Reflections from a Road Ride

I went on a bike ride yesterday. To be more specific: I went on a 25 mile ride in Spain with 3 Galician male cyclists. The potential red flags: I had never ridden in a group before, they don’t speak English, I had only even ridden in this country once so far, and I am a young, relatively inexperienced  female cyclist that doesn’t often ride very fast on my own. Was I crazy for showing up to that ride? It felt like it, but I’m so grateful that I went. I was pretty nervous beforehand, anticipating embarrassment and struggle amidst all those previously listed red flags but just accepting them as they were. The guiding philosophy I’ve essentially set for myself here in Spain is, “Does it scare you? Ok, then do it.” And this was a perfect example of that in action.

So anyways, I did it. I rode with Cristobal, Andres, and Armón from Vilagarcia to Catoira, with one pretty long climb and some long, fast downhills too. We chatted in Spanish, I listened to them banter in Spanish, I learned about the various hand signals used in group rides to note obstacles, change formation, etc. I practiced drafting and riding in a mini-peloton, flew around roundabouts, and tried my very best to keep pace. The guys were awesome; they never came off as judgmental, only welcoming. They asked me about where I was from, how I was doing, and continuously offered tips and encouragement. It was quite the workout too. My watch told me I needed 72 hours to recover from it (it was also midday and very hot out, so that was part of the extra-intense exertion). I’m quite proud of myself for the whole feat. 

I also got to thinking, during the ride, about how powerful this whole experience is and will be over the next couple of months. My thought process went something like this (again, while riding, so it was a bit fragmented but was as clear and profound to me in the moment as the rocky floor of Lake Michigan on a day with 20 foot visibility):

1. This is exhausting, in so many ways; yes, I’m physically working very hard, but my brain is also working overtime. My legs keep spinning and my lungs keep working as I compute the road, the obstacles, the distance between my wheel and the rider in front of me for optimal draft, the cadence I am working to hold, the movement of the group around curves and on inclines, the signals they throw behind them, the conversation–entirely in Spanish–which I am processing and responding to, the cars that pass us, taking in the vistas, and literally every small muscle movement that I’m not attending to consciously. 
2. I am learning so much. SO MUCH. And it’s all so, so real. School has absolutely nothing on this experience. In this moment, I am learning road riding skills and etiquette, the Spanish language and culture, and more each moment about Spain itself. Outside this moment, thinking about the whole summer I’m here for, and all that I will learn and experience, I just can’t even comprehend it. This is real life, and I’m living it, and I am gluttonous to consume all the lessons and experiences that I can here. 
3. I love to do hard things. I am good at doing hard things. I am good, and getting better, at pushing myself to do more and more hard things. “If it scares you, do it.”
4. I wonder how long my high energy is going to last before I crash and need to chill out. I have been going going going nonstop since I got here, basically, and am fatiguing myself probably in more ways than I know. For one: the physical demands of course, of so much walking with Bella (I’ve been trending at 20,000 steps a day versus the 8,000 from before), cycling, etc. Then, the change in time zones and adaptations my body is making to a new schedule. Additionally, keeping up with my work load amidst all else that is going on. And most importantly, the mental load; the constant absorption of newness, from new places to new people to new opportunities. The language, making my brain work double-time to hear, comprehend, sometimes translate, formulate, and respond in Spanish 99% of the time. My brain is exercising even more than my body these days, but I know that both take a toll that can end up having physical implications. 

I haven’t tried to put all those thoughts into more concise terms, and I don’t think I will. I will just keep thinking about them and paying attention more and more to how my brain and body feel in this new reality I’m living. And, I’ll keep pushing myself to ride bikes with the people who know what they’re doing, in hopes that I too will soon feel comfortable and like I slightly know what I’m doing.