Cycling itches take many forms...
Earlier in the year, rehabing from the last big crash, I had this whole existential dilemna about where my cycling goals were going. My interests were all over the map - most of them in new directions. The thought of racing really seemed to get in the way of the learning process, and at one point had utterly lost all appeal. The springtime quest for something new took charge, and while training with others was awesome, I had no inclination to race others. It was about learning new tricks for the bag of lucky charms and learning where the limits of that bag lie.
It was a solitary process, more or less. When your cycling itches take you on 200+ mile rides at regular intervals that restricts the training partner pool considerably ;) 700 miles of solitary racing in 2 weeks (the grand loop double) was enough for even my solitary tendencies. Suddenly I was craving more social events, and the KMC and BCBR fit the bill to a 'T'.
Now, with every day I spend on my butt with my foot in the air, the hunger for *competition* grows by leaps and bounds. BCBR was by far more competitive than anything I've done this year; it ignited some latent passions... The healing is coming, the scheming has begun, a goal has been set.
Let's just say my season isn't quite over yet.