Equilibrium

e·qui·lib·ri·um

noun: equilibrium; plural noun: equilibria

a state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced.

Roadside stop in Tuscany after climbing the mountains in the background

Someone asked me a while back why do I enjoy cycling?  Why do I ride for so long?  Why do you put up with the pain of pushing yourself to/ beyond your comfortable limit?  Surely you can’t enjoy being out in the rain, wind, snow!  Fair point I thought after pulling leaves and mud out from my race blades one wintery Sunday morning only about 4 months ago!

So what is it?  Well here’s a list of the reasons I adore cycling:

·        A feeling of accomplishment at getting to the top of a big hill

·        Keeping fit

·        Going really fast

·        The fact endurance cyclists live apparently 10 years longer than average

·        Getting out into the world and enjoying nature

Check! All of these are reasons why I love cycling.  But you can do other things to check these boxes off, right?

Then I thought about what cycling gives you over any other sport I think I understood it on a recent sportive where after a reasonably paced first 80-90km I still had some juice left and decided to go for it on the last 20km.  I hit the sweet spot and hit a reasonable average for a 10 mile distance too (well after 80k anyway!); the point here though is that during that 10 I achieved that magical feeling where you feel at one with the bike.  It’s as if wind resistance drops, all the bearings on your bike turn into magnetic frictionless clouds and every peddle stroke feels easier than the last.  Even at 90-100rpm and 40kmh your legs are hurting after doing 1500m of climbing and your heart rate looks too high but you cope with it and your brain stops thinking and push a higher gear.  That’s the point – you stop looking at numbers and peddle and peddle and peddle; you arrive at the end and think ‘how did I get here?’

It’s that addictive feeling of ‘equilibrium’ between you and the bike that provides an almost meditative state which ascends you to a new level of achievement and drives you to go out the next day and do it again.

A recent trip to Tuscany and cycling 10km up 7%+ gradients also gave me the same feeling, but with a massive sensation of accomplishment at the end.  I can’t wait to get on the Tourmalet on the 24^th July – with the Pyrenean views and a gentle mountain breeze followed by the peleton whizzing past it’s gonna be some trip!