The Dilemma
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance tells us that it is not the end point of the journey that should be pushing us forward as this detracts from us enjoying the journey for its own sake. In many ways my approach to cycling has embraced this ideal. When jumping on a bike you are faced with two choices: speeding off as fast as you can to get it over with quickly or plodding along to enjoy the ride. My approach to cycling has been to undertake a journey with as little effort (and thus speed as possible) as I like to enjoy the ride. However, every moment I spend slowly enjoying the lanes of Devon is time not spent at work or not turning up on time for a meeting. Thus, the title of this blog is a little misleading: it should be called 'life in the slowish lane' or 'life in the medium-paced lane' as I end up working harder than I would on a non-work ride. That said, it will never be 'life in the fast lane' as that would imply too much work. I'm quite happy exchange a hello with the serious cyclists as the whiz past in a blur of colour.
I know this dilemma only too well. The secret, I think, is to allow 15-20 minutes minutes extra for your journey. Although this works against the idle philosphy of having as long a lie-in as possible, I think it's worth it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as you well know, I haven't yet reached the point where I consistently walk the walk when it comes to this subject. The journey is simply too interesting!