Changes

 Well, a few weeks ago I alluded to the fact that I've been busy with a lot of different stuff and there were some big changes coming up for me and this blog in the future.  Today the future has arrived.  First a little biographical information for those who may not know it.  I moved to Eau Claire after transferring here for school after a bummer of a year I spent in River Falls.   I am originally from the area, growing up in the country outside Cornell WI, and always thought Eau Claire was the coolest as a kid.  That and a desire to be closer to my family after the sudden death of my mother my senior year in high school drew me here.

I started school here and started looking for people who were interested in the same stuff I was.  Music, bikes, adventures, fun, etc. etc. I got really lucky and happened upon a lot of people who were into the same stuff and were totally nice and full of energy and supportive of each other.  The rest is kind of history.  TNR evolved, dozens of us evolved as people and especially as cyclists.  Faces came and left and somewhere in the mix I started this blog and started trying to document it.

 My goal from the beginning has been simple, promote cycling in Eau Claire and beyond and share some of my thoughts and observations in the process.  I think that the energy surrounding cycling in Eau Claire has only grown in the past 5 years, and I like to think that maybe in some small way this blog is a part of that.  Eau Claire is a very very special place and it deserves all the props it gets.  

 So anyway, what the point of all this?  Well after school I got a gig at a local non-profit and as of Friday my contract is up and I will be moving to Madison the week after that for a new job.  I know it's not a huge move, but I'm a pretty quiete sentimental dude and this place is very special to me and it is going to be a tough one for me.  The friends I've made in Eau Claire are some of the nicest, best people I've met in my entire life and the scene we've built here is incredible, welcoming, fun, challenging, and surprisingly dynamic and strong.

 It feels good to go to races and events around the midwest and hear people distinguish you as "those Eau Claire guys"  even if it's by and large for the shenanigans that we pull.  I will miss that and hope to come back to Eau Claire to be part of it again some time in the future.

 As for this blog, well that's a tough one.  I've always like the idea that maybe their is some impressionable teenager out there who reads this and gets inspired to ride there bike more and stick with it and have fun.  I know when I was a bored15 year old living 10 miles from anywhere dicking around on a BMX I would have latched on to something like this hard just to have something to relate too. That said this has become a pretty serious hobby of mine (as lame as "blogging" sounds on a list of interests) and I would have a hard time parting with it even if I wanted to, but I can't really write about biking EC when I don't live here any more.  So what going to happen?  I don't know, I'll sort that shit out this week.  Pretty anticlimactic eh?

 In the meantime I will leave you with a few more snapshots of the EC area.  I will admit I did a ton of reminiscing going through files of pictures and am already bummed about leaving a lot of the small things that make this place so great.  There are not very many cities in the world that you are just a quick bike ride from world class ski jumps, woods, fields, rivers, lakes, trails, and more hobbit holes bum caves and bridge hangout than I can even count.

 In the mean time the annual EC Velo Big Falls Ride is tomorrow night and it will also be doubling as my last TNR probably for a long time.  All are invite and I hope to see many friendly faces there read more here. I will be around for the next week hitting all of my favorite haunts so if  you are looking for me you know where to look.  

 See ya out there.