EVEN THOUGH THOMAS AND I SPEND ALL DAY CYCLING TOGETHER, DINNER IS OFTEN THE BEST CHANCE TO TALK IN DEPTH.

JIANGSU, CHINA – AUGUST 2016

WHAT WEREYOU THINKING ABOUT

ON TODAY’S RIDE?

UNCONSCIOUS

and theaversion toAVERSION

an

AVERSIONaversion toUNCONSCIOUSan

JIANGSU, CHINA – AUGUST 2016

WELL…REMEMBER YESTERDAY YOU ASKED

ME WHY I NEVER GET FRUSTRATED?

YEAH — YOU SAID IT WAS BECAUSE YOU HAD NO ATTACHMENT

AND NO AVERSION.

SO TODAY I ASKED MYSELF IF THAT WAS

REALLY TRUE.

UH HUH. AND … ?

I DIDN’T WANT TO TELL YOU THIS, BUT I DON’T WANT

TO KEEP ANYTHING FROM YOU … SO: IT’S AN AVERSION TO CYCLING

AT THE PACE YOU SLOW TO AS WE GET TO THE END

OF EACH DAY.

WELL, I FIGURED OUT THAT I DO HAVE

AN AVERSION.

YEAH? WHAT’STHAT ABOUT?

ONE OF THE THINGS I ADMIRE ABOUT THOMAS IS THAT HE DOESN’T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY ISSUES, MAKE ME FEEL WRONG TO HAVE THEM, OR TRY TO MAKE THEM ABOUT HIM.

HONESTLY, I FIND IT BORING — BUT THAT’S NOT

THE ISSUE. TODAY I WORKED OUT THAT IT’S ABOUT FOUR

DIFFERENT THINGS.

MM-HMM.

] 1253qa

ONE IS WORRY THAT WE WON’T REACH

BALI IN THE TIME WE NEED TO.

ONE IS THAT I’M NOTGETTING THE RIGOR I

NEED TO BE READY FOR MOUNTAIN RIDING…

…AND THE LAST IS THAT BY THAT TIME OF THE DAY MY ASS

IS SORE! THE SLOWER WE GO THE LONGER I’M IN PAIN.

ANOTHER IS A FEAR OF “NOT LOOKING GOOD” SINCE WE’RE PUBLISHING

OUR PROGRESS…

AND Y’KNOW, FULLY EXPLORING THE NATURE

OF THAT AVERSION MADE ME QUESTION MYSELF ABOUT

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO ME.

AND IT’S SO CLEAR: THE WHOLE POINT

OF THIS ADVENTURE, FOR ME, IS GETTING TO SHARE

IT WITH YOU.

SO THEN I LOOKED AT MY CHOICES FOR DEALING WITH

THE AVERSION. I COULD SPEED UP TO A PACE THAT WOULD “FIX”

THOSE ISSUES — AND BE RIDING ON MY OWN … … OR I COULD PUT YOU

UNDER PRESSURE TO SPEED UP, WHICH WOULD LEAD TO FRUSTRATION FOR AT LEAST

ONE OF US …

… OR I COULD RELAX, AND FULLY APPRECIATE HOW FORTUNATE I AM

TO BE HAVING THIS EXPERIENCE WITH YOU.

I GUESS YOU KNOW WHICH ONE I CHOOSE.

THAT’S REAL COOL, DAN. AND I’M GLAD, BECAUSE

IT JUST DOESN’T WORK FOR ME TO ALWAYS BE GOING

AT YOUR PACE.

I’M GLAD TOO — ON ONE HAND IT WAS GREAT TO

DISCOVER THAT I WAS HIDING AN AVERSION FROM MYSELF, AND

GET TO LOOK AT IT HONESTLY…

… AND ON THE OTHER I WAS HESITANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT ANY OF THIS, IN CASE

YOU FELT YOU HAD TO CHANGE ANYTHING YOU DO BECAUSE OF ME.

BUT I DID KNOWGOING INTO THIS THAT, IF MY LIFE WAS THE MATRIX,

YOU’RE NEO AND I’M TRINITY.

OH, YOU KNOW I WOULDN’T

DO THAT.

TO BE CONTINUED…