organic a natural home
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bicycle STORY
why I raceApril 11, 2001 What makes me race? It's hard, but compelling. It's painful, but rewarding. At times it's even kind of scary, but still undeniably fun, often at the same time. I don't train enough to win, in fact I sometimes worry about being lapped, but still I race. It's nerve-wracking waiting for the start and a thrill to outsprint someone, even for 39th place. I race for all these reasons. And I race because the pros race. They inspire me to greatness or at least to strive for it because no matter how unlikely, when the gun goes off, I too have a chance to stand on the podium. It would probably take a remarkable string of mechanical breakdowns on the part of everyone else but its possible. The Napa Valley round of the Tissot World Cup Mountainbike series was last week. I raced with the old slow guys on Saturday and watched the pros on Sunday. The pro men raced more than twice as far as I did and yet finished in nearly the same time. Unbelievable... makes me darn glad I don't make a living that way. And the pro women were just a few ticks behind that. Fitness at that level is difficult for me to comprehend but observing it compels me to train and race. The fact that I saddle up and make an effort gives me something in common with uncommon people and that's good. Certainly mountainbike racing is not for everybody but it suits me fine. There's a technical aspect in the bike itself, it's most often done in beautiful venues, it doesn't pollute, it makes me healthy and... it makes me just a little bit uncommon. What more could I ask for? Diana told me she loves the fact I'm 40 years old and I still race my bike. She said every time she and Osten saw me coming around the course I had a big grin on my face. And maybe that's the most important reason of all. I race because its fun. Life should be fun and this is one part that truly is. The picture above is me racing at the Napa World Cup in April. I finished 15th, just 7 minutes off the podium and 12 minutes behind the winner. – dave © Copyright iriguchi 2001 |
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