This bliss of a bicycle ride - or not...

My wife and I are what most people would call avid bicyclists.  We aren’t as extreme as many of the fellow cyclists we know, but weather permitting we try to ride 3 – 4 times per week with durations between 25 – 45 miles.

We’ve enjoyed cycling together for over 30 years.  We’ve shared some fantastic vacations and accomplishments on our bikes and many of our best friends are fellow cyclists we’ve met around the world through the years.  It’s been, and continues to be, a big part of our lives.

One trip in particular has become an annual ritual.  Something we look forward to every year.  We love cycling in the TX Hill Country each spring around Easter.  This tradition began when we lived in the Dallas area (Plano, TX) in the mid ‘80’s with the Easter Hill Country Tour   It’s a laid back three day cycling tour based out of Kerrville State Park over the Easter weekend that draws over a thousand cyclists. The organizing club maps out three ride options per day ranging from 25 to 100 miles in length.  Each route has multiple rest stops stocked with liquids, cyclist friendly snacks, and are manned with the most pleasant people you can imagine.  It is an easy ride to enjoy.  

We rode EHCT each of the three years we lived in Texas and we’ve returned approximately 75% of the years after we moved away.  It’s become the unofficial start to our cycling season.  We camped at the state park in the beginning but quickly graduated to local hotels in nearby Kerrville, TX.  Our TX based friends evolved to renting a house in Fredericksburg, about 20 miles away, planning their own rides.  We dutifully followed their lead and flew down to join them for the Easter weekend.  At some point in time the weekend expanded to the full week prior to Easter which removed the manic “we have to ride as many miles as we can” pressure as we had an entire week to enjoy the scenic, quiet, wild flowered farm roads the region is famous for.  

Our most recent mutation has been to drive vs. fly.  Yes, that adds 3 days of driving to both ends of the trip, but it means we can ride our own bikes without the hassle and fear of them showing up in pieces by shipping or attempting to check them as baggage.

Needless to say.  We love this trip and plan to make the journey for as long as we can.

Given the above, I suspect you’d assume the cycling was perfect.  That would be a false assumption!

Our first ride on Monday featured 20+ mph headwinds that required us to pedal downhill, gusty sidewinds that tried to blow us off our bikes, and scorching temperatures coupled with a relentless sun that sucked the moisture out of our bodies and made ascents seem twice as steep.  Yesterday’s ride was no less challenging as the skies darkened.  A thick mist filled the air initially but quickly evolved into a chilly, steady, body soaking rain which transformed the roads into slick ribbons of pavement rendering bicycle brakes dysfunctional.  Every steep descent turned into a white knuckled experience requiring intense concentration and deft bike handling.

This is fun??  Absolutely!!

Cycling isn’t easy.  It’s physically demanding, it requires you to be prepared, and you need to be ready to adapt to ever changing conditions.  However, it rewards you with breathtaking scenery and an addictive sense of accomplishment that is only strengthened when shared with a group.

Let me ask, can you remember a personal or professional accomplishment you are particularly proud of that was easy?  If you are anything like me, I doubt it. I only remember the accomplishments where I was waaaay out of my comfort zone and I don’t think that’s a function of my age as it’s been that way for a long time.

So, I’m looking forward to the rest of the week and to whatever challenges it may bring. Here’s to a few more memorable accomplishments!