<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" ><generator uri="https://jekyllrb.com/" version="3.10.0">Jekyll</generator><link href="https://wheelieslow.com/feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" /><link href="https://wheelieslow.com/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" /><updated>2026-10-26T10:53:18-05:00</updated><id>https://wheelieslow.com/feed.xml</id><title type="html">Wheelieslow</title><subtitle>A former Cat 1 mountain biker and Cat 2 cyclocross racer riding, skiing and climbing his way back from a run of injuries, one season at a time.</subtitle><author><name>Brian Piotrowski</name></author><entry><title type="html">Why Wheelieslow, and why now</title><link href="https://wheelieslow.com/journal/2026/why-wheelieslow/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Why Wheelieslow, and why now" /><published>2026-10-26T00:00:00-05:00</published><updated>2026-10-26T00:00:00-05:00</updated><id>https://wheelieslow.com/journal/2026/why-wheelieslow</id><content type="html" xml:base="https://wheelieslow.com/journal/2026/why-wheelieslow/"><![CDATA[<p>I started riding bikes at 19. I’m 39 now, and for most of the twenty years in between, riding was the thing that organized my life.</p>

<p>Through my twenties I raced a lot. I worked my way up to Cat 1 on the mountain bike and Cat 2 in cyclocross, and the further a race got from pavement, the more I liked it. In the winter I skied, and when I needed something to keep me honest between seasons, I picked up cross-country skiing too.</p>

<h2 id="the-last-six-years">The last six years</h2>

<p>Then my body started sending bills.</p>

<p>In 2020 I tore my ACL skiing. That meant surgery, a long rehab, and a slow return to the bike. I got there. In 2024 I was diagnosed with costochondritis and spent the better part of a year off the bike. In January 2026 I hurt my SI joint playing pickleball, of all things.</p>

<p>Years ago someone told me my lack of stretching would catch up with me. It did.</p>

<h2 id="whats-changed">What’s changed</h2>

<p>I’m spending real time in the gym now, lifting, and I’ve started climbing. Neither of those was ever part of the plan when I was racing. Both feel like the reason I might still be racing at 40.</p>

<h2 id="what-this-site-is-for">What this site is for</h2>

<p>Wheelieslow is where I’m going to document the comeback:</p>

<ul>
  <li><strong>The 2027 race season.</strong> Gravel in the spring and, if the lotteries go my way, the Leadville series in the summer. The <a href="/season/">season page</a> has the full calendar.</li>
  <li><strong>Race reports and training notes.</strong> What worked, what didn’t, and what the numbers say.</li>
  <li><strong>Life off the bike.</strong> Ski days, climbing and the trips in between.</li>
</ul>

<p>The short clips go on Instagram, the race films go on YouTube, and the full story lives here. Thanks for following along.</p>]]></content><author><name>Brian Piotrowski</name></author><category term="Comeback" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[I started riding bikes at 19. I’m 39 now, and for most of the twenty years in between, riding was the thing that organized my life.]]></summary></entry></feed>