The racing season starts in February / March. On Friday, I did third race of the season – Buxton Mountain Time Trial.
I do most of my training on my own. It’s partly convenience of finding someone willing to go out at similar times and similar training efforts. But, also I quite like the solitary nature of cycling on my own. With all the solitary training, I like the racing season as it is good to meet others. The good thing about time trials is that everyone is doing their own race, so you don’t feel particularly competitive, but you can concentrate on doing your own race and own efforts of self-transcendence.
One of the challenges of racing is being organised – remembering every bit of clothing and bike equipment. Then you need to get ready and have everything organised at the right time. I’m often scrambling around the back of the car making last minute changes, finding a new pair of gloves, changing equipment.
It is a real challenge to be calmly organised and focused in the last minutes before the race. I practise meditation and meditate before a race, but maintaining the inner peace and calm of meditation before and during a race is easier said than done. But, it is a good opportunity to try and make meditation practical. Sri Chinmoy was keen on promoting sport, and perhaps this is one of the reasons. The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team put on many races and his disciples take part in different kinds of sporting challenges. Some swim the channel or run multi-day races, but I will stick to what I’m good at and enjoy – racing around hilly courses.
Related
- Buxton Mountain Time Trial 2016 – at Cycling Uphill.com
- Buxton MTT at Sri Chinmoy Races
