Trey's letter to a dear friend

Hello my friend! Wow! It sure is good to spend time with you again! Now… I realize you may be a little mad at me because of my avoidance of you over the last few months (especially considering the wonderful time we had last year); but, let me start off my offering you my deepest apology. No excuses- just an apology. I am sorry.

I must admit, I was quite lonely with out you- the last few months have been tough and although I had plenty of good listeners to help me along the way, nobody listens as well as you do. Indeed, you know me to the core- you have seen me at my worst and my best. You have seen the tears and heard the cries as I have fought through pain and agony, and you were right there with me as I set personal bests in both time and distance. Together, we have watched the sun both rise and set. You have been supportive on the slow days-when just being on the road was all that mattered. Likewise, you have been ultra responsive whenever I felt the passion for sheer speed.

Together, we have escaped from the jaws of vicious dogs, animals that seemed to have the cheetah-like speed and polar bear-ish size and, somehow, we have managed to remain upright and intact- ever-so-cozy in the arms of “momma safety.” We have seen some of the best countryside that North Alabama has to offer; and though people look at us funny and honk their horns, deep down, we know that they are longing for a bond like the one that you and I share.

It is with this bond in mind that I offer you five promises for the coming year. I hope that your consideration of the plans I have set for us will entice you to find forgiveness in your heart and excitement in your soul.

1.We will go to counseling. No, not that kind of counseling, a professional bike fitting, silly! Just as marital counseling helps the husband and wife to grow closer to each other, a proper bike fitting will help you and me to act as one more efficiently.

2. I will massage you regularly…With a soapy rag and water. I will also scrub you regularly- I will keep you in the best condition possible so that you always feel up to performing at your best.

3.You can play with others. Look, I realize you get tired of seeing my same old spandex-covered butt all the time, so this year, we ride with others. My goal is every 2 weeks at least. That way- you can hang with other bikes- I think it is important for you get to know some carbon and titanium (and maybe steel) bikes so that you can grow more politically correct and appreciate other bikes for their strengths, instead of looking down on them for their weaknesses.

4. We will get high! Yep, I said it, you and I will do at least one significant climb every week. The days are gone when we dread climbing Monte Sano or Cecil Ashburn blvd. This year- we OWN the hills!

5.Faster and Farther. That’s right, buddy, that’s us, that's our battle cry for this year- we are going to ride at least 4 centuries (100+ miles…double what we did last year) this year….maybe more. In addition, we are going to finish all of them faster that we have before….hey, can you smell that???? I think I smell a sub-6 hour century…mmmmm, that smells mighty nice!

Ok, so that’s it! What do you think? Do you forgive me? – I thought you might! Hold onto your decals, buddy, ‘cause I think this will be our greatest year ever! Faster and farther, my friend….because that’s how we roll!