Remember when you were a kid and your parents made you eat brussels sprouts?
It was horrible, but the promise of a great dessert was enough to help you force them down and avoid being served those same soggy veggies for breakfast the next morning.
Brussels sprouts are still horrible and dessert is still awesome.
Luckily, my parents no longer choose my meals and brussels sprouts haven’t been seen in my house in about 30 years, but I still eat lots of desserts. Sometimes I skip dinner completely and eat only dessert, but the sweets don’t seem as rewarding.
This year, I started thinking of the winter we’ve had as brussels sprouts.
Its been horrible weather, but I’ve been dreaming of sunny days to keep my mind off the mud, the rain and the wind. It worked for a while and kept me motivated, but the winter seemed to go on forever.
It was like a truck load of brussels sprouts and I just couldn’t eat any more. Could any dessert really be worth this?
Then last week the rain went away, the sun popped out and the wind died down.
It wasn’t like the last few springs we’ve had; It was way better.
Just like at the dinner table all those years ago, after the horrible brussels sprouts, we enjoyed the dessert that much more.
The rides I’ve had in the last week felt like some of the best rides ever. In reality, they are just sunny-day rides on dry trails, but after working so hard at surviving such a wet winter, the riding just feels like a big reward, like the most decadent dessert ever!
So reward yourselves for battling through such a wet and nasty winter.
Grab your bike and head out in the sun for a couple hours. Road rides, trail rides or even just cruising along the seawalk will feel amazing, especially after all those brussels sprouts this winter.
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin’.