TransRockies Day 7 - The Simple Life

48 kilometres of rolling terrain made for a fast final stage. After a short stretch on pavement, we found ourselves in the familiar dust cloud that formed in the flury of riders before us. Instantaneously, we were wearing the road. Everything about us was dirty. Even the whites of our eyes were dirty. My eyes flowed acid tears for the next two and a half hours, motivating me to push harder toward the finish line. Whether that translated to a faster pace, I don't know. Our legs carried the weight of six days of riding, which made it hard to judge our performance. Normal standards of endurance, performance and perceived exertion did not apply. What we did know was that we were not riding with the faces that had become familiar over the prior six days.

As we approached Fernie, we entered a stretch of singletrack. I followed Cindy's lead and found myself challenging some technical stretches that I previously wouldn't have thought were within my reach. The combination of I) six days of confidence building, II) trust in your partner, and III) another racer following closely on your tale, can really push you to the next level. Everything was moving smoothly until, at the last possible point possible, I biffed as I reached just beyond my grasp. I sustained minimal damage and hurried hard toward the finish line.  

I had mixed feelings about crossing the finish line. I worked toward it all week, but not once did I feel like I wanted this to be over. I can't recall a time in recent memory that has brought my focus so completely into the moment. Letting go of the distractions of daily life was blissful. I can't even say it helped me put things in perspective - my thoughts were never that complicated. Life was just simple this week. Wake up, bike, laugh, relax, sleep, repeat.