Low Tires

It’s a given that some bike rides are harder than others. But when a familiar ride suddenly feels like a grind, the cause may not be what you think. Same bike. Same route. Same rider.

On a ride a short while ago, every mile felt heavy. No steep hills. No headwind. Still, my legs burned early, and the joy drained out of what should have been an easy ride.

So, I did what most riders do when pedaling gets hard. I changed gears. And changed them again.

When that didn’t work, I began troubleshooting the rider. Maybe I was out of shape. Maybe I was getting older. Maybe I just needed more grit.

So, I leaned in.

Still heavy.

At a highway crossing, I stopped beside another cyclist and mentioned how draining the ride felt. He glanced down and said casually, “Your rear tire is really low.” That was it – not my conditioning, not my age. not my willpower. The problem was that the tires were low on air. I hadn’t checked them in weeks.

Tires don’t stay inflated on their own. They require attention to small adjustments that make a massive difference.

The next day, I pumped both tires and rode the exact same route. Same bike. Same rider.
Completely different experience.

The Real Lesson

Later in the week, I was on a client call that wasn’t going well. I repeatedly thought: he’s not paying attention and is being very difficult. When the client had to interrupt the call for a few minutes to answer an employee’s question, it hit me.  I hadn’t eaten. I hadn’t prepared. I wasn’t fully present.

My tires were low. I shifted my focus from proving the client was wrong to listening carefully and collaborating on a solution.  Smoother ride.

• Sometimes, struggle isn’t about what someone else is doing.
• Sometimes it’s about our own alignment with who we are.

When clarity drops… When energy dips…When preparation slips… everything feels harder than it should.

We often respond to friction with more effort. But effort cannot compensate for misalignment.

You reduce friction in life by paying attention to what is really going on inside of you.

A life that feels flat won’t shift with excuses.
It shifts with clarity, purpose, and the daily repetition of your natural strengths.