17 days without riding… but who’s counting

With my current winter swimming schedule (M-W-F), the holidays and over a foot of snow on the ground, it’s been 17 days since my last ride — the longest off the bike since I began riding in June of 2007.   Fortunately, I’ve been able to step up spinning at the gym, which I trust is helping keep me in shape.  Yesterday I did an hour-long spin and a 2-mile run afterwards, so I think I’m hanging in there.  But there’s no substitute for the spiritual recharge of moving through fresh air, watching the ground race past beneath you, and the sense of adventure that always comes with setting out for the roads.  This morning I got up, looked out at the snow, remembering my 25-mile Christmas Eve ride in sunshine one year ago.  My eyes filled with tears and my heart ached… the yearning to ride is acute today — a poignant feeling, mixed with tremendous gratitude for my bicycle and the abiding love I have for riding it.