when you least expect it...

the past 3 weeks i have done 3 incredible bike rides. all 3 of them being my long rides.

the first being a ride from solana beach with a goal of making it to temecula in 4 hours. i made it to fallbrook- the hilly route i chose slowed down the expected pace. the second ride was in santa barbara last weekend. we did over 3,000 feet of climbing in a mere 4.5 hours although i do not think the hills really started until 2 hours into the ride! and yesterday was my longest ride ever done in the books of 6 hours 18 min and 104 miles! i did make it to temecula finally and back home!

all said and done there are a lot of things i expect when i head out for a long ride. i expect it to be foggy and cold at first. i expect the hills to make my quads burn. i expect to feel truly grateful that i am capable of even saying i am about to go out for a 4+ hour ride. i expect to hopefully meet up with friends or enjoy the solitude of riding alone. all of things are what i am ready for as i leave the front door.

what i am starting to learn are that the things least expected are what truly make my ride worth every minute.

on my solo 4 hour adventure to temecula i did not expect to enjoy the challenge of a new route. i did not expect to do one of the hardest descents i have ever done. i did not expect the view of climbing into lake wolford at 7:30am to see the steam from the warm lake water to being rising up with the sun. i did not expect to be so relieved to see justin when i was only in fallbrook because the thought of any more climbing seemed unbearable.

in santa barbara i did not expect to ride along a ridge line of a mountain. i did not expect to be able to see all of ventura, santa barbara and goleta at the same time. i did not expect my legs to handle the amount of climbing that we did. i did not expect that i'd make a new riding friend so now i have someone else to call when i visit.

yesterday was the least expected thing i have ever experienced. i went out riding with a few friends and i did not expect to leave them to continue on with the other half of the group to temecula. i did not expect to drop part of the group up the climbs. i did not expect to ride with a complete stranger for 3 plus hours. its crazy to think that i came home and felt like i had the best time riding with someone i had just met on the ride. i did not expect a rider of that caliber and talent to make sure i pedaled all the way home. i did not expect to laugh so much yesterday at all of the jokes. most of all i did not expect to feel that humbled by the company i was riding with- all very cool and very fun!

I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
Henry David Thoreau

to your health,

C