"Our greatest
weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try
just one more time."
-Thomas A. Edison
Cycling is far from easy. Today I spent over four and a half hours in the saddle, riding over seventy miles. During the ride, I had plenty of motivation to give up. My legs cramped heavily and I was in great need of real food, but nothing in me was ready to give up. Giving up is not only my worst fear, but also the feeling that I hate most. Cycling is largely based off of momentum. Wheels spin in circles and want to continue to spin. The worst thing you can do on a bike is to stop pedaling. Maintaining a steady tempo and cadence is essential. Surprisingly, holding a steady power output is more efficient than stopping and restarting many times. For these reasons, I hold this quote in high regard. The pertinence this quote holds to cycling is also interesting. Giving up may seem like the easy route at the time, but giving up is the largest restriction of a human’s potential, in my opinion. I have not had success at every race. I have finished races so tired and dead that I swore to myself I would never race again. Sometimes the only reason I am able to finish races is because I tell myself I never have to race again. After some recovery, however, I always got back on the bike. I continue to try and endure the pain associated with suffering on the bike. I do this because I love riding my bike, but, also, because I am fascinated by progress. I devote as much time as I can to being the fastest I can be and it has paid off. This season I did not give up. I trained for about six months straight, steadily building my ride time and fitness. Currently, I am peaking, riding close to eleven hours a week and racing at the fastest paces in the state. I have accomplished my major goals of the season, winning the overall for the southern norcal varsity high school league and placing 4th in varsity at the state championships. I did not give up and I persevered to accomplish my goals. But I am not done yet. My season has just started. I will continue to get faster.
Faster
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