Today starts with another life lesson from cycling. Balance and performance are related, and, odd as it might sound, staying grounded.

Over time, I’ve had my share of falls. I relaxed too much on a quiet road, the road surface suddenly changed, or a mechanical issue.

Any one of these could have a rider greeting the road surface quickly. And depending on the conditions, said rider would return home with a few battle scars, some that will follow him for the rest of his life. Ultimately, it all comes back to how much of the tire was in contact with the road surface, how grounded was the bik...