Mixed

I'm feeling a bit of mixed emotions about this weekend, with regards to bicycles and the like.

See, the weekend before Thanksgiving is the UCI cyclocross race in Hendersonville -- the course is just 15 minutes (by bike) from my house, and it's a who's-who of bicycling, drawing a host of SE 'crossers and folks like B-Matter and A-Myerson, not to mention B-Berden the Belgian. Cane Creek always has a tent there, and it was 2 years ago this weekend when I sealed the deal on our move to Western North Carolina.

But this year, I wasn't there.

Not that I would have been racing (more on that in a future post). But it's always a good time getting out there with a Liberty Bicycles cowbell - even if you do work for the competition.

Instead, I spent Saturday as a volunteer, attending the semi-annual Board of Directors meeting for SORBA -- the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, the Southeast region's IMBA affiliate. Earlier this year I was asked to serve on a regional advisory council, so although I get to sit through self-described "butt-numbing" meetings, I don't get to vote on anything. I'm not complaining though -- getting to be on the front line for policy work and getting to help translate that to turning shovels and eventually to better trail is pretty awesome.

Besides, not only did I get to share a wacky car ride with Pisgah Area SORBA Prez Karen Into and Chip from Upstate SORBA, we also got to work out the kinks of sitting all day in hard-back chairs on the fantastic trails of Chicopee Woods outside of Gainesville, GA. So Saturday was a win.

It's Sunday, though, that has me a bit torn. See, I could have headed over to Jackson Park. I could have cheered for the racers; I could have helped out with the Trips For Kids-WNC used gear sale. Instead, I opted for a bit of selfishness -- I got out for a ride.

Things have been kind of crazy the last few weeks since Daniel was born. October was pretty laid back, and I managed a few rides building up to Double Dare. Since then, though, it's been a bit of a madhouse: my family visited at the same time I was laid low by a stomach bug, and then with just a few days off, Kim's parents drove in and her college roomate (and two kids!) made the trip on their way East for Thanksgiving. Yes, I've ridden, but I haven't really felt good now for three weeks, and I just needed to get out.

So I did. I shirked. And on the one hand, it makes me sad. On the other, the ride was so fantastic, and the weather so perfect, and the groups of people I saw on the trails whom I knew were so plentiful, that I'm happy I went. It's been a while since I put together a solid technical ride with good fitness, and it felt awesome to push hard up the hills and bomb the rocks on the way down. So I feel a bit guilty, but I also feel refreshed and recharged, and hungry to be riding again. I think I have a few bits of housework to get through too, but with only a few plans this week and some friends in town and an extra day off work, it should all work out in the end ...