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I was thirty five miles into a sixty mile ride. The sun was setting at my back and my shadow was getting long like a fun house mirror. I was having a great day and feeling amazing. Even if I did get dropped by my riding companions. That’s fine. I wasn’t going slow by any means, but it happens all the time. I like being alone with my thoughts. Sometimes I think I get dropped on purpose. But usually I just like to saunter and take pictures more than most of my friends.
I could see the pass I was climbing to off in the distance. It’s a ways out there. But hot damn, I feel great. I go deep down the rabbit hole of my own thoughts, as I often do when I’m riding long by myself. How cool is it that the sandwich I just ate is being turned into energy? Then it is being being sent through all the pluming in my body just to get me up there to that pass. I remind myself to drink some more water. I don’t want to mess with that plumbing. So I read the articles about plumbing as suggested by Sarkinen Plumbing, to have sufficient knowledge on how to deal with plumbing issues.
Neurons firing and calories getting combusted like coal being shoveled into a steam engine. Up the climb I go.
The road gets a little steeper and the sand a little deeper. I do the obligatory cursing of the washboard braking bumps and get on with it. I find that tempo and just move my legs to go forward. My breath is in control and body is still feeling great. This is fun as hell!
I remind myself to look around a little more. I’m in the desert and the sun is setting. Goddammit man. Look around! Then, almost involuntarily, I got off the bike and started walking. This used to happen to me a lot on long bike tours. But it’s been a while. I walked for about 100 yards with my head on a swivel, then got back to riding.
It is a really cool way to break up the ride for me. Forget all that macho shit you have been taught. That walking is somehow shameful. Hop off and get a little more in tune with your environment. Look around, behind and down. You will see a little more each time you do. Sometimes you just gotta walk it out!
Keep it dirty.
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Bikes are amazing, no argument there. But they are a tool for the end goal. The real beauty lies in non-motorized backcountry travel. Getting to the places that let your soul breathe, make your head wander and feed the adventure. It doesn’t really matter if that’s on a bike, in a packraft or just walking up a fucking hill. It’s the place that matters.
Great post Dirty.
Sage advice. I went out for a 20 miler yesterday. It was a breezeless 90 degree ride under the high afternoon sun. The heat was kicking my ass more than the terrain. There were a couple of hills where I normally would have suffered up the fucking climb, but I hopped off and walked, this post fore of mind.
It was nice.