Urthel Ride Wraps Ups
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007Ugh. Not a good night on the bike for Smithers.
I got good and spanked in the Wayzata sprint and got blown off the back of the ride twice.
The first moment of crisis took place on the run out to Lake Independence. The tough guys were pushing the pace and I couldn’t hang on. So, when they turned to make the +5 miles loop around the lake I took a short cut and met them around the other side of the lake. The final moment of crisis took place around the back side of Baker Park where the terrain gets a bit rolling. I tried to keep up on the climbs but soon had to bid the group farewell. I had some other dudes to ride with and Ped waited for us in Wayzata so I did not have to ride home alone.
Sometimes, when I am really suffering on a ride, I regret that I do not have better form and think that it would be nice to have some more time to train. But then, when I get home, or on days when I am not on the bike, I realize why I am not riding more than I am. I love little Baby Smithers and Mrs. Smithers and life is in balance right now. I don’t miss riding when I am spending time with my family. I know that some dudes get all stressed out because they are not riding as much as they want and their racing suffers for it. I could care less. I think parents have to take some time to do things for themselves once and a while to reduce stress and stay healthy. Riding and racing here and there does it for me. But my priority is my family first and I make that choice happily. I feel sorry for people who think that they have to make a sacrifice to have a family. My family is the best thing that ever happened to me. The real sacrifice would be if I wasted more time shlumping around on the bike instead of reading a book to little Baby Smithers.
