In June, I set off on an adventure with the support of my hometown, created a fundraiser to chase UCI points, and succeeded. An experience I will never forget. And one that has taught me more lessons about myself, my life, cycling, and people.
Most importantly, it created confidence, changed my perspective, and opened my eyes to what is being demanded of me. I want to start off this post about my time in Europe by saying thank you to the countless number of people who came together to make this trip happen.
As we go along this journey, more information comes out of the woodwork, and more people are brought to my attention who have helped. I thank each and every one of you for what you have done. There are too many people involved with helping me succeed in this sport for me to hide my feelings and experiences. I try to provide details and emotion to everything as you all help me along this journey, so you can experience it too. Not saying I have reached the top, because after you spend two weeks with the world and Olympic champions, you find your place rather quickly.
I might not be able to be as honest as I like sometimes, but that is also just part of the game. Arriving to Brussels from Ttown was an adventure in itself. After a cancelled flight, I was pushed a day late and left to fly alone on my first international flight. I look back on it now and am relieved that I was traveling out of the US on this trip, and not in a foreign country alone for the first time.
My hours spent driving too and from Minnesota from Durango have paid off, as an hour flight seems short in comparison to all the complaining and horror stories I have heard from others.
