Raid Corsica – Final Thoughts
Raid Corsica is over for Steve, Michael and me. It’s been an unparalleled challenge of body and mind. We rode over 600 miles and climbed 51,000 feet in six days. We struggled with aching muscles and mental fatigue. Over and over we kept asking ourselves why? Why are we putting ourselves through this anguish? Perhaps we won’t know the reason for a long time. But, we do know that in six days, we saw beautiful beaches, snowcapped mountains, magnificent gorges, pine tree forests, unbelievable rock formations, and met new cycling friends.
While there were only 19 of us in Raid Corsica, we learned that cycling is a universal language. As cyclists, we are drawn by passion and love to a sport that for most humans is completely out of the norm. Why would any person sit on a bike for 6-8 hours, day after day, and then want to talk about it over beers for hours after? Perhaps it’s the collective pain or the feeling of being part of a larger, perhaps global cycling community. Regardless, one of my lessons from Raid Corsica is that I can stretch beyond the limits of what I dreamed was possible.
We did it!
As I have read your accounts over the last few days, Skip, I have tried to think of the right comments to volunteer. I found myself at a loss for words. I did not want to say anything that might make your challenges seem more difficult, and I could think of nothing to say to make them seem easier. Now that you are triumphant in your raid on Corsica, though, let me offer my congratulations on your achievement, and very survival. Hope to see you in the course of tomorrow's Coast Ride.
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