down your speed and momentum even more. The trail still didn't have a great path on it. We have had several storms lately and the trail was littered with limbs, sticks and fallen trees. I was timid on the descent as there seemed to be a surprise in the trail every couple of minutes.
I held back a bit on the steeper climbs compared to last round, focusing on setting a pace I could sustain for the entire race. I dropped a few pounds since last race, but couldn't tell it much early on. I didn't have anyone directly ahead of me as there were a few riders in front of me that did not come to the start. I had nobody to chase, but could see a few riders behind. The rider that started two minutes after me was out-climbing me. I held him back for a while, but the bigger climbs in the middle of the loop were again more than I could handle. I dropped big time through that section with him passing me on the last climb like I was sitting still. I was about a minute slower through the first half than the previous race.
I kept the rider that passed me in sight and then started to feel very strong on the smaller hills. Here I could feel the weight difference. I had a lot of power in the legs today too. I caught back up to him, finishing off the gap when we reached a downed tree where my cyclocross skills came in handy. I was able to hop off, hurdle over it and remount much quicker than him. I then made the pass and went to work on dropping him in my favorite section on the Haynie Branch trail. I got the gap and then pulled away. I kept feeling better and better. I went deep in the final sections as I was really pulling away now. I had a great flow and knew I was riding really fast. This was the best riding I have done in a long time. I went deep the last few minutes and was almost able to recover my entire two minutes back from this rider, but he nipped me by just a few seconds.
My official time of 1:46:39 put me in fourth place on the day. I was showing 30 seconds faster on my Wahoo. I think they might have recorded the wrong start time for me. There was a lot of confusion at the start with the riders ahead of me not coming to the start. They almost sent me off at the wrong time so it is likely that they recorded my start time incorrectly. That would have put me up one spot to third on the day. It doesn't matter as I know the final round will probably be the fastest for all of us and I will have to improve again if I want on that podium. I was only 1:10 off the top time today so I know I can contend if I keep working hard.
My legs were not that tired afterward so I went back in for another lap like I used to do after all my races here. My upper body was pretty tired once I got back into the rougher sections. I skipped a few of the climbs and ended up just shy of four hours for the day. I noticed on this slower lap the pine needles are indeed deeper than I have ever seen. Logs and rocks along the trail are completely covered. It must have been a big year of needle production for the pine trees. Some parts of the woods are completely blanketed by needles everywhere you look.
I kept working hard on training the rest of the month. I also finished a jump at the house that I have been working on for a while. I built a wooden kicker ramp years ago when we lived on the Clark Farm. When we moved, I decided I would put it in the woods along our trail. A kicker requires a huge landing which takes some time and effort to build with a shovel and a bucket. I finally got it done only to find that I don't like the ramp anymore. I used to jump this ramp on my 26"-wheeled dirt jump bike. These 29" XC bikes are much longer and the ramp is too short. You can get some air, but your front tire leaves the ramp long before your rear ever reaches the curve so you don't get that "pop" you want from a kicker. I'm still having fun on it though. It's good practice for short, steep bumps on the trail, the kind that want to compress and rebound your rear suspension and send you flying over the bars.
I had my work interview and it turned out to not be an interview at all. I visited a clinic and found out that I already knew about half of the staff and they had all vouched for me. Right away I was told they would love to have me there even though they didn't have an official opening. They were happy to try to work something out with me. They pledged, if things worked out, to get me benefits and make sure they started before Shannon's maternity leave ends and we lose our current coverage. They also were excited about my racing and offered to let me take off any days I already had planned for travel even though I couldn't officially have time off for 90 days. It was a relief to say the least. I was leery of interviewing anywhere as I expected them to try to weasel me somehow since that's what I am used to dealing with, but so far I have not had one instance where anything was even remotely negative. I just have to go through the rest of the hiring process with the corporate office now. Say a prayer for me!
Setting the Foundation
Posted Date: February 21, 2026
We kicked off 2025 in Indiana, finishing up a trip to see Shannon's family for the week of New Year's. Like I mentioned in the last post of 2024, I spent the holiday up in the attic installing a vent and exhaust fan for Grampy. While I was happy to help, I was a bit irritated that we had to do it on the final day when it was the coldest of the entire trip and College Football Playoff games were on, but it was less frustrating than trying to unstick Salem's finger from a wooden toy. There is a wooden train set the kids play with when at Grammy's and Salem thought it would be a good idea to stick her finger in one of the small holes where the track pieces lock together. She couldn't get it out and panicked. I was amazed at how fast her finger swelled, making it impossible to slide it out even with soap. After we calmed her down we had to come up with a plan to cut the piece off her finger. I started with a small drill at a low speed and put a few holes in the thicker parts of the wood hoping to weaken the tabs around the hole so we could snap them off. Grampy then found a small hand saw that was perfect to slowly work through the wood between my drill holes. It worked with the tabs eventually snapping off just as I had hoped and Salem getting her finger back unharmed.
A few days after we got back home Tennessee got a little snow. This year was more fun than last as the kids were both excited to go sledding. It was very cold on our snow days last year and Kellen did not like it. This time he had a blast outside. We rode the sled down the dam next to our neighbor's pond and pulled them behind my dad's four-wheeler. The snow lasted only a couple of days before it was completely gone, as is typical for middle Tennessee.
Once the snow melted, I was out on the road logging the miles and setting the foundation for a big season ahead. I was itching to get things going. I want to keep progressing even with this third baby coming at the end of March. I know I'm going to be missing a good amount of ride time in April, and probably May, so this base period is going to be massively important for me this year. I mixed in time on the trainer as well, taking in Tour de Zwift which makes for a great little training camp at the worst time of the year for riding outside.
I also wanted to get to racing quickly this year. I was not at all ready to race in January, but I felt like I needed to start with the Montgomery Bell Winter MTB Time Trial Series this year. They are tough races and have helped me in the past. I have felt so much more prepared for the season on the years I have done this series as compared to the years I did not. It is a three-race series starting on January 26 then continuing with a round in early March and one at the end of March. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the baby doesn't come on that weekend! While it is a great accomplishment to finish all three races, only your fastest time counts toward the overall. The fastest times often come in the last race when the trail and weather are usually the best. You never know what weather you will get in January and February. This round was a bit on the cold side, but not ridiculous with the temp in the mid-40s.
Montgomery Bell is a tough trail. I find that if I don't ride there often it works me over. I have to ride it regularly to prepare my upper body endurance and prime my skills to make this difficult trail flow. I was heavy and haven't spent enough time on my mountain bike this winter, let alone at Montgomery Bell itself. I have not ridden here since 2020 and not raced this event since 2018. I knew I would suffer and I was right. The trail beat me up. It is rougher every time I ride down there. I felt like it took half of the race for me to get used to the beating. It gets smoother in the second half so maybe I didn't improve at all, the trail just got a bit easier. The hills sucked the strength out of my legs. I struggled on the steep climbs and was shot by the time I exited the long climbs on the Downhill Trail that we ride in reverse for these races. My legs weren't great anyway after I did a race on Zwift the day before. Not the smartest for this race, but I am training for later in the season. I rode solid at the end of the race which told me I had some endurance, but I was going to have to work on my skills and climbing before the next race.
There was some mud in places which helped me out on the descents, but those spots were not enough to make up for my slow climbing. There were multiple places where the pine needles and leaves were very deep. Those sections felt like sand. The trail did not feel ridden-in at all. I was chasing one rider the entire race. He started a minute in front of me. I cut down the gap early on, then watched him slowly ride away in the hills. I lost over a minute on each of the longer climbs in the middle of the race. My goal was a time of 1:45. I crossed the line in 1:50:17 for the 5th fastest time in the Open class and 7th overall. Not my best day, but plenty was learned about where I am with my riding right now.
I had an issue with the 4iiii power meter on my Canyon at the end of last year. I was not able to fix it on my own. I contacted 4iiii and they were helpful, giving me some things to try before offering up a replacement. A new crank arrived the day after Montgomery Bell. I was excited to put it on and get back to training with power data. I still look at heart rate data more than anything with my training as I have such a good feel for it, but I am using power more and more these days.
I kept logging the miles as the calendar flipped over into February. I found another toilet on a long road ride. David and Dina are always laughing about how many toilets I come across on my adventures. I have no idea why I find so many, but it continues to happen. I always have fun with them.
February was pretty cold. I had lots of uncomfortable rides outside. We got another shot of snow. It didn't even cover the ground completely. I spent a lot of time in the garage on these cold days working on projects. I have completed winter maintenance on all my bikes and have been building a tote storage rack up in our loft. These racks are easy to make and have become quite popular in the DIY world. Totes work perfect for us right now with all the kids clothes we are rotating through. Can't get rid of anything yet with another kid on the way. It was also time to get pepper seeds started. Yes, February seems super early, but the super hot peppers need a long growing season so you have to start germinating seeds very early if you want a full harvest.
A big rain came after the snow, washing out parts of our trail. I had to do a lot of clean-up and dirt work. One of our shallow creek crossings became a massive ditch from all the run-off. I had to put the shovel to work there and cut out several trees. I want to keep the trail clean so I can get in more mountain bike time to be ready for the final race of the Montgomery Bell series which was now just a month away. Race #2 was in a week. More on that coming in the next post along with an expansion to our family.
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