THE VIEW IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR

Sometimes life just jumps up and gets going faster whether you are ready or not. So far this week, my life seems to have jump started itself at full speed ahead whether I was ready or not.

This past weekend was outstanding. We enjoyed some excellent weather, excellent riding, and the company of good friends. The individual ride stories have been well documented on both this blog and on Jim Artis’s blog at www.cyclingexperiences.com. I encourage you to check them out.

Jim was also gracious to take his time and present to our Rotary Club on his upcoming Tour of Discover – Ride for the Republic. He has posted video of the presentation as well. You may see the video by CLICKING HERE!

As I post this, it really seems like I’m looking in my truck’s rear view mirror and seeing things as I’ve passed them by. as I speed down life’s road today, I’m left with a newly re-energized love for riding. I told my “best half” last night over dinner how much I had enjoyed the routine of getting up, fueling up, and riding. The tiredness at the end of the day was wonderful. Along with Jim, I simply enjoyed the opportunity to ride 3 days in a row without worry about work matters or chores.

In an apparent massive geographic medication event, apparently every driver and resident we encountered had been given some kind of major “nice pill” over the weekend. Out of 3 days of riding in various sections of two counties, we were “buzzed” only once. No one yelled at us or threw anything at us. It isn’t just the absence of ugliness this past weekend that stands out but the overwhelming niceness that jumps out at me. People of all ages stopped at stop signs and spoke to us calling out and asking how we were. Guys in big 4x4 pickups passed us with plenty of room to spare AND threw up their hands in greeting. People sitting on their porches waved and called out. It was so nice that I’ve considered that maybe I was experiencing another fever of the sort that brought me “Headwind Harry” and “Slipstream Sallie.”

After the rides, the enjoyment continued as Jim and I posted our separate thoughts on the days’ events. It was our version of “dually banjos”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Post ride analysis from Cycling Center)

Dedication to his audience…

I was very impressed with Jim’s dedication to getting material posted so that his readers would have the latest information to peruse. Pre-ride, during the ride, and post-ride, Jim was thinking about how best to present his experiences to his readership. In fact, before he left Sunday headed home, he made sure to post a couple of articles so folks would have something to read while he was travelling back to Fayetteville. I kept waiting to see an “update from the road” as he headed east! I think his concern for an ailing alternator kept him from risking the stop to upload a new post!

Another lesson I learned or re-learned this weekend was about dedication. Jim’s sojourn to our home began when I asked how he was training for the upcoming Tour of Discovery. Turns out he wasn’t. Thus, the trip to Western North Carolina to “sharpen his legs”. Having ridden twice since last August and had only 30 minutes sleep over 48+ hours would wear most of us into the ground on the first day. Heck, I probably wouldn’t even have been upright. Still, Jim hit the road with us and hung right with us as we climbed and descended. Even having an ongoing mechanical didn’t stop him. His dedication to the ride was impressive!

It’s almost mid-week now and a fantastic weekend has taken its proper place in my memories. The standard has been set pretty high for the next time! Rest assured, I’ll be looking forward to it!

Until later,

- Zeke