So, it is over. Mostly over at least. I may race a local event in the next few days and Vegas still may happen but essentially, my career is over. Tour of Missouri was a very good, but painful ending to the long run. My last day at Missouri was the best day of my life next to the birth of my son and my wedding day. It is a day I will remember for the rest of my life. A day filled with a lot of raw, exposed emotion and spent with good, long time friends and teammates. It was more than fitting that Big Dave Towle essentially narrated the whole thing. I mean that guy pretty much gives me play by play in my dreams. It was also pretty nice to have my wife around for the last few days of the race to share in the memories and experience.

There were a few key teammates missing from the day, but they made their presence felt in their own ways that really touched my heart. The after party was awesome and I got to say some good by’s to guys I pretty much grew up with, and the guys on BMC had a very nice and fitting Italian dinner waiting for me at restaurant owned by a friend of Dan Schmatz.

I was truly honored to go up on the final podium at Missouri to say a very emotional good by to a lot of friends and fans, but I was so caught up in things there were a few things I could not get out.  So I thought I would add those thoughts here. First, I want to thank all the cycling fans out there for their thank you’s to me and for supporting cycling, which at times, is a hard sport to support. I hesitate to compare myself with the great Lou Gehrig, but I truly was the luckiest guy in the world last Sunday. I really felt that way and that feeling will stay with me the rest of my life. Cycling is a small community and I really felt the love. I wanted to thank Medalist Sports for putting on their cycling events and allowing me to be part of and compete in those great events. And then there is Towle….what can I say…an awesome individual and friend. My career would not have been the same without him or Gord who was there, too.

As I watch my son, I can only hold my breath that he may be able to follow his dad into cycling. I just hope he can race better than I did and be a star not a blue collar, lunch pail rider. As for the guys I raced with and against over the years, let me say this: without everyone of those guys I would not be the man I am today. Whether I got along with guy x or not, at the end of the day, they made me a better bike racer and more importantly a better man. And then there are my BMC teammates. I can only say thanks to a great group of guys who made my last two years the best of my career. I really fell for those guys and how hard they worked every single day. I am going to really miss them and being a part of what they have.  And Gavin Chilcott could not have been a better manager for me. He challenged me to take myself to another level, and I felt like I had to comply. I also need to mention Charley Livermore who helped recruit me for BMC and gave me a sense of home. And finally, the wizard of a director John Lelangue. Man, what a fantastic director who was always so supportive even in the hardest races.

There are also a lot of sponsors out there who really took care of me over the years. There are way to many to mention, but they know who they are and from the bottom of my heart I say thanks. I would not have the life I have without them.  And a really special thanks to the saint that is Andy Rhis and my coach Todd Herriott of Herriott Sports Performance.

So it is time for me to go. Another year or two would not make my career any better, and so many things are pointing to me going out on top. I have a great team and I had a pretty good season. For those who mentioned coming back someday I can only hope I remember that last day in St. Louis and not want to disrespect that day by reaching for a lost cause. I know there will be a day that I try and convince myself and anyone who will listen that coming back is a good idea, and I just want to think back to Sunday and how great the send off was. I won’t return to the pro ranks I am pretty sure of that.  I leave cycling to those with young legs and boundless energy.  Frankly, I just can’t keep up anymore.

I am not sure where I will go from here. I am currently looking for a job, but I am sure something will work itself out. So if your company is hiring let me know.

Ok, that is it. I may or may not do another blog entry; only time will tell. Thanks for the memories.

Havoc (retired)

This post brought to you by the guy who won the Mega Millions lottery, the guy who chips it in from 30 feet from the bunker to win the green jacket, the guy who crushes the 480 foot upper deck bomb in the bottom of the 9th at 3-2 to clinch the walk-off series win and the guy who hears his kid tell him he loves him for the first time….this weeks post brought to you by….ME.