So, a couple of weeks ago I posted about getting my wife Janet a new bike. She hadn’t had a new one for 30 years and it was high time to get her into the 21st century. She never rode all that much, except at the Jersey Shore, but with the new bike, she said” If I knew how much I like this bike and how much more comfortable it is to ride, I would have ridden more.” Lesson learned and now with a new bike rack as well for the Jeep, we have been taking advantage of the nice fall weather and riding a lot of the rails to trails systems around Western Pennsylvania. Jan has been enjoying her bike, and the early Christmas present is paying off.

So, one of the funniest things I ever heard Janet say was a couple of weeks ago when we were riding up at one of our favorite rails to trails- the Butler Freeport Trail just north of us. After the ride, I asked her how she liked it and she said” truthfully, it was an out of body experience.” I laughed at that one, but what she meant was that it didn’t really feel like she rode. The experience on the new bike was so comfortable, that she said she hardly felt like she was riding. It was………….an out of body experience.

I can relate to that when you are in the zone. Sometimes everything clicks. On a ride, sometimes you feel like you can ride anything and you are just floating along in a perfected state. I have felt that skiing too, when everything seems to be going right and your turns come easily and smoothly, and you feel like you are hardly trying. Equipment helps and finely tuned skis or a new bike that is set up perfectly aids in the feeling that is well,……. maybe out of body? Kind of a funny remark but in some ways, again, I can relate.

One of the things I have to hand to my wife is that in many cases, she is game. She may not ride the rocks and roots in the woods on her bike, she may not ski the steepest runs at an area, but she enjoys a pleasant day on the rails to trails and on the slopes. I joke that sometimes I have to crowbar her out, but she doesn’t like to miss too many things, and she is game to try. Once she is out there, she enjoys it and always says that she is glad she made the effort.

My friend Sue Haywood, the former professional mountain bike racer for Trek and Davis, West Virginia resident, once said to me that she wishes more guys would take their ladies out to ride and not try to hammer them. Nothing worse than having your lady come with you, only to struggle to keep up. Guys – keep the ego in check and encourage your lady. I try to dial it back a bit on the rails to trails and also on the slopes when I am with Jan. I want her to enjoy herself and come back the next time. Not too many miles, not too many difficult slopes, and the end result is a satisfying day and the willingness to have a go at it again. If you can make her first, you will have a wonderful experience together. Like I always say, ” no one is going to the Olympics.” Dial it back and enjoy your time with each other.

Looking forward to many more ” out of body ” experiences for Janet. Thanks for reading and think snow.

“In the end, it is not the years in your life that count, it is the life in your years.”- Abraham Lincoln

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