“I just want to ride.” This is something my wife hears me say every time an injury keeps me off the bike. There are few things more challenging for athletes, or anyone that loves to train than injuries. Texting an old friend (who’s dealing with some nagging lung issues), lamenting an Achilles flare that kept me off the bike for a couple days, I appreciated his response, “I get the frustration, I just want to ride.” I knew he’d get it.
Though it’s primetime for my morning singletrack sessions, a big training block that ended with a steep an deep effort on the Bangtail Divide, followed by more go and less rest, has led to an Achilles flare that has forced me back to early morning sessions on the dirt roads—a more Achilles tendon friendly place to push pedals than punchy singletrack climbs. I’ve said to my team of PT’s many times, “If I could choose to compete in every event/race on my calendar, but miss more morning rides, or ride every day, just to ride, I’d without hesitation choose the latter.”
For those of us that love the bike, there’s just something about riding that makes our lives brighter and days better. Those early morning rides make us more patient, more creative, capable and competent. That’s the beauty of the bike. And when you ride and train as often as I do, all summer, all winter (on the indoor trainer), there’s a sense of loss and an anxious part when an injury forces us to pump the brakes.
Was there a part of me this week that was bumming about heading to the dirt roads for some low-key gravel rides (where I log lots of base miles in the spring), instead of journeying to my favorite trails for some long and rowdy singletrack sessions? For sure. But the moment you start pedaling those dirt roads, and you begin soaking up your surroundings, the pure joy and pleasure of pushing pedals fills us up.
I’m so grateful for my team that supports my love of the bike, that help my body be more durable and capable, that help my mind to be more adaptable and resilient, all while getting the frustration that every Achilles flare or overuse injury triggers.
If there’s a gift of being a spondy athlete with a long history of overuse injuries, it’s being mindful about every ride, not taking one session for granted.
At the end of the day, it’s pretty simple, I just want to ride.
With nothin’ but love, MWL