"People ask me sometimes, "What do you think about out there?"-usually with a curious look, as if pedaling for hours must feel like watching paint dry. But it's not like that at all. The longer the ride, the more my mind opens up. The road doesn't bore me-it speaks to me. It quiets the noise of everyday life and lets the thoughts that matter most rise to the surface."
"That's when memories start showing up uninvited. I'll see myself as a kid, barefoot and fearless, bombing down the neighborhood street without a helmet. I'll remember century rides that nearly broke me-or the first time I hit 200 miles in a single day and felt something inside me shift for good. The miles pull me through decades in a way no photo album ever could."
"Sometimes the ride brings old voices back-people I've lost, or just haven't seen in years. Their words echo through the wind, and I get to answer them again. I think about family, choices, regrets, and second chances. I've untangled some of life's biggest knots while rolling down a country road with no one but my own breath to keep me company."
Long rides quiet everyday noise and create mental space for focused thought. Initial attention centers on breathing, cadence, terrain, and weather. As rhythm establishes, practical concerns fade and cycling becomes a moving meditation. Memories arise unexpectedly, ranging from childhood freedom to landmark endurance achievements. Conversations with remembered voices surface, allowing reflection on family, choices, regrets, and reconciliation. Emotional knots often unravel while alone on long roads. Extended efforts can also produce spiritual sensations during sunrises and ridge-top silences, offering feelings of grace that surpass formal worship. The combination of tempo, solitude, and sensory focus enables deep reflection, healing, and creative thinking.
Read at Theoldguybicycleblog
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]