I’m not sure how many people have a need to be better.
I think most people want to improve, or even if they’re oblivious to it, they surely enjoy improvement when it does take place.
It doesn’t matter in what aspect of life; getting better at something feels good.
On the other end of the spectrum, getting worse feels horrible. It can be something as simple as gaining a few pounds over winter, losing a step due to age, or in my case, sucking wind on my bike after a rough winter.
Granted, I have not been on many mountain bike rides this season, but the rides I have managed had me off the back in a way I have never experienced.
I am usually at or near the front of the group I ride with.
Currently my buddies are riding so much faster than me that by the time I catch them at the meeting point they are rested, fed and looking at me wondering if I had a mechanical.
At the same time I am keeled over hoping one of them knows CPR.
I don’t know where my fitness went, but it’s long gone and it feels horrible.
This is not a normal phenomenon for me.
I am usually able to stay fairly fit during the winter season and as much as I can create a list of excuses for my lacking fitness this year, my friends all have the same excuses and they seem to ride as quickly as ever. It just comes down to me being slow and out-of-shape.
So what do I do about it?
I can get a lighter bike to help save energy.
I can get one of these new E-Bikes and use the help of a motor to keep up.
Maybe I quit riding with friends and stop using Strava, then I won’t realize how slow I have become since last summer.
No. Those ideas won’t work.
They’ll cause me to remain slow and I will most likely stay that way forever.
I am a firm believer that any decision made based on ego is a bad decision, but I am competitive and I hate getting dropped on rides.
I will continue to ride with my buddies because they’re fun to ride with, it’s safer to ride with others and the social aspect is key for me, but right now the main reason is that they motivate me to ride harder and faster.
I want to catch them, and pass them. If nothing else helps me regain some fitness then this little hit to my ego will keep me motivated to push harder . . . and knowing them, I can guarantee it will push the whole group a bit.
It’s kind of silly, but hey, getting faster is more fun than getting slower.
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin’…
