Day one of the Tour de France is now completed and many of the riders are preparing themselves for day two of racing tomorrow. The hard men of the tour, about 190 of them will ride for the next 21 days, cover thousands of miles, in all kinds of conditions, at speeds that are most often travelled in cars – not bikes. They will endure pain and suffering throughout, and take on risks that most mortals would not even consider. And they do this all so that someone on their team can win the coveted yellow jersey. For over 100 years the race has created a setting and condition that pushes riders to their limits. Limits that we talk about on our THPL journey. Their limits are not necessarily more profound than ours; they are just more discussed and inspected but more importantly their limits are in the context of their lives and their capabilities. And from this community, and the event, we have the opportunity to learn and grow as the riders manage through their version of the THPL journey. We can watch how they will endure road rash, fatigue, cold, crashes and a competitive intensity that dominates their time on the bike. And how they will pedal on, persevere, and stay true to the goal of finishing the race. They make little excuse while during the race as to why they cannot complete their appointed rounds. It is after all why they came. So, maybe, it is the same for us. That we should normalize the craziness around us so that we can operate even when it seems to difficult to do so. It is after all why we came to this place. Yes, it is time to throw out the excuses and get to the matter of making our THP journey the best it can be. Ready, set, go……

Loving life when I drive through adversity on the THPL journey