Tomorrow's long ride is scheduled for 50 miles. Assuming I make it to REI today and stock up on emergency supplies--tire patch kit, mini pump, etc.--I'm going to ride in the country. Although I really like riding around town on ordinary days, the traffic, stoplights, potholes, and miscellaneous hazards really slow down a long ride. I want to get out on some back roads where I can just spin without having to stop for an intersection every block. If I'm riding where there ARE no blocks and stoplights, problem solved.
As much as I love cycling, though, boredom has become a problem for me on long rides. Most of the time (ok, any ride 2 hours and under) I enjoy the solitude that cycling brings. Really the only time I'm ever alone is on my commute to work, which has its obvious drawbacks, or on my bike. But after a while on a long ride the solitude gets to be a drag. I'm not worried about boredom being a problem on the cross country trip--after all I'll have all the other trip participants to chat with--but every Saturday I dread the Sunday morning long ride.
I'd like to end this post with some profound metaphor about cycling and the way it mimics life, but I can't. Sometimes boredom is just boredom, and you get through it to make your way to a larger goal. So tomorrow I'll spin through North Georgia, enjoying the scenery as much as possible, and occasionally imagining myself spinning through the cornfields of Kansas next summer. And knowing that next summer I'll probably be spinning through the cornfields of Kansas, enjoying the scenery and occasionally imagining myself spinning through North Georgia.
As much as I love cycling, though, boredom has become a problem for me on long rides. Most of the time (ok, any ride 2 hours and under) I enjoy the solitude that cycling brings. Really the only time I'm ever alone is on my commute to work, which has its obvious drawbacks, or on my bike. But after a while on a long ride the solitude gets to be a drag. I'm not worried about boredom being a problem on the cross country trip--after all I'll have all the other trip participants to chat with--but every Saturday I dread the Sunday morning long ride.
I'd like to end this post with some profound metaphor about cycling and the way it mimics life, but I can't. Sometimes boredom is just boredom, and you get through it to make your way to a larger goal. So tomorrow I'll spin through North Georgia, enjoying the scenery as much as possible, and occasionally imagining myself spinning through the cornfields of Kansas next summer. And knowing that next summer I'll probably be spinning through the cornfields of Kansas, enjoying the scenery and occasionally imagining myself spinning through North Georgia.
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