Know when to stop pushing !

Have you ever gone out for a spin on a bike just after a shower of rain in summer time . The air is clear and the grass and trees are greener , and there is a really clean fresh healthy smell in the air . Have you ever pedaled up a tough climb and taken he time to look around at the view . Have you ever had a really good chat with the rider beside you whilst just rolling along . Have you ever returned from a spin with a clear head having solved all of your problems during the think time of a three hour ride . Sometimes it’s important to just head out for a spin on your bike rather than an interval session , a sprint session or putting pressure on yourself to return with a 32km average speed .

Many cyclists make the mistake of over training . When they find themselves going backwards with plenty of training in their legs they resolve to train more . Very often , however , their body is just telling them to ease back . A week of short easy spins might be enough to recharge both body and mind and their form may well return .

It’s important to know when to stop pushing yourself , to wake up and be happy with just going for a cycle .

People are rarely satisfied . The A3 wants to be an A1 . The A1 wants to be a pro . The pro wants to be Lance Armstrong . And Armstrong , well he wants to win the Tour eight times . I think seven might be enough for most people . Although most people won’t win the Tour seven times , if they did they too would probably want another one .

The same rule applies when it comes to houses , cars , jobs and just about anything that you care to think of . Most always wants more .

It’s a human condition to be dissatisfied with what you’ve got . Ambition is a great thing . Without it we would all be still living in caves , but it is important to get the balance right .

In a race of 100 riders the guy who finishes last is just as important as the winner . If all the guys who finish behind the winner didn’t bother to turn up there would be no race . His name is just as important as the winners and just as the winner is congratulated he too should be acknowledged and encouraged , as the effort that the guy who finishes last puts in can sometimes be greater than that of the winner .

Everyone has their own level , both on and off the bike and whilst everyone loves a winner , some of the nicest guys that you’ll ever meet are the ones out the back of the bunch , the ones who keep on going and are delighted to be able to just take part .

I once worked with a guy who had been very ambitious . In sport he always had to win . He always wanted to make more money and he always had a plan . He set many different goals for himself and achieved most of them . But when I knew him he had moved on . He said that he was fed up with never being satisfied and that he now had just one goal . It was a very simple one , his main goal was just to be happy . And he seemed to be doing very well in that endeavour when I knew him .

The funny thing is that when you do stop and take a look around at what you’ve got and where you are , and if you are happy with that , very often more of what you are happy with will come your way , just like the cyclist who is overtrained who by easing back and enjoying the bike will soon rediscover his form once again .

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com