Local bike racer Mathew Busche finds himself wondering at times if it is all really happening to him. Last year, Busche was based in Wauwatosa, and he was perfectly happy competing in the area. But now at the age of 24, this Tosa resident has hit the big time, with dreams of racing in the Tour de France alongside Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong, a seven-time winner of Le Tour, has hired Busche to race on his new Radio Shack pro cycling team.

So how does a kid from Tosa end up on the most high-profile racing team on the planet? Busche talks about how it all unfolded with me during an interview on the Monday PhilCast podcast.

Busche has already taken part in the new team's first training camp, where he met Armstrong. Wide-eyed? You bet. But Busche says once the riding started it was business as usual.

Busche is getting married in about a week, and then it will be off to train with Armstrong and Team Radio Shack in the Canary Islands in February.

As it turns out, Busche lived only a few blocks away from me. I'm sure our paths crossed many times on a bike during our rides. He walked over to the PhilCast recording lounge on Christmas Eve to chat with me about the whirlwind that has been this past year for him.

Listen to the entire interview on the Monday PhilCast.

And best of luck Mathew ... we'll be following your adventures with Lance Armstrong in 2010!