I’ve only gone and done it again! Last year, if you recall, I finished the Strathpuffer mountain bike race, almost in tears and vowing that it was all over.
It was my third time riding the event and the first as a solo rider. I swore that I would never put myself through the stress, discomfort and pain of training for, then riding, a 24-hour mountain bike race in 17 hours of darkness in a Scottish winter.
Well, after a few days I had figured out where I had gone wrong, the pain had been forgotten and I was planning another assault on the breach. I wasn’t convinced that I would actually go ahead with it, but then I couldn’t help myself and before I knew it my name was up on the event website as a solo rider for 2018.
That kind of foolhardiness demonstrates a typical state of mind that cyclists seem to possess. Yes, we like our creature comforts and an easy time of it as much as the next person, but there is also a masochistic streak that runs through all those that pedal. It is probably present in many sports and activities – I don’t really participate in any other sport if it doesn’t involve two wheels, so I can’t be certain, but there is something peculiar to cyclists that appears to make them enjoy suffering for their chosen activity.
As I get older I must admit that my tolerance for suffering seems to diminish – but not too much yet. Last week, when away working on a trip I still managed to drag my backside out of bed at 5am to head out for a ride. No matter the thunder and lightning storm or that the roads were more like rivers. No, it was the challenge of getting a hill in before breakfast that was appealing to me. The horrendous weather outside just made the bragging rights even better when I made it back.
I have always maintained, and I reiterated this to the riders I was guiding that day, that cyclists are made from stern stuff and that a ride in extreme conditions is worth ten in benign weather. Indeed I can recount only a few rides that I have had in favourable climatic conditions, but I can tell you every detail (and some) of my epic battles in all sorts of weather.
There is also the cyclist’s need to push their body to the limit. Now I know this particular ideology manifests itself in many people who participate in sport, but as I said above I only cycle, so can only comment on them. I have never met a cyclist of any age or background that hasn’t pushed their bodies further beyond what they actually considered was possible for them. From young children racing to adults just back on the bike for the first time in years it is amazing to see how much people dig deep to find that extra something to keep on pedalling. I have known people who haven’t participated in any kind of physical activity for years who have taken up cycling and found that it has transformed their lives, both mentally and physically. It is one of the great things about cycling and the buzz that comes from achieving something that you never thought you could is addictive and is the reason why so many people who start cycling can’t stop.
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Where to ride Devilla Forest Trails – Kincardine Fife
Start at Forest Car Park OS Landranger 1:50000 Map NS964871
Distance 9.5km
This is an ideal family ride out on flat trails through a Scot’s Pine forest with lots to see and keep younger children occupied. Throughout there are interpretation panels and the “Red Squirrel Trail” adds an extra 1.8km.
