Let it begin…

Yesterday, I rode my final training ride before France.  I am ready.

As Lance would say, “I have suffered appropriately”.  I have ridden 3,522 miles and spent 216 hours in the saddle preparing for the 10 days of cycling that begin Sunday.

I have climbed massive mountains, ‘haut categorie’ by any standard and descended those same treacherous, narrow roads in a bright blur of color.  I have ridden fast in pacelines and I have ridden slow in utter exhaustion.  I have pootled and I have raced.  I have super-mega-bonked and I have triumphed.

I’ve learned how to suffer and how to be patient.  I’ve learned that there is life after bonking.  I know how much I can push myself and keep going.  I have gotten mad and stomped the pedals, I have put my head down and cried.

I gained the confidence to ride.  Standing in the shadow of a great Sierra Nevadan beast, I am no longer afraid.  Embarking on a 100+ mile journey requires no more than clearing my calendar.  A miserable 80-mile day in cold rain is just miserable, not impossible.

I am ready, let it begin.

Tagged as: Tour de France, Training