This week I joined a group bike ride for more miles and at faster pace than I normally ride. We got out of the gate and I was feeling good in the middle of the pack. But as we started climbing, one by one, I heard “on your left” as each person on the ride whipped past me without breaking a sweat. It literally felt like this was the first time I had been on a bike. The ride was a 35-miler and I bailed at mile 20 as the rest of the riders were no longer in sight. I’m better than this. On this particular day though, I just couldn’t pull it off.
It was a bit humbling, however, it was a gorgeous day and though I couldn’t keep up with the group, I took advantage of the sunshine and relished in the sound of my bike riding over the leaf covered dirt roads.
This experience made me realized riding with other people is much like playing music with other people. Sometimes I spend an entire week playing nothing but one tune over and over. Then I get to the session to share it and I can’t even remember how it goes. Other times I’m training for weeks and hop on a group ride and forget how to ride a bike.
I guess we just have to realize that our best one day is different from our best on another day. We just have to be kind to ourselves, go at our own pace, and enjoy the ride.
Palm Sunday: Tune 49 of 52
Speaking of falling behind…this week’s tune is a week late. It’s a jig called Palm Sunday.
Join me later this week for tune #50 from A Tune A Week.
To get A Tune A Week delivered to your inbox, join the mailing list, if you haven’t already. Just add your email address to the box on the right (I don’t share my email list with anyone). Or join the conversation on our Facebook group and Instagram. You can also subscribe to my Youtube channel. Happy playing!
Session Obsession 