webster defines this as delusion
Spring break is apparently approaching but my break will coalesce in the form of a class-less week; work is never over in graduate education, it seems. Granted, I’ll be in Atlanta with Becky for part of the week, but I still have a growing amount of work to accomplish over those days. Having discovered some local bike routes in that area, I am anticipating some new cycling scenery during my visit. The routes warn of 5,000 feet of climbing for a certain 50-mile ride. It’s a laughable amount since I am nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia where 50 miles of riding from Blacksburg could accumulate 7,000 feet of climbing. Oh well, at least there’s a thriving cycling community in that area, too. They also have that big, annual race.
Most of my time lately has become swamped with academic deadlines and not enjoying myself on the bike. Riding conditions - precipitation, temperatures, the number of angry Monday-morning drivers - haven’t been too favorable lately, so my motivation for riding is less than it really should, given that the racing season has already begun. Fortunately, knowing that I am not riding enough and then watching all of the live Tour of California footage last week serves as encouragement to suit up.
The new VT team kit was delivered last week and we all discovered that the white of the bibs/shorts becomes see-through with the right amount of moisture. Today’s morning ride in the rain made me pause and think about how much people can see of me from behind as water is splashed up to my butt from the rear tire. Luckily, there isn’t too much white in the back of the bibs, mainly just on the side. When cruising around town after a hard training ride, you imagine yourself as being the cool spaceman, aptly dressed, atop your carbon steed, that all of the simpleton college students and locals ogle at; the thought that your shorts might be see-through makes you unnecessarily self-conscious and ruins the fantasy. But at least I had a really good ride today, thanks to a second bike that is capable of accepting the punishing conditions of wet roads and a myriad of splashback.