Ride…

Today, we fly. Tomorrow and for the next 7 tomorrows, we ride. Simple. Hard. Beautiful. Exhausting. Exhilirating. Scary. Satisfying. You see, tomorrow faux old guys and one not so old guy will arrive in St. Jean de Maurienne and saddle up, so to speak, for eight days of pedaling. Simple.

We ride.

We won’t often ride together either. We will mostly ride in solitutude. Climbing the French Alps cannot be accomplished at anothers pace. You have to find your rhythm and simply stick to it. You watch the stronger ride on by. You encourage the weaker as you do likewise. The mountain is unrelenting and must be respected. The conditions will be out of control and ever changing. It could rain as it’s forecasted. It could snow. It could be blazing hot and there is always wind. It doesn’t really matter.

We ride.

My body is as ready as it’s ever gonna be at age 55. I am looking forward to this test and this treat. What a blessing to be on my bike pedaling around the mountains of France with some of my friends. And, what a royal pain too. My mind is gonna resist going up, up, up – especially when the gradient goes double digits. My mindset is the key. I have one word to describe my mindset as we prepare to leave later today. I think about how good it is to have this kinda clarity and why most don’t in the everyday. I think about how often we complicate what God made so simple. I think about how often we get off track because of all the noise we let in to our once clear minds. I think about the power of simplicity and the God given power of crystal clarity. My mindset is the key when I’m here and when I’m there, when I’m working and when I’m playing, when I’m healthy or not so healthy. Mindset matters. Oh yea, I almost forgot – my mindset for the next eight days?

Ride…