riding to Chelsea.

I love cycling. Thank goodness right? You'd hope that I do, considering I'll be riding for 3,300 miles this summer. Seriously there's a distinct satisfaction that comes from reaching a peak and then flying down the other side, from a steady incline turned steady decline, from riding against the wind, and then turning around and riding with the wind. That was my Good Thing of the day yesterday: after riding 15 miles to Chelsea, MI against the wind, my Good Thing was turning around and riding back with the wind at my back. It's a lot like previous experiences I've had: swimming the mile, finishing strong, and then cooling down in the warm-down; portaging the canoe, forcing yourself to just finish through instead of taking that break, and then flipping that canoe down gently into the water at the other end; paddling against the wind on an endless lake, feeling like you're going nowhere, feeling the canoe slide quickly backwards on any small rest, and then finally pulling into that eddy, or better yet that river flowing downstream. And for the record, I would prefer cycling against the wind any day to paddling against the wind in a canoe.

I have found the road to Chelsea to be a great training road. The speed limit is a little faster (55 mph), the traffic is slightly heavier, and the surrounding farms periodically waft the smell of manure. But all together it's a pleasant ride on the Dexter-Chelsea Road. The only thing that really I hate, and that I'll find anywhere, are the occasional big construction trucks or the pick-ups hauling trailers that wizz by within a few feet of you on your bike (I hope my mother isn't reading this). Actually, the countryside vaguely reminds me of my Minnesotan farmlands, though there is something distinctly Minnesotan missing and something distinctly Michigandian present that is hard to define. Maybe it's just the vibes.

I met a bone fide cycling coach yesterday morning on the road. I felt a little absurd and embarrassed to tell this professional cyclist how amateur I am, and yet I am riding my bike across the country this summer, but he was really helpful. He rode with me for a couple of miles, gave me some training and fit advice, and it was really nice. Here's a link to his website if anyone's interested (with a clever URL): http://midlifebikecrisis.blogspot.com/ It makes me realize how many cool people I've met so far, people I'd have never met otherwise, and how excited I am to meet my riding mates this summer along with people along the route. ALSO, how excited I am to start riding with my brother again soon. Poor guy, for various mechanical reasons (long story), and despite all of his efforts over the past months, his bike has been out of commission for far too long. Hopefully today or tomorrow he'll be ready to ride again, and I am looking forward to the training partner, and I know it'll make his day as well.