Less is more

Ran the numbers tonight. Not bad. YTD mileage is nearly identical to 2009 — a tad under 3,000 miles, or closing in on 5,000 kilometers (counting missed mileage from Mt. Laguna Cycling Classic, Death Valley Double, Borrego Double Ordeal and a few in-town shorties). But one major change in the overall situation caught my eye. The total number of rides (kitted up, butt on saddle, turning pedals over real tarmac) YTD actually went down about 22 percent — 55 vs. 71. Before you start to think BC has gone full geek with stats, let me assure you that I have not. I continue to ride, train, prepare without:

• A power meter
• A cadence sensor/magnet
• A formal computer training program or coach

These three oversights (or badges of freedom) contribute to why I don’t always ride with predictable gusto come the big game day (see recent Mulholland Challenge and last year’s Climb to Kaiser). But no worries. Numbers can overshadow the pleasures of a good ride, good company and good scenery. Yesterday late afternoon, I hit up inside Torrey Pines (the steeper section) and repeated five times while the iPod pumped tunes into my head. Angels & Airwaves meets 180 bpm. Well, almost. I pushed the heart up to 178 bpm. A good rush. The sun hid behind gray puffy balls over the Pacific. The wind pushed cool air hard from the northwest. People hiked along the park’s narrow paths. A few other cyclists joined along in what many on the coast use to measure their climbing progress. You won’t find mountains here. But the ocean more than makes up for that in the view department. As you look out over the horizon, you can see how less is more. Less clutter. More focus. Less noise. More meaning. Less doubt. More belief. When a Soul Cyclist meets analytical confirmation, nothing else matters. I wish everything in life had a similar symmetry. Don’t you? Hope your May is progressing well, and you’re getting in the rides that are forever stored in memory. The human kind.

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Tagged as: bikecrave, climb to kaiser, cycling, cycling training, san diego, training, ultra distance cycling