Suck it up and ride.

I'm pretty sure that anyone who has ever planned a life changing adventure could relate to the turning point when it hits you, "Shit just got real." You know when excitement turns to anxiety, when you lay in bed, try to go to sleep, but a bazillion scenarios go through your head, while you stare blankly into the dark. I am confident I can and will complete this trip, but there are still so many "what ifs."

With just about a month until I leave, on a bicycle, from the easternmost point of the country to ride to the westernmost part of the country. I am prepared for the struggle, I am embracing the fear of the unknown. In the pendulum of life, I know I will experience the full swing, from the extreme high of accomplishment and freedom, to the utmost lows of loneliness*, boredom*, and pain.
*specifically directed at some of the mid west states with days on end with next to no human interaction.

Aside from equipment and conditioning, I don't really know how else to prepare, which adds to both the excitement and anxiety side of things. Not long before I realized this trip was going to be a reality, I signed up for a big mountain bike race at the end of April. My original plan for this year in biking was, ride a lot, and focus on racing. Now that the tour has materialized, I am finding it hard to focus on setting tire to trail for the purpose of "training." While I still enjoy racing and the competitive side of biking, I just feel like I've found the deeper meaning in riding. I ride for myself, for the love of the sport, for the love of the freedom of flying through the woods, or down a road on two wheels powered completely by my own body, and gravity. I will be racing SSAP (Single speed-a-palooza) at the the end of the month, and will still race with every last drop of enthusiasm and effort I can find on that day, but I wont be packing my schedule with a race every weekend before that.

A couple thanks:
Revolution Bicycles Great shop, great people, and the right attitude to bicycling in general. Thanks for the support!

Fats In The Cats Mountain Bike Club I've been bumming along group rides, and sneeking around the forums, but I'm not actually a member, like I should be. (I promise to join if I return to NY after the trip.) Thanks for all the hard work on both community and trails.

Renegades MTB Club Another club I'm not a direct member of. Again thanks for all you do for the world of MTB.