I left Denver last night at 8:30 p.m. and pulled into Chicago this afternoon at 3:30. Talk about a long time on the train. The biggest reason why I went on the train was that it was cheap, but by the middle of the night the novelty had worn off. I woke up and everything felt insanely sticky and damp. At first I thought that something was going wrong with the heating and cooling system, but then I realized that I was back in the midwest. The humidity always felt normal to me, but after 2 weeks of dry Colorado I can totally feel it now.
I was only in Chicago for about half an hour when a guy stopped me and asked if I was a cyclist. How funny is that? Cycling in the midwest is more of a sub-culture, so it seems like all cyclists have to acknowledge one another whenever we see any signs. In Colorado the whole culture seems to be built around cycling and other outdoor sports. It was great. I've never seen so many hikers/bikers/climbers and just plain in-shape people in my life. The next time I go out I definitely want to explore more. Juli and I spent a few hours in Denver before my train left and I really, really liked it.
Now it's time to unpack and finish recovering. I keep taking huge, deep breaths of air. It feels really good. I'm going to have the opportunity to hammer really soon, since I'm scheduled for a 20 minute power test next week. Gotta love those power tests!!!
2 comments:
Sounds like you had a great time in CO even if the race didn't go so great. Great job on finishing!! That had to be tough... not sure if I could have toughed it out!!
My wife and I went skiing and biking out there earlier this year and loved it!! It's such a different culture than the midwest.
I love power tests!! They keep you honest and give you something to work for outside of race results... I hit my goal for the year earlier this month which also made me a member of the 300 club!!
Welcome back! I hope to see you soon!
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