A change in Direction

It has been a while since I posted in the Blog. I have been, or should I say had been thinking for a long time that pushing myself so hard and leading the group was getting a bit too much like work. In other words it was not as much fun as it used to be. I decided to sit back and step away from the group and see what direction I wanted to go in. I took must of January off and decided to ride a bit by myself on my Peugeot to get used to a fixed gear and single speed. I did ride with the group a time or two and at first things seemed like the old times. But it wasn't the same feeling of freedom and joy I once felt. I can no longer pretend that I can win against the medications they are giving me after my bypass so I have to see if a change in method will somehow make cycling once again the main method of my exercise as it once was. I plan on learning to cruise more and explore more than I used to. The pictures I take will be of the things I see and enjoy. The group will do fine without me and I will do fine by making riding for pleasure rather than for pain my focus. I will rotate through my bikes more and include my Mountain Bike more and see how that works. I will still join the group now and then but only as a participant not as a leader. We lost focus of what it was like to welcome new riders and assumed they could keep up only to wonder why they tended to not come back. This is in no way a condemnation of the old group, they are doing what they need to do to enjoy themselves. I hope they continue to do well and grow.