Riding Goals
Goals in life are important. They give us direction, they build structure where we might otherwise drift and once achieved, they provide a tremendous sense of self-worth, which in turn, help us set and realise other goals. While touring Britain, with no particular goal set, I found myself drifting, untethered. While some may find this liberating, I found it rather confusing, I felt like I was lost at sea. I needed a goal to work towards.
Now back in Canada, working for the summer at the bike shop, I am again in need of goals; both in life and in cycling. One cycling goal I have set is to complete the Great Divide Ride with my good friend Reilly. We’ve decided we’ll do it before 2015 and are working towards that goal. In the mean time, I need a couple of goals this summer to focus my cycling. Well, I have found two such goals.
The first is to win a race at which I nearly podiumed last year. Organised by the good people at the Bloomfield Bicycle Company, Paul’s Dirty Enduro is a fund-raising mountain-bike experience like no other. Raising money for suicide prevention programs at the Peterborough, Ontario chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association, the event does much good. With the race being held in the Ganaraska Forest, the event offers some very enjoyable, though certainly demanding, mountain-biking. And, with the laid-back, fun-filled atmosphere, it is simply a pleasure to attend.
In 2011 I came fourth place in my category in the 60km event[there are also a 100km, 30km, and kid’s race], missing third place by just a minute and a half. Buoyed by that success, I have decided that I’m going to win my category this year. To that end, I have been ramping up my riding to ensure I’m in killer shape for that September weekend. However, I need something else, something to keep me focused for the next couple of months. Well, thanks to my friend Peter, I have found that event; the Hairshirt.
First held in 1978, this loosely organized event has cyclists ride a double century, riding 200miles from Mississauga, Ontario to Niagara and back. Departure time is 6am with riders having until midnight to finish this epic grind. This year’s Hairshirt takes place Sunday, June 24th. It is with that event in mind that my riding is focused.
I’m out about 4-5times a week, including a long ride on Sunday. Those rides are getting longer and longer, while on the shorter days, I focus on getting stronger and stronger. I’m feeling good and enjoying time on the bike, particularly as I think about riding those 200miles and the immense sense of achievement it will bring. In the mean time, it means getting up early to ride before work. It means riding in the rain despite the desire to stay in doors and sometimes, it means foregoing a beautiful day because I need a day off to rest.
As you might suspect, I’m setting other goals, both personal and professional, and am working towards them also. Striving to achieve my cycling goals has the corollary affect of helping me to maintain my focus on those other goals. But I guess that is the nature of such things; positives encourage positives, happiness brings happiness. And let me tell you, I’m feeling good about achieving such goals and finding such happiness.
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[the Toronto skyline, taken from Guelph Line in Burlington, at about 7:30am, while heading home after a Monday morning recovery ride]