This noisy world seemed to get even noisier this year. Despite that chunk of shutdown time where things were kind of eerily quiet, the humans and the World seem to be screaming loader. The World is screaming cause it is changing, change hurts. Humans are screaming cause they refuse to change, to adapt to the world they live in, even as it is changing. Crazy times and it is impossible to completely ignore, and it is more likely for one to get upset and/or invested…

Even more reason to remove oneself from any and as much of this noise, as possible. Every bike ride for me, and I believe for most, is a chance to do just that, let go of the BS and feel the feels inside yourself, your heart, and your mind. The longer the ride, the deeper the thoughts go. Going hard and pushing the limits, opens up more avenues and enters more energy into the thinking, settling of mind, the finding of peace. The 2020 Loopy Loop was just that for me, a deep look at life, the experiences and what I learned from them all, and also how it all felt, how it left me, how I left it.

I left Gunny on the Loopy looking for a challenge to push thru, but I wanted to try and go fast, see how many hours I could trim off my time from last year. I went in still something of a bike racer. Instead I found myself lost in the route, trying hard to always be moving, efficient, smart, yet less concerned with the overall hours consumed. It turned from a race, to a true personal challenge. I wasn’t racing the clock, I was seeing what I could do with my mind and body, it was a very cool feeling to experience. But also a realization that I may not be as hard a charger in these sorts of things as I was, this I am still digesting.

I have always said that doing things that are hard, makes for so much personal exploration and growth. You can strip away so many protective layers that kept some of your thoughts, feelings, and desires untouchable. It doesn’t have to be the Loopy Loop, the TD, the CTR, etc, hard is different for each of us, but we all have the capacity to overcome. Get out there everyone, I can not say it enough. Get out there and leave as much stuff behind as you can and see what you can see over the horizon, it I always worth it.