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Tough Enough for Cycling?
Don’t let the colorful shirts fool you. Cycling is far
from a sissy sport. Consider a normal cyclist pedals 78
times per minute, averaging two hours each ride. Tally
it up. That’s 9,360 pedals a ride. Sound like an easy
task?
To clarify, biking is the act of propelling the weight
of ones body with each pedal; up hills, around corners,
evading traffic, and out-speeding dogs. You fluctuate
through bouts of exhaustion as you grind up each hill.
Then sigh in relief as you descend at speeds near 35
miles per hour.
Cycling is a sport of strong hearts, adrenaline rushes,
and determination
The challenge is in overcoming the road, weather, and
even yourself. It is taking a well-oiled machine, your
body, and pushing it to its limit. The heart galvanizes
to feed oxygen through your circulatory system to your
extremities. The senses heighten. And your mind and body
are harmonized into one focus - your destination.
Push yourself without preparation and your body tanks
out. You’ll find yourself stopping to nurse a curb
minutes later. But plan your day, with steady hydration
and complex carbohydrates beforehand, and exhilaration
awaits you at the end of your journey.
The road isn’t always friendly
Spinning classes are great but can’t compare to the
trials of actual pavement pounding. Continuous
adjustments must be made for gravel, grass, concrete,
and dirt roads, each terrain requiring its own level of
intensity. These myriad of conditions can’t be simulated
in a gym.
The weather can be your friend or worst enemy
Cycle on a dry, sunny day and little risk looms except
the threat of possible dehydration. Ride on a humid day
and the humidity makes the air less dense – robbing you
of oxygen. Breathing becomes twice as hard. Pacing
yourself correctly becomes critical.
Still, mile after mile you torque closer to your goal.
Your body yearns to quit but you push on. The strain is
worth the effort. Relieved, you finally arrive at your
mark with a sense of achievement.
You rest a bit but it’s not over yet. Now starts the
journey back. No sweat off your back though. Nothing
rejuvenates the spirit like fresh air and a good
workout. Besides, you soon come to realize what you’ve
known all along. That you can overcome most anything in
life that challenges your path.
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