12/2/11
by Rebecca Rising, Metromint Cycling Team
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This time of year I would normally be anticipating the snow that brings an end to gloriously hilly fall rides. But I am not at home in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California; rather I am in the Everglades of Southern Florida. The bike riding here is completely flat, and the weather is perfect, so off-season riding has thus far been pleasant. Oddly enough, I find myself trying to create unpleasantness, by sprinting up the rise of a bridge over swampy water or turning deliberately into a headwind.
I know this is the off season, and therefore time to relax, but relaxation is not all that satisfying. Instead, I think most of us inexplicably need to meet face-to-face with some sort of challenge or adversity. Bicycle racing and training fulfills this need by providing (admittedly self-imposed) challenges on a regular basis. During races, we experience interesting varieties of physical and emotional pain. We ride in nasty, nasty weather. We get dropped and we crash. Probably most of us have wondered, “Why do I keep coming back for more?” Of course there are the good times when the weather is perfect, we feel power going through our pedal strokes, and we win the race. It’s not that the good times necessarily outweigh the “bad,” but that riding to the limit makes us feel alive, healthy, and complete. Metromint water pairs well with feeling alive and healthy, not to mention it helps a little in overcoming some of life’s challenges. I’ve had a few good chocolatemint drinks while struggling to stay awake during an office workday. A really cold lemonmint is a great leadout for the looming 98-degree, 2,000-foot training hill. My supermom sister savors a Metromint after training runs. I need not complain about the overly pleasant Florida riding, because I will soon be going on my first group ride. According to the guy at the bike shop, “What we lack in terrain, we make up for in speed.” What will be the appropriate Metromint for group ride recovery? Maybe orangemint or even a custom-made coconutmint or keylimemint. . . |
