As I begin this quest…and I’m not really for sure where I’m going with this new adventure on the bike (“the sky’s the limit”, right?!)…I just know that I tend to not do things half-heartedly. And as a precaution en route to taking things more seriously (maybe even too serious sometimes), I often over look the simple pleasures, the silver linings, and the “just for fun” moments that got, and kept, me going in the first place. As I continue to read, ask questions, buy more gadgets, spend countless hours on the bike, etc. I’m trying to make a conscious effort to remember those little things that make me smile and get back in the saddle day after day. Such as (but not limited to):

- Despite having multiple flats when you first get a bike, it teaches you real quick how to fix your own flats.

- Having a tailwind on the way back home (and the noticeable quietness when the wind is no longer blowing directly at you – and then the sometimes nearly doubled speed!).

- Finding that perfect gear to get you up that “scary” hill with “ease.”

- Having that satisfied feeling after a long (exhausting, but yet oddly refreshing) ride.

- and therefore, Having the fully deserving feeling of the food you eat after that ride.

- The sense of accomplishment from graduating to clipless pedals and finding the ability to use the drops.

- Being excited to get a couple extra minutes of day light at the end of the day: 1) it’s a couple extra minutes to ride, 2) you’re getting that much closer to spring/summer!

- When you’ve been on the trainer for days on end and then to finally be outside—moving! And despite crazy winds that would usually annoy you, you could care less because you are moving!

- Fitting into those old jeans because 1) you ride a lot, 2) you ride a lot and therefore are not around to eat a lot

- Mastering “snot rockets”

- Solo rides with the best listener in the world—your bike—and solving all the day’s problems on a ride in the middle of nowhere.

- Realizing that you can ride in sub-20 degree weather and then the rejoiceful (& warm) feeling when it’s above freezing again.

- Camaraderie built by an extremely (fill in the blank) ride.

- Getting to ride with and learn from some of the nicest/coolest/wisest/most hard-core ladies around!

I want to be able to hold onto this “beginner spirit” as long as possible. And no matter how potentially “hard-core” I want to someday become, I hope that these little things—that may seem odd to outsiders— will continue to make me smile. If we’re not still smiling and having fun, what’s the point?

So, what are your simple pleasures that keep you going back to the bike day after day?