EXPLORE
    THE UNEXPECTED

Preparation signals confidence. Adaptability proves it. At the starting line of my first trail race, everyone looked ready. Hydration vests adjusted perfectly, poles in hand, high-performance shoes everywhere. For a moment, it almost seemed as if readiness could be assembled bought, organized, and worn. I understood the illusion because, in many ways, I had participated in it. Signing up for a 30K trail race felt like the natural next step after finishing the Mexico City Mar

Before Black Friday, I found myself doing what I always do when I’m about to buy cycling gear: overthinking. Cycling isn’t just a hobby for me. It’s the thing that structures my week. I train three times during the week (around two hours per session), and then add 4 more hours over the weekend. Do the math. That’s a serious portion of my life spent sitting on a bike. At that point, gear stops being an accessory and becomes infrastructure. Comfort matters. Breathability matter

For about two weeks, I wasn’t myself.I wasn’t sleeping well. I had changed habits, replaced routines, convinced myself that discipline mattered more than rest. The result was predictable: I was tired, irritable, and emotionally unavailable before 8 a.m. That’s saying a lot, because coffee usually fixes everything for me. Or at least, it’s supposed to. On bad days, my ritual is simple. I go for coffee, grab a book, sit somewhere familiar, and let the world slow down for a bit.

Sundays usually follow a predictable rhythm: a long run at dawn, coffee, brunch, and then lunch with my family , where, without fail, someone complains about terrible service. And nine times out of ten, that someone is me. I’ve earned the reputation. If there’s a missing detail, a forgotten order, a waiter with selective hearing , I’ll catch it. My family doesn’t even ask anymore; they just glance at me and say, “Alright, Gerardo… ¿ qué te hicieron ahora ?” But last Sunday th