Motivation

noun- [moh-tuh-vey-shuhn]the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior;

What motivates individuals to do what they do? What motivates us as cyclists to rise early in the dark and cold of the morning, to rise before our families do, spend solitary moments dedicated to our sport, push our bodies to the breaking point, to the point of mental and physical exhaustion? The impetus behind all of us is probably as diverse as the readership of these words. Some of us are motivated by winning, some by pushing past their previous limits and striving for new goals, some are motivated by the brotherhood that is the team. Whatever your motivation may be, make sure it is yours singulary. Do what you will because you want to do it, not because you feel compelled to by others. Let the greatest motivating force be generated from within and not from without, because you must be able to set aside all other distractions to focus on the goals that you have set for yourself. Your motivation whatever it may be, gives a purpose to all of the hardwork that you put in to cycling, it leads you to make the right decisions at the right time, it forces you to evaluate what must be done and how it should be accomplished. Perhaps your motivation is still unknown to you, but deep inside there is a burning desire, a yearning to be on the bike that can't quite be understood yet it is a motivation nonetheless. A will stronger than your own that consumes your thoughts and wishes and desires, an unspoken need to be on the bike, with your face in the wind and the sun on your skin, blood pumping through your veins to fuel your muscles that push the pedals and propel you forward, the wheels spinning beneath you. Whatever your motivation is do not ignore it, infact nurture it, in time this motivation will reward you with all of the hard work and effort that you have given it, the reward may not be tangible, but the results will be just as great.