Commando

If truth be told, and it is, Mongo likes to loosen things up every once in a while and go au natural underneath a pair of jeans or khaki shorts. It's a back to nature kind of feeling, unencumbered by the constraints of our modern society.

When Mongo goes out for a serious training ride, how serious I am is always determined by whether or not I'm hooked up to my NASA engineered array of computers, heart rate monitors, and impeccably matched Italian cycle wear. It shouldn't be this way. Last week I decided to make a change.

For the past three or four rides, I have purposely done without computers, stylish clothing, and my usual low-level smugness...and the result has been wonderful.

The only heart rate zones I had to worry about were beating and stopped. My speed was determined by how many Treks I passed. My cadence was tied only to how pretty and fast the girl next to me was going. It was simple...but it's like a lucid dream..you know it won't last.

This morning, Mongo planned on going for a quick 40 before his afternoon engagements, and it was like the past week never existed. Out came the HR monitor, out came the wireless computer, out came the new Italian jersey, out came the carbon fiber shoes (because they match the new jersey)...W.T.F! Innocence lost overnight.

Anyway, I was saddled up, looking good, ready to go...and it rained! I have to believe that God has a sense of humour and was reminding me of the simplicity of an unencumbered life.