For Every Headwind…
June 10, 2010
I love cycling, especially when the weather is beautiful and you get out on the country roads we have north of Raleigh. If you go out in mid May, the smell of honeysuckle and jasmine is overpowering – almost intoxicating.
That’s the good part. The more challenging part of riding on those roads is that they’re, well, hilly. And I’m not talking about pleasant rolling hills, I mean hills – long stretches that go up and up and then up some more.
Generally speaking, though, the rule that “what goes up must come down” applies on the road, and when you get to the top of the hill, there’s usually a downhill stretch you can use to recover: for every uphill, there’s a downhill…
But there is another challenge on the road that can be just as bad as a big hill: the wind. Depending on the weather conditions, you can be facing winds of over 15 mph sometimes, and despite being in an aerodynamic position, or riding in a group, the wind does take its toll.
But, you’d think that if you have a headwind in one direction, then you’d have a tailwind in the other direction: for every headwind, there’s a tailwind…
Unfortunately, as often as not, just when you get to the point on the ride where you’re going to change directions, the wind seems to shift – now coming from the opposite direction, giving you a headwind all over again for the ride back home!
The expression all cyclists know is actually this one:
For every uphill, there’s a downhill; for every headwind, there’s a…headwind!
The road itself doesn’t vary – if it increases in altitude today, it’s the same tomorrow, and the next day. The wind is another story altogether. It can be strong or weak. It can be constant or gusty. It can be consistent, or it can change direction on a moment’s notice.
In business and life, there are constants, and there are variables. The success you have depends not so much on the road you take, but rather on the way you anticipate, plan for, and adapt to the unpredictable, unforeseen, and often invisible obstacles that crop up on the way.
It’s your response to these conditions that determines whether your ride will be a good one.
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