The hours waiting seemed liked days as Kyle and I watched on eagerly.
And one-by-one riders continued to fall short of my time.
By the time there were only 25 riders left to challenge,
I was starting to think I might have this.

And then out of nowhere a scout from Bissell Pro Cycling approached me.
First, he congratulated me on my great ride and then said that
the team was putting me on their shortlist for next season and
would consider offering me a try-out if I kept showing potential.

I was over the moon, but it was Kyle that was even more shocked at what just
happened as he was standing right next to me as the conversation took place.
And it was right there, even before the individual time trial had finished,
that Kyle agreed to be my partner/manager on my journey.

The only thing that could have made that day any better was if I had won.

That night after the race was one of the best times of my life.
Kyle and I were club hoping until 5 o'clock in the morning
celebrating my victory and our new partnership.

The next day we used up the little prize money we had left
from the night before to buy some new "matching" gear
and I even traded in my Trek SL 1000 for a new Trek Madone 4.5
and in a package deal with the shop got a Trek Equinox 7.

I felt like a little kid in a candy shop as everything we bought was brand new.
It was amazing how one victory lifted an enormous amount of pressure off me.
But I couldn't rest on my laurels as I was still trying to get myself a contract.

This was were Kyle played the biggest part in my career.
He not only got me registered into some exclusive amateurs events,
but also covered my shifts at the bar so I didn't lose my main job.

However, the first race he got me into was a discipline I had never tried before.