for the love of it

i've written a lot in here about my love for cycling. in recent years, i've been solely a mountain biker, riding 2-3 times a week on any trails i can find. but this year i've added road riding, and gone on group rides once a week. it's loads of fun, and it's so different than mountain biking. you'd think hopping on a two-wheeler and pushing the pedals is the same, no matter where you are, but there's more to it than that. mountain biking is bumping and fast. quick up hills and down hills. i find it exhilariting. road riding is also fast but smooth. the hills are difficult, but you can pace better. and the down hills are screaming fast.

one person once told me: road riding is like ball-room dancing; mountain biking is like being in the mosh pit.

so tuesday this week, i went on my weekly road ride. i went out with a group of riders of similar speed to me - i've ridden with them before, and we were riding along at a good clip, when we came to big climb. i started out in the lead and thought i was going up the hill fast. then, one by one, they all passed me with such efficiency, i thought i had stopped. at the top, i slowed to catch my breath while they kept going. i eventually fought to catch up, but eventually, i was dropped again. i rode the hill twice more by myself, and was eventually caught by another group of faster riders, but i was able to keep up with them as we rode back (no hills) to the parking lot, about 5 kilometres.

then yesterday i went for a mountain bike ride. we had a time trial, so there was a 10 kilometre loop, and riders started at one-minute intervals. i started off second, and was hoping to catch the rider in front of me, and avoid being caught by the rider behind me. i never saw the guy ahead of me, as he set the fastest time of night, beating me by 6 minutes. the guy behind me didn't catch me. a couple of other kids beat my time too, quite easily. the thing is, i thought i was going so fast, so at first, i was a little discouraged that so many people were faster than me. then in hindsight, i realized that i was going fast... fast for me. after the time trial, i rode around for a while, just for fun. not too fast, not too slow. i passed some recreational riders, and thought 'they probably think i'm fast - maybe i am relative to them'. and i realized that how much i love riding the trails. once i try to compete or race, it begins to lose its appeal. i enjoy racing once in a while, but i mustn't delude myself into thinking that i can keep up with racers. i'm in pretty good shape, it's great exercise, and i love it. i need to remember why i started riding in the first place...

for the love of it.