...why I ride

Fat Cyclist's blog usually gives me a laugh (like yesterday's--we all have our embarrassing crash stories!), but today's really resonated with me (and made me laugh). Why do I ride? I'm not athletic, I don't have abs of steel (and if I don't stop making and eating cookies, I never will have!), and my backside probably doesn't look as good in spandex as I think it does. So why do I ride? Riding is my therapy, my moving prayer, my meditation. It's a reason to be outside, to hear the birds, see the farm animals, and smell the fresh air. It's something I can do by myself or with a crowd. Riding has given me a new group of people to hang out with, and we talk, tease and laugh. (I AM faster than you, Scott! ha!) Riding makes me feel strong. It challenges me to improve, to conquer the hill, to give it my all. So why do I ride? I feel at home on a bike. (Oh, and cycling socks are pretty dang cute.)

June '08--Goldendale, WA--my first century (100 mile) ride