There was a time…….but it is no more!
I’ve written a lot about cycling because it’s something I do and it’s something that I’m passionate about. I’ve also written a lot about MonteSano and Bankhead Pkwy in particular. In 2003 when things weren’t going so well in my life and I wasn’t really happy, Bankhead was the place I would go ride to clear my head. I’ve also written a lot about pain having that effect. During that summer and park of the winter I lost a ton of weight, I was down to 255 lbs and I was getting pretty fast on my bike, but Bankhead still exacted a heavy toll on my body. I think no matter how strong you are there’s just something about pulling that kind of weight up nearly 900 vertical feet in 4 miles.
I remember a long time ago back in 2000 when I was trying to train for Bike South 2000 I would get Joan to meet me at the top of the Mountain, she was always proud that I could ride to the top, but during that time I was never actually able to ride the entire climb without putting my foot down.
In 2003 when I got down to 255 I was actually able to climb the entire lenght of bankhead without stopping.
After things settled down in 2003 and life got back to normal I started gaining weight again and I got back out of shape. At the time of Sarah and my wedding last year I was back up to 286 just 10 lbs shy of my all time high. It would be 2005 before I was able to come close to climbing Bankhead again, but I couldn’t do it. I would ride most of it but I would turn around shy of the top telling myself that I would not allow myself the fun of the descent if I had to put my foot down and catch my breath.
I work my ass off over the winter, literally and figuratively and by Christmas I was back down to 266. I struggled to maintain that weight as I changed my body. I climbed Bankhead again for the first time early this spring and it felt pretty good but it was a matter of finally being back to the form that I had in 2003.
Today, I broke a barrier that I never thought would be possible. I climbed Bankhead, I staid in control and probably climbed it as fast as I’ve ever climbed it. I road down to the bottom and then here’s where the barrier broke, I turned around and did it again. In 2000 I couldn’t climb Bankhead without stopping, today I did it twice!