Bedrock & Paradox

I dream of a hard and brutal mysticism in which the naked self merges with a non-human world and yet somehow survives still intact, individual, separate. Paradox and bedrock.

And so it begins…


The Great Divide Race starts today.

It promises to be a good ‘un. Jill is already talking some big words, and Curiak himself has said that “his hold on the record is measured in weeks.” Big, fat start list, too.

I’m mostly packed, with last minute laundry drying on the porch at home. M is sorting the food and buying more beer. She picked up a huge packet of pork ribs last night, and has promised to put them in her special italian-bbq marinade in prep for tomorrow evening.

We went out to Prescott Brewing Co. for happy hour beers and sandwiches yesterday; I needed some relaxation badly after the previous 48 hours, and for the most part found it. M deserves serious graitude for putting up with me upon occasion. and on that note I intend to make a determined effort to not freak out about getting on the road quickly this afternoon.

I also decided to get serious and put the Nanos on front and rear. Pumped up to what is for me the straospheric pressure of 38 psi they feel o so fast. I’ve been mostly lost in work and route changes this week, and now the reality is setting in that I get to ride 120-30 gorgeous miles tomorrow. I want some KTR redemption, not in the form of placing well, but in bringing forth a strong will.

Now all I have to do is survive the day and ride tomorrow.

T.S. Eliot “The Shadow” Stanza V

Here we go round the prickly pear
Prickly pear prickly pear
Here we go round the prickly pear
At five o’clock in the morning.

Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow

For Thine is the Kingdom

Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow

Life is very long

Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence
Between the essence
And the descent
Falls the Shadow
For Thine is the Kingdom

For Thine is
Life is
For Thine is the

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.


I’ll be blogging sporadically for the ensuing fortnight. KMC results and pictures will be a priority, the rest may have to wait.

DaveC

6 responses to “And so it begins…”

  1. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    Wish I could make the KMC. Instead Marni and I will be up in Winter Park. That race will be about 100 miles too short but I’m gunning for the win in a serious way.I wish all of you no mechanicals and a strong will tomorrow!

    Reply
  2. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    Likewise! Gears and sus. still kinda freak me out with all the stuff that could wrong. Worth it, I reckon.

    Reply
  3. Dave Byers Avatar
    Dave Byers

    Have a great ride and a great weekend. Lastly, good on ya for the way you have planned this race and dealt with the FS. Your example will make it easier for others to follow.

    Reply
  4. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    So I hope!

    Reply
  5. Jill Avatar
    Jill

    Great T.S. Elliot poem. I’m surprised, given your location and the undertaking, you didn’t quote “The Wasteland”There is shadow under this red rock (Come in under the shadow of this red rock), And I will show you something different from either Your shadow at morning striding behind you Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you; I will show you fear in a handful of dust. Anyway, I’m not the only one talking big. Did you hear the Saturday podcast? Curiak himself said five people in less than 16 days. Either way, it’s an exciting year. I have to count Pete as a friend, so I’m more than just a little worried about JayP right now. Can’t wait for more. GDR. This is better than Christmas.

    Reply
  6. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    “The Wasteland”, with it’s length, is a bit more difficult to sink one’s teeth into, probably why I reach for this one more frequently. I don’t like reading Eliot, but I like thinking about him.

    Reply

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