Race Day April 3rd 2011
Mountain biking race day at Tsali Recreational Park, North Carolina
It is Race Day
Take what life gives us
Let us meet under the great pavilion
Where the sounds of aspirations
Are heard in the ballet of bikes
It is race day
Clutching our forged carbon loves
Sinewy muscles tense with sweat
We dream the dance
The dance of the mountain
It is race day
There is life in every breath
Let us meet silently at the starting gate
The noise of wind and sky to shatter our thoughts
While colors merge
A kaleidoscope forms
A kinetic fleeing pursuing blur
Rotating wheels and quick descents
Gorges rivers trees and falls
Pick yourself back up
Your pain body calls
And look up into the crying sky
To a transformative end
Finding yourself deep inside
It is race day
Transcending our weekday life
We are here to meet in joyous celebration
The sound of Kopeland
The sound of music
Victory for one
Pleasure for all
While arms and smiles embrace
Here at Tsali North Carolina
Its sure to be
A great race
Biking to a Place Inside and Out / 06
Sometimes on the bike the reality of life and the beautiful dream become one
I am very fortunate that were I live, I can immediately access miles of rural back roads to immerse myself on my road bike. I spoke earlier about the sense of transformation that is achieved while biking. Here on these winding roads and gently sloping hills, I pass by farm lands, historic areas, woods and beautiful estates. What enhances a great ride is the right music. There is a distinct difference in the selection of music for road and mountain. On the road there is a need to be able to hear your surroundings for safety measures. Hence, my selection is always, soft, slow dancing ambient. My favorite band for a ride is the neo-classical ambient band from Austin Texas, Stars of the Lid. In fact, this has been the most prolific band for me in the past two years. This is aural mastery of the highest order. In contrast, when mountain biking, there really is no need to be conscious of your surroundings. Now your music can flow anyway you like. For the mountain, I prefer long flowing electronic sounds from bands like AES Dana, Bombay Dub Orchestra and Near the Parenthesis, or French Pop artists like Etienne Daho, France Gall, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Alizee to name a few. It is here on the mountain when you need that extra aural drive to push your rhythm to its fullest—to make that climb.
Music plays a significant part in creating the aural soundscape in which to find transformation in physical movement
Biking to a Place Inside and Out / 05
Biking @ 5000 ft on the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Pisgah Inn to Water Rock Knob
And to achieve a great ride you’ve got to know and trust your bike. I ride a Trek 4300 on the mountain and a Giant OCR on the road. Both bikes have served me well and have maintained their riding integrity in spite of the miles and punishment I have put them through.
When climbing the mountains of life we come face to face with many obstacles
