The ashes have cooled, my legs have recharged, but my mind is still spinning. The Breck Epic was an amazing experience, and it was fun to share it with everyone. I got home from Breckenridge about a week and a half ago, but was left all the more hungry for singletrack – a willing spirit, but dead tired. I have done some road stage racing, but nothing compares to the Epic. It was fantastically fun and exhausting, and I felt a surprising let down for a couple days. I was in a funk because I wanted to be back at it, racing with the same people every day, suffering through the early mornings, being giddy on the singletrack. I was surprised at how long it took my body to start recovering. I did a really cool ride up on Jones Pass this past Friday.
The sky is so blue near 13,000′!
Did you know I could fly?
This is what I love.
Video here:
Adventure ride on Jones Pass – Colorado, USA from ergon on Vimeo.
…but man, my legs didn’t have it! I was pushing my bike more than I’d like to admit. I probably even pushed on the steep fireroad (ok, I did). At first, it was immensely frustrating, but after I replayed everything I had accomplished just one week before, the anger melted away and I was able to simply enjoy. So what if I’m walking, I can check out the view! That’s a difficult point for someone like me to accept – it’s ok to be tired, it’s ok to be slow, it’s ok to NOT BE COMPETITIVE for once!
Over the long weekend, I decided to hang up the wheels for 2/3 days and try something new – water sports. I had never done anything by tube the Boulder Creek. That only happened once, and I think I saw my life flash before my eyes. For some reason, the water intimidates me. Lakes don’t freak me out as much as being way out in the ocean. I really want to learn to surf, but that would involve getting way out there. Since I don’t live by Big Blue, I settled for Stanley Reservoir. I was pretty nervous when I strapped the wakeboard to my feet. I don’t even snowboard, so it was time to step it up. I’ve been trying over the past year to do things that make me nervous and uncomfortable. For one, that’s how you grow. Two, how can I expect newbies to get out and go mountain biking? They most certainly are nervous, so by doing things out of my comfort zone, I can better understand what that feels like all over again. I had a blast, but I had a heck of a time “standing up” on the wakeboard. The surf board was quite a bit easier to ride.
Go for the plug! I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so much water up my nose!
I made a video:
Wakeboarding/Wakesurfing from Sonya Looney on Vimeo.
I’m disappointed that I’ll be out of town for the rest of the “warm” weekends left this fall. You bet I’ll be back to tackle the wake next summer!! Eeesh, when I write “next summer,” I start dreading the winter.
