So what does a borrowed line from Jerry Maguire, in reference to a speeding ticket have to do with cycling?
Bear with me, I’ll get to the point
eventually, and remember it is not the destination but the journey that is
interesting.
A few months ago, I was pulled over in my driveway by a
local policeman who had clocked me doing 39 mph in a 25 mph zone. He asked me if I had any excuses, and my
response was “Well, I have plenty, but they are just that, excuses
- the simple fact was that I was doing 39 and was inattentive to the speed at
which I was traveling - and if you have in you any leeway, I’d appreciate any lenience
you could steer my way.” After a return to his car, and a check for my
non-existent rap sheet, he returned with a warning and no ticket.
At the end of March, I was reflecting on an abysmal past 6
months of cycling, more accurately "lack of cycling". I came to the conclusion
that my biggest enemy was creating and
accepting as valid excuses for not riding (It is cold – or only mildly warm
as was the case this winter/I am tired/I just don’t feel like riding/I rode
yesterday/etc. etc.) Wah! Wah! Wah!
I decided to shake
up the game and try and ride practically every day (or at least 90% of the
days) for 10 weeks straight. After all I
did that in the summer of 2010, when “excuses were not permitted” – whether you
rode or not that day, the truck carrying your gear, and to some extent your
dreams, was heading 70 – 100 miles east.
So how am I doing so far? I am 10 for 11, with two rides
planned today – my attempt to ride the Wednesday evening shop ride last night
was thwarted by a business call that went into double overtime, and a wicked
chest and throat cold that I managed to get once this pathetic excuse for
winter (I am an avid skier) was over.
I
have also learned from "my summer behind bars" that your Power to Weight Ratio is
key to climbing – I knew that before, but never really experienced it – drop 20
lbs (or 80 sticks of butter as I like to think of it) and even the slightest increase in power will
flatten out all but the toughest hills.
I started my “training diet” 5 weeks ago and have dropped 12 lbs of the “winter
10” that I thought I could avoid in December.
Now get out there and ride. If there is an excuse interfering with your decision ask yourself this question; "When was the last time I finished a ride and did not feel better about myself at the end than at the beginning?"Cheers,
Bill
