The learning curve

I am out of my comfort zone... it is obvious that I do not feel entirely comfortable around experienced cyclists. 
Discussions of mechanisms, compounds and transmissions baffle me. I do not know what  rim sizes are and....  I can not even pronounce the names of many of the international cycling races and tours and even the name of the guy who won the Italian tour in 2020... Tao Geoghegan Hart.

I have been in this position before and I am not afraid of it... I'm just very aware I'm at the bottom of a steep learning curve.

It was 2007 when I started my first ski season in the french ski resort of Val d'Isere - it is about as elite and pretentious as skiing can get - I had the same feeling of being an outsider. Not knowing everything I needed to know about skis, boots, bindings, clothing, general etiquette - am I doing it right, are people going to have the right impression of me... will people like me?

It's intimidating being out of your comfort zone but in hindsight it made me the best I could be (eventually I was able to hold my own, on skis or during apres) but I discovered its not a competition of how much you know (or pretend to know), or how good you are its about your own sense of achievement, your smile and the shared experiences on the mountain and in the bar afterwards. Cycling will be the same.

I hope that I will always appreciate my current situation and that others will feel this way when I am higher up the learning curve. 

I feel very grateful for the people around me to help my journeys.... past and current!

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