Bicycling Archives -

Uphill Just Got Easier

By Simone Lipscomb | July 15, 2020

Moving from coastal flatlands to the mountains has certainly challenged my ability to cycle. In fact, I haven’t even ridden my road cycle since arriving here in the Smoky Mountains in late November. And that bike is my sweetheart. There aren’t really designated bike lanes or worse, flat places in which to ride. Nothing comes close to that blistering 33 foot elevation I’d experience while riding through Gulf State Park. Or the 77 foot high bridge. No, here the elevations are in hundreds of feet. There’s even a chart for the Blue Ridge Parkway of elevation gain per section…and it’s not exactly a comforting document to behold.

The intimidating road cycling here prompted me to invest in a mountain bike. It has been years since I did off-road cycling but I figured I could at least break into elevations on the trails before trying the roads. Where I’d ride 20 miles and know I could have gone many more in the flatlands, if I make it 6 or 8 miles on my mountain bike I feel a nice accomplishment.

But yesterday I had a breakthrough and I think it’s a breakthrough that applies most wonderfully to the rest of my life. It seems simple but it made an incredible difference in my ability to pedal up some challenging hills.

On the usual 8 mile ride I do on a wide, gravel trail there are a few hills that prompt me to get off and walk my bike. Even in the lowest gear my legs protest too much. When I attempted them yesterday, I noticed I was energetically pushing myself up rather than staying centered over my bike with my attention and energy. When I brought my focus into the exact present moment and location in space, I found my bike was moving up the hill with much less effort and pain.

That may sound weird but it happened on several hills and I was able to continue pedaling up inclines that had previously caused me to give up and walk up. After the first success, I begin to fine-tune my attention and recreate it with other hills.

In the frustrating bike-walks, the moment I gave up I noticed my energy and attention was focused far up the hill and it seemed impossible to continue. In fact, my first ride there a rider was pushing up the hardest hill and so that outcome seemed normal. It’s what my mind accepted as true and right. But then I read a review on the trails at Deep Creek and the writer said the cycling was easy there. WHAT!?! As compared to what? Cycling up Clingman’s Dome?

But that came to mind as I was pedaling. How can I make this easier?My body took over and basically said…watch this.It was as simple as pulling my energy back to the exact place where my body was working. I had been directing my attention and thus my energy far up the hill and leaving less of me to actually pedal.

It’s difficult to accomplish one task if my mind is elsewhere. But if I give it my full attention, without focusing on the final outcome, I have more energy available to complete the task in front of me.

We are taught to live in the future, to always focus on ‘down the road’ to create a life of success and affluence. To support ourselves we are taught we must always think of the future. Yet when we do this we often miss the true beauty and richness of life. If our energy is tossed out into some unknown place far ahead, our daily lives can be more difficult because less of our self is present to create, live.

My goal is to make it up the hill but to do so I have to be totally present and keep my energy right here with me to make the effort less difficult. That’s what my bicycle teaches me. I can’t thrive in daily life if I am constantly worried about the future, if my focus is on some imaginary moment down the road of life when everything comes together. That place comes along organically by the everyday present moments of attention given to the quality of life in the here and now.

Struggle increases when we project our energy outside of ourselves to force an outcome. When we ease off and just stay present, life changes…for the better even though it still requires effort.

My road bike just had a tune-up. She’s ready to ride some off-the-beaten-path paved roads….am I? I’m getting there. Definitely…getting there.

Seasonal Tease

By Simone Lipscomb | July 30, 2014

Low humidity, temperature in the upper 60’s, no wind…how could I keep from cycling this morning? Conditions were perfect so before 7am I was riding the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail.

When I was 16 I began working summers in Gulf State Park and grew to love it. But my relationship with the park began when I was a child swimming in the dark, tannic waters of Lake Shelby and hearing stories about the Cat Man from my mother, who was born in Gulf Shores…before there were houses or condos cluttering the beach. Each time I visit the park I appreciate the special place it has held in my heart for over half a century (yes…I’m THAT old!).

This morning’s ride was especially nice. As my bike tires whirred over paved trails winding through live oak forests, alligator habitat and stately pine trees, my mind relaxed into the present moment. Birds flitted along the marshy areas and osprey called overhead. A little garter snake sunned dangerously on the trail, in harm’s way should a cyclist not see her.

The nice temperature and low humidity lured me and the hour and thirty-seven minutes I spent pedaling those 19 miles was an amazing start to the day. But I know this little blip in the summer weather is destined to evaporate like a rain puddle on asphalt. While I know this delicious weather won’t return for days or even months, it was a most excellent seasonal tease.

Shadows on the Pavement

By Simone Lipscomb | November 21, 2013

Another beautiful November day in Coastal Alabama found me on the Backcountry Trail in Gulf State Park. Riding my bike through beautiful pine and live oak forests, I found myself dodging shadows of dragonflies. The insects almost bounced off my sunglasses or helmet as they darted around me but they were not easy to see. Their shadows, however, were quite obvious.

Beautiful, black outlines of these magnificent creatures flitted and danced all over the pavement as I attempted to avoid them. Finally I realized it wasn’t the shadows I needed to avoid and so I started watching for the less obvious ‘real’ thing. It made me think of how much energy we use trying to avoid our own, inner shadows. And for what purpose?

Our internal shadows cannot harm us and serve only to show us the reflection of the real issues in our lives. When we see shadows within they are simply gateways pointing to something that needs our attention.

Traditional wisdom speaks of dragonflies as teaching us the power of light. According to Ted Andrews, they remind us that we are light and can reflect the light in powerful ways. “Let there be light is the divine prompting to use the creative imagination as a force within your life.” We can allow ourselves to be channels of light and to let it illuminate the shadows within which serve to teach us about ourselves.

As I inhaled the cool, salty air and passed through patterns of sun and shade I pedaled with a sense of freedom. I felt appreciation for such a lovely place in which to pedal and for my lovely insect companions that brought a sense of joy through creating shadows on the pavement.