To quote Billy Joel, I may be crazy. I have signed up for my first multi-day ride. I will be riding 6 days mostly along the Colorado Front Range starting in Cheyenne, Wyoming and ending at Ft Carson, Colorado. I'm really becoming both anxious and excited about this upcoming venture. We will average just over 54 miles per day, with the longest ride being 66 miles and the shortest ride 48 miles. Since I am La Tortuga on the bike I anticipate I will be spending at least 4 hours in the saddle each day. So depending on how often I stop, will determine how long I am out on the bike each day. I have spent longer days riding, but never so many days in a row.
I keep saying "we" because this is a Ride2Recovery Challenge Ride. It is the Rocky Mountain Challenge to be more precise. So I'll be riding with others who support the cause to raise money to utilize cycling as recovery for wounded military service members. I know from personal experience that physical activity such as cycling can promote healing for both physical and mental health challenges. There is a certain freedom I feel when I’m out riding my bike. I’ve had a tough stressful year. I am emotionally and financially depleted and stressed because I know that things are only going to become harder over these next few months. However, once I get through I’m looking forward to a fresh start and working toward being happy with the bare necessities of life. Thus I have named my bike “Baloo the Blue” after the bear in “The Jungle Book” who sings the song “Bear Necessities”.
You may think it odd that I’ve added “The Blue” to the name, especially since my bike is not blue in color, but it is A BLUE, in that Blue is the brand/manufacturer of my bike. But I mostly refer to my bike simply as “Baloo”.
