2009-11-18

Not Dead; Pro at 24

The lack of updates recently is due to my being busy at work. Between training and work, just about ever minute of my day is allocated to something. A few exciting things have happened in the past 6 weeks, which will trickle on here as I find time.

A VeloNews article about Matthew Busche caught my attention this morning. At 24 years old and with a lighting fast upgrade from Cat 2, VeloNews heralds Mr. Busche as a rising star with unlimited potential. That's wonderful, honestly, and I wish him all the best. This just makes me wonder about my own potential as a cyclist. At a high level, physical prowess is a limiter, but not the only one. Professional and personal life, time, money, and support become factors more quickly than I would like. Is being a professional cyclist, at anything but the very highest level of the sport, worth the pay cut, time away from an SO, and risk of injury or stagnation in a career? I'm not getting soft now, but simply applying a typical cost/benefit analysis.

I wonder: who was the last MIT cycling alum to become a domestic-level or higher pro? A cursory search found nothing, so I need to investigate further.