Our friend Gigi (MAPP ’06) has allayed her initial fears and decided to join us en route for a few days. Donning her bright yellow cycling vest as she powers up the challenging climbs of the Big Sur coastline, she has proven that building self-efficacy in a new, intimidating pursuit is not only possible but also fun and invigorating. We love having her smile and energy around!

Yesterday, on our “day off” in the town of Big Sur, we decided to tackle a 20-mile hike into a secluded hot spring. While the long walk was incredibly fulfilling and gorgeously scenic, we learned that walking recruits an entirely different set of muscles than cycling. After the first hour on the narrow and winding trail, I found myself in a trance-like, flow state, focusing intently on every step. By our sunset return to camp, we were exhausted and covered in blisters, but the trek and bath in the springs left us all feeling cleansed.

On this morning’s ride, I was taught a hard lesson on attention. Working our way south, we hit a 4-mile stretch of loose gravel rode construction which significantly reducing our traction. Construction vehicles were flattening the gravel and blowing dust everywhere, and in the interims trucks led lines of cars through one direction at a time. Gigi and I rode carefully and tentatively through the first patch and stopped to wait for Jason who had been inspecting his trouble-ridden rear wheel at our last stop. After about 20 minutes, I decided to go back to check on him, hoping that his delay was the result of nothing more dire than severe wheel problems. As I re-entered the gravel section of rode, I was concerned about staying to the right of the road so as not to be in the way of the work. The gravel was piled a couple inches above the narrow dirt shoulder leading to the vertical rock wall to my right. Already scared by the unstable and potentially dangerous gravel road, I became very focused on the shoulder, not wanting to slip of the edge.

As I began to make a slight right turn downhill, I focused so much on the shoulder that I veered toward it. Knowing that I was at risk of falling off the bike if my tire slipped on the gravel edge, I focused even more on not getting too close to the edge. And, as was inevitable, I veered closer. Understanding the risk of any sudden movement on the gravel, I could do little as I quickly headed directly towards the shoulder. Had I simply focused on riding where I wanted to be riding, I should have had no problem maintaining a straight path. But instead, my fear and focus on what I didn’t want got the best of me and SMACK! My bike slid from underneath me and my left elbow and knee were the primary victims. I stood up slowly, pulled the gravel out of my shorts, and continued towards Jason on foot—frustrated and dismayed by my progress on the bike—with my first aid kit in hand. As I patched my bleeding arm, I found Jason attempting to fix two broken spokes on his rear wheel, a task for which he lacked the proper tools.

After some effort to make his broken wheel ride-able, Jason admitted defeat and hitched a ride 50 miles down the road to the nearest bike shop while Gigi and I finished the day’s route. My aching knee is an annoying reminder that keeping myself focused on what I want is a much more promising technique than focusing on what I don’t want.

Posted on October 1st, 2007 by Derrick
Filed under: Uncategorized