Life Cycle

Stand up for what you believe in, even if it means standing alone. There's always gonna be hurt. We either hurt ourselves by the choices we make or people we befriend, maybe we are hurt inadvertently by other's choices, actions or a long chain of events that begun millennia ago. Often we just get in the way. Life is chock-full of the pseudo alpha males that are convinced they know right. Logic and age tells me that more often than not people who hurt are just not aware of what they are doing or the effect it might have. Age has also taught me to no longer waste my time on said trolls. We all have our lives. Everyone's reality differs. In my case I've always got something going on, to the extent that I'm a time-squeezed whirlwind of activity. My 5.30am starts are unavoidable, my juggling two young kids out the door is thrilling, my need to train just insatiable. I also have to write, be a husband, brother, son and friend, show up to work now and then like everyone else too. Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to do good too. Help my fellow souls out with random acts of kindness. Throw in a liberal amount of common stresses and there just isn't time to muck about really. I'm trying to still be a racing cyclist too, god forbid. I don't get much time to do that because my wife and kids will ALWAYS take priority over everything. I guess what I'm trying to say is I can't waste time on anything that wastes my time. My training, what little there is of it, is always full on. Believe me I can make 30 minutes work. I guess I am selfish enough to just want to get the most out of everything. If I stutter and stop and approach training in a half-assed way then it stands to reason that I'll race in a half-assed manner, guaranteeing that I'll be left behind in next year's races. I need to be in control of my training time, my efforts, my preferred terrain, my pace, my plan and ultimately, my cycling destiny or at least only share my training with like-minded people in similar scenarios to my own. How can I honestly justify wasting any precious seconds of my limited time when I have a family that I could give my time to instead? When I threw my leg over a bike and went training out the school gates 30 year's ago with Pat Lyng there was no bull, just hard work where you found your level and ability quickly. Nobody found it for you, judged you or imposed their unhealthy narcissism upon you or the group. Or if they did they soon found another club. Nobody was turned away because they might not be good enough. They found out they had it or not themselves. Our time was spent cycling. Hard work and zero bullshit was the common goal. Those basic traits stuck to me like tub tape. I only want to ride my bike when I go cycling. I'll only ever ride for someone sound, and I'll ride my heart out for them or with them. I think I've proven that in the leagues in recent years, often on next to zero fitness but with a cause. I absolutely and unashamedly ADORE bike racing. However, I'll never light up the world with my ability but I will light my way. That first day I went out with a club the hourglass was turned over to count my time in bike racing. I've come and gone for love or money or drink or family or growth but all the time those grains of sand have filtered downwards towards the inevitable. Only a few grains to go but I'm enjoying the countdown. I'm going to make every second, every grain count in sweat and effort, toil and smiles, in a prattle-free zone that screams at me from the past.