Ilhan and new friends from Cambridge (all super-brains) punting on the Cam (left)
I’ve been remiss, again, in my posting punctuality. I’ll bridge the gap quickly because I am more excited about the next few months than the last few. After returning from the Tour De France, I spent the rest of the summer training at altitude in the Vail Valley before riding in the 2009 Green Mountain Stage Race. Before the summer ended, I was also called into Pioneer Natural Resources, a Denver-based energy company, for a number of meetings and presentations to the geology and engineering staff. Pioneer was interested in my senior geology thesis’ implications for geothermal energy and coal bed methane prospects in Raton Basin, southern Colorado. In September I set off to hit the books at Middlebury – my last semester of college.
Over fall break I spent a week in the UK applying to exploration geology graduate schools, reuniting with old friends, and meeting new friends from Madrid, Caracas, Abuja, and London. I traveled with Ilhan, a Korean friend exploding with ideas and energy. We spent time in Edinburgh, London, Woking, and Cambridge. In London we stayed with our mutual friend Harry, and in Cambridge we stayed with one of my closest friends from high school, Brett, who is studying for a masters degree in International Studies. Ilhan and I ate the famous curries of Brick Lane, ordered in the bar where DNA was discovered, stood on the ancient Roman colonnade of the National Monument outside Edinburgh, and somehow Ilhan arranged press passes to the Frieze art Fair in Regent’s Park.
Now I’m back in Colorado to spend the holidays with family. The future holds big things. I’ll be graduating at the end of January, and I have a large chunk of time between graduation and my start date with Cambridge Associates or the Watson Fellowship (still waiting to hear back from the fellowship’s final round interview).
Between January and July I am planning a bicycle racing tour of the major multi-day stage races in the western United States. I’ll be hitting the Redlands Cycling Classic (California), Sea Otter Classic (California), Napa Valley Grand Prix (Cali), Tour De Gila (New Mexico), and Mt. Hood Classic (Oregon). I’ll also be mountain biking in Moab, Utah and Fruita, Colorado. I’ll spend the winter conditioning and backcountry skinning and telemark skiing in Colorado and New Mexico.
The six-month tour will all culminate in the 2010 Death Race in Pittsfield, Vermont on June 24. I was one of 100 people admitted to the race this year. The organizers “screen” entrants by requiring video submissions and inviting athletes to training camps – last year I did a 8-hour workout with the guys who run the race and about fifteen other athletes from around New England. The organizers put a video of the camp on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw_7J_LeVcA.
The death race is loosely defined as an “adventure race,” but basically it is a 24 hour slog with a series of mental and physical challenges. Historically, only about 10% of people finish. You can find more information about the Death Race at this website: www.youmaydie.com. Additionally, you can see videos and interviews with the 100 athletes in this year’s race (including myself) at this site: http://www.races.peak.com/deathrace/applications_for/2010. Some of the contestants are absurd, some are legit. There are a few Navy SEALS, marathoners, and Iron Men who seem pretty tough.
I’m planning to use the race as a fundraising effort for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which I’ve raised money for in the past. I built a new blog to chronicle the six months, my training, racing, and adventures: www.DeathRaceForLife.blogspot.com. The blog will have a link for donations, photos, videos, as well as a forum for commentary. I've applied to become a grassroots fundraiser for LAF, so 100% of donations will go to their cancer fighting efforts. Every donation will also support and encourage me during the long hours of training and racing. Check it out!
