ACE 2010 - Take 1

the let-down of thin-skinned tyres and imagined crackle of carbon fibre cannot dull the passion drawn from me by these mountains. they etch maps of their winding roads into my skin as evidence that i was here. from salt-stung/tear-stained struggle to effortless soaring flight they speak to me in secret language only we share.

the incessant circles i inscribe on their slopes record the effort as chunks in the groove of a wax cylinder. vibrant now but hollow in the replaying.

pierced by searing white sunlight, i am bleached along with the snowgums. emptied of all but here and now. as i press puny bone and sinew against this ancient range my sweat imperceptibly erodes them as they erode me.

for now

no other rider exists

no controlle

no limit

no training

no reason

no ego

...