As I walked into my garage and looked at my bike I felt sad.
No not because I have an awesome Mountain Bike, But because I have not touched
it in well over two months. Winter is coming! No not just a Game Of thrones reference,
but a reality. The window is closing for me to get out on a few trails tear it
up or even go on a nice ride with the wife (as she prefers not to tear it up
but have a nice smooth ride for some exercise.
I pulled the Bike out of its little corner and just sat on
it for a moment. Then had to get back to what I was doing knowing it would
still be a little while till I could take my bike out and get the old blood
flowing once again (preferably not through some body part after a crash)
I had not even looked too much at my monthly magazines. So
as I got a little time to myself I caught up on the usual suspects, Bike and
DirtRag, looking at the bikes I can’t afford (which is fine we can all dream)
and more important reading the stories that got me pumped to get back out
there.
So, I know I have written a lot about not being on my bike
in this blog that is supposed to be me experiencing everything there is to experience
on my bike. Call it bad luck, not enough time in the day, or just life getting in
the way, but that is what makes those moments on the bike so memorable. And all of the above excuses.
Sometimes you take away memories like a nice welt, bloody
scab, or any other cut or bruise. Sometimes you take away the memory of getting
over that hump (not necessarily an
actual hump, but a hill you walked the last time, a jump you bit it on or a
turn where you ended up on your ass in the woods.
Sometimes it is that perfect day for a ride, sunny no
humidity, the bugs are not out in force. Maybe it is a hot crappy day but once
you are in those woods it melts away as you pound the ground, under the cool
canopy of the trees. Or the time you spend
with a loved one outside in the fresh air, getting a bit of exercise and experiencing
it all together.
A bike is like anything else in life it is a means to an
end. That end may be competition, it may be just to get your fat ass off the
couch and get the heart going, it could be your means of living life to its
fullest and accomplishing one new thing on this day you could not do the last
time you rode. An Extra mile, a fancy jump or just getting to know some
stranger who may only have one thing in common with you, riding their bike on
the trail or paths closest to where you live.
I love riding my bike, I miss riding my bike, and I am going
to get my butt out there, so I can tell you about my experiences as boring as
they may be, riding my bike. Even this post you may not take too much away from
it, but think about this. Every day we wish our lives away by wanting Monday to
be Friday as soon as Monday starts. We all have busy lives, work is over, have
to pick up the kids, their sports, teacher meetings, family events, you have to
make dinner, the list goes on and on at the end of the day it is another day
gone. Some of these things are worth it, my time with my wife and kids is very
important to me and I would not give it back ever. Make that time to go riding (or if you just
stopped by this blog to check it out and don’t like riding a bike but like the
outdoors GO OUTSIDE!) have your family go with you. My wife loves to ride. She
enjoys the paved trails and likes to see different areas we have not seen yet
(not much different to how I see trying a new backwoods trail, she just prefers
taking it in on a smooth dry, solid surface. But it still works out if you have
followed me for any length of time you know I have written about how we ride
together and she will let me hit the Mountain Bike trail for a little bit while
she rides for a while with our one year old in tow only to meet back up and
finish our ride together. I love
watching TV just like anyone, but I can tell you more about the feelings I have
while enjoying those rides with the wife than just about anything else we do on
the couch (get your mind out of the gutter this is not that kind of blog) I don’t
need selfies, or pics, I have the memories in my mind. I still remember the
first day last year we took out our new bikes and put the baby trailer on her
bike. It was not exactly warm (relax the baby was in an all season trailer she
was warmer than both of us) but the thrill of pedaling and talking about life
with my wife, stopping to have a beer and a sandwich along the trail, made that cold day all worth it, along with
the Giggles coming from the baby trailer. Even if I never would have found my
love of going off road, that day was worth the price of those bikes.
In closing I want to say, I get it more than anyone. Life
gets in the way, you get exhausted and just want to veg out (and there is
nothing wrong with that, we all need that time once in a while) But make time,
for yourself, for your family, for your bike. Or you can just do all three at
once….Happy Trails
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