Ireland

Ireland was a country I had wanted to visit for years. It was my first international pro athlete racing experience, and the country delivered in terms of weather. It hailed during my race. Little pieces of ice bouncing off my helmet distracted me only slightly from the beautiful scenery. Post race I spent a little over a week in Ireland, riding my bike every day through amazing (and always rainy) countryside. To this day it is still one of my favorite countries. For the dreariness that each rain-soaked ride provided, it was offset by the cozy pub in each town where I found a fireplace along with delicious (and even vegetarian) food. Soup has never tasted so good.