Alpe d' Huez

If Murphy rode bikes, she would have dozens of yellow jerseys.  In her day, she had the determination, guts, and sheer athleticism to be able to grind out a climb in the highest mountains.  

So yesterday the riders on the Tour de France climbed the Alpe d' Huez, a legendary climb.  And I thought about how retired cyclists must watch the race, going over each piece of pavement in their minds, feeling the road, closing their eyes and smelling the high alpine air, feeling their lungs burn for more and more oxygen.  

I wonder whether Murphy does the same thing.  That inside her she remembers the days of her adventures.  She goes over the mountains she has climbed, the rivers she has thrown herself into, the forests she has walked through.  Can she smell the alpine air, hear the river, feel the crisp morning?  

Murphy's Alpe d' Huez.  She has conquered the hills...and ridden into Paris wearing her own yellow jersey (and without drugs!).  She is a great athlete enjoying her retirement, but I suspect, wishing she was riding the Tour today!

Murphy's day, and oh, Sage still is in recovery.