I showed up at the trailhead early and got to watch all the other riders pull up, smiles on their faces. Everybody hopped out of their cars quickly, vigor in their step, anxious to start talking and riding. We were all giggles and jokes as we pedaled onto the first ribbon of singletrack, which felt so foreign even though we’d all ridden it a thousand times before. Someone blew a tire, but we didn’t mind waiting. It was warm. We were on our bikes together. We couldn’t be happier.
At the top of the long, big climb in the middle of the ride, we were already spent and complaining about how we’d let ourselves go. We paused at the ridgeline to catch our breath and someone pulled out cans of beer from their backpack. Chugging the beer, laughing, mud on my calves, I couldn’t for the life of me understand how I let this ritual go. This is so much more than exercise. This is family.
The group ride is where all of us discovered the easy joy of trying to push each other over while riding boring forest roads. The group ride is where we coined the catch phrase, “I’ve got a lasagna in the oven.” It works in a variety of situations. Feel free to try it out. The group ride is where you fish around the cooler, hoping there are a couple more beers stuck under the ice so you can prolong the conversation for a few more minutes. The group ride is where nobody talks about work. The group ride is where we adults all discovered how to be kids again.
And yes, I am a better person after this ride. I hug my kids for longer and don’t get upset when they rub lotion all over my coat. I tell my wife her hair looks pretty and play footsie with her on the couch. I feel lighter. Younger. Calmer. Tired and rejuvenated all at the same time. It’s the way my mother used to describe how she felt after going to church.
Is there medicine in the group ride? Hell yeah. There’s medicine, balance, joy in the group, no matter what the activity is. Run. Paddle. Climb. Skip. Do something, but every once in a while do that thing with a handful of other dudes or dudettes. It’s good for your soul.
