And now for something completely different…

So with everyone one else posting stories on their sites about, “winding down” and, “taking it easy” I am being thrown right into the middle of the flying circus. Sure I took a break and enjoyed some rest, but the time has come to wind it up again. Track cycling starts in December. The UCI has swapped the international track season to the winter so guys like me can punish themselves year round…so in an effort to represent this fine country at the World Cup in LA I am training hard in the middle of winter.

Although I must say it is hard to do good times on a track that has six inches of snow on it…no wonder I am hurting so much.

But seriously, training for the most fair-weather discipline in cycling in the middle of the Canadian winter has a few logistical issues. Trackies normally seek shelter if it is raining…no, not just if it’s raining, if it’s misting…never mind snow. With this new schedule it’s a good thing Canada has one covered track otherwise we would be doing our trials on rollers…ewwww.

So it has been a few months of speed, power, pain and perseverance as my training partners and I prepare for the National Team trials in Burnaby BC. There is nothing like the smell of lactic acid in the morning. So when you’re out there taking it easy enjoying the colours of fall or taking in the crisp cool air of winter (which is the best tasting air in the world for a Yukon Boy like me) coast a while and take some pictures of the leaves to show your track buddies who are killing themselves on the stationary bike. They will enjoy your off-season stories of fatter times and fall snowball fights in the spring on one of the recovery rides that slides in between the cracks of the next road season wind-up.

- Zach Bell