America's Newest Pro

Wow. I've literally spent years trying to get a pro license. This summer I decided to finally try and make it happen for real, but it always felt like a long shot. So I've been traveling around, living (and sleeping) in my Volvo station wagon, trying to link up the biggest races of the summer. And I've had some good results. Being the VT state champion was definitely a thrill, and since then I've snagged podiums here and there at some big events, started to learn how to ride endurance races, and ridden a ton of amazing trails. Then this morning I emailed USA Cycling putting in my "please make me a pro" plea one more time. Three hours later and it was official! Dang, I was pretty surprised. But here I am, a professional mountain biker! Guess I gotta order than international racing license now. Maybe I'll be at the start line in Windham next year? Who knows. This Pro thing has been a dream for as long as I can remember, but now I feel like I can really start dreaming. Life as a pro, I guess it starts now.