…Needless to say, with the weakened state of my out-of-shape legs, I couldn’t lift my foot high enough. The heal of my shoe caught the support bar and down I went with the bike on top of me.
One Summer afternoon, a close friend and I were reminiscing over lunch when she began telling “the rest of the story” of preparing for our one bicycle adventure.
A few years ago, Shelly and I decided we were going to do some serious bike riding. To prepare, Shelly bought a Cannondale equipped with racing tires and metal pedal clips. All serious riders have the shoe clips that connect to the pedals to get the best leg power. The clips not only allow the rider to push down but to pull the pedals up which is quite useful in powering your way up a steep hill.
Shelly and I lived about 100 miles apart, so we planned a ride a month after she purchased her bike. Living in a hilly part of Ohio, Shelly couldn’t wait to try out her new bike and the phenomenal clips.
Gliding down the long hill from her home, she felt the smooth swiftness of her new bike. Shelly zoomed across the busy road at the bottom of the lengthy hill and entered the small park where the flat bicycle trail began. Slowing down, she tried to unclip her shoe from the pedal by turning her foot.
Easier said than done.
Coasting down the path, she struggled with the clip until her shoe finally disconnected and she could put one foot on the ground. Then Shelly disconnected the other shoe. Shelly realized if she were to tackle that hill to return home, she would have to do a lot of practicing. Unclip, clip. Unclip, clip. After an hour of drill and riding for another hour, she decided she was ready to take on the monster hill.
“I will do this,” Shelly thought with determination as she rode toward the steep, winding hill. Push down. Pull up. Push down. Pull up.
As Shelly began the steep incline, she pedaled slower and slower until she was going at a slow walk pace and began to lose her balance. Quickly, she tried to get her shoe clip unattached from the pedal without success. Down she went on the side of the road, with her shoes still attached to the bicycle pedals.
The pavement was hard, rough and hot. With a skinned arm and bruised knee, she continued to twist and turn her shoes until finally one disconnected from the metal pedals and then the other.
She untangled her legs from beneath the bike and stood. Heaving her bike up, she clipped her shoes in and pushed down hard and the bike moved forward, slowly. No way was that hill going to defeat her. Standing on the pedals, she pushed down and pulled up with every bit of strength she had, but she wasn’t able to gain enough momentum. Down she went again.
Now she was really determined. Shelly twisted her clip shoes out again, got up, reconnected to the pedals and looked to the top of the hill with complete focus and determination. Push down on the pedals. Pull up on the pedals. Inch by inch with great balance, she made it.
Whoohoo!
Yanking her shoe clips out of the pedal clips, she stood and enjoyed the view from the top of the hill. With confidence, she twisted the clips back into the pedals, pushed down, pulled up and around the curve she flew toward home. …
She conquered the stubborn clips…
We laughed at her determination to not let the clips win and have to walk the bike up the hill. She conquered the stubborn clips and rode to the top. As we talked, I felt the familiar fire of excitement grow within me. I was ready to start riding again. The next week after our visit, I headed to the bike repair shop.
A strange time to start riding
Not only was it cold, it was December, a strange time to start riding. But I had made my decision. Of course, the bike repair shop wasn’t busy, in fact I was their only customer. They put on a new chain and gears, plus a bicycle speedometer and I was ready to go.
Sometimes you don’t truly understand someone’s dilemma until it happens to you!
I drove out to the deserted bicycle path, unloaded my bike and I was off.
Putting my tires to the blacktop path, I pedaled as fast as I could not paying any attention to how weak my leg muscles had become. I flew around the curves and up the small hills completing a quick six miles. Once I had finished my ride, I decided to rest at the top of a small hill in the pine trees overlooking a pond. My legs were already trembling with exhaustion but I was sure I could make it to the top of the hill and then I would rest.
Just a little further I promised my legs
I pushed down hard on the pedals as my leg muscles screamed for me to stop. Just a little further I promised my legs. When I reached the top, I put both feet on the ground. Unfortunately, my bike had a straight bar across the top just below the seat and I needed to get my foot over it to get off the bike. Needless to say, with the weakened state of my out-of-shape legs, I couldn’t lift my foot high enough. The heal of my shoe caught the support bar and down I went with the bike on top of me.
Thankfully, no one was in sight on this 30-degree day in December. As I lay there thinking of how I would get untangled from beneath my bike, I thought of Shelly’s determination to not let the shoe clips win.
My determination was to not let exhaustion win. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the bike off. Rolling over to my hands and knees, I grabbed a hold of the nearby picnic table and pulled myself up. My legs were shaking with exhaustion but I was standing at the top of my conquered hill of exhaustion, the same as Shelly stood at the top of her conquered shoe-clip hill, many years before.
Now I understood more fully Shelly’s pain and inner determination to persevere to the top no matter how many times she fell with her shoes stuck in the shoe clips.
James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
What are you determined to do today?
Many Blessings!
Karen is an inspirational author and speaker for children and adults. She has a bachelor’s degree in music, is a caregiver, and has published five children’s books, a caregiver’s memoir, and authors a weekly blog.
Visit Karen’s website: https://www.karenseelenbinder.com to receive free excerpts from six of her books!
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Copyright © 2019 Karen Seelenbinder. All Rights Reserved.
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