A "Real" Cyclist

Tuesday night I left Kemmerer to travel to Cody for Wyoming Arts Alliance and Wyoming Arts Council board meetings.  I wanted to bring my bike so that I wouldn't lose a whole week of riding.  It took some "doing".

First, I packed a big duffel bag full of clothes and equipment:  cycling shirts and shorts, lots of socks, my neon green nylon wind breaker, helmet, gloves, shoes, water bottles, baseball caps, gloves, energy gels and snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, bug spray.  Whew... I'm slowly learning to work off a check list and to be more organized with my newfound sport, especially after a couple rides that got uncomfortable because I didn't have the supplies I needed along the way.

The duffel bag was in addition to the suitcase with my business clothes, the bag with all my "beauty maintenance" items, the tote with my laptop, tablet, agenda book, board binder, and my purse.  I am pretty sure the car was a few inches lower with the weight of all my gear, and I admit I did have a concern or two about turning into a bag lady.

Then, of course, the bike rack and bike itself had to be mounted on the car.

It was quite a process.

But I rode.  I took the time to pack my professional clothes and send them with a colleague so I could do an hour-long ride in the mornings, ride to the meeting sites, and get cleaned up and presentable at those sites.  Cody has an upper and lower section, which denotes a pretty decent climb from one section to the other.  I am proud to say that after my adventures in Grand Junction and all the advice and encouragement from my new friends Peter and Dianne, I not only did not avoid those climbs, but sought them out.  That's right.  My new perspective was, "Oooooh, there's a climb.  I'm doing it!  It's good for me!"  (True.) 

So.... I am s-t-r-e-t-c-h-I-n-g and GROWING.  Feels pretty damn good, to tell you the truth.  (Aches and pains notwithstanding..)

I'm not going to lie.  Working cycling into travel, meetings and daily life is a time-consuming and fussy project, and often means making choices about where my time is best spent.  I'm hoping that as I make it a priority, more and more it will become second nature and a quick process that highlights organization and efficiency, two pieces still lacking as far as I am concerned. 

The upside?  I am starting to feel like a "real" cyclist and an "active person"  -- way exciting.

Thanks, blog.