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Hover, Sit Or Stand On Your Pedals

Mountain biking lessons

Bam. Crack. Crash.

The tree rejected my slightly turned handlebars and ejected me off my mountain bike.

Splat.

I pressed my palm into the central florida sandirt as it pressed itself into my sweaty body.

Turning over I stared at the canopy while a palm pricked my right thigh.

Sunlight shimmied through the trees. A soft breeze teased.

I love mountain biking.

Not so much the dirt in the mouth part-but rather how the trail refuses to accept anything but my full attention and complete presence and punishes me for anything less.

Moments earlier I’d been making a mental Christmas list. I know it’s not even Halloween yet.

I hadn’t noticed the narrowing of the trail.

BAM. CRACK. CRASH.

Mountain biking it reminds me of important life lessons.

Mostly when I’m on my bike I’m reminded of the connectedness of everything. Every second is connected to the next until time runs out for me and the only way to be ready for what’s ahead is to be entirely present; heart, mind, body and spirit — here and now.

Standing on my pedals.

This is where I was before I was laying on my back in the sandirt. Standing on your pedals is the equivalent of the athletic stance for mountain bikers. It’s especially helpful when I’m climbing and when I’m preparing to launch my full suspension bike over some sort of log, root or rock bent on opposing me. Standing is powerful. It’s an offensive position. And man- is it tiring. The trail has taught me to never approach a challenge, obstacle or opportunity in my life from any other position than standing with the full intent to ENGAGE and WIN.

Sitting.

I’ve never been much of a sitter. I don’t spend tons of time sitting but over the years the trail has taught me to sit more than I use to. Thanks to mountain biking I’ve learned the benefits of rest and relaxation — can I tell you about the cramps you get if you try to stand on your pedals for three hours in the forest? And to boot, it’s easier to breathe when you sit and pedal nice and slowly. And just today when I sat on my seat and pedaled at half the speed of normal a heavenly black butterfly with gold stars or diamonds fluttered next to me for over a minute and a half. And so too it is in life. Resting is useful. Relaxation prepares me for challenges. Sitting helps me regroup so that when the opportunity to stand comes I’ll be ready. Pacing matters. Life is more marathon than sprint. My brain even works better with lots of white space and quiet time to make sense of things especially weird things like- me.

Hover.

I learned early to wrap the bike seat between my thighs and take my butt and hover behind the seat while descending bumpy terrain. It’s the only way I maintain my balance on the bike it’s the only way I can remain entirely prepared to pull and navigate my bike over what shows up on the path in front of me. Unpredictabilty. Hovering is a practice of detachment. First you detach from the seat then from how the trail should be,what and how you should be riding and pretty soon all that is left is the moment and a natural flow of energy; a union of bike, body, mind and spirit. And all because — you are hovering. Loving detachment. I’ve learned it on the trails and now I’m practicing it in life. I’ m learning to let go and allow. I’m learning to detach from my children’s choices and the opinions of others about me and my weird tendency to leap and expect to find my wings on the way down… Mountain biking reminds me I’m not in control. I’m not in control of what the trail will serve up nor for the most part am I in control of what life will serve up. It’s here with the sun radiating through the canopy painting splotches of illumination across the trail I’m learning there is one thing I’m always in control of on the trail and in life. I always get to choose how I will respond and what I believe about everything which shows up in front of me and happens to me. Freedom. It may be the thing I love most about mountain biking and it may just be the thing I most respect about my life now that I realize the one thing I can never lose …my ability to choose how I will respond and who I will be …even when I’m laying on the forest floor staring up at the canopy worried I might have sprained my wrist.

Mountain biking.

Who needs a life coach when you have a tutor like this?

Now. I think it’s time to get back to today’s lesson plan and ride baby-ride!

Hover. Sit. Or Stand On Your Pedals?