What an anticlimax this has been. After all the tension and preparations of yesterday, Tropical Storm Marco fizzled out just off the Louisiana coast. It makes me feel like a deflated balloon. But the \”excitement\” isn\’t entirely over.

Hurricane Laura is out there, which means we still need to be alert. Laura is expected to strike at the Louisiana/Texas border, but SE Louisiana isn\’t off the hook entirely. Tropical storm conditions are possibly by tomorrow night; and for all I know, Laura is still far enough off-shore that a last-minute change in direction isn\’t impossible.

But let\’s not get off-topic here. How does an anticlimax come into cycling?

For me, that\’s how I felt after each century ride. As I finally hit that magical number of 100 miles, I experienced a major thrill: I DID IT!!! But then, soon afterwards, something in me said: Okay. I rode 100 miles today. It almost didn\’t seem like such a big deal, after all; the thrill died down quickly.

Is that how the winner of the yellow jersey feels upon reaching the Champs Elysees? We see Olympic gold medalists standing on the winner\’s platform; on the top of the world, one might think. But what\’s going on inside of their heads? I\’ve read of them thinking, Well — what do I do next?

We need to keep setting new goals for ourselves; we need something to work towards. That helps keep the post-triumph let-down, aka anticlimax, from getting us down.