Almost Race Time

Finally the mountain bike season is upon us. I had been thinking about racing on Sunday for awhile, but never registered, which turned out to be a good thing since the race was cancelled because of snow and dangerous course conditions. This Saturday though is the start of the Mountain States Cup down in Nathrop. This is the start to the big races for the year and all the big guns will be out. I’m hoping to have a good race but it is hard to know how you’ll do when everyone has been training and not racing.

The more I think about my goals for this season the more difficult I am finding it to measure success. The goals I outlined in January were:

Begin to provide people information and resources on the effects of global warming
Raise $1,000 for the Environmental Defense to help research and educate on issues related to humans environmental impact
Educate people on the ease and benefits of using the bike as a means of transportation

At this point I’m not sure I’ve done a lot to reach these goals. Clearly the monetary portion has little movement thus far; however, I’m hoping to generate funds through the FireCracker 50. I’ll send/write more later on this, but I’m hoping to get people to donate between $0.50 and $1.00 per mile. I’ve been trying to provide tips on commuting and am trying to get an article in a local newsletter for June’s Bike to Work Day, we’ll see if they accept my submission.

I do think I’ve been successful in starting conversations and being a resource on issues related to global warming. After going into Shay’s class I received an email from his teacher saying four kids in the class were using one of the hand-outs I gave as an environmental chore chart at home. While it’s a small number of kids (though 20% of the class) this represents some degree of success to me. Would I like to see everyone in the class making an effort; would I like to have everyone start conversations with friends about their environmental impact? Of course, but this isn’t realistic. I know my effort is a small scale effort in a major issue, but if I can begin to make a little difference all the time and effort I’m putting in will be worthwhile to me. The old adage don’t talk politics or religion just doesn’t fit. Global warming has become, unfortunately, a political issue; however, we must be willing to bring the topic up in any company and speak with passion and intelligence on the issue and what each of us can do to protect the planet. Try to start a conversation about the environment with someone today, your efforts will help.