It’s painful to admit, but sometimes I get the feeling that I’ve been faking it this whole time. Maybe I’m not a talented enough at design (or coding or cycling or cooking or what have you). The truth is that we are all capable of more.

I’ve pushed a lot of my limits over the last couple of years, professionally and physically. I often wondered if it was out of a sense of adventure or just a sheer stubbornness and refusal to give in. It is probably a bit of both.

Bill Strickland’s latest piece sums things up pretty well.

There are always other riders who possess those qualities in greater degrees, or sometimes a rider who is all three at once. Yet, those riders don’t express any surprise when I stay with them, or force a move, or bring back a break, or even when I know a great road when we’re six counties from home. I only hear about something when I can’t do one of those things. I’ve become completely ordinary. And that’s pretty amazing.

The talented people in my life continually inspire me to ride faster, perfect technique, code cleaner and push my craft forward. I can’t thank all of the people in my life enough for this. I wouldn’t be half of what I am without you.