I arrived back in Auckland on Tuesday. This is my first visit to New Zealand in 4 years, and the last time I cycled here was 1993 (on an old steel Avanti frame). I assembled my Ridley on Tuesday afternoon because I had plans to meet The Colombian Sensation, Alejandro Jimenez, on Wednesday.
Alejandro and his wife, Lina, are Colombians who spent the last 2 years living in Melbourne. I know many of their friends in Medellin, and it was Alejandro who initially gave me a lot of information about cycling in Colombia when I began researching my trip in 2010.
I am back in Boston for several weeks, packing and getting ready to fly to Auckland on March 25th. I had a two-week break from cycling: Boston's winter temperatures forced a week of rest, which I didn't mind, and the prior week was spent wrapping up in Medellin.
Spring is approaching and Boston has been relatively warm over the last week, but the ground is still bare from the winter. Cyclists are training outside now and preparing for the upcoming racing season. I met up with my friend Dave Andersen, for several rides, as well as Jason Barella, Randall Levere, and Jason Hancock.
