The wife and I sat down to watch this movie for the first time last week. I had heard great things about it, but am skeptical. I have heard great things about other movies that turned out to be quite a bit less than great. One of the star, Mary, is actually Siren Bicycle's frambuilder's wife. Pretty cool!
The movie started and I immediately got chills. I have watched the trailer repeatedly and looked forward to seeing some details. The movie follows the stories of 3 main characters, but does a great job of showing what is going on around them. There are some really unique takes of locals in their element.
As the movie rolls, we got more and more drawn in, and when the unplanned happens, we find ourselves in tears. Having been on several epic adventures of my own, I can relate to the emotions on a much different scale. It is tough, it is lonely, it can be dangerous, but in the end, the reward is indescribable.
As I watched the movie, I thought about my upcoming challenge the next day. I really had the feeling that the people on the screen, if they were sitting next to me, would be as excited that I was riding a metric century the next day, as they would be if I were doing the Tour Divide Race.
While they were racing, a lot of camaraderie and friendships grew out of the effort. While racing is about winning, the idea that was conveyed to me was one of " just get out there and give it your best, if you do that, you have already won".
And that is probably the biggest thing that I have learned from racing mountain bikes. I would love to win, to stand on that podium, and there is always that chance. But just getting out there, day by day, training in all types of weather, and then toeing the line on race day. I win. I don't have to rip someone else's legs off, I don't have to grind myself down into such a state that I need IV fluids. But, I do have to give it my best.
That is the easy part! Because I can take pride in that and help people while doing it. Because that is what I really want to do: help people.
Have a great day!!
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