With Christmas over and New Years approaching I can now see the time inwhich I'll head to the dessert. All of my training now I feel is mostly maintenance until I can put in the big miles In Tucson. The gym is going well, I've been able to squat way more than I ever have before, with more reps and more sets. In other words my gym routine is better than ever. The trick is to keep the muscle bulk down.

The new training plan called for a good 3-4 hours of LSD. Rather than spending the numbing time on the trainer I decided to go for a speed hike. Well, you can tell your rusty when you go out for a 3 hour speed hike and forget food and water. No matter, I thought to myself and soldiered on. After about 2.5 hours I was getting pretty darn shaky and dark was approaching so I stumbled back to the car out of the woods practically passing out. Falling asleep on the drive home was a real threat, despite being 6pm.

The next day I had a few intervals to do up quickly on the trainer. They went great, and it was the first time I felt ...good....on the bike this year. As I unclipped from the couple hours hard, I noticed my leg was a little weak. It was then that I realized I was bonking again......this was a bad one. In the winter you dont realize where your fitness is, and seeing as how I was in the basement I didn't really bother eating food, since breakfast.

Anyway, so I hit the wall pretty hard and stumbled upstairs to drink a quick recovery shake and pass out on the couch. I did have to reload in order to dance later that night.

New Name

www.thefinegrind.blogspot.com is now www.ryantaylorcycling.com

If you have 'thefinegrind' bookmarked it will still redirect you to the new site.

Big things are happening folks. The Land Rover-Orbea team just signed a partnership/advertising deal with Bicycling magazine, the most widley read bike mag in North America. The details are kinda foggy to me right now, but the gist is that the team, along with yours truly might be featured in Bicycling magazine this year. Apparently the team is going to be followed throughout the season so readers can get a feel for the lifestyle of a bunch of poor bike racers in the US. Neato. Apparently I might get my own sport card....

Christmas is here. As I've been travelling more and more the past few years, and the idea of Christmas has changed for me. Most of the year I'm thousands of miles away from my roots here on old PEI, and the only way I can communicate with everyone is through this little electronic box.

Sure, when I get back to PEI in the fall, I usually see everyone, but as life gets busier and busier I(as most people do) slip into the lifestyle of not seeing family often, even though they are mere miles away. Christmas is the time where I realize I will soon be leaving again, and through the holiday, I'm given the opportunity to simply do nothing and hang out with these people. Its always a good reminder of where a person comes from, and for me, stabilises where I want to go in the upcoming year.

Of course with the holidays comes the New Years Day ride, which I've been doing for a good 6-7 years now. Honestly, I cant imagine a better way to break in the New Year than freezing my ass off riding a bike dressed in every piece of clothing I own while still drunk from the night before.


Of course the Potluck after is the best part of the event, as there is enough great food to kill a horse, and I get a chance to chat with the great cycling community on PEI.





With Christmas also comes time on the trainer....terrible terrible. When it gets cold, its time to head to the dessert.

10 000 hours

I've been thinking a lot lately about the idea of 10 000 hours. I heard that a person has to practice a skill for over 10 000 hours to be truly great at it. Depending on what it is, most sports have the idea that after 10 000 hours, you transcend and the movement becomes natural. Your body simply remembers the motions. You have molded your muscles and brain into one, and the movements become ingrained within you.

I heard a documentary on Jimmy Hendrix on CBC radio 2 the other day. They were interviewing Jimmy's army buddy who said that ANY free moment, Jimmy would be playing the guitar. As soon as he had 3 minutes away from a drill or exercise, he grabbed his guitar. This particular fellow said many times he would find Jimmy asleep at 3 am, with his guitar laid on his chest. He would then wake Jimmy up, and they would play music until the dawn.

Jimmy's buddy said he squeezed 30 years of guitar into 5 years. Most guitar experts don't know how to replicate the sounds Jimmy made on his guitar, even to this day.

Cycling, of course, soaked in tradition, has its 10 000 hours. The term wasn't 10 000 hours though, it was the 10 year mark. I was told as a kid, that once a cyclist reached 10 years of training, then it becomes so ingrained in them that they're body just remembers the motions. It remembers how to hold it endurance. It was then that cyclists become great.

Terry Tomlin, the local fast man in Atlantic Canada was an example of that. Terry is 40 years old now and skill kicks my ass in a lot of races.

You see old Pros in sports and a lot of them look as if they stopped their profession the day before. Old skiers walk as if they are skiing, they have the same hip movement. Cyclist legs don't seems to change, the veins and sinues are still there. Despite how most seem to have giant guts.

Its here that I am reminded of a Taoist Sage. Someone who dedicates his life to knowing the life forces of the world, and how to interact with them. In a way, practicing your 10 000 hours is like that. According to Mencius, "Being at one with the Tao, is like a great chef, he cooks and cooks, and cooks all day long. He cooks to the point that he doesn't realize hes cooking, he simply goes though the motions without thinking. He has flow."

Positively False

I just finished reading Positively False, the story of Floyd Landis's journey from a Mennonite, to a winner of the Tour de France...then...well you know.

The book is basically Floyd's autobiography, going from his childhood into the present day. I found the most remarkable transition of the book was his decision to leave his Mennonite community. He plays out his thought processes well, going from a teenager leaving everything he's known going into the mainstream and becoming a professional cyclist.

If you take a step back and realize how much of a life change this would be for Floyd, it adds a neat perspective into his mind. He told stories about how he use to ride his bike for like...6 hours at a time when he was 14 wearing sweatpants because his parents didn't want his to wear spandex. Ouch

In another story he talks about how he was at a National MTB race and his ride forgot him at the course the night before, so he slept on the ground rolled up in a banner in his cycling clothes, freezing. He then raced the next morning wearing the same thing. Ahh that sucks.

Floyd goes into detail about his time with USPS, which I found very interesting. Too often we get 'Lance's' point of view on everything and there is very little perspective from the rest of the team. Floyd paints a very different picture of what went on in the inner workings of the team that we wouldn't normally see(Not Drugs).

What I found the most interesting was Floyds training while riding with USPS and leading up to his eventual Tour de France Win*. From an athletes point of view it was fascinating as he explained the different training techniques he used, and how much he relied on his power meter, and what kind of recovery habits he had. I really liked these parts.

Of course the book goes into the Tour de France victory, and Floyd's thoughts during the race. When the eventual drug positive happened, the book shifts gears and goes into the legal trial and how Floyd fought the charge with his many lawyers.

It was the later part of the book that I found super boring. Leading up to the positive test, I enjoyed it, but when getting into the test procedures of everything and legal hearings I found my mind wandering.

I found it boring not because the topic wasn't interesting, but because someone who follows cycling a lot, I get bombarded with that specific case alllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the time. I just lost interest after awhile. I guess it is the point of the book though.

Other than that, the book was great. It was written in a very easy to read style, similar to Lance's books. I found the real gem of the book however, was the specifics to Floyd's training regime. It was these parts that set the book apart from the rest.

Cold Fingers

The snow is coming and going here on old PEI. Things are starting to happen, some faster than others. I've mainly been trying to make some money at the construction job, but the days that are suitable to work have been few and far between lately.

I've been spending a lot of time getting the sponsorship proposals out in the open. Some places look promising, but others do not. The economic woes of the past few weeks arent making things easy, that's for sure.

I've been going to the gym since November and its starting to drive me crazy. I feel like a rat in a cage there, but at the same time I only do it for a few months of the year and it seems to do some good, so stick it out. I think if Freud were alive he would love the gym. So many contradictions of human nature. That place is so primal, but at the same time has such an influence of societies culture. Remember, don't sweat to much, people are watching.

Its trainer season again folks! I've been setting up my little station in the basement, and its been going ok. My stash of movies is getting a good workout. Its crazy how much time one spends going no where at great expense with much pain.

I've been looking to buy the domain name either the thefinegrind.com or ryantaylor.com, but it turns out Ryan Taylor is also a model, a opera singer and a professional soccer player. Getting that set up is another project on the go. I heard some pretty big news that will effect the fine grind....fingers crossed it will work out.

I decided to skip the trainer workout and go for a solid hike with the lady friend today. It was good to get out to the mountain bike trails after the snow had fallen, and I think I'm going to try to make a habit of snowshoeing this year. It might keep me from going insane. The weather has been so crazy lately I might be riding one week and snowshoeing in powder the next.

LEGIT

http://www.velonews.com/article/85772/us-registered-continental-teams-for-2009

New Jerseys for 2009

....

Bruce convinced me to hop on the mountain bike for the first time since the Eligin 80. When I went to get the trusty MTB steed I noticed it still had the mud and the the flat I received in

Eligin, so I pulled out the old SS. Probably my favorite bike of all time anyway.

The chilly day proved to be refreshing for these lungs, as we pushed onward to both sides of the legendary Appin road. A mixture of land issues and being plain lazy left me only riding that trail a couple times this year, but it still holds a place in my heart.

To my surprise there had been quite a few new pieces added to the trail to link it all together and we ended up with a good 3 hour MTB ride, an hour of it being chatting though. This time of year, that's what I'm all about anyway.

While I was riding the quality last downhill, my mind drifted to thoughts of Quadeloupe. When staying overnight in the hospital there, I watched the paint peel from the walls and couldn't sleep from the drunken homeless Rastafarian who wouldn't stop screaming all night. I found that my mind drifted to the Appin Road decent. I thought to myself, ..'man after I make it out of this mess, I'm going to savor that damn trail.' Finally after a few months, I was able to enjoy its flow.

Outward Bound

This is the 200th post on The Fine Grind.

A break in the super cold weather gave me some motivation to get the winter bike/trainer bike rolling. The day was a crisp 5 degrees, with some nippy wind that warranted 2 thermal base layers, a wool jersey and 2 thermal jackets. I had so many layers on I couldn't reach the brake hoods, but no matter, it was my first ride outdoors in a week.

Despite the cold temperatures I had a great time. I didn't push the pace at all, and simply rode. The cold weather was more refreshing than unpleasant and I found my mind thinking of 4-5 years ago when Andrew Brown, Mark Grimmit and I would ride in the single digits often. I use to skip school to ride in the crap weather...wearing a couple pairs of socks, cycling shoes with grocery bags over them then layering everything with winter booties. It was the norm, but despite all this our feet would still freeze. Sometimes I notice how bad the circulation is in my hands and feet and I'm convinced its from those days of riding in the slush and salt of the early months of the year.

Despite all this, those rides are some of the best I've ever had. Those guys were/are the best riding buddies a guy could ask for. There would be freezing slush on the roads with hail coming down and Andrew would convince me to go for a ride. If I skipped out on it, he would guilt trip me into going the next day , or go himself alone, in which case I would feel like a jackass.

The year I got my first road bike in 2003, Andrew and I put in a ton of crap miles in the spring. The road was so new to me, and after the rides I would go to Indigo and read all the roadie mags cover to cover learning of the weird world of road racing. Being a mountain biker then, the roadie lifestyle was compete shift.

Either way, the new winter bike worked great and the lungs got some fresh air. I can feel how weak I am on the bike. The more you seem to work on other parts of the body the more horrible you get on the bike...funny how that works.

The Days get Shorter....

The first snow fell a few days ago here on PEI. I'm convinced that PEI weather is different from other weather on the East Coast. I've always heard of people riding throughout the winter in Halifax, but then I look outside and I would be asking for a death wish if I attempted riding.

School is moving along. I only have about a week left but today is crunch time and I have a killer paper due in a couple days which I haven't started. Ahh well, last one of the year. I've been scouring old Chinese textbooks looking for arguments whether Confucianism is a religion or a lifestyle. One more week.....

The gym is going well. Almost too well it seems. I find my body builds too much muscle. I should be playing rugby instead of cycling. Usually throughout the winters I put on 10lbs of muscle...Its just more that has to be shed in the Spring.

Next year is constantly on my mind, but I still have to take a step back and remember to have fun with the guys this time of year. This weekend there was a Windome Earle show at Baba's. Much drunken dancing was head by all and the sweat was flying. That band is always a good time.

"I even put make-up on the hickey!"

After a few weeks off from the blog I think its time to bring it back again. Though I still don't have a new computer(this Wednesday I'm told) I'll try to keep the info pretty up to date.

The biggest thing for me is that I signed with a new Pro team for 2009. The Land Rover-Orbea team out of Portland Oregon has been going pretty strong the past few years, and this year they are moving up into a UCI Continental status(Hopefully, still waiting on confirmation from the UCI).

Needless to say I'm super excited and will have the opportunity to race some of the biggest races in North America. Team directors Norrene and David decided to take a chance on this fella and I'm super stoked for next year.

I've started training pretty early compared to years past. Usually I haven't hit the gym until mid-December and head someplace warm in February. Well, I started in the gym about 3 weeks ago and am doing pretty well. I've even been able to get out for some solid rides when the weather permits in between working construction for Cory Jay and passing the night shifts at the movie store.

I've been procrastinating writing a paper for 2 hours now for school, so I have to bite the bullet and get it started....I cant wait for 2 weeks when some of my schedule calms down as my days seem to be running from one place to another to try to get everything done.

http://www.trubicon.org/
http://www.landroverusa.com/us/en/Vehicles/home.htm
http://www.orbea-usa.com/

Ok folks here it is. My computer bit the dust about a week ago, so since then I havnt been able to update the 'ol blog. I've had to resort to using my Mom's work computer to check emails.

Lots has been happening, but until the new computer arrives there will be a lack of posts.

Plenty of stories to come, but until then.....

Fear and Loathing in Eligin

The Eligin 80 MTB race is always a great way to end the year. This year proved to be no different as it offered 4.5 hours of cold, bone chilling MTB riding through the wilds of New Brunswick. The Atlantic Regions have been getting steady amounts of rainfall and the course proved to be a waltz through water logged ATV track with some single track thrown in.

The boys and I awoke at 5 am to make the trek to the mainland. Of course Tim Hortons was the predicted stop as we all needed a couple cups of coffee to get us into MTB racing mode. I had a secret weapon of making some waffles the night before and taking them to eat in the car. Soggy, cold waffles represent ghetto MTB racing to me, and I don't think I would have it any other way.
There was great turn out at the race as Belliveau decided to show up on a borrowed bike that he got the night before. Of course Lamb, TT, and the other NS guys showed up forming the CSD Mafia. Burgess the fire fighter surprisingly showed his face too. I haven't seen that guy in years!

So, the first part of the race went as expected. The front group was made up of about 6 guys, me, Jamie, TT, Belli, and a couple others. Chaos was thrown in when I followed TT's line through one of the ATV sink holes resulting in a slide out of my front wheel. I hit the deck and slid for about 5 feet with everyone riding over me and then hitting the deck themselves. Chaos I tell you!

Luckily no one was hurt, but unfortunately a couple spokes were pulled out of one of the CSD guys wheel, so he got the chance to go back to the car and warm up.

From there we bushwhacked through the forest. Looking for the trails and hoping we were headed in the right direction. At the half way point we all gathered in the town to grab a couple fresh bottles and some food. I pounded down a coke and we hit the road again at a chill pace.

TT upped the tempo when we hit a gnarly downhill section that was literally a rock face. When the dust settled I was left with a flat. "Ahhhhhhh no" and I got off my bike to watch the crew pass me as I changed the tire. A couple minutes later I boarded my bike, and realized I had double flatted, and was forced to change the front flat.

"Holy Crap, what a day" I thought to myself and I waited for a couple minutes asking passing riders if they had an extratube they wanted to give up. Finally I found another tube and realized I didn't have enough C02 to fill a second tire......so I waited for Bruce to come along and he gladly gave me the shot I needed. (I owe you a coffee man, oh and that $5)

I was back on my bike! Riding alone this time going into the pain cave to try to catch up to the lead group. It gave me the opportunity to take in the sweet NB rock climbs and see the crazy nice foliage of the NB wilderness in fall. Unfortunately the trail was littered with BB deep puddles which resulted in all of us getting super wet and cold.

I rode hard by myself and finally made it up to 4th place. Still out of sight of the lead group but kept plugging away. Going into the last 10km I noticed I had a little more cushion for the pushin' and looked back to realize I had ANOTHER FLAT! Three flats on the day. Man, I need to ride a MTB more. Well, I didn't have a tube so I decided to ride the rim. The last of the race was basically minimalizing the losses as there as a crazy 3 km climb that went up and up and up. It was one of those climbs that you only want to do once a year.

I was in a pretty tired state by this point and when riding along you tend to go a little crazy. I found myself yelling at the climb I hated it so much with my flat tire. It made it seem like the eternal struggle that doesn't go anywhere. Like moving rocks from one pile to another.

Finally, which seemed like 20 minutes I crested the top and pedalled my cramping legs to the last single track section. My anger now went into the single track as I was mighty tired of riding a MTB at this point.

TT felt the same way as he was bonking hard. Apparently he tired to fix his internal pain by eating handfuls of crab apples that were on the trail in the last 1km. I wish I had of came upon that sight...hah.

So we all rolled in. I managed to hold 4th place. Just out of the money, but with no hard feelings. Afterword we all got cleaned up and headed for the great spaghetti dinner put on by the town of Eligin. I helped myself to 2 helpings of ice cream.


Jamie proved to be Mr. Consistency and took the win. I don't think that guy has lost a Maritime race this year with the Surprise being Belli who rolled in 2nd complete with roadie shoes. The rotten crab apples did TT some good as he held on to 3rd and I just missed him by a minute.


It was a great day despite the 3 flats. Bruce had a great race and Mr Creamer showed his metal by being the only guy 2 years in a row, to do the race on a Single Speed. Metal.


Now I fall into the fall riding scheule. That is riding whenever I want. I havnt been on the bike in 4 days but the new roadie was finally built up yesterday so I'm hoping that will re-kindle the fires.

Helligan

The seasons are changing and I'm preparing for the last race of the year. The legendary Eligin 80 MTB race. Last years race showed itself to be one of the highlights of the year with 80km of dirt road/trail that consists of 2 different, big loops. I don't know whats better, the scenery or the spaghetti dinner after the race.

Lamb is talking about going out hard....the night before, and us islanders may join him but as of 1:00 today I don't know if we're leaving the night before, or the morning of. Its either 5:30 tonight, or 5:30 tomorrow morning.

I ordered a new roadie this week. Pretty good for someone who has $13 in their bank account. Kevin is trying to get rid of some of his Casasti frames in Vancouver so I thought I would hop on the opportunity to get a killer frame for pretty cheap. I don't know what it looks like but it has handmade STEEL lugs and carbon tubes...interesting eh?

I'm topping off the rig with some new Easton wheels and last years Dura-Ace Grouppo. Who buys new grouppos first year production anyway? If the bike industry has taught me anything, its that you NEVER buy anything first year production.

The new/old Staccato that I was riding now has a new home. I know it'll get ridden hard. That girl has been good to me.

I have an Anthropology assignment due in a couple weeks. Its on the 'Anthropolgy of Eating' where I have to observe groups of people eating and take notes on their habits. Well Bruce, Mark, Kent, Jamie,Terry, Garrett, you are all part of my experiment as I've decided to study what is eaten before, during and after an 80km, MTB race. I think it'll be a bit differant than what the professor usually gets.

I've decided to forgo the pre-race MTB ride in favor of cruising down to the coffee shop today. I think I'll hit up the slack trails in the park to get some fresh blood in the legs...all in casual clothes mind you. Yeah, its that time of year!

Fall Foliage Tour

As the season winds down I cant help but reflect on the year. Some of my buddies are riding Worlds today, which is super cool. Speaking of worlds....Svein Tuft...WTF. Second at the World Time Trial Championships...with a flat tire....that's crazy. Crazy.


I told myself this Spring that I would race Cross this year. As October rolls around I find myself without a Cross bike, no money and pretty out of shape. Ahh well next year. Its something I want to take up, but every year, it just doesn't seem to come together.

The wheels are turning in my head on what to do next year. I have to make some phone calls and see what people think, so that's what I'm lazily working on, along with a couple Uni courses. I wonder what the other guys are up to.....

I finally got the new camera...3 years of warranty from Future shop for $29 and I'm now on my third camera, which all got upgraded on. Pretty hard to beat considering the past cameras had more water damage(rain, sweat, being in a jersey pocket) than the remnants of Hurricane Ike.
(Met Billy on the trail, who is always a good face to see.....hmm that bike looks framilier)

"There are 2 kinds of guys. The hammer'ers and the nails. One kind dishes it out out and the others just take anything.....it makes life interesting." -Tim Johnson(Current US Cross Champ)

Up and Up....then Down!

I've been waiting for a new camera from Future Shop for about 4 weeks now. So, this explains the lack of solid photo posts. Life has been divided up between school and work. I haven't really been doing a lot of either to tell you the truth. I'm riding a bit, but not as much I would like.

Its weird when you reach the point in the off season where you don't feel like a bike racer anymore. The leg veins once a stable in the physic, only come out when I'm hung over and dehydrated from the drink. The little ponch on my gut is back and my legs now show 2 weeks of hair growth. Ahhhhhh gotta keep on top of that. The biggest part of bike racing is keeping up appearances.

I'm trying to get out to go camping but my lack of funds is preventing me from getting a decent tent. Maybe this pay cheque. I only have a few more weeks before it becomes too chilly to really be comfortable. But hey, that's probably what I need.

I had this big idea to put on a dirt road...road race as its too hard to have a long distance MTB race on the island with all the land issues, so I thought this would be a good compromise. Picture road racing in the 20's and that's what I was going for. Man, PEI has some crazy dirt road climbs. Some of the craziest I've ever seen. I did one lap of my proposed course loop and I was cooked. I need to set aside some time to organize this. CPEI is super stoked on it, so maybe we'll see a fall foliage PEI dirt race derby.

I woke up a little under the weather this morning, but I'm hoping Norm's farewell ride this afternoon will chase the demons out of my lungs.

Cross-Checked

Not many exciting things have been happening , and the blog posts reflect that. I got back from the Cape Breton ride last weekend and that was a killer experience. I suggest anyone reading this should do it next year. It really is worth it. I think I might do a training camp in that neck of the woods some time. Cape Breton has biggest mountains I've been able to find in the Maritimes.

I'm back at Smooth Cycle working. This time of the year the main goal is to try to save some money. I think I might start putting some of my pay cheque into a savings account to be used next spring/summer. I will need the bucks then more than I need them now I imagine.

I'm also taking a couple University courses. Not so much with the idea of working toward a degree but more so just get feel like someone who is 22 years old. Something as simple as going to class and learning something and being in a thinking environment is so different for me. I love it...almost too much. I Also need a dose of the student lifestyle as well. For me going out to Trivia and getting a beer is something I haven't done in.....months. Even being around people my age is a pretty big shocker...I'm use to only talking to my team-mates...and the cats.

I have some big ideas for a pretty cool race coming up. We'll see how that pans out organizational wise, but I'm going to scout out a course tomorrow. If I can get it to the level I want it to be at, It will be super cool.

I've been putting off ordering a Surly Cross Check for 2 years. All that time I've had a use for that bike, and I have always wanted it. I've even collected all the parts from years of being a bike shop lackee. Well this year I thought about it and decided....what-ever...Just order the friggin bike. So I picked up the phone and called NRG...and they don't have any Cross-Check frames available....from46cm-60cm...yeesh.

Hibernation

The season is drawing to a close. The Tour du Quebec has started with me not in it. Its amazing what happens when you dont check your emails for 2 days.

I came to PEI to let my mind relaxe. The unwind. To drink some beers and have some late nights with too much fun. So much fun that the bike must be forgotten the following day.

I'm finding lots of fun, and lots of good times here on the Red Dirt, but racing it seems is something that takes a little longer to dillute out of the blood. Constantly my mind is in racing mode. I find I cant go on 'rides' as they turn into 'training rides'. Training rides that dont lead to anything. I'm constantly on edge, keeping my sences keen and reflexes fast. I might not have the speed in the legs as a result of not racing lately, but I know it will come back fast.

Not only in cycling has this tenseness developed at the end of the year. I cant help but attack parts of my life. Even in casual conversation and mild daily goals I feel I must attack them without hessitation. I learned in a race, if you see the break go and you have the hole you must not hessitate to put the pedal down. No second thought or its gone. You cannot sit idly by and watch your destiny pass you.

This assertivness is what is driving my life. Whenever I have a slight urge to do something I feel I have to drop what I am doing and do it. I know if I procrastinate then the desire will leave and my task will not get done. I think I'm turning into a robot.

The Quest for Flow

The best part of riding bikes are the brief encounters riders have with 'flow'. Anyone who has experienced 'flow' on a bike knows it when the've experienced it. They are often the people on the group rides with the biggest smiles on their faces, and the riders who want to ride for longer than the rest..but only on that particular day.

Flow can be on both road and mountain bikes, although it seems to be most rewarding when on a MTB bike. The feeling of loose hands, relaxed legs, and crazy speeds. Flow is where the bike does the thinking and your simply along for the ride.

Long after I hang up my racing bike I think(I hope) I will ride as much as I do now. Not for training or building or fitness(maybe a bit of everything) but mainly for the quest to experience 'flow'. Once you've found it, it keeps you looking for more. Like a bad drug or a good girl.



I've been riding a little bit this week in hopes of finding my flow again. Although I haven't ridden the 'ol MTB much this year, I can feel the suppleness coming back but its still not there. I haven't ridden the trail where it felt like silk. Most of my rides I'm still powering through the roots, which isn't what I'm looking for.

The funny thing is.. finding flow is like trying to go to sleep. The instant you try hard to go to sleep is when your the furthest away from sleeping. The instant when your mind goes to something else and relaxes and you forget why your lying in bed. This is when sleep takes over. The body has a mind of its own, and one of the hardest parts of life that I'm learning is that sometimes you have to allow it to take over.