37 Broken Bikes: Part III–Conclusion Brokenness is a part of Life.

Race season was in full swing, and there were still a couple left to go. What would I need to do to finish strong? Left with the dilemma (part II), of a broken bike,  I had no choice but to move forward.

Moving on for me meant I had to begin asking around, letting people know what had happened at the last race, and hope an answer would come. And it did! A Trek Fuel  was already sitting at the local bike shop. It had been ordered for a friend of mine, but the size was not the right fit for him. It was good to go and I was ready to buy! I loved the bike; it was a red, full suspension, and fit like a glove. One of the pleasures in life was to be able to move on and not skip a beat in my race season. I rode and rode to my heart’s content—and after moving from Cochise County up to Pima County, I found so many trails to ride. 

After a couple of races, I noticed my seat post-tube had an almost unnoticeable creak. I kept riding and enjoying this beautiful bike. Eventually,  the “unnoticeable” creak became like a cricket chirping outside my tent on a quiet summer night. Local bike shops looked at it and said it probably wouldn’t cause any problems, so, I kept on riding, and the bike came with me to Oregon and we began adventures there.

Fast forward 16 years, to my new life in Oregon (and this is where “part III” comes into play).  While riding on the Fanno Creek bike path, my seat  post split just as I rounded a turn—the feel of my back tire rubbing against the bottom of my seat gave me butterflies in my stomach!. Yes. My frame had split on the diagonal of the seat post! No way! Yes way!  Unbelievable! The walk to the end of the trail was one of disbelief, and I wondered where this would all lead me.

Lesson learned: stuff happens–but after all those years of riding and racing, Trek still agreed to replace my bike. I had used it for racing, commuting, and trail riding, and now it was being shipped back to its home base. It worked out well, and I can use the Trek FX2 hybrid replacement for all my training rides and continue to enjoy it to this day.

Challenge: When “stuff” happens, what is your moving-on step? These stories seem minimal when compared to what we go through in real-time. All I know is, no matter how tragic, dark, or helpless things can get, there is still a point when I can take steps forward. Personally, it has taken putting my trust in the promises highlighted in Scripture  to take my next step. Words like, “The Lord is light and my salvation,…The Lord is the strength of my life… .” “God is our  refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” “My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning. His compassions never fail. His faithfulness is great.” Whether it is the small things, or those overwhelming circumstances,  today what step will be the one step you can take that moves you forward? I’m praying for you.

*Psalm 27, 46

*Lamentations 3:22-23