Thanks

Wow, what an amazing year 2009 has been, I have a lot to be thankful for. I owe a lot of my thanks to you as you make it possible for me to make a living doing what I love, helping other reach their best. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Entering 2009 I was quite worried about the economy and thought business would be way off. I figured I would use some of the money I have managed to save (do to my frugal lifestyle) to play a little more and go on a surf trip and maybe up to Whistler for some lift assisted mountain biking. Boy, was I wrong! 2009 turned into my busiest year ever and I hardly had a second off to ride for fun, much less travel for fun. In this down economy I was floored by the demand for my coaching and feel very fortunate. I was fired from a job in 2001 right after September 11th and really had trouble finding good jobs for the next two years, I kept plugging away at this business while delivering Dominoes Pizza to make ends meet. So thank you for your support. If you are struggling to make ends meet keep your head up, keep working towards a solution and things will turn around for you if you make it happen.

Two examples of what I am thankful for:

Damn Gene you the man.

 

Now for the good news. I took your clinic in April for The World Police and Fire Games. Thanks to you they were successful. I took the silver in the dual slalom. They used the dual slalom course that was designed for the Crankworks race the following weekend. I can't decide which was more inportant, the riding techniques or the mind techniques I learned from you. In the slalom I started off with babysteps cause this course was way over my ability. Everyone else was trying to race on every practice run and I just took my baby steps to get better control. Toward the end in the metal rounds a guy walked up to me and said "you keep getting faster and faster as the day goes by". I thought that was a true testament to your traning techniques. I also finished 9 in the cross country, 5 in the road sprints and 4 in the team triathlon. All of which I consider a success.

 

Thanks again,

 

Chip MacLaren

Gene-

Your camp gave me the confidence to go out and try a few races this summer.  My first race was in the beginner 40 to 45 age class in the “Point to Point” cross country race in Winter Park.  While I certainly did not break any records – I at least had a respectable finish and more importantly had a total blast.  My second race was a Super D (much more my style in that there is MUCH less uphill cranking) at Winter Park where I got a second place finish in my age group.  3^rd race was a Mountain States Cup Super D race in Copper where I came in tenth.  Again no records but still having a total blast.  My friends the same age as me think I am crazy doing this stuff but I think they are crazy to be sitting on their arses.  Again, thank you for giving me the confidence to go out there and try some racing and hopefully in the near future I will be in another one of your camps!

Say hello to Andy for me.

Sincerely,

Will Edgington

The Consumption of Happiness

The Consumption of Happiness, Consume, consume, consume

Hey, as cyclists we are better than those crazed consumers who spend every nickel they make on something new to keep up with their neighbors. I wish this was true but I have never seen a sport so obsessed with the latest gadget that impresses your friends but does nothing to improve your riding. Things will not make you a better rider and things will not make you happy either. Sure, "things" can really pick up your mood for a day, week or even a month but then you realize nothing has changed and you return to the same level you were before the new "thing". Then you sink lower and the cycle repeats, buy something, feel good, realize that it wasn't the life changing thing you thought it was going to be, get upset that you spent so much money on a disappointing item and then look for something new to do what this thing couldn't. I am not advocating being a monk with no possessions but a bed roll and a bowl, just realizing that "things" don't make you happy, you make you happy.

Happiness and skill are very closely related, both are results not "things" that you can own or possess. People are too busy searching for happiness and/or that part/bike/wheelset that is going to make them better. I am here to say that "happiness" and "skills" are a state of being not a destination. They both require constant upkeep, change and growth to maintain them. So start the new year by investing your time, money and energy on growing in ways that will lead to living a happy and fulfilling life, not the latest possession that makes you the coolest one on the block (for a week or two until somebody gets a new/cooler gadget).

Create a great new year,

Gene