It feels good to be back in the saddle on my road bike this spring. It hasn't been a long cold winter but I do feel like it is time for spring. Cycling is my life; its what my soul does while I'm not doing it. I just love riding all day and lying around unable to muster enough energy to do anything else. I lay around all weekend when I wasn't in the saddle. It was mentally and financially a wreck after last weekends race in Lewiston Idaho.
The Devils Slide: Last weekend I decided Saturday to go to a race in Idaho. I threw all my gear together and split around 1 pm. The drive was beautiful even though driving was treacherous due to a big rainstorm that pounded me all the way through Idaho. When I arrived I found the campground that I called earlier closed to tent sites (RVs only). Then every time I decided to go for a pre-ride it started down pouring.
Frustrated from not getting a ride in I set up my tent in a RV spot and didn't fill out the campground slip because there was no way I was paying for a RV spot when I was lied to on the phone about tent space availability. I got it all set up in pouring rain and all that was left to do was quickly throw in the bedding without getting it too wet. I searched the entire car and couldn't find my sleeping bag. I had forgot it.
Right then I decided to drive back home and bag the entire weekend. I drove around town for quite a while in a daze; my brain was fried. I finally stopped at the worst place ever … Burger King. Now thoroughly disgusted I headed home.
I passed the Super 8 on highway 12 going back to Missoula and remembered that my friends were staying there. I decided to go leave them a message about my disappearance. For some reason I gave up the ghost and decided to use my credit card to spend the night there, I was absolutely done trying to navigate my emotions and the daunting task of driving 4 hours straight back home.
My friends showed up later that night and we went out for some food. At that point things started to look up. I decided to just stick around the next day and watch them race.
The next day the sun was out and it was absolutely beautiful out. I decided I wanted to ride. After riding the course I decide that I wanted to race and headed to the registration table to spend the next weeks grocery money. My friends had saved my weekend and with their help I was able to race. The day before was a mess, I shouldn't have went to the race as I don't have money to burn and it seemed as though it would bit me in the ass. It didn't and the weekend turned out fantastic. I got 3rd place as well as two of my other friends.
Week of Rest: It took a week of resting and when I was cycling had re-entered my soul. All I could think about is getting on my bike and riding all day. I planned some future races and was glad to find out that there was a Montana Series in the works this year. This weekend I went road riding both days lay around the house when it was hailing, raining, or nighttime. Yesterday I went out for a great little 67 mile ride to the nine mile valley and back the entire ride took me 4 hours and after laid in the sun in the front yard. What a weekend. That is what life is all about.
So now it's back to the grind. There is a race next weekend that I want to do but don't have the cash for yet. But I don't care, its spring and a new riding season. Isn't that exciting.