Extra Padding ... Please
Karen Beaudoin is a biker and editor of The Maine Switch. Karen thought she'd be a mountain biker, but a few too many rides in the muck sent her to the streets. Now she rides the Trek Across Maine to raise money to save all her smoker friends - and for the awesome baked potatoes.Almost Trek time
One week from today I'll be heading up to Sunday River with my riding partner, Gail Fitzmaurice, for the start of the Trek Across Maine.
Who can even wait?
You may not have been able to hear the thick sarcasm in the previous sentence, but believe me, it was definitely there. For some reason, this year, neither Gail nor I are pumped up for the ride.
It's funny, because we've had fun on all our previous Treks and we've never sucked so much that we've had to tap a hand on our helmet and wait for the rescue crew. And, though neither of us feels like we've been on the seat long enough this season, truthfully, we realy didn't ride any more than this in years past. Maybe it's just that life has gotten in the way. And, in my case, I can definitely understand why.
Last weekend I went to Baltimore to watch two Red Sox games. Recovering from that trip (and the beers that go along with any baseball game) meant that I haven't been on the bike for 7 days for the second week in a row. Next weekend is Trek time. And the weekend after the Trek I go to Orlando with my the sisters and their children for a week filled with Disney and SeaWorld. I've been thinking I should take a vacation before that vacation but down time seems to be nowhere to be found.
But, when I think about not doing the Trek I also have to think about why I do the Trek. There is no better fundraiser, no better ride in Maine. The other riders are constantly encouraging you, the volunteers see to your every need and the scenery -- from farms that reek of cow manure to secluded stretches bordered by forests to the finish by the sea -- is worth all of the aches, pains and fatigue of the following Monday morning.
Right now, I still can't say I'm particularly excited, but I'll be on my bike this afternoon, and hopefully, a little bit of the Trek spirit will hit. As a last resort, I know it absolutely will next Friday morning when I position myself at the start atop Sunday River and soar down the mountain with a group of 50 or so other bikers who'll soon be suffering but loving it the same way I will.
Comments
Subscribe
Questions/Comments
Recently Seen
Bayside World Market & Fair
Hailstorm in Jackman
Bridge Music Festival
'Hamlet 2'
O.A.R.
Explore Maine
Maine Outdoor Journal
I think the enthusiasm will come knocking full force when you ride up to the starting line. Those throngs of amped up cyclists can't be ignored.
And nothing does a better job of convincing us to do something we otherwise wouldn't have....
Posted by Shannon BryanWell, alcohol does that better, but a good cause won't find you half-naked and covered in flour in the alley behind Dunkin Donuts.
June 5, 2008 12:22 PM