A year ago tomorrow, I rode my bicycle up Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.
It’s 7.6 miles to the summit — 4,678 feet of climbing, a 12% average grade, extended sections at 18%, and a crushing 22% over the final 50 yards. There are no flat sections to catch your breath. It’s been called “the toughest hill climb in the U.S., if not the world.”
When I crossed the finish line after two hours and twenty-five minutes of pedaling — with an average heart rate of 172 bpm from base to summit — I used just one word to describe it:
Brutal.
But it was also awesome and inspiring. I crossed the finish line wearing a jersey that read “No Thyroid, No Limits” — my way, as a cancer survivor, of giving cancer the middle finger.
If you’re wondering what it’s like to ride up Mt. Washington, you can experience it from the comfort of your home or office by watching this 16-minute video I put together. And if you just want to see me tackle “The Wall” at the end, skip ahead to the 11:05 mark.
I have to admit, as crazy as it sounds, watching the video again last night made me want to do it again. Could I make it up a little faster? I wondered. Then again, the weather was about as good as it gets on Mt. Washington last year — sunny, in the 60s, with almost no wind. In fact, it was actually too hot, especially when your heart is pounding for 2+ hours. The weather forecast for the summit tomorrow is more typical for Mt. Washington this time of year: temperatures in the upper 40s, with 30-45 mph winds gusting up to 55 mph.
I’m going to the beach tomorrow, which sounds a lot more pleasant. But I’ll be thinking of all the riders heading up the mountain, each doing it for their own reasons. I wish them all gusty tailwinds.
What I learned from my experience last year is that when you set a difficult goal for yourself, the road to achieving it will likely be difficult too. There will be countless opportunities to give up along the way, each one more tempting than the last. But if the reason you started is strong enough, you keep pedaling. And eventually, if you’re fortunate, you cross the finish line.
Brutal, yes. But exhilarating too.
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Before I kick off my vacation, here’s the supply chain and logistics news that caught my attention this week:
- Tariff Refunds Are Here—and Turbocharging Earnings (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- Trade court upholds Trump’s closure of ‘de minimis’ loophole (CNBC)
- Mexico Pushes for Lower Auto Tariffs in Trade Talks (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- Why shipping costs through Panama Canal are soaring now (Business Standard)
- Panama Canal Adjustment Factor – From Far East to US East Coast & US Gulf (CMA CGM)
- General Motors Sets Up $4.5 Billion Safety Net to Avoid Parts Shortages (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- Mayor Mamdani Backs “Delivery Protection Act” to Rein in Amazon’s Power Over New York City Streets (NYC.gov)
- Trimble Introduces Trimble Arc Agent to Safely Automate Manual Workflows for Global Supply Chains
- ketteQ Launches Quintus™, the Only Free-Range AI™ for Supply Chain
- Robot Orders Increase in Q2 as Automation Demand Broadens Across Industries
- Uber Freight says its investigating cyber incident following hacker claims (Reuters)
- Teamsters California sues DMV over autonomous truck rules (TransportTopics
- Cargo Theft Losses More Than Double to $304 Million in Q2 Despite a Drop in Thefts, Driven by High-Value Metals and Technology Heists
- Port Of Long Beach Approves New Clean Air Strategies
- Amazon combines air, ground operations teams (SupplyChainDive)
- European Union activates sustainable packaging rules (DC Velocity)
Building Supply Chain Resilience Isn’t Cheap
There are many ways to make supply chains more resilient — from dual sourcing parts and holding more inventory to building excess manufacturing capacity.
But whenever we have researched this topic, many supply chain executives say that, in reality, their options are limited. In some cases, there are no (or very few) alternative sources of supply, or the process of qualifying a new supplier would take too long and cost too much.
In other cases, the business case for building additional manufacturing and distribution facilities — which also requires significant time and capital investment — can’t be justified solely by minimizing the impact of a future supply chain disruption that may or may not happen. If the business case isn’t primarily centered on enabling future growth, such as introducing new products or serving new markets, then it won’t happen.
Put more simply, there’s a cost to making supply chains more resilient, and most companies aren’t willing to incur it. We’ll take our chances with the “What if?” disruptive event that may or may not happen, is the general thinking.
General Motors, however, is no longer willing to take that chance. As Sharon Terlep reported in The Wall Street Journal this week, the company, “stung in recent years by critical parts shortages, is setting up a $4.5 billion safety net designed to keep critical components flowing through supply-chain troubles.”
Here are some excerpts from the article:
The automaker aims to avoid future parts crunches by securing supplies of high-risk components through a financing arrangement where it pre-funds the purchase of essential parts.
“Our industry has experienced significant supply chain disruptions in the past for various reasons, and it’s safe to assume they will happen in the future,” GM said. “This program will help ensure that we are prepared for multiple scenarios.”
Building supply chain resilience is like buying life, home, or car insurance. You hate paying for it — until you need it.
And with that, have a meaningful weekend!
Song of the Week: “Beaches In Tennessee” by Cage The Elephant
