A wet, chilly miserable day near Kinross
My rides vary as we have such different terrain here. Keep to the coastal strip and the ground is undulating, though still with a few sharp hills. Head south and you climb up to the moorland with a lot of steep hills and ascents.
Just a wee local hill – Lothian Edge behind
Then there’s the weather, varies daily from thick haar (smist) floating in from the North Sea, sunshine, gales, calm, clouds, rain, hail, snow – we do have a somewhat variable climate.
There’s also who you are cycling with, solo, with a bunch of friends (coffee stop mandatory), with the ‘Young Thrusters’ wheeling along at a pace that sends my heart rate into orbit.
A flock of swans in a local field with the LAmmermuir hills behind
So, do you keep your head down, do you sit up and look around or just mix and match? I’m usually the latter, my cycling aim is enjoyment, but sometimes that might be the fun of testing myself or screaming down one of our fantastic descents. Other times it’s with a bunch of cycling pals, riding beside each other & chewing the fat, gossiping or discussing the meaning of life. Some times I stop to look at a sunset, what’s scurrying in the hedge row, or watch an adder snaking across the road. Or at times I dangle the camera from my neck and go deliberately to look, photograph or film.
Riding back home, crunchty, crunchety.
Some of the places I’ve cycled have been just amazing, especially one’s just around the corner if you don’t take them for granted.
So do you hang over the handlebars, watching the bike a few centimetres in front, do you hang loose or are you just a mixture like me?
Just a couple of miles from our village
A dramatic local castle above the sea
Mid ride rest beside the loch
Nice photos my friend, nice post. To answer your question, whenever I’m alone, I’m head down and cranking – even if it’s a slower “recovery ride”. I will take a few minutes, at least, every ride to look around. Usually after I’ve gassed myself and I need a minute to recover.
I have this “tick”… When I ride I always struggle with wanting to get something out of the ride, fitness wise. If I’m taking the time to look around I feel like I’m not using the gift of being able to ride in the first place, wisely. Fixing that has been impossible so far.
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It’s a magic place to photograph, so much variety of geology, scenery, wildlife, architecture etc, etc in such a small area. Most were taken a few miles from the house.
It will be interesting to see how you cope when fitness inevitably declines with the years though.
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I have put some thought into that and I figure if my health stays, I’ve got 21 (or more) years left before I have to think about slowing down. I’m more than okay with that and even if it’s sooner, as long as I’m doing my best, I’ll be okay. I just won’t phone it in.
That’ll take me to 65. However, being a recovering drunk I take that “one day at a time” thing very seriously. Right now I like the speed but this too shall pass.
I’ll be happy with my best, always have been. Thank you for the concern my friend. I greatly appreciate it.
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I used to push it; rides for me were a way to get in shape and train for long miles. I’ve done a 180 this year. Now, I prefer to ride easier and enjoy my surroundings.
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I used to ride with a cycling club, and flying down a long flat straight at over 25 mph is a wondrous thing, but I found I could never remember the streets and the sights because I was so focused on the wheel in front of me and so tired.
Now, after a couple health scares I ride in the 8 – 14 mph range and see more. It’s a trade off, and when someone blows by me I can’t say I don’t want to track them down, but instead I just enjoy the world about me.
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