Last year, if you’d asked me what made a good ride, I’d probably have started talking about average speed, distance or climbing.
Now, I couldn’t care less.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with training hard or racing. Plenty of people love it, and fair play to them. It just isn’t why I ride anymore.
These days I’d rather spend six hours riding 80 kilometres than three hours trying to ride 100 which i get for a lot of people that sounds mad.
I like taking the long way round. Stopping for a coffee. Pulling over because the view’s worth a photo. Finding a gravel track that isn’t on the route and seeing where it goes.
Half the time I don’t even remember my average speed once I get home. I remember the little village I rode through, the chat with another cyclist, the deer that ran across the trail or the café I’d never have found if I’d stuck to the main road.
That’s the stuff that sticks with me.
I think social media has made it easy to believe every ride needs to be bigger, faster or harder than the last one. More miles. More elevation. Another personal best.
I’ve fallen into that trap myself.
But somewhere along the way I realised I was spending more time looking at my bike computer than looking at where I actually was.
This injury has probably reinforced that more than anything.
Being off the bike has made me realise it was never about chasing numbers. I don’t miss trying to beat my average speed. I miss being outside. I miss loading the bike into the van, finding somewhere new and heading off without much of a plan.
I miss the quiet lanes. The gravel tracks. The coffee stops. Those moments where you stop for five minutes and realise there’s nowhere else you’d rather be.
That’s what adventure cycling is to me.
It’s not about podiums or proving anything to anyone. It’s about getting out, exploring somewhere new and enjoying the ride for what it is.
When I’m back riding properly, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.
There’ll be no pressure to ride faster than before or tick off bigger numbers. Just more adventures, more places I’ve never been and hopefully plenty of coffee along the way.
That’s what Gravel & Gears is all about.
Not chasing the finish.
Just enjoying everything in between.
