Riding for a living

It's amazing to me sometimes how overly optimistic I can be.  I'll think "Oh yeh, I can knock out this 18 mile loop no problem, I'm feeling so good, I'll still have gas left by the end of it!"  And oh how wrong I can be.  While I did dominate an 18 mile ride up the Jake to Bull connector, the entire Bull Mountain loop, and then back down the connector, by the end of it I was toast. I was gone mentally. 

I had been spending a lot of time while climbing up one of the eternal fire roads about different ways I could possibly make a living riding my bike. Grand thoughts of opening a bike-specific resort, owning a shop, starting my own guiding business... lots of different things. By the end of the ride I was nearly cursing my foolish desire to ride a bike for a living.  The numbness from my toes, pain from my legs and other unmentionable places that haven't been spending enough time in the saddle, were all telling me that getting a nice, easy job as a philosopher writing books was the way to go.

I did spend a little time thinking about my English essay that I should have been at home writing. It was looming in my consciousness, siphoning off some of the joy I was obtaining from cranking up some rooty singletrack. The ride did help me settle down and get some thinking done, and thankfully my English paper is now written and checked off the list.  All I have to do is a little bit of editing here and there, and it's good to go.  Riding bikes will do amazing things for you if you let it.