Before moving to Belgium, I’d never heard of anyone whose first name was “Puck”.  Times change.

For the past two years, I’ve followed the cycling exploits of Puck Pieterse from the Netherlands.  On the road bike, riding the cobblestones of Flanders and up to the mountain passes of the Tour de France.  On the mountain bike, navigating rocks and tree roots on steep slopes.  And through the winter mud of cyclocross.

But all that interest ended in August.  I came home from a meditation retreat in the USA with a renewal of identity as a Buddhist, and a falling away of some previous passions, such as cycling races in Europe.

Puck disappeared from my life.

And now she’s back.

It amazes me how I let go of my connection with her, my admiration for the athlete, but more so the human being.

Puck smiles.  She congratulates her opponents.  She does wheelies on the bike.  She recons cyclocross races on the Internet before the big day.  Look up “Zonhoven” on YouTube, a grunt through the snow before the cyclocross race that’s today!

Maybe it will be too cold today for mud but here’s a cyclocross pic of Puck at a warmer time.  Definitely a dirty athlete!

***

How could I let go of such an enthralling sport?

How could I let go of such an inspiring person?

It doesn’t matter … I did that

And now the return