Bicycle Tourist
This
mountain
is not the sum
of all the obstacles
I have faced in my life.
It's just a hill!
When I first returned to cycling in my 50s I was afraid of every hill I came to. I had no confidence that I had the capacity to ride over anything bigger than a bump. But the more I rode the stronger I got and the "bumps" I was riding over got bigger and bigger. But I still faced each climb with fear. Then one day on a long loaded tour in the Rockies I met another cyclist and told him how every climb seemed like a battle to me. He suggested that I practice relaxing as I climbed. It seemed like a silly idea but I decided to try it. And that's when I figured out that my fear had very little to do with the hill in front of me.... and wrote the poem.... and found my mantra. I have no doubt it will be useful as we head east from San Diego!
