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So some of you seem to go batty every winter since you can't ride.
I do seem to have a little of that.
But the main thing winter brings out in me is a negative vibe about riding that seems to hit every year and I can't seem to figure out how to deal with it.
Obviously last year's actions were the most spectacular failure yet to figure out why I ride and whether or not I should be riding!
But it is the same, I rode thursday last week, the snow hit friday, and now it is tuesday and I am wondering why I even bother.
Winter always gives me time to contemplate what other activities I could be spending my time & money on.
To be blunt I am of course thinking of my bicycling... despite my season flaming out after getting my current motorcycle, it was my best season yet, and the "high" moments of some of the races I was in were much more satisfying than anything I did on my motorcycle. Granted the "low" times sucked more than anything that happens on a motorcycle except a crash, but then a nasty race crash in cycling will suck just as much if not more.
As I sit in my cold apartment this winter, I know I will not be sitting there lusting after chasing Mystery Squid down 495 weaving in and out of the cars, nor will it be cursing as my tires slide through Appalachian Gap in Vermont, nor will it be slogging through a rainstorm on a friday night on my way up Rt. 89 to Vermont.
But yet, somehow, I know I'll probably be doing those same things next year. (Except for chasing mystery squid)
Guess all the riding I do is starting to blend together. It is all fun in the moment but afterwards I never seem to be left with any great memories, whereas some of my other hobbies tend to leave me with lasting memories. That is what it is all about for me... the memories, not how cool I am or anything like that.
The best ones this year for me... ?
- Climbing Pack Monadnock in February after 70 miles and reaching the summit with standard gearing and realizing I was stronger than at any point in my life
- Riding the Kanc in the rain & snow on my Trek in March, descending with my glasses off since they were getting covered with drizzle
- Several memorable hikes up in the Whites & the photographs that resulted
- 3 bicycle races - 2 that I won and one that I consider one of the toughest physical things I've ever done just to finish the race
I had several epic motorcycle rides I guess, but there was always something about them that was frustrating enough for them not to make the list. Going to the track is definitely the only thing that came close.
Ben