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A. Freye's 05' Season Wrapup |
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Written by Andrew Freye
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Monday, 31 October 2005 |
I would like to start off my season wrap up with some quotes that have helped motivate me throughout the year and ones that everyone can live by. Steve Prefontain, America's greatest running legend once said "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." My old high school coach Todd Wheelden would always say "Look where you want to go, not where you are."
Both quotes have helped carry me throughout the year, through the high times and the low times.
2005 started out with several DNF's in a row. After struggling through a rough year in '04 and starting '05 out in the same condition I came close to calling it quits for good. I knew I had the physical ability to hang with the top guys and place on the podium, I was just lacking the mental strength. I am not sure when things started to turn around but the low times quickly became high times. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Gary Fisher rider and US National Champion) said "Experiencing the bad days make the good days really good." and this is so very true. From the time I got out of school for summer break until my trip down to Snowshoe, WV I had been on the podium at every race and was having a great streak of highs. Having a mechanical at Snow Shoe was defiantly a start of another low for the season.
After Snowshoe I needed a good result at Mount Snow. I was able to pull of a respectable result placing in the top 30, but a flat tire kept me from placing in the top 20 or 15. Again I found myself in a low and had to look back at some quotes and remember why I race. Adam Craig (Giant rider, ranked 7th in the world) said "Focus on the highs not the lows because there's no reason to cry over spilled milk." This helped me out a lot and let me realize that there is more to racing than two races a year and to look forward.
After some very long resident assistant training sessions where I was able to drift off and look forward into the future I knew the low would turn around. I think one of the most memorable experiences this year was winning the Grilz Memorial Race in September which started a string of highs. My high would last all the way up until nationals and even today. Yeah I might not have won the collegiate nationals but I have nothing to be upset about with 2nd place. Maybe if I wasn't an RA, lived off campus, and didn't really care about making Dean's list I could have won but that's not what is important. What is important is to realize how far I have come as a professional and how much fun I have had. Sharing a small condo filled with friends for several days at Mount Snow, going out to dinner with 20 Bikeman teammates at Gritty McDuff's, having junior racers ask me questions at every race and all the memorable road trips made with good friends are some reasons why I love racing my bike.
I have some big goals and dreams for the future. I will be attending the Olympics in Beijing. I have a poster in my room of all eight American riders who contended for the Athens Olympics and it is my dream and goal to be doing that in 2008. 2006 will be my last year as a U-23 and I believe I can win the National Championships in July and even be a contender in the National Series. After that I would like to be able to make the '06 national team and represent the United States at the World Championships. From there it will be more international competition in 2007 and 2008 before attending the Olympics. How I am going to afford to make it to all the national races next year is unknown, but I am not worried about that because doesn't not knowing the future make the world go round?
Until then I have other things on my plate which need to get done. I need to bring up my GPA and finish as close to a 4.0 as possible, spend some time with friends and spend some serious time at the ski slopes this winter. I have thanked all my sponsors several times and its time to do it one more time. I couldn't ask for a better list of sponsors. You have truly helped and supported me throughout my career and my success would not have been possible with out you. Thank you again and I will keep you updated throughout the off season.
Andrew Freye, Team Bikeman |
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