Saturday, January 15, 2011

So Lonely

Rain scuttled our best laid plans for a Hill Country beatdown. I know a hardman would suck it up and spin in the muck. Muck that. 45 degrees and raining. If you are not getting paid to ride, and you are out there, you have crossed over from hardman to dumbass, at least in my book. Being neither hardman nor dumbass (at least in self-assessment), I took my act inside. Rocked a 2 hour indoor session at PedalHard. It was an acceptable substitute for an outdoor roll. Kevin is great and always entertaining and insightful. When you are on the trainer, any distraction is welcome, and the PH Computrainer is about as good an approximation of real efforts as I have experienced.

As good as it is, nothing beats the pulse of a real ride. As I cranked away in relative solitude, thoughts wandered to why I love a group ride. To me, the energy of the pack is powerful. The communal effort, that shared struggle and the camaraderie fuse into potent elixir. It's cool to be a participant in the symmetry of a full-out paceline. Stretches like 2222-Anderson Mill, or Old Spicewood sometimes qualify as highlights of my week, on or off the bike. I am ready to get back on the road fellas!!

Post-ride, I downed a double machiatto and a bagel while people watching on the MJ-tourist crowd. On the weekend, that place morphs from bike shop to cycling mecca. Weird phenomenon. As I pulled out of the parking lot, "So Lonely" by The Police cranked on the radio. So appropriate.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Captures the morning perfectly. Happy you were able to grab a spot in the studio. I miss the road and our (little) band of riding brothers. I'm heading down to my solitary confinement spot momentarily.

Texas Rouleur said...

Hood, there was a free spot for you. KL needs to overbook those slots.

John Carreker said...

Did the 63-minute Carmichael training video on a trainer with a friend this morning in the warmth of his garage. Good workout but indeed boring.

On the Pedal Hard note, Brant Speed (great name for a cyclist) is also a great trainer.....spoke with him about their once a month ride they lead and it sounds good.

-- Cracker

Texas Rouleur said...

Brant is a great guy. Total beast on the bike. I am gonna do that PH ride next month, if possible.