Strength can be a fickle thing this time of year, when the training isn’t as consistent as it should be; it comes and goes, sometimes several times in the span of a single ride or even a climb. Like a rosy-eyed dreamer I keep awakening as I train, thrown like a rag doll between a state nearing euphoria and one resembling purgatory.
My mind is what drives me as a Cyclist, it is what allows my to keep going despite the burning in my legs and lungs. It is what pushes me to leave the comfort of my home to climb aboard my bike when it is dark, cold, and rainy. But there are times when the legs won’t go or the body fails in some anomalous way when we are struck by the reality that we are but puppets, pushed and pulled by forces that exist outside outside the jurisdiction of our will.
Whether or not the body fails, the mind can still resist. It can resist easing back. It can resist turning around. It can resist turning the bars to steer away from the extra climbing loop. Giving in is the worst kind of weakness we have in Cycling. With time all the acute reasons why we want to quit will pass; the acid will flush from our muscles, the gasps for air will give way to steady breathing, the cold will leave our bodies. But quitting, and the doubt it cultivates can last much, much longer.
Quitting begets quitting. It wears down your confidence and makes you question yourself. It asks questions of you that you will struggle to answer when the 2am Ghosts of Lost Opportunities come calling. Worst of all, quitting gets easier the more you do it.
Before my rides, I will decide if it is to be a hard day or an easy day; whether I will do the extra loop with the big climbs or look for the flatter roads. Once on the ride, I will shut off the part of my mind that asks those questions and simply shut off the part of my mind that processes those considerations. I will not stop until I am done.
Our strength may be fickle, but our minds are steady.
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
I don't quit. My problem is different. I have trouble stablishing new goals and challenges. I'm now trying to do a transition to a more experienced group of riders from my currently "newbie we only ride bycicles" group. It's really hard for me cause I don't wanna be the last guy on the peloton. I need to take some shots of the V.
@zugo
I think this is one of the great things about the bike: the ability to set goals and achieve them - even if it take a shitload of suffering to do so. I know the Rules say it's not about distance, but distance is a very good way to set and achieve said goals. For example: as the year progresses, my rides go from 50kms to 80kms, 100, 120, 160, 200, 200+ The goal this year is a 320 kms ride. Sure, time and daylight sometimes dictate otherwise, but there's also great joy when you head out on a ride, feel better than you thought you would and blow past the goal for the day. Truly a win-win.
@Buck Rogers
That's more volunteering than persevering
@wiscot
+1
@zugo put that ego in a box for a while, join that faster group and accept the batterings for a while. You'll not be at the back for too long, but in my humble opinion "I don't want to...." is a path to certain disappointment. I prescribe liberal doses of Rules #5 and #10
@Buck Rogers
The KJV has it as "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience" - 17th Century Rule #5
@the Engine
Oh yes, the Isaiah one is all about volunteering to lead the way. I was just remarking that I love the Isaiah one but the Romans one is awesome as well and actually relevant to the conversation (a first for me).
Wise words @frank the idea of setting your goal before you ride is that you know that you are not permitted to shorten it. When the man with the hammer comes calling your mantra can only be to get home, and that in turn means completing the ride.
Between getting up at 5:00 am to get the wife and kids (and me) off to work/school, and putting the last kid to bed at 8:30 at night, my only conceivable time for riding during the week is 8:30 to 9:00 at night. It has been oh-so-hard to force myself down into my 45 degree basement to crank out an hour's worth of pain on the trainer/rollers. More often than not, I've been losing that battle and going to bed. I think I'll print out this post and stick it to my bedside table.
@Buck Rogers
Thinking now to state it as "Rejoice in thy suffering..." on the top tube.