This is the time of the year when us Ottawa cyclists spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting to see what the weather will bring. Waiting for the local training criterium series to start. Waiting for our local spring classics to get the racing juices flowing. Waiting for the shorts and jerseys days.

This is the good kind of waiting. Waiting in excitement and anticipation. Excited to test legs and the soul. Find out who has been training hard. Who is faking it until they can make it? A chance to reconnect with friends and enjoy some long days in the saddle telling stories. Spring in Ottawa can be a real treat for us cyclists or (as it is now) a bit unfriendly. But, as the saying goes “good things come to those who wait” – so we wait.

There’s also the not-so-great kind of waiting. The kind when you’re anxiously waiting for something to happen. When you’re trying not to obsess, but are struggling not to. You’re trying to hurry up the days so that the date you’re waiting for finally comes.

I’ve got both kinds of waiting happening right now. For the first time in a long time, I’m going to participate in the local training criteriums and might even do a road race if it works out. This is the good kind of waiting. Yes, I’m a bit unsure of my abilities but this is a good thing – it keeps me getting up at 5 a.m. to ride my bike in the basement. The other kind of waiting is not so awesome. I’m really just counting down the weeks and days to May 24. The day I meet with a group of surgeons to discuss my upcoming surgery. I just want to know what the plan is and when it will happen. May 24 seems like a long time from now. I’m trying not to obsess (this is hard).

Luckily thanks to the imminent arrival of spring, the start of the outdoor riding season, the training criteriums, and shorts and jersey days – I can take my mind off May 24 and focus on the here and now.

Speaking of the here and now, I’m finally over the jet lag from my trip to England. I had a super time on vacation. It was really quite special to spend time with my mom, aunt and uncle. We had a chilled out vacation with just the right mix of busyness and relaxation. It was a real treat to attend my cousin Tim’s wedding and be part of this celebration. Equally special was having the chance to catch-up with my two other cousins. Funny, we don’t see each other often but when we do, we can talk with one another as if we do every day.