Happy Monday my friends....well, as happy as Mondays can be for those that have to get back in the grind.
I wanted to take a moment and share a blog post authored by a true icon and fan favorite in professional cycling as he reflects on the loss of a dear friend in a horrific crash last year. Reading this made me reflect on how many lives we all encounter and how many of those have made an impact on us and vice versa. I'd like to thank everyone that I have met in my life, the friendships I've made and the memories we've shared. In our busy lives, we often neglect to express our appreciation to those that support us as well as those we support. I thank you all and hope that I have had even the slightest sliver of positive influence in your lives.
Until the next time,
Keep your mind sharp, body fit, and pedal hard
MB&B
Now in his 16th year as a professional, Jens Voigt has earned a reputation as one of the sport's hard men, both among fans and his fellow riders. And the only thing Jens likes as much as riding his bike is talking about it. And that’s good for us.
May 5th, 2012
Wouter Weylandt, 1984-2011. (Photo by Kristof Ramon)
By Jens Voigt
With the spring Classics over, everybody’s looking forward to the Tour of Italy and the Tour of California. But I’ve been thinking about my friend and teammate Wouter Weylandt, because as most of you know, he died in a horrible crash in the Giro about a year ago.
Wouter’s death is something we’ve been talking about on the team and with other riders. My teammates Fränk and Andy Schleck just went to visit Wouter’s family the other day, and let me tell you it was not easy.
Losing a teammate in a race is something that stays with you, and something that can keep coming back to you.
At first, it was unreal. You understand it, but you’re so focused on getting through the immediate. Of course, for my teammates who were at the Giro last year, they could not even think of continuing.
It’s one of those things that calls into question everything in life. You question everything you do. You wonder if you’ve made the right decisions. And you ask yourself questions like, Did I tell my parents how much I love them? Did I tell them they did a good job raising me? Did you tell your kids how much you love them? Did you tell your friends how much you care about them, that they are your friends forever?
Wouter’s death also reminds me of how lucky I am.
Crashing is part of the sport, but you never know when a crash can turn out very badly. As many of you know, I had a bad crash in the Tour de France three years ago. And so sometimes I pinch myself and say how lucky I am to be on a bike again, doing something I love, with good friends.
I can tell you that I remind myself of this every time I start to complain about the length of a race or the weather.
I’m one of the lucky ones. We are all the lucky ones.
So, my friends, don’t forget to tighten up the loose ends, to tell the ones you love how important they are to you, that they can count on you to be there for them.
But mostly right now, with the start of this year’s Giro, I just want to take a moment to think back about Wouter, a good teammate and a good friend.
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