Fargo and Away

Road cycling is still relatively new to me. Before I started riding the Pan Mass Challenge in 2016 I had never ridden more than about 25 miles. I was a runner and before that a soccer player so I had fitness, but both of those activities are bounded — I usually ran only a few miles, and a soccer field has literal white lines.

Cycling is different because of the distances. In some ways it’s a little easier on the body (which is why I cycle now rather than run or play soccer), but you can more easily find yourself in trouble, miles from home with a flat tire or dead legs.

So, every time I wake up to get ready for a ride, especially the long rides, one of the first things I have to do is quiet the negative voices in my head telling me all the ways the ride could go wrong. It’s good to have a healthy respect (and maybe a little fear) for the challenges of cycling, but you can’t let it stop you.

One of the best things that happened to me since I started cycling was finding a community of riders that I can lean on when I need to. I don’t think I would ever have been able to come on this trip solo, even if it were with a tour. I am grateful for this group.

Now, it’s time to ride.