The Caress of God

Maybe it's psychological. A kind of placebo effect. Maybe its the result of watching Sufism youtube videos. And being fascinated by the spiritual connection between the physical and god. Strange.

It started as a dreary, early Sunday morning ride. Usual worries...chasing rabid dogs that stay by the cemetery, psychotic lorry drivers from whoknows province, embarrassment from being overtaken by 65 year old ladys on carbon frames. The usual.

And as usual, the ride was straightforward, pedal pedal pedal. What else? Watch cadence. Up slope; feel the lactic seep in. Concentrate on the down slopes. Watch Bangladeshi workers zoom by on rusty mountain bikes on one gear. Ah the life of a slow, fat triathlete wannabe.

About an hour into the ride, on one particularly hilly part, just when the recovery downhill wasn't enough to get rid of the lactic before the next slope. When the doubts started to creep in, and the left foot was unclipped, ready for the dismount of shame. It happened. For that brief moment that felt like an eternity, god's soft, gentle hand caressed me and pushed me up the hill. I was floating. No! I was flying. No lactic no matter which direction I clicked the ultegras. And even if I had stopped pedaling, I was sure that I couldn't slide backwards. For that brief moment, it was like riding on cushions. And I felt the hand gently yet swiftly pushing me up the hill. Is this what that mind body spiritual thing they were talking about feels like?

Or was it just the tailwind?