September 17, 2017
Will I race this season or not? What am I up to? What’s going on? Questions I’ve been hearing for the past several months. People searching for answers…including me.
It’s been an unusual spring and summer for me on many levels. Yes, I am healthy; Yes, everything is okay. I’ve just been busy in my personal life and my career which has made me question whether I should or want to compete in bike racing.
I’ve stayed fit and healthy throughout the off season. Done strength training and really enjoy how strong I feel. Done riding, and have been surprised and perplexed that I have better endurance than I can EVER remember having. I have thoroughly enjoyed riding my bike on long rides. In fact this Summer I fulfilled a goal I’ve thought about for many years: I rode from my home in Delaware County up to the Poconos. It was a 130 mile trip, and I completely loved the entire ride. I was astounded that I felt terrific climbing the last major climb after 110 miles and finished the ride knowing that I could keep going.
Along with this, I just haven’t felt the desire or hunger to race. It was strange as I’m usually raring to go by July or August. So instead, I’ve just allowed myself to enjoy riding. I’ve gone out and tried different things on the bike. One day I saw how long I could ride using only the biggest gears. Another time I wanted to see if I could climb 6000 feet (I did it plus another 1300 feet for good measure). How many dirt roads could I find to ride? How about checking out other roads I’ve never been on. Let me see how it feels to ride a particular hill using different gears or styles. Done all those things and had fun doing it.
So will I race this season? Yes, I will…I think. I HAVE started to THINK about racing, but I haven’t started to miss it yet.
Dr. Barry