And we ride...

The pink wondermachine, ready to go
London, ON
April 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It was a good day for this.

Come to think of it, every day is a good day for cycling, to point yourself in a randomly chosen direction, get a little lost, and hopefully spread a little kindness along the way.

Because cycling is tightly linked to kindness, and it has this magical ability to create it, restore it, share it, amplify it.

By the numbers, today's ride was abysmal. I was slower than I remembered. The hills felt steeper. I breathed harder.

But early-season rides aren't about numbers, anyway. They're about reaffirming you can still power yourself to wherever you wish. All with little more than a spin of your feet. Amazing, isn't it?

They're about proving you can still keep yourself in balance. Still feel the wind in your face. Still smell the river as you cruise beside it. Still smile while you pedal.

So I spun my legs, ended up in an under-construction subdivision, and got myself rather lost.

But not having perfect geographic knowledge only adds to the charm. Sure, in regular times we commute, we pick up and drop off, we log kilometres and try to be healthier. But when the clock isn't dictating the agenda, we wander, and we enjoy the moment a little more. So much the better if we manage to mix in a bit of mystery.

So there I was, stuffing my face beside a storm pond, revelling in the blissful feeling of having zero clue where I was. I thought about checking Google Maps, but figured it would be more fun to simply follow the sun home.

So that's what I did. And not long after I set off in search of familiar territory, it started to make sense. I eventually made it back, albeit slightly later than planned.

It's why I ride. Because you never quite know how the journey will play out, but you know you'll always, somehow, learn something new along the way.

Even if it's a little unexpected.

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