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Training, racing, gear, facial hair styles and thoughts from my push to become an elite cyclist.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

L'équipement


I blame cycling.

Before I started racing I never touched caffeine and now I can't live without it.  At first it was innocent enough.  Tea was my gateway drug, and I added it to my water bottles for a late race kick.  It tasted awful, especially when the teabags ruptured and I'd get a mouthful of energy drink and need to chew my way through the leaves, but it worked.
 
Later that fall I contracted mono and attempted to get through finals by propping myself up with increasing amounts of caffeine.  In many ways that was the beginning of the end. 

The nature of endurance sports can lead to a dependence on caffeine.  Long workouts lead to fatigue, and for most of us life doesn't stop when we get off the bike- we have to power through when all we want to do is take a nap.

The latest additions to the Pro-35 stable actually live in the kitchen in the form of my new burr grinder and stainless French Press.

So yes, I'm now essentially freebasing coffee, and I blame cycling.

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