When our dogs were puppies (actually they still do this) there was a lot of play fighting and wrestling where they seemed to be working out what the real thing might be like. I think we humans do this a lot in our play. For me, cycling is a play activity a lot of the time, especially mountian biking. Something about carving perfect lines on a well kept trail is just so much fun. IT's one of the few times when I can turn my brain off and just exist within the moment.
So why do I take my play here further; why do I race? What is it about the competition that drives me to pin on a number and test myself against others with the same bizarre notions about competition I do? More importnatly, what drives me to do it on a day like today?
It wasn't as bad at Dauset as it could have been. The storms that were dropping tornadoes 80 miles to our west fizzled some and only dropped rain on us on the starting line. The course was pretty slippery and I was worried that I would get hurt. My goal was to finish since I don't ride well in mud. There was lots of mud and a lot of it ended up on my bike, in my gears, in my brakes, in my clothes and, most importantly, in my clipless pedals.
The first lap went ok after a rocky start and I seemed to move up through the field after hitting the trails dead last after the start. We rode a 10 mile loop that included a tough section known as "Huff 'n Puff" twice. My goal up there was merely to stay on the bike once the rain started and I managed to do that on eth efirst lap. However, as the condition of the trail deteriorated and the mud took it's toll on my equipment that was a lot harder to do on the second lap. The biggest problem was that I couldn't clip in because there was mud and other stuff in my pedals which meant that I had to do the difficult bits not well connected to the bike. Because of this I crashed hard twice. I got off easy the first time with only scrapes to my knees. The second time I wasn't so lucky. I went over the bar and landed on my leg side with my elbow under my ribs. I heard something crack and felt something give and now breathing is an adventure.
The amazing thing is how powerful the endorphins your body released are. After catching my breath I got back ont he back and finished the last 4 miles of the course which included three hard climbs. The rib was uncomfortable but I rode through the pain which wasn't all that bad given the fact that my brain was pumping out huge quatities of feel good morphine like chemicals. After I finished, things got a lot worse until I could get some ibprofen into me. I expect tomorrow will be a big adventure as the bruises will really make themselves know. I had planned to do a recovery ride so I think I'll spin on the trainer and avoid any big bumps. Depending on how things feel, I'll likely do the ride on the TT bike as it was a lot more comfortable to ride in the aerobars with cracked ribs last time I did this.
So, can someone tell me why I play like this?
Thanks for reading.
