The world around you is one of the things a bicycle teaches you about. Things look different. Terrain is different. You come to understand that those aren’t two hills, but really one hill you approach from multiple directions.
The most important thing I have learned, so far, is that it has taught me not to judge. You never know what someone is going through, which is the personification of the “Walk a mile in my shoes” concept, which is writ large in my head every time I’m struggling to top a hill. Those people driving those cars don’t know, I tell myself.
Some of them probably do, but the point is that it can be hard.
Another important thing the bike teaches you is about more roads. Eventually you start looking for new routes, new challenges, new approaches to that same hill. I found some of those today, in part because I saw a neat road name on a map. The road is about four miles from our house and I’ve passed it dozens of times on my bike alone. But playing with cycling routes on a map led me to answering the question “What’s down there?” The answer was a private driveway.
And this:
Had a difficult with the new shoes. They, surprise, didn’t feel right for most of the ride today, but I figured it out as soon as I got home and took them off. And it was an easy fix. Hopefully that will be taken care of today.
I went through three new neighborhoods today, though, and two of them I’ll return to again. The third featured a bad stretch of road that overruled the two extra rides up that same hill mentioned above. In just over half of the distance I climbed more than I will in next weekend’s triathlon. And, with that and the time trialing I did yesterday, I will begin to taper off the workouts.
Tapering, like I have a training plan. Like I’m an athlete.
Aside from the pretending, I do not know what is happening.
Things to read … so you’ll know what is happening.
The best thing you’ll read today: A Janitor’s Ten Lessons in Leadership
Rare, Remarkable Maps Trace America’s Path to Independence
Roger Simon: America’s glorious failures
‘Flying Farmer’ recalls WWII service
Total US Ad Spending to See Largest Increase Since 2004
Guardian Australia: lessons in online-only publications
Have I mentioned I need a drone? I need a drone.
Fireworks may be the most temporal of celebrations, and you’ve already moved on, I know, but that’s just awesome.
I can’t adequately describe this video, but I’d suppose the individual reaction to it is informative.
Now go back to your three-day weekend!
