My Ride vs. Your Race

The nice weather continued here today in WPA, and even though I maybe should have been doing some work and maybe should have taken a day off the bike, I still found myself at Boyce getting in 1:35 or so of single track.

Today was not my best ride of the week by far. The legs didn't have the same spunk, and I was a bit more hurried due to a late start, BUT it was STILL another ride off of pavement and IN the dirt. And I am NOT gonna bitch about that!

Little over a week until the Mohican 100. Can't wait to get racing again. Not that what I do should even REALLY be called "racing". I ride a long time and see where I place. Been like that from the time I started and it ain't gonna change any time soon. Sometimes I'm lucky and place well. Other times you wouldn't even know I was at the race. Either way is fine with me. It's all fun.

Racing can be more than just where you place. Maybe for XC type folks it's not, but I use an example of a race like Trans Iowa. You mean to tell me if you raced for 300+ miles and came in 10th folks would think less of you?? Doubtful. I'm not a person who has a "racers mentality". I know folks who do. I respect and admire them. I don't. But what I do have is an admiration for pushing yourself to do something that maybe you didn't think you could. Or even more rewarding- pushing yourself to do something someone told you you COULDN'T do. Nothing beats the feeling of racing 100 miles or 24+ hours to give one some kick ass smug satisfaction and a nice way of saying "f*ck you".

In various forums and what not, I have used a quote by Eddy Merckx in my signature. It says:

"I got enormous pleasure simply from riding a bike.
So I guess racing was a reason for riding it more."

Maybe that's how I got into this whole thing? I love to ride my bike as often as I can. Maybe doing these races is the only way that I can justify riding so much? One man's "training" is another man's "riding" I suppose. I will probably never be a "real" mountain bike racer (meaning one who "competes" in a race rather than "rides" a race), and I'm not sure how many more races I will do after 2009, but for now I'm just gonna keep enjoying the ride AND the racing.

Later.