Away We Go: Shifting Gears

There is a point in any given bicycle ride when you feel you’re working too hard. Either outrunning the pedals or grinding so hard that you know your legs are going to give out earlier than planned. The problem, I realized far later than I should, is improper gearing.

There's a Goldilocks spot. It’s not always easy to recognize but if you’ve been in the wrong gear for awhile it feels like slipping into the current. But the really interesting part is that the just-right place can actually be a more difficult gear. Your legs can be working harder but you’re getting more out of each pedal stroke.

It is possible to be difficult and feel exactly right at the same time.

There's a metaphor here as I’m sure every one of you has seen coming. Sometimes you're not moving in the right life-gear. Your legs are circling around and around and it doesn't feel like you're getting anywhere and certainly not quickly. You know you can't keep up the pace. You know you're got the strength for only so much more. Sometimes your feet are spinning so fast you can keep your seat but that’s its own kind of wrong-ness too.

It’s easier to see the hills coming on a bike whether they be up or down. You know your cadence is about to change when the road threads clearly in front of you.

Part of the strategy is settling into the suck. There really isn't a gear for a 10% grade. Just like there isn't a comfortable spin on someone you love being sick or hurt or gone.

So how hard should this be? The answer depends on how long I think I'll be at it. This is easy to determine on a bike; not so much as another Sunday night rolls around and I don’t know whether I should be measuring in seconds or decades. It's not the easiest thing to determine but that’s not a thing that will change.

The peace I make with that is brief and variable. Just as the just-right gear doesn’t last. The next incline means a whole new adaptation. It's not anything to rail against, it just is. (Not that I don’t try).

This is a good thing to remember when I feel like I'm pedaling with all my might and still going backwards. That may be the truth for today. Maybe tomorrow's ride will be easier. Maybe it won't.

Either way I'll try and switch gears and see what happens.

This story inspired by events at Snow Canyon State Park, Utah.