Thank you for reading my daily ride posts. I’ve tried to capture some key facts from each day, and to describe my thoughts as I was greeted by, or confronted with, new vistas, people, and events as I cycled through the daily lives of “West Coast People” at 8 to 15-miles per hour. As my curiosity was sparked, I looked deeper into what might be under the surface.

Thank you, Joan

A special thanks goes to my wife Joan for her help with my postings. I would send an email to her every night, and she has access to my photo feed. She would spruce up my writings, as I was frequently falling asleep at my keyboard each night. I knew that if I fell behind in my posts, I would never catch up. Joan kept to the spirit of what I tried to convey while making it more intelligible.

The ride is over and we’ll all be moving on to new things. If I don’t get this to you now, I may never write it and you would likely not look back to read it if I posted it later. So, what are my overall insights? I’ll keep it brief.

The hills win

The US West Coast is two tectonic plates having a very loud conversation. And the result—it is mountainous. Road builders must deal with that reality and road users must use what is built. As a fairly fit cyclist, I probably produce about 200 watts of power, maybe a 1/4 of one horsepower.

But, a big but, persistence pays off. My strongest day was my last full day, San Clemente to Imperial Beach. I was crushed by hilly terrain early in the ride, but we humans rise when we try. This 1,800 mile ride was long enough that I experienced a self-evolution, a return to a former strength of body, but with a mind that has become more experienced and capable with age and maturity.

America is a cycling country

The League of American Wheelmen, now the League of American Bicyclists, was founded in 1880, It’s been advocating for cyclists for 145 years and is still at it. The dedication of thousands of organizations and millions of riders has created a cycling infrastructure that works well, particularly in the far West, and in cities across the country. The vast majority of auto and truck drivers show great courtesy to cyclists. We are a cycling nation, and if you are not riding now, I encourage you to get a bike, find a quiet road or trail, and just start pedaling.

Experiencing the world from a bike saddle compliments the other ways we connect with place. At the speed of the ride, the world glides by at a comprehensible rate, not so fast that everything is a blur, and not so slow that the mind wanders to imaginary places.

The West Coast is alive with vitality, creativity and drive

Stop whining about California. Spend some time here and you see much to admire. Just under the bravado, bling and glam, it’s an infinitely complex and nuanced place. People are curious and kind. There’s always something to be learned. For instance, today I found that I can get around most of the LA basin with just a bike and public transportation. The light rail, heavy rail, bus system and bikeway systems are all completely integrated. Who knew? Ten of thousands of LA people know.

I come off the road as an unapologetic optimist

Most people seem to understand that we only get where we want to go, as a community—working together to get there. The society we have built is flawed with issues and weaknesses. But millions of people plan to get up tomorrow and do something about fixing what they can. And the next day and the day after that. Including you. My good news, fresh from the road, is you aren’t alone and help is there for you if you ask for it and are willing to give some help back in return.

Wicked problems

Discomfort is essential for learning. Suffering is pain with a purpose. Knowing when to push and when let up can only be learned by pushing. Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement. Wicked problems are those we cannot see until after we have committed to solving them, when it’s too late to turn back.

We are overly age-segregated

Getting out and doing stuff is a lifelong pursuit, and I met so many fit, active, curious older people, but I also see lots of unfit and inactive young people. The benefits of experience and wisdom appear to not be extended to young people, and this is not the fault of the young people. People who have successfully aged enjoy each other’s company perhaps a little too much.

The Threshold Effect

Last year’s ride across the Southern Tier was a demonstration of the skills, methods and mindsets that we teach at the Center for Adventure Leadership.

This year’s ride was a stress test of my new hypothesis of adventure leadership, the Threshold Effect. We apply different registers of leadership to meet different types of personal and organizational challenges. The Threshold Effect is the feedback we get that tells us the leadership register we are using is misaligned with the nature of the challenge we are facing. Understanding what a Threshold Effect is telling us improves our ability to correct this misalignment.

Adventure leaders need to make all kinds of decisions, each with real consequences. Excellent decision making processes flow through the registers of leadership with skill and assurance. Past preparation, present problem solving, and future visioning work together in congruent action.

Riding a bike in traffic, reading and running a whitewater river, resolving a challenging argument, nailing an interview, making good decisions to sustain relationships, building a career, gracefully aging, are all adventures that require skilled personal leadership. Each kind of adventure informs our ability to excel in all other kinds of adventure. When we learn to ride our Threshold Effects, rather than avoid or ignore them, we can sustain safe and effective action for days, weeks, months, indefinitely, without fatigue.

Okay, I’ve either piqued your curiosity or driven you away

The point is, this bike ride promised to be more than a sight seeing trip, and the promise has been fulfilled. I hope you’ll join me next time.

Best, Mark

Ride wrap-up