My Mentality

Yesterday, I got a call from the bike shop. I was at swim practice when they called so, they left a voice mail. I was nervous as I punched in my password to listen to the message. What if I had made a mistake when doing all those repairs to the bike? What if something was broken? I was not very optimistic but, I should have been. The voice mail said that the bike was ready and I could pick it up whenever. Yahoo!

So, this morning I went to the bike shop. The technician rolled the bike out for me and just as he hands it over he says, "Just a quick note on this one."

I said, "...yes?"

He said, "You have a triple crankset on this bike but, your front and rear derailleurs are only able to be used with double cranksets. In order to use all three gears on the triple crankset, you would need to buy different derailleurs."

Dang. The triple crankset cost me $140 and was a pain to install. Now, it turns out I will not be able to use it. When I got the bike home I took it off and put the original double crankset back on. The reason I wanted the triple crankset was for climbing hills and mountains. It would give me more gear ratios and make the climbing easier. I was bummed.

Not for long!

So what if I may have to walk my bike up a mountain or two?! Would Richard Halliburton, the author of "The Royal Road to Romance" and one of the most adventurous people to have ever lived, be concerned about the quality of his adventure if he couldn't get a bike with a triple crank? No, he would do it with much less than I already have. In fact, in 1884 Thomas Stevens rode his penny farthing bicycle from Oakland to Boston. It took him 104 days but, he still made it! Stevens was actually the first person to ever bicycle around the entire world.

The point is I need to change my mentality. Maybe it is because I am young, or because I am a guy, or because of how I was raised, or a combination of these, or something else altogether but, I have a hard time relaxing on a bike ride. While riding, I want to see how fast I can go. I am constantly checking my average speed. I want to see how far I can ride in one day. When I am stopped for a break, I feel like I am wasting time. My average speed is dropping and I need to get back on the bike. This is not a mentality that is conducive to fun and interesting adventures.

My bike trip is not a race. My goal is not to make it across the U.S. in a certain amount of time. My goal is not even to make it all the way across. My goal is to have an adventure. The maps should be referenced as a suggested route, not as the only route. I want to actually use my compass for more than just decoration on my backpack. There is no minimum distance I need to ride every day. I don't want to be concerned with where I will sleep tonight. I'll figure it out. I am excited to repair my first flat tire. I hope it happens in the middle of a rainstorm. I expect to get blisters, and sore, and tired. I also expect to meet a lot of interesting people and see a lot of wonderful sights.

This is the mentality I need to adopt. I've got less than a month and a half to do so!