Tuesday, June 08, 2021

Early morning rides through the countryside

Resting by the side of the road
Middlesex Centre, ON
June 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The world remains an ugly place, and I’m under no illusions that it’ll get fixed anytime soon, if at all. So I'm trying a new thing: regularly taking the bike out in the morning, before the rest of the world wakes up.

Way back BK (before kids) when we lived in Montreal, I would roll my two-wheeler out at dawn, climb Mount Royal, circle the paths to the summit a few times along with the other morning runners and riders, then ride back home and prepare for the workday.

There is no mountain where we live now, and there's a lot more responsibility these days. But still, I had forgotten how cathartic these early morning experiences were, and kicked myself that I had allowed myself to fall out of the habit.

I realize figuring out a new-to-me set of wheels is going to take some time. I'm undoing nearly three decades of muscle memory, and adapting to the kinds of cycling technologies that didn't exist when my vintage machine first hit the road.

Still, amid a global pandemic and close-to-home carnage on the same roads I ride daily (please see my previous entry if you're just joining us) being able to get out of the house and just spin my legs through rolling country roads is enough to soothe my soul for a bit.

In fact, I was having such a good time on yesterday morning's spin that my planned 10 km shakedown ride quickly turned into 26. Oops.

It simply wouldn't do to forget what it looked like along the way, hence the photo.

Wherever your journeys take you, I hope you record them, too. Because we all need to get away, especially when the rest of the world is doing its best to keep us from doing so.

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