2014 In Pictures

     Here's a quick review of our 2014 in pictures.

Starting the year off with the Polar Plunge

It was a cold end to winter.

Even the turtles were caught off guard with the low temps. This was my first ever sighting of a frozen turtle in a pond.

Ending winter with a trip to sunny Florida to open up the season.

Our fun Florida trip included the Daytona Supercross

Florida also brought my first Pro mountain bike race in quite a while.

Back at Chickasaw after missing this race in 2013.

It was the year of the drone. I saw many of these used for filming and photos at events this year.

This photo sums up the start to the season. Every race was hard and some of the training rides were harder. This was my first conquer of the Death March loop in 2014. I did it again later in the year and completed my longest road ride ever at 136 miles.

Racing the Athens Twilight AM Qualifier Criterium on a SRAM pit bike after getting hit by another rider early in the race, breaking my rear derailleur and hanger.

I made it into the Athens Twilight Amateur Finals for the fifth straight year. Only got to do this thanks to Eli Wemyss loaning me his bike after mine got destroyed in the qualifier. Didn't even have time to change clothes between races after searching all day for parts to fix my bike.

Back on my bike at Roswell on my birthday. I said all I wanted for my birthday was a derailleur hanger so I could race Roswell...and Decatur Bikes made that happen for me.

Showing some progress in South Carolina. A good finish at Spartanburg followed by finishing a difficult race in Gaffney at Speed Week.

Getting our garden going.

Finally talking Shannon into doing a group ride in May at the Little River Bicycle Tour in Hopkinsville, KY.

Nashville gained a new race venue this year as Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville was the site of a Wednesday night crit. series all summer.

Racing under the lights at the Music City Crits Series at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville.

We had a much bigger garden production this year. This was almost a daily occurrence...

...which lead to lots of this. Shannon canned a lot of veggies for us.

Getting back to downhill mountain biking at the BUMP & Grind Air Downhill brought my first podium of the year.

I love this picture from one of the Music City Crits races. There's a cool reflection in the puddle as I attack off the front through this turn on the speedway.

We made many of our race trips about more than just the race. On our Ohio trip we visited King's Island.

The barrel ride. Fun idea. Check that one off the list.

Rainy nights at the Crossroads Classic in North Carolina.

Finally finished a big Pro/1/2 race in the main group on the final day of Crossroads, at the City Park Circuit race.

One of the most fun races I have ever done, the Run Rotary Night Trail Race.

I finally found my groove at the Gateway Cup. I raced well in the most competitive races I have ever been in. And I remembered how to relax and have fun on my bike. It turned my season around and even changed my outlook on life.

A week after Gateway Cup, I finally got to celebrate a win. It was a complete surprise at Lock 4.

First ever visit to Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming on our way to Utah.

Cold, but beautiful camping at Curt Gowdy.

Curt Gowdy trails with my family. It was the first time going out west for my parents.

Gnarly canyons and trails hidden deep in the network of trails at Curt Gowdy.

One heck of a view at Curt Gowdy.

One of my all-time favorite pictures. Also from Curt Gowdy.

Beautiful climb up the Snowy Range Scenic Byway just outside of Laramie, WY.

Fun on the dirt jumps at the Green River Bike Park in Green River, WY.

Green River desert riding.

The Green River in Wyoming. So peaceful after a day full of riding in the desert.

I visited my favorite viewpoint as soon as we got to Utah. Jordanelle Reservoir from the top of Bald Mountain

A real road painting like "Stud Jens" brings a smile to my face on a long, hard climb like Pine Canyon.

This year's trip to Utah finally saw me completing all three climbs over Guardsman Pass in one ride. It was a tough, but rewarding day.

Taking my parents to the top of Bald Mountain at Deer Valley finally showed them what I have been talking about for the past two years.

Fun  watching at XTERRA USA in Ogden, UT. Next year, I want to race it again.

I followed up spectating at XTERRA USA with a long ride around the Nordic Valley, complete with climbs up Powder Mountain, North Ogden Canyon (shown here) and Old Snowbasin Rd.

Making tons of progress in my downhill/freeride confidence and skill levels in one day at the Canyons Bike Park in Park City, UT.

My favorite milkshake in the whole world comes from Granny's Drive In in Heber, UT. Of course I got one this year.

One of my favorite pictures of this year. Picking grapes at Gma's house out in Utah.

A long climb up Butterfield Canyon brought a killer view of the Kennecott CopperMine.

This had to be one of the most fun days of my life. I had so much fun riding my bike, seeing a killer view with Gma and Gpa that they had never seen before, getting Gma to pee in the wilderness for the first time in her life, and limping her overheated car back down the mountain to West Jordan. What a day!

First trip up Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah.

It was a year full of hard decisions about work. So far, I would say we made the right ones. I am enjoying mixing physical therapy with delivering cookie dough. Thew new job has been really fun. And the old stress is gone.

An awesome day on the bike at the Cross the Farm Cyclocross. It was a great course and I had fun both racing and spectating. I even grabbed a pair of podiums and made the end of the Pro/1/2/3 race exciting.

I had my fair share of mechanical issues this year. In addition to my troubles at Athens, I also lost three seats over the course of the season. And had more than 10 flat tires while riding in Utah.

Running brought me a few podiums to end the year, including two wins in my age group. I enjoyed running and even got close to my goal of completing a 5K in under 20 minutes. The 20:01 I ran at the Claus for a Cause 5K in Clarksville was by far a new personal best for me.

Using my skills on the logs at the Red Kite/Halcyon Cyclocross helped me gain a Singlespeed win in cyclocross, something I have worked hard at for a while.

I also got to use my skills on the steep hill on the Red Kite/Halcyon course. It was the most fun and challenging course feature I have ever encountered in a cyclocross course.

Cyclocross is always fun. It's more laid back and there's more time for hanging with your friends. Friends like Tom, Eddy and Ben.

     That does it for 2014. It was a good time, but I am ready for 2015. It's full steam ahead for an even better year. Thanks for hopping on the bus with me!