The Long Road

As I ride today I'm happy to notice the progress of my fitness improving throughout my pedal up Fromme over a four lap spin. Fatigue didn't set in and my form has been improving, however I still have a long way to go towards my goals. It's also been warming up (finally), and the wet, muddy and rocky conditions feel better than ever out here on the North Shore. The last few rides I have been gaining more PB's on Strava with little effort as I have tried to ride as free and easy as possible, while keeping speed and form. I'm going to try and push it here and there on the next few to see where things really as are at, but the trouble of riding alone is that there isn't anyone around to aid you after a crash.

Another thing I have noticed about riding is how much it has improved my mood and mental outlook recently. Given my day job requires 50+ hours per week often at inconsistent days and times, the rides have been giving my something positive and free to focus on while dealing with the stress on a career in the financial industry. Soon enough, the warm sunshine of spring will be here and it will even be easier to find those hour breaks of heaven and peace within my weekly grind.

While I still really want to make more bike friends, I do have a brief comical story to share. I was down in Sandy Ridge, Oregon last weekend riding in the pissing rain and met a few weather hardy individuals like myself filling it out there. However, when I met one in the parking lot he asked me why I wasn't riding a Rocky Mountain bike after I mentioned that I was from North Vancouver. A while later, seeing him again with his crew and sessioning a jump track - he laughed and told me that I resembled the famous rider Wade Simmons. Ironically enough, I'd seen Wade the week before at the Canada Cup race!

Lastly, I wanted to mention another reason why I love riding mountain bikes. This past Saturday morning I was pedaling up Mount Prevost on Vancouver Island and had the pleasure to run into a herd of elk near the entrance to the DH trail I was going to drop into. I don't know who was more freaked out, me or the dozen large elk who started rumbling out of my way! It's things like this that you'd never ever get a chance to experience anywhere else, and the chance to feel the freedom of the earth, the thrill of an epic DH run all while feeling the peaceful vastness within mother nature. Sometimes I wish that I could share those moments and capture them to replicate, but somehow I don't think it would ever be the same. It's why I get up at 7am to go riding the day after St. Patrick's Day!

PS: I finally own real mountain bike shoes and love them.

PPS: If you're reading this article and find yourself in my neck of the woods, please connect with me here or through my social media and let's go ride bikes.

Peace,

Geoff