There’s a term in the cycling world that encapsulates one of Peter and myself’s biggest challenges for the coming bike-trip: “Half-Wheeling.”
‘Half wheeling is what they call it when two riders, side by side, are subconsciously trying to beat the other rider. One will inch forward just enough that his wheel is a half wheel in front of the other’s, who, in response, does the same thing. A typical addendum is that both riders start off after agreeing to go for an “easy ride”. So they start out at, say, 16 mph.
Then one guy slides forward just a bit, edging up to maybe 16.5 mph.
The other guy responds likewise, maybe upping the ante to 17 mph.
And, in 15 minutes, suddenly they’re furiously time trialing at 30 mph, trying to get half a wheel ahead of the other guy.’ (From Aki)
Peter and I are both extremely competitive individuals. It’s a trait that extends into both of our lives and is both a positive and negative aspect of our personalities. So, when we get together, naturally we’re both sure to want to beat the other person, though not in a mean-spirited or bad-natured sort of way, but in the friendly competitive, we’ll both work so hard to bring out our best. But when riding 4,600 miles across the United States, Pete and I definitely cannot be half-wheelin’ the whole time! This is one of the areas where we will both need to grow the most, to really make ourselves into the team we want to be. A team that leaves the ego at the door so we’re both working for the support of the other.
Because it’s bigger than our egos now. It’s about the goal, the destination and everyone that has helped us get to this point. After 22 months of planning, we’re less than 22 days from departure. And even if we flew out to the Left coast and were only able to make it a week, it wouldn’t be a failed trip in our books. But, that said, successfully riding across the country in 65 days is our largest goal. The goal that will be motivating us each day when we wake up with sore bodies, the air temperature being over 100 degrees, and 70 miles to go across the never ending straightaway that is Kansas (with a headwind nonetheless!).
To draw this thought of a goal back to the idea of “half-wheeling,” we’re going to have to learn that in order to make that goal, we’re going to have to conquer our latent tendencies to always want to work our hardest and go the fastest. The only way we’re going to make that goal is with the steady 12mph forward motion—when the legs are feeling great, and when the legs are feeling terrible. Steady and constant.
We’re ready for the challenge. And we’re only going to make it as a team.
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