Cycling in the Mediterranean

Please forgive me for my tardiness. It’s been almost three months since our cycling trip to Mallorca, Spain and about 2 months since our trip to the island of Kuai. This season in my life has certainly been blessed with travel and opportunity. I am very undeserving of it all, but certainly appreciative. When praying about the new-year, I really felt God say that He wanted me to enjoy 2011 by inscribing His word on my heart, traveling and developing relationships. Through this vision, it is amazing to look back and see how much He has made possible. No dream, vision or ideas is too powerful for our God. In contrast, our dreams and visions often fall short of the plans He has for our lives. I struggle daily to let go of the ideas and visions I have for my life; however, as I practice submission to God, it becomes easier and easier for Him to move in my life. When I begin to take control, I bring my mind back to the Lord’s love for me, stop striving to become more or better, and let His holy spirit move in my life to make things happen the way God intended. A daily struggle, but a struggle worth having.

Mallorca, Spain

Mallorca is a small Mediterranean island off the coast of Spain. About 40 cyclists/triathletes traveled from Dallas, TX to join 100 other European cyclists at Legro’s Cycling camp! The camp divided cyclists up into 7-8 riding group according to athletic ability, and then assigned a coach to each group to lead daily rides. This was a great concept because it allowed everyone to vacation the way they wanted. The more casual cyclists would ride 20-30 miles/day and then spent the afternoon shopping or on the beach, while the more intense cyclists would spend 6-8 hours cycling and be back just in time for a dip in the pool followed by dinner. Dividing groups in this method also allowed us the opportunity to form friendships with the Europeans. I love riding bikes for many reasons, one reason being that 6hrs on a bike really allows for some great conversations and friendship development. The UK Royal Airfoce guys were at the camp, and blended really well with our Texas group and blessed me in a special way.

I had to laugh when contrasting different cycling mentalities and tendencies between the Americans and Europeans. In Texas, once we are clipped into the bike, it is all business. We stop as little as possible. We carry all of our nutrition on our bodies, eating as we ride, and even get annoyed when having to stop for people to go potty or refill water bottles. In Europe, they stop like 40 miles into a ride, park at a café, sit down for an expresso and a ham/cheese baguette and then continue with the ride. I guess if we had eclectic café’s in Texas, maybe we would stop as well! The midway picnic was a pleasant change of pace.

The island is a cycling mecca offering a variety of scenery and terrain. Each morning we cycled along the flats of the Mediterranian Sea, through the vineyards and country-side heading towards the mountains. Some of these climbs took 1-2 hours to reach the tops. I’m not very technical in describing gradient or meters of elevation, but one mountain was so steep and so long, that our coach had to guide me up half the mountain with his hand on my back. He said it was his pleasure! ☺ On one particular climb, as our legs were screaming with pain and anguish, Robert says, “isn’t it amazing how we focus on the pain and suffering in our lives and fail to see God’s beauty that surrounds us.” I thought that was very insightful. Some of the rides were so painful that we failed to appreciate the big trees, the seaside views, or ocean breeze. I have applied this piece of wisdom to daily life, striving to count my blessings and recognize God’s beauty even in the most obscure circumstances. I praise God for all the ways He has revealed His holy spirit to me through endurance training and racing.