I’ve been thinking a lot about balance lately. It’s no secret that many athletes at the highest levels have openly renounced balance, claiming that its necessary to go all-in on their chosen sport in order to be successful. However, others are pushing back on that idea, Kate Courtney and Sonya Looney among them, claiming that a more balanced approach is not only healthier, but can result in even better performance.

I’m not really here to debate how balance affects the highest performers, because, let’s be real, I’m not one…and most of you aren’t either. Most of us are “normal” people with “normal” jobs and “normal” families (ok, we all know that’s not a thing, but you know what I mean). Even if we wanted to go all-in on cycling (or any one other thing), most of us cannot feasibly do that. Riding bikes doesn’t pay our bills.

Spring is blooming here in southwest Virginia, and that has me considering another theme: seasons. There’s that passage in the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3, where its essentially a poem:

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

I’ve come to the realization that my current mindset (as always, this is open to change at any moment) feels more balanced than it has in the past. I think a big part of this is that I’m done with grad school and no longer working or in class most evenings and weekends (in addition to daytime hours). That fact alone gives me the option of having a bit more balance in my life. Then, because I recently spent 6 months in surgery recovery, I had the opportunity to take significant time off the bike (in other words, was forced to) and invest it in other things, like having a social life (which I haven’t done in any meaningful sense since 2017). Turns out, getting more sleep and having a social life is kind of nice.

It’s almost like the seasons are changing. My last season, where I was a grad student, scraping jobs and sponsorships together to be able to race my bike, really didn’t allow for balance. I didn’t have the time or financial flexibility to even attempt to have a social life.

The season before that, I had recently moved back to the U.S. after living internationally, had just started racing bikes, and was figuring out who I was as an athlete and adult. There was still a part of me that aspired to continue my shoestring world-traveling lifestyle, but also a part of me that was screaming for stability. In many ways, I found the stability I was craving in the discipline and structure of training.

Now, out of grad school, established and secure in who I am as a racer, I’m stepping into a new season. One where, in addition to racing, I’m able to create space for others in the mountain bike community. Too, I’m starting to be able to have a bit of margin at the edges, margin that allows me to relax the discipline around time management and training that was so necessary to fitting everything into the chaos of grad school life. Maybe this season of life does allow more “balance.”

I have more sponsor support for my racing in 2025 than I’ve ever had. My goals are just as audacious as ever. I’ve recently put in some massive training weeks (> 25 hours between the bike and the gym). I also just got back from my first non-bike, non-family vacation since 2017. I took a bike, but didn’t really train—just blasted through NYC traffic from cafe to cafe. It was grand!

As I’ve recently told some friends (and my sports psychologist), I want to take a more relaxed approach to racing this year. Do I still want to do everything in my power to have the best results possible? Absolutely. Am I still competitive to a fault? Yep. But I want to hang onto as much of the social life / community as I can. I want to keep it fun. I want to race hard, while also taking it less seriously.

Bikes are supposed to fun, y’all. Even when racing them. I want to keep it that way.

What does that look like, exactly? I’m not sure I know yet… as of writing this, I don’t even have the doctor’s final permission to race yet (though I fully plan on starting to race in early April). Welcome to the ride. ✌️