Bicycle Love Response

I understand the theme of Goodspeed's essay to be about finding oneself and perseverance.  I see perseverance when she is on her way to Pouligny and is extremely exhausted yet pushes on for hours.  I see the theme of finding oneself as she is heading home and realizes that France is her place of pilgrimage and feels forever changed by it.  The theme of finding oneself can also be seen at the end as she is guiding Green Knees to the start of her pilgrimage.  Goodspeed's language struck me as effective when she says "The terror had burned off, like the calories during the three week ride."  This line stood out because she compares her physical change to her mental change in an unconventional way.  Another line that stood out to me was "I pulled the bike inside my tent and cozied up to it" because it shows how her bike became like a close friend after starting out as more of an enemy.  Through her essay, Goodspeed developes herself from a timid person who is unsure of herself into a confident woman.