Tour of the Gila

This weekend was the annual Tour of the Gila, one of the most grueling bike races in the US right here in Silver City. I am a huge bike fan and love watching this race. I had to work the weekend, but luckily we have a huge window in the store front, so I didn't miss too much. The energy and atmosphere that are injected into our little mountain town during this weekend is absolutely invigorating and refreshing. Every time the peleton went by you could here the whirring of hundreds of skinny tires, the mumbling of cyclists planning their strategy and the next second, like a flock of birds, they all go into formation for the next curve. It is an incredible thing to watch!

The amount of energy and pure drive it takes to be a cyclist is incredible. The University showed the movie "The Tour Baby" (www.TheTourBaby.com) about a bicycle shop owner that went on a journey to see Lance in the Tour de France. What an awesome movie! I think I was the only one in the theatre that was euphoric after watching the movie though, maybe because everyone else had biked that day or just tired, I don't know. But there was definitely drool marks.

At the store we made out pretty well, I convinced my bosses to let me use one of the aprons for a souvenere of the Tour. Every racer that came into the store got to sign the apron and will hang it up some time this week. The young racers got the most out of it and brought their friends in to sign the apron. What a great weekend.

Also met a cyclist that is doing a world tour for equality of the genders. Check out his website (www.tourforequality.org). He's got an awesome thing going here.

With all of this energy I am getting antsy and dying to get on the bike and run forever but have two more weeks of classes and finals, so am taking this weekend in stride and doing as much as I can. Just putting my head down and go all the way through.