Getting Back to Basics

The world is coming back into focus. The shiny object-ism of elections, babies, playoffs and the ever present need to be alone in the mountains is subsiding. I am starting to feel like my old self again. Except, this new old self is softer, heavier, fatter.

And so it is with a thick anticipation and a growing sense of urgency that I am once again getting back on that training train. The pieces are coming together for 2009, and while nothing is yet set in stone, the molds are being cast.

And with that in mind I see myself focusing more on speed in the coming year. More on racing, on competition, on winning. The last several months have seen me explore the intangible, even spiritual side of mountain biking. And I am better off for that. But in some ways, that exploration was a result of not having the physical or mental energy to compete.

I want that to change.

If the idealism I am envisioning is possible in reality, then 2009 will see a merging of both sentiments, both aspects of riding. That is, the speed and the serenity will combine into what I hope will be something like the observations of Abbey and the competitive cruelty of Eddie Merckx. A fierce competitive spirit, but also a willingness to look and to see.

I have been there before. And I think I can get there again.