First off let me say that I loved the Rocky movies. The first one especially, the second and last ones almost as much. The rest, not so much but still,... Everyone of course knows what happens in the Rocky movies, but there's one thing about them in particular that popped into my mind this morning that I feel everyone who's ever competed can surely relate.
Rocky was the ultimate underdog. Imagine for a moment, as a cyclist, you are invited to compete in the Commerce Bank Philadelphia International Championship in oh say,... 10 months. After the initial panic attacks, would you even consider the challenge, or would you just blow it off saying there's no way you'd humiliate yourself in such a way? Alright, wiseguys in the crowd, it would be fun to hang onto the back end of the peloton until you get to The Wall on the first lap, drop out and party with the inebriated masses like it's 1999.
Seriously though, it doesn't have to be the big Philly Race, or Apollo Creed. It could be a race on your calendar that you want to do well in, maybe even daring to dream of winning. It could be a smaller goal, like hanging with the lead group til the end, not getting dropped. It could be losing 20lbs so you look good in a bathing suit. The point I'm trying to make is you need to have the courage to have that dream and just try. I know it's a cliché, but the journey is what counts, not the destination. After all, what is the ultimate destination for all of us? It's what we do between now and then that really counts.
Rocky, stepping into the ring, had no idea what kind of fighting shape he was in to take on Apollo. What he did know,... at the top of those steps at the Philly Museum, was that he had poured his heart into the endeavor. He had won (raised arms and all) even before getting into the ring. Now get your ass out there and ride.
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