A love letter to sport.
For connecting us. Inspiring. Showing us what we are capable of. Keeping us humble.
Itās the most beautiful thing and Iām so grateful where it has taken me in life in ways far more than as just an athlete.
It was a truly emotional and utterly surreal weekend, as my path in this sport has been far from linear. To be in the Piazza, in this town, with so many amazing people was nothing short of a dream and I wish I could share this experience with everyone I know and love.
To be honest, itās my mission to share this love of sport with the world not only as an athlete, but as a creative too.
I canāt thank the team at @kask_sport enough for this opportunity to experience the most beautiful race in the world, and I canāt wait to be back.
I cried on that fucking balcony! Itās been a journey.
More on my weekend later!
Goodnight š«
XIIā¢Iā¢MMVIII
December 1, 2008 I lost my father to cancer. I grew up quick, and learned a gratitude for every last ounce of this world. To love wholeheartedly the people, places, experiences, and lessons I did have.
My dad was a navy ch-46 helicopter pilot (callsign Tornado), flew on carriers in the med, was an athlete (not biking at first, but my mom got him there), a musician, and had multiple degrees in a range from psychology to electrical engineering. A badass if I do say so myself. He actually took his resume to Boeing and they told him he had made it up. He was all over the place and Iām sure itās why I am too :)āØāØItās (of course) shaped my entire life and I have a world of love for what life has given me regardless. I think itās why photos are something I love so much. Capturing stories, holding onto memories, and of course the emotion.
Around my neck I wear a small reminder of all this: amor fati. The love of oneās fate. Good or bad, everything goes into the fire, and so it burns brighter.
My mom and I have joked about getting it tattooed together. Sheās been an anchor through everything and is the strongest woman in the world.
āØIn the hardest of days, like last weekend, suffering like a dog with 20 miles to the finish and wondering if Iāll drop myself out of the lead, I still talk to him. I like to believe it keeps me calm and gives me strength. I think I talked to him more than ever last weekend, so close to something that could propel my career forward in bigger ways than before. āØāØWe all have fucking hard times, and I guess Iām just here to say use them. Own them. Appreciate them cause you canāt change the past. Continue to love, continue to challenge yourself, and continue to see the good. āØāØLove you dad!
racing loads and traveling more. We set up a calendar from the start of the year that was built on one thing, ambition. Letās go bigger. Letās race gravel one day and a crit the next, on opposite sides of the world (or something like that)
The thing is, this whole storyline isnāt about racing. Itās about stepping outside what youāre comfortable with, taking big risks with confidence, believing in yourself, and learning from the journey. Learning.
Iāve often been told Iām overzealous. I race too hard from the beginning, am overambitious with what I believe is possible, I need to be more patient, my ego is big in racing, yes that is the point.
I want to be known as the crazy guy.
Life is fucking short, I learned that young losing my dad, and I wonāt stand by and let it pass without squeezing every last drop.
Iām blessed to have a platform, support team, and partners that allow me to push the limits of life, and love social media because I want to share raw experience with the world. I want to inspire others to step outside, believe they can do more, and just fucking go for it.
I spent a lot of time in this sport struggling. Feeling stuck, chasing negatives for what I believed would be good legs, and when I came home and we started the SpeedStudio brand my life changed.
Iām competitive, but not in ways that I solely care just about podiums or results. I want to push myself creatively, academically, socially, and of course physically.
That said I 100 percent get more fulfillment from creative work than racing itself, a wild thing to say from a bike racer.
That fulfillment isnāt about attention or output. Itās about expression.. Sharing emotion. Turning experience into something that can move others forward. Iām a loverboy at heart, and only want the best for the world. āØāØWe call it the Culture of Speed.
Today I really realized my body and mind are quite tired. We were with 10 of the best in the world already after 1.5 hours but I soon shut down in ways that I canāt really explain, but are far from normal.
To say ive been traveling quite a lot is an understatement and I need to pump the brakes a bit.
I havenāt found my early spring legs again will take a few weeks down to reset and re evaluate how we can attack the rest of the year with confidence.
Iāve known on good days I can ride with the best in the world, and learned quite a lot over these weeks about myself and my abilities.
Life is nothing but lessons. I pushed crit racing more to the side because I wanted to do something harder. Go bigger. Even I am learning every day. These big races take huge tolls on the body and to an extent I underestimated.
I like making content and telling stories but also know Iām a fucking strong bike rider and am plenty capable of more.
Just trying to share this beautiful sport with the world to be honest !
Content is good for cycling, my sponsors, the economy as a whole, inspiring the next generation, etc.
6 MILLION views inside the sport in the last 90 days.
Everyone complaining about how the market is a suffering but letās cancel those sharing it, alternative forms of sustainability for professionals, etc.
I was a kid who grew up watching Red Bull and GoPro videos of guys doing crazy shit and thatās undoubtedly exactly why I love sharing the things we do now, not to mention a reason Iām a professional athlete.
Makes tons of sense š„š
Thanks yall
