I take my self and my 13 year old son on cross -country trips quite often. About 3 years ago we started taking our bikes and finding rides to take. Last year we rode 17 miles on a backroad to Cerrillos, NM, where the film Young Guns was made. Other rides were way more remote.

I always have an ENORMOUS amount of anxiety over the trip as it approaches. I mean, I'm taking my CHILD out to the wilds of New Mexico or Oregon or Vermont. Forget what might happen on the ride...what about on the freeway? We're going to Oregon in 4 weeks, and I have a lot of anxiety about the drive from Cheyenne to Salt Lake City. What if we end up in a freak snowstorm? That's what I'm afraid of, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

It seems like a strange thing to be afraid of, but how I cope with it is to plan and prepare. I've been all over every weather website, looking at precipitation averages for almost every town along that stretch. For the bike routes, I've looked at every route, made copies of the route, and even poured over them on Google Earth. I've got a plan for food and things to bring. I wish I still had my diesel Bug, so I could leave it running if we got stuck in the snow--but the Element will have to do. Things can happen on other parts of the trip, too, but I've already planned for those as a matter of course. (I've got my wind-up flashlight!) We had to drive to Ohio through the remains of Hurricane Katrina, and we were fine! Things happen. I prepare, and I don't go until I feel prepared. I use the energy contained in that anxiety to provide energy for my action. (One of my mantras from my poor single mom days was "Anxiety=Action".)

All that to say that one way to handle anxiety is to imagine the worst case scenario from the safety of your living room, and DECIDE IN ADVANCE what you would do about it. Imagine what the results will be if you do fall over going uphill. Instead of just imagining what can happen, imagine what will happen after "the worst" happens. Take it to the next logical step, and the next, until you can focus on the eventual non-threatening outcome.

(Thank you, Dale Carnegie, for that advice which I read when I was just 15. It has served me well. _How to Stop Worrying and Start Living_)

Imagine it, and then try to figure out things you can do--in advance--to prevent the thing that you imagine will happen. Practice clipping in and out. (whatever it is that you feel anxious about) Tell yourself that you know how to clip in and out, and that you're capable of being aware of all factors that will prevent you from unclipping in time, falling into the path of a car, or falling uphill, and are fast-thinking enough to do it in time to prevent a tragedy. Even if you do fall, it's not likely that you will die or anyone else will die, and if you're hurt you will heal, and after you heal you will have a great story to tell.

Yes, anything is possible. But is it probable? Prepare for the probable.

Karen