I’m a competitive guy and I have been for as long as I can remember. It has served me well as my competitive nature has me trying my hardest at everything, always looking to improve.
It doesn’t matter if its riding, team sports, or running a bike shop, I’m always trying to be better, faster, more efficient. Its rarely about beating other people, but more of an internal competition.
And why is this on my mind you ask?
I am doing the seven-day BC Bike Race this year with a buddy. We have to stay within two minutes of each other the entire week. Now if we are perfectly matched with identical fitness, skill and drive, then this is simple.
We’d both ride hard and everything would work out…but the world doesn’t work that way, we won’t be perfectly matched and one of us will be stronger than the other.
It will be a different partner on any given day that pushes off the front, but it’s bound to happen. I may feel like a burden to my teammate one day, and maybe it will be the other way around on another day. Either way, this ride will be less about pure racing, top fitness and fast climbing, and more about management, team work and finding the balance between fun and fast. That’s what makes racing the BC Bike Race as a team such an amazing experience.
So let’s hope I can find the switch, then I can just turn off the competitive nature for a week and make this about a big ride with a good friend, opposed to a race. Or maybe Jeremy has the secret and will keep us both grounded and focused for the week. I know it’s a lot to ask of a partner, but hey, I’ll be fixing the bikes so the least he can do is take on the counselling duties for the week..someone has to keep us sane.
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin’…
