Thursday, March 23, 2006

Best damn bike story of the week

"Back in the day, I always had a unique capacity for making fart jokes during the most serious and serene of moments. I never quite 'got it' when everyone else would 'feel' stuff. ... Being out there alone in extreme conditions makes me take life, myself and my place in the world seriously. It quiets all the noise and lets me think, focus and relax. My mind wanders and thinks big thoughts out there. The kind of thoughts that could either be a gift or a burden if you thought them everyday."

Last month, I cheered for my friend Adam Bartlett as he raced 350 miles to McGrath in the Iditarod Trail Invitational. OK, it wasn't really cheering; I drank in his honor and hoped he'd do well. Or at least come home with all his fingers and toes.

Now that he's had time to consider the experience and sort out his thoughts—from the reflective to the comically absurd—you should read them here. (You might need to be a registered mtbr.com user but, hell, all mountain bikers should be anyway.)

And don't forget to check out his photos from the trail.

How far did you go on your last ride?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cool Tim, Now I'm famous. I'm on Bicycles and Icicles!!!! But it is sort of fitting after all I was pushing a bicycle when I made that impressive icicle under my nose in the photo. I don't think folks need to be an MTBR member to read the story, just to see the photos posted on MTBR. I think.

Adam

gwadzilla said...

very cool
Alaska intrigues me
but
I have no interest in John Krakauer writing a book about my mishaps

you all seem better suited for this stuff

if I were to choose a climate of extreme significance I would go tropical
I am simple that way

I admit it
I am weak