This ride involves more hills than I expected.
It’s been slow going, which is just part of the deal when you’re touring. The hills have me pondering a metaphor. I’m curious about your reactions.
Friday we rode about 52 miles, starting at less than 5000 feet in the desert of Winslow and ending in mountain forest at 7500 feet. There were a couple of short steep climbs, but mostly it was a gradual, steady ascent. In most stretches the rise was almost indiscernible, but when you looked back after a long stretch you could see that you’d gained some altitude.
I think life works like that. Most of the time it’s a gradual, steady incline. The way to move forward is mostly to just keep cranking. Often you wonder if you’re making any progress, but you look back after months or years and see that you’re higher than where you started.
The incline’s not constant, of course. You get a few downhills—weekends, vacations—and some steep stretches—illness, death, financial setbacks. You coast and have fun on the descents, and struggle foot by foot to survive the climbs. But mostly it’s that steady grind that keeps you moving forward.
The grind isn’t popular in an instant gratification culture. On the ride out of Winslow I found myself getting frustrated by slower-than-normal speed, but that almost imperceptible incline takes its toll. And coasting or stopping is costly, because if your lose momentum it takes even more effort to get going again.
The key is to find your own pace, settle in, be patient, and keep moving.
I like this metaphor because it clarifies some important principles.
If you want to ride faster, you need to train. Some folks have advantages like resources and talent, but every rider can increase riding speed and endurance with long-term preparation.
The ride is a big part of the training. It’s not rocket surgery…the best way to live a better life in the future is to start living a better life right now.
Moving forward requires effort. Fact of life—over the long term, more effort means more progress. No effort—you actually go backward.
Comparing is a waste of time. The other guy’s younger, faster, stronger. He’s got better equipment or more talent. None of that matters. You gotta move yourself down the road. If you want to go faster, see #1.
It’s not a competition. Some folks pretend it’s about being faster, getting more money, accumulating more power, but that’s all artificial.
Traveling happens best in community. A group of riders can encourage each other to keep going. Stronger riders can sacrifice by leading and cutting the wind for others. It’s a fact—a peloton (group of cyclists) can ride faster with less effort than an individual, if they work together.
Why Does It Matter?
Our culture says it’s supposed to be quick and easy. If you expect the route to consist entirely of flats and descents, you’ll wonder what you’re doing wrong when the ride’s tougher than you imagined. Is God punishing you?
Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
The question isn’t whether life will be difficult. It all about how we decide to approach the hills.
Let’s encourage each other to keep grinding. It’ll work better if we’re together on the journey of hope.
What other principles do you see in this metaphor?
Please leave a comment here.
# # #
The ride into Flagstaff on Saturday was beautiful. We’re 254 miles into the journey, and looking forward to our time in this area. Monday and Tuesday evening we’ll speak to University of Northern Arizona Chi Alpha students, with commutes to Sedona for noon Rotary talks.
Today we plan to bike the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
# # #
I’m re-posting this photo due to some misunderstandings.
The painting’s pretty cool, but several folks commented that the girl in the flatbed Ford was slowing down to take a look at me.
Wrong! It’s Monte doing his job as chick magnet.
# # #
WHERE’S RICH’S RIDE?
Last 24 Hours
Last 7 Days
