What's Next?

Autumn Aspens - Squaw Pass

As the 2010 MTB race season comes to a close I find myself getting restless.  The sun is rising later and setting sooner snuffing out what have been golden riding times for me for the past 4 or 5 months. Fading fast are the opportunities to sneak in a 2-3 hour ride before or after work along with some of the motivation to do so.  My last big endurance race of 2010 has come and gone.  Remnants of that last event have been tossed aside in a few plastic bins in the garage.  Park City dust still covers my race bike which has taken a back seat to the road bike and SS in recent days.  My P2P race number, with the elevation profile still attached, is tacked in place on the garage wall next to the others that have one by one found their way there over the course of the Summer.  The trees will soon start to fade from green to red, orange, and yellow and then at last will be lifeless covering the trails that guided me through an intense spring and summer of pedaling.

So with the fall transition in full swing I am left thinking: what's next?

For most of my racing comrades the answer is Cyclocross.  Many of them are busy tooling on new bikes or going through the learning curve of a first season.  For me cross is not the answer, not this year.  Perhaps 2011 will be the year for me to dive headlong into that crazy sport (literally).  I do see the wisdom in the timing of the cross season.  Those of us hopelessly engulfed in the world of cycling and mountainbike racing are indeed addicts if only in denial.  We have been fed a steady stream of training, group rides, and races for the majority of the year.  Wholeheartedly neglecting yard work, garage cleaning, and other things that take up a normal Saturday afternoon. Now, just as the high is starting to wear off, along comes the cross season to provide yet another fix that will keep us at bay well into December.

I don't know If there is such a thing as rehab for the hopelessly addicted to racing but I am about to find out.  Even if the winter does prove to be successful rehab, I will most certainly relapse once the first group rides start up early 2011.  Fortunately I won't have to go out cold turkey. I have a few more months to wean myself from the high of the summer racing season.  There are still trails to ride although the rides will be shorter, less intense, and less purpose driven.  And yes, there is that one last big race in the works - one more event to send 2010 out with a bang taking place in that mountain bike "Holy Land" known as Moab.

The 24 Hours of Moab starts October 9th.

Cyclocross Related:

CYCLOCROSS: In 10 Muddy, Beer Stained Steps