Dirt Fever

Hahaha!  I am impressed that I already posted for April, and that I am doing so again.  This month has been a blurrrrrrr....

I did sign an online pledge to ride my bike everyday in April (more laughter here).  How's that going, you ask?  Well...I don't remember...or prefer not to.

I did pretty well the first two weeks...did 7 XC trail rides, a few pumptrack sessions, and when there wasn't time for much else I pedaled up and down my dead end neighborhood street a few laps.  The spring weather was motivational...dirt fever had set in!  Then on the 14th, I got lazy and took one day off, which turned into 3.

Then I competed in my first XC evening training race of the season.  I moved up to the Sport category thinking that 2 laps instead of 1 would be a good challenge...then I found out I had to do 3!  15 miles nonstop XC.  Oh, I can ride 15 miles, but there is usually a few pit stops and a lunch break involved.  A 15 mile ride usually takes about 3 hours.  I rode 15 miles in 1:30.  Ouch.  Placed 3rd of 3, but I wasn't far behind!  And I am at a slight disadvantage with my bike...I'm cruising on my All Mountain Transition Covert, which is AWESOME!  But I am outbiked for XC racing by all the carbon fiber 29ers.  No big deal though, it's just for DH endurance training anyhow.  And with so few women competing, I can usually still get a medal!

I think I was the only rider who rode this granite bridge--I always pick the hard lines.

So, with my first race behind me I haven't been on the bike again since...very sad.  Too much work and no bike makes me a dull girl.  I did hop on my BMX bike today (my new buddy!) and run a few laps on the pumptrack which was fun.  And I did crash once, which I haven't done since DH season last year.  And I didn't have my knee pads on...the one time, right!  Ouch again.  I need to go to Dirty Jane and order me an extra pair so I can keep one with my pumptrack bike at all times!

I wore my new Troy Lee Designs full face on the pumptrack today to break it in a bit...love it!  I need to wear it a bit more to get used to it for DH season.  Feels weird after not wearing one for so long. My first race is coming up fast!  (Duryea Downhill in Reading PA)

Tomorrow night is the 2nd series XC race, maybe with all this time off I'll have more energy to pedal through when I just want to cruise...maybe, just maybe, I can make a better showing even with the big bike.

My Happiness Project

Well, the project isn't started yet or anything.  I just started reading the book The Happiness Project because everyone was talking about it and I am a sucker for projects and the search for more happiness.  Especially when I can incorporate more biking into the whole equation!

Spring is springing and I am eager to get the biking season started.  As I am planning out my race schedule for the year, I have been reminiscing about the past year and I am amazed how much happiness and community riding and racing my downhill bike has brought to my life.  There have been so many new adventures and new rad women to meet. If you are a biker chick who I've met in the past year, you know who you are and I want to say how glad I am to have met you!  Every single one of you has inspired me in some way and made my life richer, and that has in turn enriched the lives of other women I have encountered along the way.

For this post I wanted to share a paragraph out of The Happiness Project that really made me think about this past year of riding and racing.  It made me realize how much happiness riding a bike can bring.  They transport you into instant adventure and help you grow in unseen ways.  They give you a strong body, but they also can provide new learning experiences, relaxation, renewed focus, new friendships, a greater appreciation for beauty and nature, and stronger community.  In my view, riding a bike more often should be a huge part of anyone's "Happiness Project"!

(Excerpt from The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin):

"One reason that challenge brings happiness is that is allows you to expand your self-definition.  You become larger.  Suddenly you can do yoga or make homemade beer or speak a decent amount of Spanish."  (or ride your bike off a 4 foot drop!) "Research shows that the more elements make up your identity, the less threatening it is when any one element is threatened.  Losing your job might be a blow to your self-esteem, but the fact that you lead your local alumni association gives you a comforting source of self-respect.  Also, a new identity brings you into contact with new people and new experiences, which are also powerful sources of happiness."

The last sentence make me even more excited to ride some new venues this year and meet a whole new set of riding compadres!

Does your bike bring you happiness?  If you are reading this, that is probably a silly question.  Let me rephrase...

How has riding a bike drawn more happiness into your life?