Post-ride musings...

All our pre-riding thoughts are focused on the RIDE itself. The weather report. The surface condition. The singletrack. The climb. Topo maps of the area used to be good enough, now we log into google earth and spin circles in 3D and fly down the trail in advance. We fill camelbaks and mix sports drinks and check off mental pre-ride checklists. We double check the integrity of the bike-roof rack interface multiple times.
And we ride. We sweat and burn and push ourselves into little anaerobic hells for brief glimpses of gravity driven heaven and short respites of beauty. Each pedal stroke takes us further from job and stress and the review that used to be due last week that we got an extension on until tomorrow that we didn't even start yet because we were too busy riding.
But for all that planning we focus so little on what can be considered by some to be the best part.
The End.
That final push into the parking lot/area/trailhead. Those last few revolutions that say to us: That was worth it. An endorphin fueled sense of all-is-well. Knowing that the trail is still there but that we have Accomplished It.
Satisifaction.
With still-burning legs and indelible smiles putting the bike back on the car. Checking the bike-roof rack interface just once. The sound the cooler makes when the ice swishes around inside it. The best tasting beer ever made.