A Quick Look Back at 2010

Here's a quick recap of last year. 2010 was loaded with its ups and downs, just like any other year. But this past one was different, mainly because I chose to take up cycling. I had watched the Tour de France on TV during the summer of 2009, but Summer 2010 was when I really began to follow the Tour its athletes. I'd get home late from lab and the Tour de France would be the only decent thing on television. So I began to work out on the gym bike in the evenings while watching the Tour. Watching coverage of Lance Armstrong's last Tour de France was bittersweet, but Mark Cavendish's sprints provided some motivation on the stationary bike. By the time the riders reached Paris, a lot of the weight I had gained during Spring 2010 had already come off (and trust me, it was quite a bit of flab). People would make fun of me for watching the Tour de France too closely, but it became a true passion, like the Red Sox or the Celtics to a true Bostonian. And I continued working out, even after Alberto Contador took the win in Paris.

In a few months I went from 210 to 160 pounds, a much healthier weight, and made the decision to join the Tulane Cycling team. (Note that the weight was lost in a safe and coordinated manner, and I knew what I was doing each and every step of the way. Don't attempt such a drastic weight loss if you haven't collected the proper information beforehand.) In regards to cycling, I knew nothing other than what I had seen during the Tour de France. Zero. In fact, I hadn't even ridden a road bike until September 2010. But I had determination, which was half the battle. A roommate lent me his Schwinn Prelude for the semester so I could get acclimated to riding a road bike, but it gave me nothing but headaches. I must have flatted once every three days for a two week period. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but there was a problem with the rim that nobody seemed to catch until I flatted 10 minutes after leaving the bike shop that had already looked at the problem twice before. Despite the bike problems, I met some great people who are now my teammates and friends.

The Tulane cycling team on a Saturday ride at the Lakefront

(Courtesy of Randy Legeai)

This past semester I also developed an interest in ice cream. All things ice cream. It all started with a frozen yogurt date with a girl from class, and it snowballed (no pun intended) into a serious passion for the stuff. By the end of the semester I had tried every flavor of Blue Bell Ice Cream that is currently sold in pints and I had even made a stack of the empty (washed, of course) Blue Bell pints on my entertainment center. I also attempted to get through all of the Ben & Jerry's flavors but couldn't finish before the end of the year. But that's what 2011 is for.

This year I'll be focusing on two things: cycling and school. There will be a lot of collegiate races this semester, and I want to do the best I can in every one of them. Training begins on Day 1 of the spring semester when I get my new bike (hopefully a Trek, let's keep our fingers crossed). The team was fortunate enough to secure a Gatorade® sponsorship for 2011, so that should come in handy for our long rides.