Sometimes things don’t exactly follow the plan. The plan may be perfect. It may be thought out, rehearsed, with all things on point, and it can still go sideways. Your fitness can be on point, the route researched, your choice of clothing can be spot on for the cold conditions, literally every contingency planned for… and yet it can still happen. 

It?

The dreaded DNF. Did. Not. Finish. 

A race ending mechanical, shredded tire that no amount of sealant can fix, a busted derailleur hanger, a broken cable, a cracked frame. It could be any number of things that have the potential to end a race. 

These things happen. They really do. Mechanicals can happen at any time, and to anyone. Remember Andy Schleck’s dropped chain while in yellow and Alberto Contador’s controversial attack? An attack which subsequently granted him the yellow jersey and ultimately the Tour victory, at least for a while?

The fact is, shit happens. Often, at what can be deemed the absolute worst moment that particular pile of manure to occur. However, in the long run, we are not judged by others and by ourselves solely on these incidents, but by how we react to them. Not just react, but how we bounce back, improvise/adapt/overcome, and deal with the issue that has just happened.

Don’t let the bad that happens define you, but find positive takeaways to learn and grow and move forward.

This particular resiliency in the face of adversity has been written about ad nauseum, the majority found on motivational posters in office buildings across the country. However, it is summed it up quite succinctly in Sense and Sensibility: 

It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.

Jane Austen