Yogurt Covered Pretzels Will Not Make Me Faster...

Riding my bike will make me faster... yogurt covered pretzels will not make me faster.  I keep repeating this to myself over and over again.  It's simple... don't eat the pretzels... ride the bike... GO FAST.  I could look back at that empty jar of yogurt covered pretzels and wonder which part of S-L-O-W did I not understand?  But I don't... I can't... I won't.  It's all about tomorrow.

I don't like the flavor of regret... it drags me down... like a rim wearing brake rub, cobble stone street or the ever regrettable clawlike tree limb, grabbing your brain bucket and ripping your head off like a screeching creature from dinosaurland.  OUCH... and yes, that really happened.

There are two kinds of regret... regret of action and regret of inaction.  I live in fear of the latter.  Rarely do I regret doing but I always regret not doing.  Sometimes this fear, of course... well... causes problems.  Some-times... I say and do things I shouldn't.  Hummm, yeah, about that.  I need a filter.  Hurry!  Someone give me a filter, unbleached please, all natural fibers... I'm del-i-cate.  Seriously... filter... STAT.  This snout needs a muzzle.  Some refer to it as a Tourette's... I call it impetuous sharing...

"... the inability to maintain one's thoughts and emotions within in the confines of the mental faculty causing a verbal spewage that although not innately harmful has been known to garner utter disbelief, gape mouthed stares and the occasional mother clasping the ears of child while fleeing in horrific fear of innocence bruising declarations."

Not believing in regret also means taking chances and being prepared for the consequences.  I'm no Evel Knievel or Stevil Knevil for that matter.  No question there.  But I do take chances, I like pedaling down mountains, taking each turn at increasing speeds, dropping bigger obstacles and riding harder everyday and I have even been known to eat candy off of the floor… LOOK OUT.  Without taking chances there is nothing new, there is no growth, there is no success, there is no winning, there is no fresh thought, there is no passion, there is no love, there is no exhilaration.  

And it is for these reasons that I have accepted an invitation to compete in the Bailey Hundo.  These opportunities don't come around often… opportunities to push yourself to do something beyond the realm of what is thought to be possible.

The Bailey Hundo is a 100 mile endurance mountain bike race in Bailey, Colorado.  The race course follows 40+ miles of glorious single track mingled with fire roads.  There is 14,000 ft. of climbing and it maintains an elevation between 6000 and 8600 ft.  The race is by invitation only and open to a mere 150 riders.  So far the roster is stacked with names like Dave Wiens, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Travis Brown and my good friends Tom Zirbel and the infamous Dejay Birtch.  Just typing these words makes my heart beat out of my chest, my stomach turn and my mind wander to race day. 

At the time of accepting the invitation I had never ridden more than 100 miles on or off road.  I had never spent more than 4 consecutive hours on any one of my bikes, I had never competed in an endurance race of any kind and I had never ridden a tandem.  But that was weeks ago, I've been busy.  And although this is a fund raiser and I knew that I needed to raise money… I was afraid to ask for it… afraid to completely commit… because there is that thing that I do… that impetuous sharing… that thing inside of me that makes me do and say things like committing to this race… the hardest thing I've ever done.  I mean what if my friends give money and I can't finish?  What if I'm in over my head?

But it isn't about me, if I win, place or even finish… its about raising money for Trips for Kids, giving underprivileged youth the opportunity to go mountain biking... sharing the thing that makes my life full and joyous and worth living every single day… the thing that makes my eyes sparkle, my brow unfurl and my stomach turn with excitement at the very thought of a day on the sweet single track.

So, I'm asking you to come along with me on my journey to finish this race and bring this irreplaceable joy to children who may never have this opportunity otherwise.  This is our chance to give the gift of cycling. 

Please visit my Bailey Hundo fundraising site and donate today.  And please follow me as I bring you up to date on the adventures that training for this race has brought me... thank you.