{"id":2457606,"date":"2020-04-23T23:04:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T05:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/scott-mercier-thinking-about-why-you-ride-amid-the-uncertainty-of-covid-19\/"},"modified":"2020-04-23T23:04:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T05:04:00","slug":"scott-mercier-thinking-about-why-you-ride-amid-the-uncertainty-of-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/scott-mercier-thinking-about-why-you-ride-amid-the-uncertainty-of-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Scott Mercier: Thinking about why you ride amid the uncertainty of COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"864\" height=\"648\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/cyclingcolumn-atd-042420-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/cyclingcolumn-atd-042420-1.jpg 864w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/cyclingcolumn-atd-042420-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/cyclingcolumn-atd-042420-1-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\"><figcaption><strong>Former pro cyclist Scott Mercier enjoys riding with the family.<\/strong><br \/><em>Courtesy photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across the globe. Nearly 50,000 Americans have died and tens of millions are out of work. Virtually every sporting event, including cycling events and even the Olympic Games, has either been canceled or postponed. The 2020 Tour de France has been delayed until the end of August with no assurances that it will be raced at all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The local cycling scene has been impacted as well; the 26th annual Ride for the Pass, originally scheduled for May 16, is postponed and the Aspen Cycling Club has delayed its start until at least June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As Colorado moves from a stay-at-home order to a safer-at-home suggestion, more and more people will be heading out. Many, I\u2019m sure, will be heading out on bikes. But when and how are important considerations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The first suggestion I\u2019d make is that this is a great time to reflect on what the bike means to you. Why do you ride? Is it for the adrenaline, health reasons, the social aspect, to fill your competitive void, vanity, pleasure and pain, or maybe a combination of many reasons? Regardless, spend a little time thinking about why you ride. If you don\u2019t know, that\u2019s OK, too. Maybe it\u2019s just because\u2026<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">When I think of the reasons I ride, and there are many, I can\u2019t get past the notion that riding a bike, at least the way I do it, is pretty selfish. I\u2019ve encouraged my wife, son and daughter to ride bikes. And they do; and they even enjoy it to a certain extent. In my vanity, I thought I wanted them to ride because it would be something that I could give them; the joy of riding a bike. There\u2019s certainly some truth to that sentiment. But it\u2019s always really been about me and that\u2019s a harsh truth for me to stomach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">So, where am I going with this? In a strange way, I think some selfishness is OK. To take care of others you have to take care of yourself first; to love others, you have to love yourself first. It has to start with you. And for your own sanity, especially at a time like this, you need to do something for yourself. But how do we do this without crossing the line to where it becomes all about us?<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It starts with reflection. Maybe you\u2019re riding and training for some big event; it\u2019s probably 50\/50 at best the event you\u2019re training for even happens. Training for something that may not occur can only lead to stress, and no one needs more stress at a time like this. And let\u2019s be honest, what does \u201cbig\u201d even mean? At the end of the day, it\u2019s just a bike race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For me, I\u2019ve realized that riding a bike is an important aspect of my life. I need it and I love it. And I\u2019ve tried to jam it down my family\u2019s throat. I\u2019ve wanted them to love and enjoy riding more than they have wanted it for themselves. This has led to stress, frustration and guilt. I\u2019ve positioned riding to them as something they need, so they can feel like I do when I ride. When the reality is it\u2019s something I need. I\u2019m still going to encourage them to ride, and to invite them to ride with me, but I\u2019ll try to do it on their terms rather than my own. I\u2019ll be honest and let them know riding as a family is meaningful to me; it makes me feel good. And with that recognition, maybe they\u2019ll want to ride more. Maybe they\u2019ll realize that when they ride with me, they\u2019re giving me a gift.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">These are troubling and uncertain times. It\u2019s not hyperbole to say we haven\u2019t seen something like this in our lifetime, and with any luck, won\u2019t again. As I reflect, I\u2019m filled with an enormous sense of gratitude, and hopefully, humility. I\u2019ve been blessed with good fortune.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Take care of yourself; for me, that means going for a ride.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Good riding!<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\">Scott Mercier represented Team USA at the 1992 Olympic Games and had a five-year professional career with Saturn Cycling and The U.S. Postal Services Cycling teams. He currently works in Aspen and can be reached at <a href=\"mailto:scottmercier24@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">scottmercier24@gmail.com<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/scott-mercier-thinking-about-why-you-ride-amid-the-uncertainty-of-covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former pro cyclist Scott Mercier enjoys riding with the family.Courtesy photo COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across the globe. Nearly 50,000 Americans have died and tens of millions are out of work. Virtually every sporting event, including cycling events and even the Olympic Games, has either been canceled or postponed. The 2020 Tour de France [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2457606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 00:17:35","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2457606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457606\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2457606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2457606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2457606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}