Balanced, more than balanced, by kids excelling, the love and support and understanding of family, friends, and strangers. Hurt made bearable with long, long rides.
The bizarre thing about training is the more you do the harder it gets. The distance, pace, effort needed to get to the point of improving just moves further out in front of you.
It takes discipline and it really helps to train with folks you cannot bear to disappoint to stay at it. It helps if they like to say "oh let's do that hill one or ten more times" 50 miles into a ride. I am convinced 'self improvement' is a chimera.
So here we are about 3 weeks out. Like N I'm an early packer. Packing pulls the future into the present. "Gee, what jersey to wear for the Tourmalet?" Pick a jersey and you have to climb that mountain. You've seen it in your head.
The bin for "stuff maybe I should take" has been collecting gear for months. The "Road Rash" kit is built. Materials for packing the bikes gathered. I think I know what plan to get for the iPhone. Tickets and a hundred other details attended to.
Fun.
Now it's just finish the training plan, fold the clothes into the suitcase, pack the bike and watch for the thing that's going to blindside us at the last minute and be ready to roll with it.
