After a week to reflect on Charm City I can now officially say it’s one of my favorite races on the US circuit. Both Saturday and Sunday had course features that were fast, flowy, and incredibly fun. I got to really push the Donnelly bikes to the limit on some of the fast descents and to no surprise of mine they held up quite nicely. A huge highlight of the weekend was a section on the course that had a small lip that you could get air off of. A group of kids were huddled around it yelling at racers to jump it. On my last few laps (in order to please the rowdy crowd) I jumped the gap. Little did I know they were having a contest and the winner got M&M cookies. I was handed a bag of cookies post-race with a pat on the back and a solid second place in the contest. My overall result was not as stellar, but this season I’ve been doing a balancing act. I never realized how incredibly hard it is to balance a full time job with a racing career. After starting a full time job at an ad agency, my hours in the day to ride and workout have diminished tremendously. As for the rest of the season we will see where it takes me. This weekend reminded me to smile on the bike and make the most of all of this. Bike racing isn’t for the faint of heart, but man it sure can bring a lot of happiness into your life. I’ll continue to balance both equally. If I’ve learned anything though, hours on the bike translate to higher positions in the rankings. I’m incredibly fortunate that the Amy D Foundation supports me in both areas of my life. See y’all at the next race!