By Michael James T his past Tuesday, in the midst of the heat wave we have been going through in the Northeast, I decided that my competition was doing more than I was and decided to do something about it. I am having a good year in D34 Vet racing and will likely advance to the A class for next year if my results continue the way they have been going.
Blind ambition can be a racer' s worst enemy and it can often override common sense.
This blind ambition nearly proved fatal to me on a mountain bike-training ride that ended with me in the emergency room with death winking at me from around the corner. It started two weeks prior when I sucked it up and rode my mountain bike from my home in White Plains to my children's home in Yonkers. I felt good on the ride to 'Y.O. - and the distance didn't seem to wear on me, having not done any distance like that in several years. Afterwards I hung out with Brian and Jessica for a bit before I turned around and headed for home. I wanted to be near White Plains before the sun went down, as my lighting system was lower that I realized.