Oct 20, 2023

I SAW SOMETHING AMAZING TODAY

I'D HEARD ABOUT IT, and looked forward to seeing it in person. The race director had kindly nudged and nudged and nudged me, until I drove

... 500 miles to see it for myself.

A miracle?

Close.

Why?

Because of this people.

How do you gather two thousand five hundred teenage racers, plus their coaches, family and friends in the foothills...

... for a mountain bike race?

Love.

Love for riding mountain bikes,
Love the kids who are racing
their hearts out,

Love for the volunteers...

... thousands of them.

Then, I pre-rode the 6 mile course.

It was tough.
Rocky.

Uh oh,
maybe they don't love these kids after all?

During practice racers were stacked up waiting to take a crack at the rocky climb.

Following that was some fast, flowy single track,
broken up with sections of razor sharp lava,
followed by low speed, large
granite boulder riding.

Tires would be shredded,
wheels ruined.

The evidence rolled by throughout the day,
plenty of banged up limbs
bikes being pushed...

... nearly all smiles.

A different kind of love,
that of being tested,
showing mastery.

Tough.
Love.

Credit Dallin Atack, the brains behind it all, for making it happen

What did I learn from this?

The secret is good feelings for each other.

Teams of 100 or more kids all lined up in neat rows,
lots of chairs and shade to hang out,
plenty of food being cooked.

This isn't just a race,
it's a lifestyle.

And, I love it.

---

163ish
7 hrs
no strength training
0 minutes recovery
30 minutes reading + Journaling

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