 |
| Tangerine Dream at rest London, ON June 2024 This photo originally shared on Instagram |
Pausing in this way does nothing to boost my performance data, but I learned long ago that cycling, for me at least, shouldn’t be a process based on strictly chasing numbers.
So I go the other way, stopping to smell the flowers or, in this case, to watch the river flow under a bridge I haven’t visited in a while. On this breezy Sunday morning, I listen intently to the rustling leaves, and watch an angry goose squawking away on the far bank. I also take some weird pictures of my surroundings, and my newly rained-on bike. Just because.
I have a Garmin computer on the handlebars that tracks my rides. Speeds, distances, paces, routes, all that stuff that I could probably share on Strava if I cared enough to do so. I like having it, as it motivates me to keep pedalling when I’d otherwise be ready to call it a day.
What that Garmin can’t capture is the feeling I get when the wind blows in my face, or the weird sense of control I have as I roll into a curve, then mash the pedals as I exit the other side. It doesn’t smell the flowers, either, nor does it have a goose setting.
On this day, because I’ve been stopping at all the spots that pop into my mind, the data that the Garmin does capture is, to be blunt, laughable. I suppose I could ride harder tomorrow, and my numbers would be less embarrassing to share.
But I won’t share those, either, because I’ll remember the things I see and hear and feel, and the conversations I have on the path with fellow cyclists far longer than I’ll ever remember what our bike computers were programmed to share with us.
I’ll never win any Strava King/Queen of the Mountain or Course Record trophies. I’d like to think I’m playing a very different game these days, and hope we get to chat about it on a ride sometime. I’ll be the guy on the orange bike. Maybe we’ll see a goose.
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #cycling #cyclist #cycle #bicycle #bike #cyclinglife #bikelife #instabike #uwo #university #tvp #thames #river #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photography
Related:
Let the bike season begin, March 2023
The view from my handlebars, September 2021
The corn grows tall here, September 2021
The shadowed bicycle, August 2021
Wheel meets grass, August 2021
Riding my bike to see the corn, July 2021
Bright lights among the stalks, July 2021
The orange machine heads west, July 2021
Today was a day... June 2021
When cows become cyclists. Next Geraldo. June 2021
Hanging out with the cows, June 2021
Golden hour by the side of the road, June 2021
Early morning rides through the countryside, June 2021
Cycling from pink to orange, June 2021
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please note that Written Inc. has been set up so that all comments must first be moderated before they go live on the blog. I apologize for the inconvenience, but this is to ensure bots and trolls don't muck up the works. If you have any difficulty leaving a comment here as a result, please feel free to email it to carmilevy AT gmail DOT com. Thank you for your understanding.