I changed one thing and suddenly routes made sense from a neighborhood park

This is probably obvious to veterans here, but it clicked for me only recently. bikes got easier when I stopped treating every attempt like a final exam.

I had a disappointing first try, a surprisingly good second try, and then a third attempt that taught me humility. So, naturally, I now have opinions.

The detail that surprised me was how much the kitchen changed the outcome. Same plan, different setting, completely different energy.

I tried this in Madrid with a friend and we both noticed the same thing: the social part mattered more than the perfect plan.