So the season of mountain biking has come to an end, at least in the colder areas. We will coil into our dens, drink warm beverages, read our books, and eat exorbitant amounts of holiday food. You know, so we have something to burn on the trails come Spring. The trails will be left cold and dead. We will yearn for them at first, get vibrations in our bones in a subconscious attempt to usher us back to our bikes. We will see ice and think of rocks, feel the snow and remember dirt.

We will remember the crisp air blowing against our skin, and the sweat that clung to us as we muscled up steep hills. We will not dream of the bloody crashes and leg cramps and the times we realized we were severely out of shape and look upon them with scorn, but rather sentiment. Sometimes we might think we hear the click of changing gears but realize that it is only the dishwasher or laundry machine.

The dirt was dry, the weather was bright, and our souls were furnished for fast and/or arduous rides. First comes denial, but eventually we will take the bike racks off of our cars. We will hang our bikes up in the garage. Because now we have realized that it is not the season for mountain biking but for jingles and weight gain and shopping (If you plan on doing any holiday shopping on eCyclingStore.com, make sure you order by these dates so your gifts are delivered in time for Christmas).

But not all is lost, because even though we are bombarded by heavy eating and commercials and too much wrapping paper, we are also consumed by the comfort of rest. We are enveloped by the soundlessness of Winter and eased by the fireplace, by hot cocoa, Christmas lights, and cheesy movies. Snowball fights and snowmen building, for some of us, we are absorbed in Winter sports like skiing and backpacking.

And yeah, maybe I have been reading too much Calvin and Hobbes, but there can be truth in cheesiness. Maybe I’m just compensating for the loss of mountain biking, but there comes a point in time for all of us when we can’t do anything about the absence of accessibility to the trails and it is important to see the bright side of things, at least until you can get back to riding. So try to make the best of not being able to ride this year. Enjoy the Winter. Happy Holidays from eCyclingStore!