Stirrings

Well, it's happening. An irrational stirring in the nether regions, an urge to slip into some lycra and spend a few hours on a hard bicycle seat bumping and pumping along. I signed up for two rides this summer -- a 150 mile, 2-day, ride along Lake Michigan, a fund-raiser for the Lymphomea society, and a 1-day 35 (or 62) mile jaunt on the rural roads north of Lake Mendota. I'm not sure about the first; a coworker at the Bar mentioned it to me (he wants to get a team together) and the $80 sign-up fee was waived this weekend at the Bike-O-Rama. But I'm not keen on the $300 fundraising minimum. The other, the Coldane Ride, is sponsored by one of the autism support organizations, and is more of an attention-getter and support gathering than a fundraiser per se (no minimum amount - but not nearly as much sag or swag). And I'll likely be riding that on the Bilenky Tandem, with either Mei or Anna or (unlikely) Daniel in front. Either or both ride will demand a lot more than I currently have to give, physically. So I'm hoping it will give me inspiration to get back in shape. I think I can, but I sometimes wonder how many times I have left to do this sort of yo-yo-ing. Still, reading back over the earlier posts here, I realize how much cycling joy I'd had and forgotten -- sort of a microcosm of my life, I think, that I go so far, then set it aside. Maybe this time, for good.