"Our creator would never have
made such lovely days, and given us
the deep hearts to enjoy them, above
and beyond all thought, unless we were
meant to be immortal."
Nathaniel Hawthorne
On the drive I worry about my ability to keep up. I have become so accustomed to having a GPS file to guide me that I have become rather dependent upon it, but I know that if I get dropped, despite not having a route, I can use my GPS to find my way back to the car. I just decide not to overly stress about it. Despite being off all that time with a pulled abdominal muscle, I seem to be healing and rebounding fine.
Yesterday was a beautiful day for February, warm and sunny, but I spent it hiking, so I was very glad to see a ride, or rides I suppose I should say, on the club schedule for Monday. Even stepping out the door, it is unseasonably warm, and I think how nice it will be, despite our moderate winter, to have a break. On a day like today, I can dream of spring and believe it will be here soon. With days like today, I don't mourn the loss of Texas Hell Week in March quite so deeply.
I do contemplate just riding from home knowing it will save time and I will cover more ground, but I decide that today is not a solitary day. Today is the kind of day where you want to be with people who love bicycling as much as you do, who share the passion.
On the drive I worry about my ability to keep up. I have become so accustomed to having a GPS file to guide me that I have become rather dependent upon it, but I know that if I get dropped, despite not having a route, I can use my GPS to find my way back to the car. I just decide not to overly stress about it. Despite being off all that time with a pulled abdominal muscle, I seem to be healing and rebounding fine.
As I suspect, there are quite a few people gathered to "ride to the ride." Many of them I don't know or only know superficially, but there are a few closer friends. In the end, we are all happy to be there and happy to have this warmth to ride in. There is the camaraderie that seems to happen when you have an unusually warm day in the midst of winter and people are going to be able to ride without being weighted down by winter clothing. Even I, despite my propensity to overdress, have only knee warmers on with my shorts and no leggings. Some are in shorts. When in doubt or the weather is on the edge, I always chose to keep my knees warm.
As usual, I am not the fastest and not the slowest rider here today. I struggle on the hills as I expect to, but it feels good, the way my thighs strain and burn and the way my lungs draw oxygen in and out searching for relief. A good friend recently told me that he notices aging mostly on the hills. I would like to kid myself that this is not happening to him and won't happen to me, but since growing old is not optional and we do wear out, I become more determined to enjoy my current strength and age, to appreciate that I am out on a bicycle in early February and that I am climbing a hill. I am so thankful that I have the health to be out here, and that while it hurts, to put one foot in front of the other until the task is completed and the hill is conquered. As I have told others, hills are our friends. Like our true friends, they sometimes make us stretch outside of our comfort zones.
There is just something about a good climb on a bicycle that you don't get riding on the flats. Riding the flats at a fast pace can be very challenging. It can hurt. But it is a different hurt. And the hills bring scenery that the flats never could. I have heard people say that the club is leaning more and more toward flat city rides, and I believe that is probably true. Do they, I wonder, know the loss that is inherent in that choice? But of course each of us is different and one of the lovely things about cycling is that it is a very wide umbrella with myriad choices.
At the last stop where we all regroup, the sun is shining and those of us who do not have short sleeved jerseys on are cursing our poor decision making skills, but still there is laughter and joking before we finish the last few miles back to Pope Lick park which I still think of as Floyd's Fork Park. John makes me laugh with his funny story about seeing bear scat in Alaska and how when they asked his daughter if it was scat, she replied that it was either bear scat or scat from someone who saw a bear. The rain is supposed to begin tonight and the temperature to drop the following day, so I will hold close to this day until spring finally puts winter to bed. I am glad the creator gave me the heart to enjoy this day and the ability to share it with others. On a day like today, while I know I am not, at least in this earthly body, I feel immortal and thankful. I believe God would approve.
There is just something about a good climb on a bicycle that you don't get riding on the flats. Riding the flats at a fast pace can be very challenging. It can hurt. But it is a different hurt. And the hills bring scenery that the flats never could. I have heard people say that the club is leaning more and more toward flat city rides, and I believe that is probably true. Do they, I wonder, know the loss that is inherent in that choice? But of course each of us is different and one of the lovely things about cycling is that it is a very wide umbrella with myriad choices.
At the last stop where we all regroup, the sun is shining and those of us who do not have short sleeved jerseys on are cursing our poor decision making skills, but still there is laughter and joking before we finish the last few miles back to Pope Lick park which I still think of as Floyd's Fork Park. John makes me laugh with his funny story about seeing bear scat in Alaska and how when they asked his daughter if it was scat, she replied that it was either bear scat or scat from someone who saw a bear. The rain is supposed to begin tonight and the temperature to drop the following day, so I will hold close to this day until spring finally puts winter to bed. I am glad the creator gave me the heart to enjoy this day and the ability to share it with others. On a day like today, while I know I am not, at least in this earthly body, I feel immortal and thankful. I believe God would approve.
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