Remembering 9/11

9/11 brings back a range of memories.

9/11/2001 was a horrible day watching the cowardice of evil striking the twin towers in New York.

9/11/2011 was the day when I won my amateur world championship, and one of my greatest days on a bike.

How do you find balance between those emotions? 9/11 is a day most people spend in quiet reflection of the lives lost, and the enduring scar left on our country. I am torn between my own personal feelings of joy for the success I had on that date, and by the empathy I feel for those directly impacted by the horrors of 9/11.

My experiences on this date provide a unique perspective. And, as I reflect back on 9/11, I’m also struck by how success mirrors loss with the challenge of moving forward and beyond each event. For those who lost a loved one on 9/11, how do you slowly move past the agony and pain of the loss? It is easy to talk about the stages of grief, but hard when circumstance forces you to face tremendous loss.

Finish of the UCI Amateur World Championships, Stavelot, Belgium, 9/11/2011

Success also poses a similar puzzle. Success is clearly easier to process than loss, but it prompts an analogous question to resolve: how do you grow beyond what you have already achieved? It’s easy to turn on the cruise control after a big achievement and coast on your success. It’s hard to refocus to find new targets. There even is a familiar sense of depression wondering if any future experience can match the highs of your achievement. Similar to struggling with grief, until you get to the point of accepting that you might never exceed that peak of success, it is hard to move forward.

Bruce Springsteen illuminates a path forward when he offers “come on up for the rising, come on up lay your hands in mine.” Everyone needs a helping hand from time to time, and there’s no shame in reaching out for a hand to lift you up, or push you forward when you need it.

- James

Never forget