Keep going and enjoy the ride
Lessons for life and cycling – from a channel swimmer, an ultra-commuter and my elderly neighbour.
A little while ago, for my day job, I interviewed a woman who had swum the English Channel, crossing more than 20 miles of cold water in the world’s busiest shipping lanes. One thing in particular from our conversation has stayed with me: she’d doubted herself because she was a slow swimmer.
To train for her channel crossing, she’d entered open-water races around the country. These were big swims, many miles long. And it was a dispiriting experience. Impostor syndrome kicked in as other competitors streamed past her. How could she swim the channel, she asked herself, when she was so slow?
But my interviewee had something better than speed. She had stamina. And she loved swimming in the sea. This is what kept her going during those long hours spent stroking her way across the channel beside her pilot boat. It’s how she was able to stay resilient as tides dragged her past her intended landing site and lengthened her swim.
Why cut a ride short? Squeeze every second of enjoyment from it. Pedal until a couple of minutes before the cut-off time. Stay out until the sun is about to set.
Just keep going. Those three words count for a lot in cycling, too – especially when you’re not a racer. Someone I know rides huge distances, commuting over hilly country to work and pedalling through the night on long Audax rides. In my mind I’d elevated him to the status of a cycling deity, someone capable of feats I could only imagine, slow rider that I am. But it turned out that he’s slow too. He is blessed with impressive endurance and is content to enjoy riding long distances slowly.
A ‘full-value rider’ completes a ride like an Audax just before the cut-off. I like this idea. If you’re not racing, why rush? When you have a busy life at work and home, riding is a luxury. Why cut your time on the bike short? Squeeze every second of enjoyment from it. Pedal until a couple of minutes before the cut-off time. Stay out until the sun is about to set. Savour the experience like it’s the last time you’ll ever get on your bike. Because one day it will be.
I found out this weekend that one of my neighbours is reaching the end of his long life. Even though he's into his tenth decade, the news seems sudden, surprising. Until now, he’d barely missed his daily walk along the road. Through illness. Through bereavement. He’d always been ready to stop and chat with gentle humour. His stride grew slower and less certain, but on he walked.
Nobody can know the secret of a long and happy life, but I strongly suspect the answer is simply to keep going and enjoy the ride, wherever it takes you.