Catagory Ride

RAAM is a perfect race for me... just ride your bike. We had our last spinning session of the season last night and it was great. For me so much of the cycling experience is social. I do not have aspirations of climbing the ranks of cycling, I just want to ride. I was asked once in an interview what my life goal was and I answered to ride as many miles as I can before I die. They panel all laughed until they noticed I wasn't laughing. Just come out and ride... it will make you feel better about just about everything. It is very simple, like riding a single speed.

Bike Blab Continued...

Our Culture- We need a fire, a cleansing fire. A voluntary suffering that can take away our need to feel superior, to take away our bigotry, and to take away our ignorance. Cycling is that fire. Rather than living in a media induced panic that can sell us anything or any idea, we need a way to sort through all of the messages around us to get to what is real. Cycling provides this.
The marketers of our culture do not want you to find yourself. They know that if you do you will also realize you don’t need much and that you have most everything you need. It is the marketers nightmare.

Transformation- I got into cycling for the wrong reasons. I do think that I may have gotten into the sport for the wrong reasons... To kick my dad's butt and all his buddies butts. But cycling has a way to quickly take you to the spiritual and mental parts of the game and on the other side is peace and personal satisfaction, plus a lot of great relationships.
People ride on anger for motivation. Lance was the king but even he found satisfaction and answers to many of his issues (which were plentiful). Now he has a sense of peace about him and it seems that he is truly ready to become a father full of love for his kids.
Even when people get into the sport for the wrong reasons it has a way of cleaning out some of our personal issues. Again, it forces you to look inside and understand what you are really about. We all have a little creep in us but a whole lot more good and cycling has a way of finding our good and developing the good which develops self esteem and strong relationships. When you understand yourself you become a problem solver and a helper. You understand what other people are going through. It develops grace.

Getting Started- Time trialing. I don’t care if it simply running around your house or your block. Once you set a time try to beat it once a week. You will eat differently, sleep differently and start to see life in a whole new way. It is a concrete way to see your growth and realize that things are changing. It will hurt a little but will open you up to the wonder of life. The wonder of what can be.

Inner Strength- My only regret is that I wish I would have had this in high school. It is truly my only regret! I love biking, there is just something about it. I love it as a metaphor for life. We all come to the start line and it is our attitude that determines what we are going to do and where we are going to go. It seems like people form this attitude right at the beginning of the race. You meet kids that feel like they have a 1,000 gears and that there is no problem that they couldn't solve, then there is a group that feels they have 100 gears and they are confident and ready to go, then there is a group that is convinced they only have 5 gears, and finally a group that is convinced they only have one gear with few options.