From a cycling standpoint, I’ve had an interesting year so far. I haven’t racked up as many miles as in previous years, but aside from last year, I have done more long rides than ever before.
This has been in part motivated by the fact that my friend, Andy, is riding in the Lotoja Classic 2016, a 200+ mile ride from Logan, UT to Jackson, WY. In order to help him prepare, another friend, James, and I have gone on several long rides with him this spring and summer. The longest of these rides was still 80 miles shorter than Lotoja, though, so hopefully our efforts paid off! All of these rides might sound crazy (at first they did to me as well), but once you’ve ridden 30 miles, 50 doesn’t seem crazy anymore – then you ride 50, and 75 doesn’t seem crazy anymore. So it is really a matter of perspective, and if you don’t set a limit for yourself, then your definition of “crazy” can slowly creep towards the ceiling. I certainly wouldn’t consider myself an endurance athlete of any sort, but I guess I dabble.
