I can't get that song out of my head!
Im sitting in the Ft Myers airport 2hrs before my flight leaves, sissy dear was leaving earlier than I. They're rockin some pretty sweet 70s music, I just heard Shaft.
In just over 6 months I'll be riding my bike in the Alps. The trip route isn't posted but should be about 1000miles and 100,000ft of climbing over 2 weeks. And because that isn't a daunting enough goal I gained some extra holiday weight. I got a GoPro for Christmas (thanks Mom!!) so I'll be chronicling my training rides ahead of the big trip.
The trip description is here:
http://www.veloski.com/bike-tours/italian-alps-classic-climbs.html
This will be an interesting process. I don't like feeling trapped, and setting a big goal that I need to train a lot for definitely gives me the feeling that I have to do certain things. I have to be on my bike a lot. I plan to work up to riding my bike to work everyday (40miles, 2000ft elev) which will take a huge chunk of time. But I expect it will also give me a lot more energy, lower body fat and other good things. ;) I've decided 2012 will also be the year of 6pack abs for me. They are there underneath the Christmas cookies.
I'm really glad I have a lot of friends with ambitious cycling goals. I can't imagine taking on something like this without the support of others to ride with and be encouraged by. We all know how tough the mental aspect of the sport can be, especially when training for road riding happens during the time of year when the weather in PDX is rather abysmal.
I remember a particularly gritty ride from last winter. I have a pic of some teammates and I after the ride, covered in road grime, sopping wet, and grinning from ear to ear. I know during those rides I have the WTF moments - "wtf am I doing out in the cold?" "wtf am I doing spending my vacation biking in the Alps?" or just a string of obscenities running through my head. After those rides I'm pretty much comatose for the rest of the day. Then why all the smiling you ask? Because of my friends. My friends that suffer with me on the bike and then delight about reminiscing the especially epic rides. My friends that don't bike that encourage and uplift me. And of course express suitable amounts of awe at my epic tales ;) Then there are the "great ass" compliments. But I digress.
The thing about winter training, or really any training if youre doing it right, is that it consumes your mind. You can't worry about your job, your lover (or lack thereof) or even what you're going to eat after the ride when you're trying to squeeze your brakes on cold descent, or when your lungs are about to explode out of your chest during a sprint. Cycling is a safe little refuge from the world. It is my shire.
