Why I Ride

I'm a climber.

I'm often asked why I ride my bike. Any non-cyclist will tell you that riding a bicycle up seemingly never ending canyon roads, struggling up pitches of  more than 10%, heart rate pounding at a steady 170bpm is absolutely crazy. I love it. I love the adversity, the torture and the pain. There's an electrifying feeling that pulses through my veins when I'm deep in the pain cave and the darkness begins pool into my brain. My legs and lungs are screaming at me to quit, but I keep pushing, one revolution, another, don't stop, never stop. It's torture, but it makes me feel alive. There's an amazing physical and mental transformation that takes place. I'm so focused that my mind is finally calm, I'm not thinking about anything else. Not work, not what I need to do, not what I've done, not this, not that, no mental calculations, not even her, it's a wonderful thing. Most days the pain never stops, but once in a great while I float on cloud nine. I feel invincible, I'm a machine, I prance like a mountain goat straight up sheer cliffs. I feel no pain and am able to push myself farther than I ever imagined. Even on bad days, no matter how awful I feel, I never turn around because I know that when I reach the top, the dopamine will be coursing through my blood and I'll get that feeling of absolute euphoria. I'm high. Then the real fun begins as I bomb downhill at 40+ mph, tucking as tight as possible to see how fast I really can go and banking hard into turns like a giant slalom ski racer. I swear, if it weren't for my sunglasses, my eyeballs would be ripped clean out of their sockets! I'm in the zone. This is why I ride.