I had a good ride tonight. I like riding in the fall but I spend too much time considering winter this time of year. Winter is useless when your only hobby is riding. I secretly considered racing cyclo-cross this season but I'm not where I want to be right now and my goals have evolved to just getting through Iceman without embarrassing myself.
A problem with riding in autumn is how quickly it gets dark. If nothing goes wrong, I can feed my daughters, get them off to dance, and squeeze in an hour ride before night. Although Em and Allie would have preferred Chicken Tenders from McDonald's, I cooked. I browned chicken in a skillet, added scallions, fresh grated ginger, soy sauce, and mirin. I served it over Soba noodles tossed with a little organic peanut butter and rice vinegar. The girls liked it but didn't appreciate it. I didn't expect them to appreciate it so my expectations were perfectly aligned with reality and everything was in sync. I got them to dance and took off on my ride.
I flatted 10 miles from home. It only took a few minutes to repair but it didn't fit neatly into my schedule. I used my only spare tube and CO2 cartridge. I get a little uneasy when I have to finish a ride without a spare.
It was getting dark when I got back into town. I wasted spring; I would have done things different if I had another chance. I squandered summer; I didn't realize this at the time but it was over while I was busy doing other things and when I poked my head outside it was autumn. Winter is still a ways away. I think I will slow down and enjoy where I am at now. 
I can't believe that autumn is here already...where did the spring and Summer go Neil...
ReplyDelete-Trevor
They were over in like two weeks. I don't now how that works.
DeleteThere are times I love riding in autumn. Love it when the trails are covered in leaves, those sunny crisp cold mornings.....ah. But it sadly goes hand in hand with (more) rain and blustery wind. However, with a decent set of night lights a good ride can still be had late on, especially with friends :)
ReplyDeleteNight riding is very cool, but we get crazy deep snow on this side of the pond.
DeleteMy summer was similar - gone in flash - with way less riding then usual. My bike commuting fell off the map, but did squeeze in some mountain biking and one 24 hour race (on a team). I'll use a new job as the main excuse.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned - get some decent lights - and you'll suddenly have more riding time...