a favorite ride

decided to pass on sunday's verge cx series finale in warwick, ri to spend some quality time with the family. en route to northern new hampshire, jenn dropped me and the planet cross off in tilton. the tilton to campton ride is one of my favorites, usually done in the late winter before i have the legs to make the jaunt from concord or farther out. the tilton to campton ride is the perfect mix of climbing and descents, flats, headwinds, tailwinds, rushing rivers, mtn views, and cracked pavement for a leisurly sunday afternoon ride. didn't have to dress too warmly, but even with two pairs of socks, the feet were frozen-through when i arrived at my sister-in-law's 2 1/2 hrs after starting-out, one of the first "cold-feet" rides of the long base period ahead... and halfway through this cool sunny day ride, pushing the pedals down, i did something i rarely do. i stopped.

after climbing out of the town of Franklin en route to Bristol you pass a series waterfalls as the Merrimack rushes and surges to the Franklin Dam. at an especially beatiful spot, a pedestrian bridge spans the waterway and the planet cross turned onto the bridge almost of its own accord. i stood on the icey planks with toes half numb munching a granola bar and thinking of the season that has passed and of the one to come. meeting and surpassing so many goals in '06 makes it hard to say goodbye to the season, and the hard, but so very fun work that went into it. where do we go from here? i almost said aloud while staring down into the cold, rushing waters... what are the goals? why am i still putting-in rides for '06 when i should be resting my aching knees for '07? the magic cocktail of gloucosamine and ibuprofen can only work for so long without rest.

and i came to realization. it's time to say goodbye to '06, to stop whining about a starting position for some cx race, a season that's just a way to ride-out the fitness and have some fun before getting some rest... not just rest for my body, but for the mind. it's tough to always be thinking about racing and what you have to do to be ready, probably why i ditched eating well just the other day. just need a break. while i'll give it my all this friday in providence, i'll be glad it's ovah, time to rest (rest = moving all our household goods to vermont before new years), before it's time to get started all over again... but this yr base will be w/more fun mixed in, more xc skiing, tele'ing... can't wait to "rest".