Starting the Dream

Today marks a new chapter in my life. Something that has been a long time goal, a long time dream and now what seems to be a surreal reality. Besides being completely shell shocked and pretty nervous, I am ready to embarque on the journey of a lifetime.

First we need to jump back to my last voyage to really see how we got here and while in the Dominican, racing the Vuelta, I received contact from an agent in France looking for American riders. After a few exchanges of emails, resumes, power files and results I was offered a position on Team Albert Bigot 79. My position would be for a 3 month stay, I would get a salary and lodging. It seemed like all my dreams to race in Europe were no longer a dream.

After some evaluation with family, my amazing girlfriend, coaches and friends; everyone confirmed this was the chance of a lifetime and if I did not go, I would never forgive myself later in life. So the stones were put into place and finally after some fundraising, I was able to cover my flight, baggage and other expenses to get across the pond.

Our cycling community in Orlando really stood up for me and the donations were plentiful. I also had some people from racing in Colorado and High School friends send money. I was completely astonished at the generosity of the community and beyond thankful to everyone that sent money to make my dream a reality.

Once the dates were finalized, figuring out the best options for my current living situation and job were the next item on the list. Working for my family’s agency is a blessing. They have fully supported my dreams and without their employment, support and guidance none of this would even be a possibility. Deciding to move out of my house and back home was not as easy. I really enjoyed living close to downtown Orlando and moving back home just was not as sleek, especially at 26. Thankfully my roommate/landlord/friend was super understanding and in a matter of 3 days I was able to completely move residences, without interruption to training and racing. The only increase was the stress!

One thing most people that have not raced elite or professional level cycling, is that things are never concrete and sometimes information is limited to those who hold it. My situation was a spitting image of this, only knowing the agent and team director via email, only knowing the city to fly into and only knowing the team name and website, everything else was a question mark! I have no idea where my apartment will be and what my calendar looks like. This all adds to the craziness and nervousness of my experience.

Hopefully as the overnight night flight to Amsterdam comes to an end, things will start to come together and the new voyage into Team Albert Bigot will be seamless and taken at full speed!