I think that the most important lesson I've learned about riding so far has been to ride my own ride.

There's always someone with more experience on the road. We want to be good at this, and we want to be good at it right now. It's hard to accept not being able to keep up, and it's hard to be passed. Other riders can be mighty daunting, and if we don't learn that lesson, I think we defeat our efforts to become riders, and those lovely bikes we have sitting in the garage, or wherever do just that: sit in our garages. (hmmm, thinking about it, this was more a "life lesson" than a "bike lesson" and appllies to a whole lot more than bike riding!)

I'm amazed at how much easier it is to climb the little inclines I struggled so hard with last spring when I started out (and I took the winter off) and how easy it is to cruise along at 15-17 on stretches I worked my tail off to "fly" at 12mph. My "average" speed is still 10-12 most days, but I don't worry about that, since I've got a lot to learn yet! Anyway, we do get better with time and practice, and eventually, we may not pass that guy that gets us today, but there will be someone we pass along the way!

Karen in Boise