To The Plains

The mountains are, by default, the place that I go to for inspiration and replenishment on a bike. The challenge, variety, and beauty of rolling hills and jagged peaks can’t really be matched by anything else.

Or can they?

Once in a while I hear a strange call to foresake the westward call to the Rockies and instead hear the quiet call of the plains to the east. To the east stretches nearly endless Colorado prairie. One would think at first glance that there isn’t much out there and one might even be right. To a cyclist that may seem like a deterrent. But sometimes not much is exactly what I need as a person. I need to pass miles in peace, without the adversity of a monster climb or the advent of a breathtaking view. Some times I need something more subtle, more austere.

Riding the prairie strips away distractions and leaves room for reflection, a bit of an exhale from daily life.

I’ve gone out east twice recently. Once with Conrad then a few days later with Peder. They’ve been some of the nicest, most enjoyable rides of my year so far. They were both long and physically taxing but I felt refreshed by them. perhaps through these photos I can give a sense of why that is.