Thursday, April 21, 2011

catching up

Hello all, if there are any "all" out there. Work has really put a tight grip on me. I didn't ride any after the Gravel Grinder until the following weekend when Mike and I headed out for a stroll in the wet and chilly morning last Sunday. We rolled out headed north on the bike path and headed up into Colchester. We rode the causeway to the end.

Mike calling for the ferry! Where is that ferry? 
It wasn't the best of days but it was nice to get out, as always. We chatted up some strategy and such. Good time. Mike wasn't feeling the best and I was fighting with my inner demons on my motivations to stay on the bike. Like I said, work has taken a serious mental beat down on me.

my beloved bike on break on Lake Champlain

my facial expressions rarely match my feelings
 I ended up with ~30 miles of riding on that day and was glad that I did. My wife has been supporting me and encouraging me to stay focused and keep up the riding. I switched up a few things. One of them was to commute on a completely different route. It was very rejuvenating to do that and I will continue to adjust my departure time to get more saddle time before my day starts.

Men at Work!
This is one of the reasons that I switched up my commute. My normal route is completely destroyed from a harsh winter. It has become ridiculous to ride a bike on this road. Not to even mention how punishing it is even in a car. They are doing what they can to restore the road and I will soon revisit this route from time to time. For now, I am so happy that I switched it up.

I have some more recent thoughts on my Tour Divide coming up. I will do another post to tackle this subject. I still have quite a bit that I am chewing on. Stay tuned and thank you for reading.

6 comments:

Apertome said...

I hope things calm down for you at work soon. I certainly understand, school has a similar stranglehold on my time/energy. I'm glad you got out. It's always fun to switch up the commute routes.

Apertome said...

By the way, your bike looks fantastic especially right by the lake!

Pondero said...

"serious mental beat down"

Perfect articulation. I can relate. The bike gives me hope, and helps me cope.

Looking forward to your Tour Divide observations...

Anonymous said...

Wil,

Has not the weather worsened the mood for you as well? I am not coping the best this season.

Good luck with your work situation.
-jim

Unknown said...

Michael, I imagine that school can make things "busy". Glad to read that you rode the fixie around campus.

Chris, The bike is powerful for sure. I often find out, especially on days that I didn't feel like riding, that we I do spend time behind the bars, I'm always glad I did.

Jim, I find great hope in the riding season with the upcoming nice weather. Get to it my friend!

Unknown said...

Nice self portrait Wil! I thought there was a lot going on behind that stoic expression. :)