The pandemic is not over, but many difficulties have been overcome and I would like to share part of this trajectory.Training is not just a movement to keep me in shape, it is also a movement to keep me healthy and healthy.
My biggest motivational factor is the challenge. I create a commitment, I set a goal and it moves me. Competitions are my main challenges, they make me define the training period in addition to being my main motivational valve. In 2020 there were many plans, there was a lot of expectations and with the intensification of the pandemic, the races were being canceled one by one. I was lost, aimless, added to all the uncertainties and uncertainties inherent to the covid-19 pandemic.
I then set a goal for the end of the year, with the expectation that in November the situation could be better.I planned and prepared myself for the 24h world championship in California-US. In March this date seemed too far away and it allowed some hope. I bet all my chips, developed the training cycle for this competition and that motivated me a lot. But the worsening of the pandemic, the cancellation of the race took my ground. The race has been changed to a virtual version, but personally I don't feel like I'm competing in this way. So my training focus and my motivation ended. I got frustrated and lost the only thing that tied me to training. It was a few weeks in a vacuum, after all, the bike is also my escape valve. Those were difficult days.
Over time, I tried to channel my focus on my well-being, I tried to use my time to develop myself as a cyclist. Take advantage of the training volume and improve points that were being neglected such as mobility and strength. I recovered the habit of this type of exercise and connected with a teacher and great friend, Arlindo Teixeira, to improve stretching with resistance. I developed a lot outside the bike, which is not common in my day-to-day. That was very positive.
Of course, the search for competitions didn't stop for a moment. After confirming the cancellation, I managed to find a competition, Tour the Trace, 4-day time trail also in November 2020. There was a taste of racing, with an unusual intensity and anxiety, but befitting the situation. It was a solitary competition, I didn't have contact with anyone with many restrictions and still wonderful. Now, in June 2021 I had my first big competition close to normality, I participated in a quartet in RAAM. I've already been able to prove, what I was already feeling, all this training off the bike has greatly improved my conditioning on top of it. So I keep expecting a more optimistic scenery in 2021 with more competitions and better training (on and off the bike).
