Tour Divide 2012?

Well, it’s a brand new year, and as I am fond of saying, it’s time to flush your failures down the Toilet of Yesteryear and take on new challenges or, perhaps, revisit old ones.  For me, that means competing in (and this time, finishing) the Tour Divide.  For those that are new to this blog and my quest, I had to withdraw my 2011 bid due to painful neck/back issues, and then I watched longingly as a posse of fellow Texans become the first Lone Star Staters (in the history of the universe, mind you) to complete the race.  In fact, a record number of riders reached the southern and northern termini in 2011, and I have been remiss in congratulating them publicly on this blog.  Totally unforgivable.  So without further doodoo…

Congratulations to all 2011 Tour Divider finishers, but especially to my compadres, aka the “Terrible Texans!”  Sheila Reiter, Sheila Torres-Blank, Ray Porter, JP Evans, and Steve Moore…you guys rocked it out there, and I had a great time tracking you, listening to your call-ins, and living the race through you.  You accomplished a magnificent feat and forged a lifetime of memories that I know you will hold dear.  Some of you told me before the race that my blog had inspired you…well sirs and madams, I am the one who is inspired now.  You are my heroes!  And to the Terrible Texans who didn’t make it to the finish…dudes!  We have unfinished business!  We want to be heroes too!

Whether I can take another crack at the TD this year is yet to be known.  I STILL have the aforementioned neck/back issues, and that will be the ultimate deciding factor.  The cause of the pain remained a mystery for many months as I ping-ponged among an endless parade of un-thorough doctors who, after eliminating all of the run-of-the-mill causes, simply ejaculated an obvious misdiagnosis and sent me away, caring not for my protests.  I was left wondering if I would ever find real help.  It was extremely frustrating.  But I finally found a guy who discovered the probable issue, and within minutes, I might add.  That was just a couple weeks ago.  He has me on a treatment plan and, more importantly, he has given me hope.  In many ways, I feel like I now have a chance to get a huge part of my life back.  My riding life…  My Tour Divide life!!

And so, I am going to try like hell to line up in June 2012.  If I’m feeling it a few months from now, I’ll “pop the question” to my two bosses.  The one at home and the one at the office.  All signs point to a northbound attempt this year, though admittedly, the forecast is hazy.

And so this blog shall live on, for my quest lives on.  And by the gods, so shall it live until I roll into that 2,745^th mile.  With me as always will be my trusty training buddy Pat Smith, as well as a new Terrible Texan, Eric Wilson, who I suspect will be the impetus for the greatest jokes that I will ever concoct.  The guy is a balls-first wildman of outlandish energy, and he will be training for the TD with me, assuming I fix my neck/back.  I can hardly wait to see what I get to write about with this character by my side!