Thoughts and feelings

I'm not a cyclist. I'm writing this as I complete week 11 of my bike trip. But at home I don't ride a bike either for fitness or leisure. I walk everywhere or I take the train. But on longer trips I absolutely must travel by bike. It's such a great way to see everywhere and be involved in the scenery. It's not that I want to ride my bike so much, it's a case that I need to. There's a pull that makes me have to do it. Not for some macho image thing. I just like the fact I'm doing something I wouldn't normally do. That has also added to the challenge of this trip, to get up and load the bike every day and ride for about 35 miles on average. I mean, I'm not a long way out of my comfort zone or anything. But when you don't usually cycle much it is another aspect to deal with. I can understand why people love to get serious about cycling. After a while the fitness builds up and you don't realise it. Today I rode 49 miles mostly into a headwind...

I clearly remember my emotions as I cycled off up the street to start this bike trip. I didn't feel nervous, how could I? It's my decision to do this, nobody else's. I stripped it down to the basic fact, I'm going on a bike ride. Excitement was not really there either, I'm not 8 years old and on my way to Alton Towers. I felt totally calm, ready to embrace the unknown. The reason behind my feelings, I think, is the fact that I had absolutely no route planned. Maybe you can go with the flow easier when you have no destination in mind. After the first week, you start to master the art of slowing down. It sounds simple but I think modern life and social media gang up on you, certain expectations are always there in the background, subconsciously pushing you on. I don't mean you slow down physically, I'm still riding the same distances each week. I think it's an altering of your mindset that is more important. Focus on yourself and the inner contentment that...