Merry Go Round

Are you going to ride today? How far do you want to go? Where do you want to go? If you are like me, you have asked these questions of yourself or others more than once in your life. A lot of times, these questions lead to the merry-go-round of "I don't care. What do you want to do?"

Sure you could always go ride the same old routes and roads you always do. Or you could expand your horizons and try something new. You could do this systematically by choosing roads you have ridden before and linking those others in a combination you hadn't tried before. The other option would be to allow your inner 5 year old to dictate where you ride and for what distance. This is the simpliest way and more times than not leads to the most scenic rides.

On Monday, I gave my inner 5 year old this opportunity. The only comment I made to him as I handed him the crayon and map was that he had to avoid Hull St, Midlothian Tnpk and Broad St. All other roads were fair game and if he had never heard of the road before, it most likely hasn't been heard of by many other motorists either.

A digital crayon and a map

For the last couple of weeks, my cycling has incorporated a bit of world history thanks to the coverage of the Tour de France. Even though the Tour was on a rest day, this ride would be no different. Along my way to the Center of the Universe, I passed by Patrick Henry's home where he lived while serving as the first governor of Virginia, Scotchtown. While riding by, I wondered if the French were as inspired by the acts of those who once lived in the "chateaus" they rode by on a daily. I would imagine, yes.

After passing by Scotchtown it was time visit two of the fable sisters in the area before arriving in the Center of the Universe and turning back toward the shop for a rare Monday afternoon shift at the shop. 110 miles later and off the bike, my internal delight shined bright enough to penetrate the tired and hot look of my exterior.

Before your next ride, will you allow yourself to get on the merry-go-round or will you hand over the crayon?

Will I have a crew?

With my plans growing more and more advantageous each year, the art of planning and logistics has been the hardest hurdle to overcome. I started planning for the 2013 season back during the holidays of 2012. Many questions come up during the planning stage. Which races will I do? Who will be available to crew these races? These were two biggest questions I had to answer.

Unfortunately, I knew that one of the races I wanted to do would mean I would need to find a few new members to crew for me as my parents would not be able to travel with me to Minnesota in August. Jenn's father and mother in-law volunteered to go in their place.

Planning early has many advantages, one of which is the great sense of relief you feel once a plan has been laid into place. That is until life gets in the way and plans are forced to adapt. With my fitness at an all time high, I was starting to worry whether I would make it to Minnesota with a full crew when unforseen work obligations would keep Ken and Elizabeth from being able to travel. That was until, one day while at work I was granted one of the most selfless gifts ever. Dane (aka Thin Mint) came into the shop and told me that he and Lindsey (aka L to the B soon to be K) were going to defer their race enteries for the same weekend in order to come help me out.

A few weeks ago during the prerace press conference for this year's Race Across America, Marko Baloh stated "It's kinda strange to think of 9 people working hard for me to have fun." More perfect words couldn't have been choosen in describing a racers gratitude towards their crews.

With that being said, I'm excited to introduce everyone to the newest edition of my support crew.

My best friend and wife, Jenn will be returning to the crew vehicle after declaring it was easier in the car than being back at home.

My sister Becky will be back after making her debut in Texas.

Thin Mint and L to the B Soon to be K (Dane and Lindsey)