saturday morning rain is falling.

i plucked up the courage and did a ride with team absolut this morning.
somewhere along monkey trail i remember thinking to myself "damn these guys go alot faster than AAA"
as with each time i ride with them, i was humbled by t@
but to add insult to injury,
God decided we needed a bath..
water pelt down fiercely and dislodged my left lens, leaving me half blind..
it was awesome.

cos the thing about long rides is that you don't just take a physical beating.
somewhere between the burning quadriceps,
in a void between the crisp clicking of gear changes and
the temporary lull before sprinting uphill..

your mind begins to dissect itself.
while your physical body is lapping up the relief from work and stress,

your mind is free to wander where it likes..
it is free to journey back in time,
to possibilities in the future,
or to just stand completely still and survey it's surroundings.
i started finding myself reminiscing about the years gone by,
the ups and the downs,
the fasts and the slows,
the hurt and the love..
the past and now.

no.. sometimes after these long rides,
you find that it's your mind that takes a worst thrashing than your legs.

We rode past bus stops crammed with people
trying to escape the downpour,
and each of them regarded us with looks of amazement as we rode past.

i'm certain we weren't a pretty sight,
soaked to the bone,
panting and heaving like a pack of overweight dogs..

but as we rode by, i could nearly hear their thoughts,
"bunch of no-brainers trying to get themselves killed!?"

many people have asked why we put ourselves through such torture week after week.
waking up in the wee hours of the morning,
riding till we can barely walk,
occasionally exhausted to the point of unconsciousness..

it's because it keeps us alive.
it keeps us feeling.
it keeps us from falling into the clutches of repetitive continuity.
when you're out there on the road,
miles and miles away from home,
and with the rain slamming itself against your face,

it feels like nothing in the world matters..
and you learn to feel grateful that you're simply alive.

damn do i love playing in the rain.