Happy New Years Ride

For The Complete Jewish Cyclist, the new year is already under way. It's already 5769, and that started back in September on Rosh Hashana. For cyclists and everybody else, though, the New Year on the Gregorian calendar begins tommorow at midnight. Of course this is reason to party, and as difficult as the world may seem right now (no reference to a particular issue), it's nice to know that we have a fresh, brand new year to write a new chapter in the continuing saga of our live - a clean slate in which we will try to author the best story possible.

So why not kick it all off on a high note and hoist a champagne flute at midnight, let out an exhuberant cheer, and kiss somebody special if you can, or at least give somebody a gesture of goodwill. And then start your year right with a January 1st ride.

Whether you live by the Hebrew calendar or by the Gregorian calendar, the cycling season truly begins January 1st for the serious cyclist. Just like you have the opportunity for a clean slate in life going into the new year, you also have a clean slate going into the 2009 cycling season. My recommondation for a New Year's ride is simply to enjoy it. Whether you are a recreational rider venturing out on an entry-level hybrid or a hardcore racer set to burn the road on your carbon fiber bling machine, this is a ride to simply enjoy. No pressure and no pressure yet. No goals and no agendas, just get out there, pedal, and enjoy the ride.

After all, hopefully you will have a very full and prosperous cycling season in 2009, and as it proceeds, so to will the needs, demands, and sacrifices to sustain such a season, especially for racers and high-performace riders. But on January 1st, 2009, there will be none of that, just a pure, clean, unhindered ride upon which to build on for another great cycling season, which B"H will be fun and safe.