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| This is from a recent 50-degree day. Dumb, right? |
But I do own gloves and rain gear, so I don't really have an excuse.
What have I been doing instead? Working a bit more than intended, planning the next MS team training ride, and learning a cool ceili at Irish dance class.
(This is what we just learned. This is not me. I don't live in Russia. Also, I am not as perky. I am loving this dance, though, because it has patterns, which means my brain can understand it.)
Anyhow, in addition to that, I've been wasting time on the Internet, reading about Alfonsina Strada, who rode in the 1924 Giro d'Italia after registering under the more gender-ambiguous name of Alfonsin. Besides the fact that she was amazing (breaking gender stereotypes, riding in the most insane conditions on the most rudimentary of bikes), I was enthralled by this fact: the room and board provided to Giro riders that year included 600 chickens, 720 eggs, 4,800 bananas, 2,000 bottles of mineral water, and 750 kilograms of meat plus jams, cookies, apples, and oranges. I should sign up for the Giro!
Another thing I just read this morning was a great blog post by Emily Chappell, who I really admire. She discusses the "invisible peloton" - the reliance on strength of others who are not physically with you, but are with you in spirit during a particularly rough stretch.
My cousin Sam recently mentioned to me that his friend was diagnosed with MS. I asked him to let me know his friend's name. When I find myself having a tough time riding on day 4 of the MS TRAM in the wind, heat, and hills (and, last year, after multiple wasp stings), I recite to myself the names of the people my supporters and I know who have MS, to think of them, their stories, and to stay focused on the task at hand.
Regardless of whether you're able to make a donation to support my fundraising efforts, I hope you will let me know the name of who I should add to my mental list of those for whom I ride.
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