Safety Net

I thought I trained pretty hard for this ride.

After cranking a few weeks, I realize that the training isn’t the same as the real thing. It’s too easy to cut a ride short when I get tired. My route can be adjusted depending on the wind. I can avoid really tough hills. If the weather’s too bad or I’m really tired I can easily skip a day.

Those options disappear on this ride. Unless I choose to just give up, I need to cover the miles regardless of weather, wind, or terrain. And I’m learning that I can ride better than I imagined in tougher circumstances than I might otherwise face.

You never know how strong you are…until being strong is the only choice you have.

We live most of our lives with a built-in safety net that offers an easy escape when things get too tough. As long as that net’s there, you never quite know what you’d do if it suddenly disappeared.

Maybe that’s a reason to tackle something crazy like this ride. Maybe it’s one way to see what I can do when I don’t have that easy out, when quitting has real consequences.

Even at this point, five weeks and 988 miles into the ride, reaching the finish line isn’t a foregone conclusion. It’s difficult, and each day brings unexpected obstacles. If I was sitting at home, I’d probably be planning a day off to allow sore old muscles to recuperate.

I’m doing more than I believed possible. Maybe you can only do that when doing more is your only choice.

Maybe that’s a life lesson that’s bigger than a bike ride.

Please leave a comment here.

If you liked the 3D view, here’s Tuesday’s ride from Sikeston to Portageville (Mo). If you open the page you’ll see a map–look in the upper right corner of the map for a button labeled “3D” and click it. Let me know what you think.

Where’s Rich? Today This Week

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