Driving and flying as if my life depended on it

Since Rome, I have driven a total of 1,775 miles to two NICA races, and by Wednesday evening I will have flown another 11,285 miles to Germany and back. If I remember correctly, Easter happened at some point in between and I actually was home for something like seven days in a row. Two days after I get back from Germany tomorrow I'll hop back into the beemer and head to College Station for yet another mountain bike race, the penultimate for the season.

My personal bike riding has suffered as a result, and the waistline continues to increase because it is so easy to feel beer-entitlement after a long day of driving or working a race. Plane travel presents its own temptations in the form of premium lounges, business class seats, and those evenings partying with family and friends.

The two races took place just north of the metroplex (at Erwin Park in Mckinney) as well as all the way down in Sugar Land, just west of Houston. Both were new venues for our league, and for "exercise" I got to do on-foot course inspections (5 and 6 miles). But with such long drives I spend an inordinate amount of time simply sitting. Why do I do it? Truth is, over time I have gotten to really enjoy these high school races so much that it would be difficult to give them up. Our race crew is like a big family, with amazingly dedicated people, some older, some younger. There is just so much positivity on race weekends, and there's much smiling and laughing even while the professionalism rivals that of any race production that I have ever been part of. And how can one not like being around 350 or more polite and committed student athletes in a world where bad news seem to grab every headline?

Driving through Texas has become increasingly enjoyable with the progress of spring. This year's wildflowers are breathtaking: Carpets of bluebonnets can be found as far north as Sweetwater and Abilene, and once one reaches central Texas the green pastures are dotted with the reds of Indian paintbrush and the yellows of Mexican hats. There are baby goats, new-born lambs, and the occasional Texas longhorn. For me, driving is seldom boring.

During my trip to Sugar Land I had a chance to stay for a night with my old friend Michelle and her husband, Ken, in College Station. We had seen one another on a couple of occasions at the Hotter'n Hell, but those were always limited encounters because I was working as an official while Michelle was there to ride the ride. Eons ago, Michelle had worked in Lubbock as a cardiology PA, and it was through her that we had been able to finally diagnose Judy's mysterious dystonia. That's how far we go back, and it was wonderful to finally spend an entire evening together by the fire pit, catching up with one another while decimating Ken's enviable wine stash.

The trip to Germany, long in the planning, was drastically altered by external issues outside of my control and that are too private to be brought up here. On the positive side, I got an unplanned and unforeseen chance to spend time with my cousin, Paddy, and his family in Cologne. During the three days that I did spend in my old stomping grounds in and around Schleiden I got to enjoy two nice walks as well as an outing on a borrowed eBike. Another rare highlight was the reunion of (most) of the group of friends with whom Judy and I rode from Geneva to Nice back in 2002.

Looking out of the kitchen window right now, with cold rain pelting the sidewalks and grey clouds racing across the sky, I am glad that I will get on a train early in the morning for the one-hour ride to the Frankfurt Airport. Let's hope that Deutsche Bahn, Germany's railway provider, will not have too many delays and I get to board flight AA71 to Dallas/Ft.Worth at 10:05 a.m. and will get home as scheduled. After one day at home on Friday, I will head to the next race, in College Station on Sunday, sandwiched by two stops in Temple. I can see another 900 miles of highway ahead of me...

Ciao, Deutschland!

Jürgen