Seven Days to Go and Some Needed Perspective July 12, 2001 With the ride just one week away, excitement, nervousness and anxiety mounts. I've experienced a very strange sort of emotional ebb and flow the past week surrounding my preparedness for the event. At the same time, Julienne's (my ever-so-patient wife) excitement for the event has been growing as well -- mainly in anticipation for my return, which marks a more moderate riding schedule thereafter. I've sacrificed too much quality time during my training period. Julienne's endured it in great spirit, but with great difficulty. I love you, Julienne -- I promise you'll see much more of me after I get back. Most if not all experienced AIDSRiders with whom I've trained are convinced I'm fully prepared. I have no trouble believeing this simply due to the positive impact that company has on me during even the toughest rides. Even so, I had my doubts about this last weekend, when I journeyed on my first ride around Lake Tahoe -- a moderately difficult 72-mile ride, which really turned out in the end to be an utterly depressing 95-mile ride by the time I got back. Psychologically, I was a wreck. I cracked at every hill on the last half of the ride, my legs had no power at all and I was reduced to tears during one particularly steep ascent. In hindsight, I made several mistakes: I rode alone -- not always the smartest thing to do when you're riding a new, long course riddled with unforgiving drivers who think bicyclists are the enemy. I wasn't fully acclimated to the altitude (which ranged from 6000 feet to 9000 feet on my course) and this was the first time I've ever ridden in altitude. I should have chosen a more moderate course. I was over-confident and too insistent to push my limits -- I was taking the ride too seriously as performance training as I would in a local route. When my body didn't measure up to my expectations, it was all over for me. By contrast, I felt remarkably strong during my training ride from San Francisco to Nicasio (Marin county) and back. The key differences were the fact that I had great company (Lorri, Jim and Dale -- THANK YOU) and I had a much more relaxed attitude about the whole thing. Even when I had to ride an extra 10 miles including a headwind climb to go back to our lunch stop where I had left my wallet, I remained pretty calm as I rode hard and fast to catch up with my companions miles ahead. Most importantly, I've realigned my focus on the upcoming event and continue to remind myself why I'm participating in it in the first place. This is not a race. It doesn't present a need to train for super speed and strength. Yet, next to the fundraising efforts I've made, I regard a strong, inspired performance on the ride as a pretty significant achievement: my own personal statement of passion and dedication to the cause this Summer. I have learned to ride a bike well -- now I'm gonna use that strength to make a point. I'm ready for the trip.
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