Tough conditions? Fageddabouddit. Time to ride...

When we crowd out negative thoughts with positive ones on a ride where we know some suffering is in store, we can prevail over most physical obstacles, be they gnarly weather conditions, a nasty climb or a clueless pedestrian blocking your lane.

One way to do it is to look at any obstacles on a ride as fun challenges rather than conspiracies to defeat us and make us cry for our mommies!

Doing that will help us, to quote Jim Morrison, break on through to the other side, the upside of getting in a strong, satisfying ride.

Somebody said the only bad workout we can have is the one we never do. Yep, that’s how it is for me and getting on the bike. I want to get two rides in a week, and if I miss them due to rain, I feel pent up and stodgy, like a fat, slow moving couch potato.

So when my time to ride arrives and conditions aren’t great, it’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” decision time.

I can sit out and then constantly wonder if I should have gone despite the conditions. Or I can just buck up and ride through the elements to get the pedal time I need.

Rain and high winds have kept me from going out on rides when I’ve had the luxury of waiting a day or two for better conditions.

But if I won’t have the time to ride for another six or seven days, I have a different mindset.

Sure, if it’s raining steadily, with no prospect of letting up, I’ll sit it out, not worth it, better luck next time. I once did a long ride in the rain and it was absolutely not worth it. I learned one thing: Don’t ride in the rain if you can help it. I poured a boot-ful of rainwater out of my bike frame.

But if there’s a 30 percent chance of rain and it isn’t raining, I check the weather map, and if there aren’t any rain indicator blobs moving toward my area, I take my chances and hit the road. And if it’s really windy, bending the trees with 20-25 mph gusts, even though I hate getting blown around on the bike, I go.

On those days, I start off telling myself that yes, the wind will blow all through this ride, but so what, it’s just going to be a slow and go workout. That positive thought gets me out the door.

During the ride, I just pedal through headwind, side winds, gusts, even though sometimes it feels like I’m pedaling in place. 
But then my Bunker Mentality speaks up. “Hey, so it’s windy, big deal. It’s a workout and you want a workout. And by the way if it starts to rain, same thing, keep pedaling. Fageddabouddit.”

The best part is when you make it back from the tour de elements, you feel gratified, even victorious, as if you went into battle and won: You broke through the negative conditions, negative thoughts, planted the flag at the top of the hill, and got the workout you wanted. Yeah!

Speaking of hills, check out this climb in Adelaide Australia with some Movistar pros, good stuff…

Tough climb made to look way too easy! 

‘Til next time, remember to strap on a helmet whenever you get on the bike. Then, do whatever it takes to keep the rubber side down. Have fun and be safe.

-- Mark Eric Larson