Epic Bicycle Trip

This afternoon we dropped my bike off at the Franklin end of the bike trail, then drove to Oil City and launched the kayaks from the Oil City marina. We had hoped for a peaceful float down the river back to Franklin; the river, however, was very sluggish and we ended up "getting our workout" as we paddled the whole way. Towards the end we were getting nervous that it might get dark before we made it! We did OK though and once we got back to Franklin I hopped on my bike and rode back up to Oil City to retrieve the truck while Paula stayed with the kayaks. It took us 2.5 hours to kayak from Oil City to Franklin, and took me 30 minutes to bike from Franklin to Oil City. Interesting. Thanks to my honey for thinking of this, and for letting me have a bike ride!

OK, so I didn't quite make my next milestone (mentioned in my previous post.) I have some time to reflect, reset, and start again - tomorrow.

This morning I was up at 6:00 a.m. which, since I am off today, gave me enough time for my ride. I did manage to complete my short circuit without shifting gears. Next challenge: A slightly longer circuit with a few more challenges (hills) and different terrain (not all paved.) I will hopefully start that tomorrow, and also get my clock reset so I'm getting up at 5:00 a.m.

My lofty plans and goals for making riding a regular part of my life again seem to run into road blocks on every side. I finally did manage a brief ride, and immediately set my first goal; do the same ride without shifting gears. I did not get up at 5:00 a.m., nor did I get up at 6:00 a.m. I did, however, manage to roll out of bed by 7:00 a.m., which still allowed enough time for my ride before church. I was pleasantly surprised, as I dusted off my trusty Gian Sonoma, to find (remember?) that I had the bike serviced just before putting it away for two years. With a little lubrication the bike was ready to go. My short ride has only a few hills so I'm hoping that riding the whole thing without shifting gears is an obtainable goal that will encourage me to press on and stay focused.

Well, I haven't been as faithful or as forward thinking as I had hoped. I have worked out a few times while traveling, but I don't yet have a routine at home. I'm still holding out for a new bike, but right now the financial situation at home would not justify the investment. Still, I am not giving up. I believe this can happen, and I'm going to hold onto the dream - although, as with all things in my life, I hold it "loosely."

I had an interesting experience this week. I was at a customer site and went to the hotel fitness center to work out for a bit. I was on an elliptical in front of a TV, and was all by myself in the fitness center. I started to flip through the TV channels and came upon the AMGEN California Tour on NBCSport. Long story short, I found myself enthralled with the bike race; I was paying attention to details the way some guys pay attention to football. I was noticing who had good "form" on their bike, noticing how efficient the support team was, marvelling at how they could change out tires, etc. "on the fly" - not to mention the scenery was beautiful. I've always liked to bike, but this experience seemed to cause something in me to "gel"; I realized that this is on my bucket list - somewhere near the top. I'll never be in the Tour de France, obviously, but I want to ride more, and better, than I do. So now I have a new goal, and I'm going to