Unbound

 I have cranked through 2,500 miles on a bike this year, training to participate in the Unbounded “short” course which is 48 miles and 1,500 feet of gain.  Rolling farmland in Emporia, Kansas.  Just me and 10,000 other cyclists.  

I laugh about the hours I have put on a bike, the race is really just an excuse to ride. I can assure you that nobody cares if I finish the event.  Nobody cares how fast I ride, my average spoed, calories burned, average watts or any other metric.  Nobody cares if I am first in my age category or last .. or how I place in the overall field. 

No reporter is going to track me down after the event … no podcast interviewer or bicycle industry journalist. 

The only person who cares is me …The truth: I have already won my event. I have cranked the miles just to be ready.  

I have agreed with myself that should the weather be miserable, should the race be about pushing a bike through miles of mud, that I’m allowed to not only quit, but to not even start.  

I can hang out at the van for the day… sucking down coffee  …watching top performers who will throw down 200 or 100 miles at more than double my speed … who will suffer through pelting rain to come back covered in mud.  Who will be interviewed by bike industry journalist after they receive huge trophies and stand on the podiums.  

Wisdom: … at 61 I have earned the right to enjoy my sports. It’s not about suffering, it’s about achievement, laughter .. being smart enough to realize winning is not the finish line. 

Winning is getting out there, every day … and enjoying the mountain views, the horny toad that was not easy to photograph, the pronghorn running through a hayfield, the white pelicans bobbing along in a lake, the cows that wouldn’t move out of my way, the herd of horses that sprinted up to the fence because they were sure I was going to feed them. … the old mining town, the cruise along a sandy beach , the cactus in full bloom … the chocolate chip cookies, the toasted cheese sandwich, the maple syrup with a pinch of salt in my water bottles … and the big juicy post ride hamburger with a chocolate shake… and the long conversations with my cycling pals that ranged from tire pressures to solving life’s puzzles. 

Fingers crossed the weather gods serve up a dry morning on Saturday, May 30 in Emporia, Kansas …. So I can have my icing on the cake. Chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and confetti sprinkles which I plan to eat after a long day on the bike or a lazy day in the van!