Cycling to Success
“No individual or organization that has become successful has done so with short-term focus." -Tony Robbins
I was out riding my bicycle recently when (you guessed it) it occurred to me that there are several lessons for success in the act of cycling. I am an amateur cyclist. I state this such so that you will understand that I am not a professional, who rides 100+ miles per day for practice (God forbid!) or an avid cyclist, who wants to ride 100+ miles per day. I get on my bike occasionally and give it my all for 10 or 15 miles and call myself an amateur. I want to make it clear that the type of cycling I engage in is different from the folks who get on their bikes twice a year and peddle down to the local Dairy Queen. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there aren’t quite as many success lessons that I can make up about that type of cycling. So we’ll just wave pleasantly to those folks as we race by and focus on a more intense form of amateur cycling. Assuming there is such a thing as an intense form of amateur cycling.
A big concern for any athlete is staying hydrated. This became eminently clear to me one hot summer day when my calves decided to fiercely cramp while I was waiting at a street corner for the light to change. I’m sure it was a fairly comical scene to the drivers waiting at the light as I toppled over, bike and all, like someone who’d acquired sudden bike paralysis. It wasn’t all the comical to ME, but it was certainly a lesson. In fact, it’s lesson 1: Prepare yourself for your journey. (And drink lots of water.)
Being diabetic, there are a lot of other pre-cycling preparations I engage in as well. I make sure to have a glucometer (layman’s term: sugar tester), some snacks, my cell phone and a book. “A book?” you ask. I bring the book in case I find a nice spot to stop and read. Of course, if the nice spot happens to be in the middle of someone’s front lawn, you may want to think twice about this. A book can also be handy if you’re standing on your bike waiting for a train or something similar. This brings us to tip 2: Always have a book handy. (Not to get off topic, but if you’re going to be flying, you should definitely have a book handy. Those in flight magazines are not all they’re cracked up to be.)
I usually give some thought to my cycling route as well. I try to find areas that are hilly enough to challenge me, but not TOO hilly. While the mountain riding days of the Tour d’France are awfully impressive, but that’s a bit more challenging than this amateur wants. I’m not quite ready to spend and ENTIRE DAY riding up the side of a mountain! Maybe that’s why professional riders get paid the big bucks. (Assuming they get paid the big bucks.) I also prefer to leave my route open ended so that I can take some side detours. Because tip 3 is: Stop and smell the roses. Half the fun of a bike ride (and life) is the journey.
Something else we amateur cyclists concern ourselves with is the wind. Like the hills, the wind can be both your friend and your enemy. The slight breeze which feels so pleasant while you’re out walking can make a simple bike ride quite a challenge when you’re riding into it. Of course, you really can’t do much about the wind, but you can optimize your route by taking wind direction into account. It’s been my experience that when I start out on a bike ride, I have a lot more energy. With this in mind, I start my journey riding into the wind and end it riding with the wind. (With the assumption that you usually have to come back opposite the way you started.) Tip 4: Plan the more challenging tasks for the beginning of the journey while you’re still fresh.
On the recent trip that inspired me, I planned a longer ride. I did this in preparation for a ride that I’ll be making later this week. One thing I’ve noticed about longer rides is that they’re easier when you start at a steady, even pace. At the beginning of the ride, you usually have more energy. This may tempt you to bolt out of the gate in a flurry of legs and pedals to prove how great a cyclist you are. (Prove to whom, I’m not sure.) Of course, by the time you hit the middle of the trip, you begin to regret your brief stint as a great cyclist. By definition, reaching the middle of the trip means you still have to turn around and ride back to your starting point (unless you want to employ your cell phone to call someone to come and give you a ride. Doing that means you trade in your great cyclist mantle.). This leads to our final tip: Conserve your energy, so you can finish well.
Have a great month!
