My cycling training has been going well. I have an 11.5-mile loop in my neighborhood that includes several steep climbs that have been challenging. I ride that loop once a week, and have improved steadily, which is gratifying.

Today, however, was a little more challenging. It’s a “good news, bad news” story.

The good news is, I was able to ride up all the steep climbs. When I first rode these hills I had to stop and walk on three of them. Each week I reduced the number of walks and shortened the length. Today, I rode them all.