Introduction

After over a year of mingling my cycling experiences into my personal blog, I've really started to realize that a new blog just for my "want to ride" is warranted.  Moments of Clarity was originally intended to be eclectic; To be for whatever I felt I needed to write about.  I'd rather keep a purpose driven blog, similar to my R4-P17 blog, than attempt to have folks wade through information that's personal as well as cycling related.

Thus.. Wunschreiten, or "Desire to Ride".  Think of it like "Fahrvergnügen" without the Volkswagen hype.  My hope is to document my experiences as I ride, and as I attempt to decipher all of the various sources of information and understand the complexities around the sport of cycling.

I've always enjoyed riding bicycles, as far back as I can remember.  When I was a kid, riding a bike to school was the norm, and it was the mode of transportation that everyone used.  I grew up in a small beach-side town in Florida, so the concept of gears were foreign to me.  Once you got up to speed, you just pedaled at the pace you wanted to go!  Fast forward 25 years, and I was an out of shape 36 year old moving to a new city, new state, new lifestyle.  Friends of mine that I knew in the area said "you should try cycling".  I got my first road bike, and off I went.  Since 2011 I have been actively cycling, found an active lifestyle, and gained a lot of fitness.  In 2012 I managed to ride over 4,000 miles, as well as climb many of the ascents in the upstate area including Paris Mountain, Greenville Watershed, Saluda Grade, Ceaser's Head, Green River Cove, and Skyuka Mountain Road.  I've had to learn patience as well as dedication to complete these challenges, and I plan to continue them this year.

My current goals for this year are to ride 5,000 miles, and to complete the Assault on Mount Mitchell.  During the training for the Assault I will face many of the climbs that I did in 2012, plus several new challenges.  I plan to write about the journey, including the challenge itself, in the weeks to come.

In conclusion, welcome to the new site, and I hope you find the information that I write about here interesting and insightful.  I look forward to sharing what I learn, both on the bike and off, throughout this journey.