In 3 days it will be the one year anniversery of Bikeec. That's weird. I know the new year technically starts on Jan.1 but we are very self centered things, and we like to gague time on a much more arbitrary level. Alot of this year I have weighed against bikeec. It's marked a point in my life where I finally began to feel more comfortable expressing myself openly, and tried to make alot more open commitments to people and things around me. When I first started this blog I had largely intended fo it to be more of a calander of events for happenings in and around Eau Claire. It ended up being alot more personal endevour within a few days. I know that isn't always what people are looking for, but it is what it is.
Probobly the first night I really rode with cayla, andy, and chris. I also got hit by a car. It was fun.
In January of last year I set up a statcounter for this page. In January I had a total of 152 page loads. Last month it was nearly 1000. Thats really really cool. It's neat that the bike scene has grown so much in the past year. Alot of us have gotten to know eachother really well. We have ridden with eachother for hundreds of miles, and seen alot of good and not so good times before. Its a cool feeling to be with someone else on a bike whether it be a Monday morning or a Thursday night and go on a long ride and talk about alot of things, or not talk at all. But to just be there with someone riding your bikes. It sounds really lame, but its true.
I can't help but look at this blog, and look at the friends I've made since it started, the places I've lived, the bikes I have had, the places I have gone, the people that have came and gone, and stayed, and changed and think about how much can really change in a year. Alot of things I had last November that I though would never change were gone in a couple months. Alot of things I thought I would never have showed up quicker than I thought they would. I feel like alot of the same can be said of the Eau Claire bike scence. It's cool to think that right now Eau Claire hosts what is probobly the biggest alley cat race in western Wisconsin, and has had alot of events and rides that aren't happening in cities twice it's size.
That said, there is always more to do. If there was 30 people at the last bike film fest or the last alleycat, why wasn't there 50? If there is 50, why not 100? If there is 100, why isn't there more people at critical mass? If there are more bike lanes, why arn't there more people using them? The amount of work that can be done is infinite. But over the past year it's really cool to see exactly how far we have gone. Im sure most of us can think of at least one thing that we helped out with this year and feel really good about. And we should. Because at the end of the day/month/year we can all only do so much, and it's ben awesome to see so many good people give so much of there time, effort, and endless abilities to progress the EC cycling community.
The fact that this community exists itself is really exciting. It's cool to know that there is this support group of people who all have at least one very strong thing in common. Despite our differences. I can get up in the morning, get on my bike in 30 degree weather, and think about the fact that there are alot of other people I know in this city doing the exact same thing. And loving (almost) every minite of it.
Then those bonds go outside of just riding bikes, and become a genuine concern with eachothers lives. And supporting eachother outside of just biking. A year ago I had a stable income, I was in a steady relationship, I lived in a different house, had a really nice bike, and could afford to do alot of fun little things. Right now my situation is almost the exact opposite. That said I am happy with where I am, but the tranistion to this point was alot harder than actually being in the position I am in. I know I have said it before, but I owe alot to the people around me for helping me out through those rough patches, and again as lame as it sounds its good that we thank people for helping us out and being there for us every once in a while. And when people tell us those things we take it to heart. Thats what being part of a community is about, taking care of eachother.
I woke up this morning in a really really bad mood. I feel really overwhelmed. I feel like alot of stuff is out of my control, and I am holding on pretty desperatly to the stuff I can control. When I finally got on a computer and started typing all of this and picking out my favorite pictures from this year I felt alot better. Yes, there are A LOT of questions left unanswered. And that can be scary. But that is also good. In a few days the entire country will be electing the new leader of the "free world". It marks a strange transition in my life. Perhaps the largest event that can happen to our country every 4 years is happening and juxtaposed against where I am in my life right now I have very little concern for what happens. In a way I feel like it will determine the next year, but at the same time I feel like it will have no effect on me.
So thats it. The past year has been good for the most part. Bikeec will continue and so will I and so will you. Hopefully all three will only get better with time. But there is no point in hesitation, and the longer we wait for things to change and the longer we wait before taking action the worse things will get before they inevitably fall apart. So carpe diem I guess. Im really really excited for the next year, and I am really excited to ride my bike with everyone again on a Thrusday night someday soon hopefully. There are probly a dozen more days thins spring that will be perfect for us, and we should take advantage of them before they go away. I hate to sound like a high school football coach, but lets make this year really really good. Lets not get to confortable resting on the past. Lets do it better. Lets ride fast and far, and slow, and long, and do our best tricks, and pull out all of the stops. I know you will.
Thats is, get back to work.
See you soon.
