The last months have brought about a lot of change for me. With it have come feelings of excitement, sheer joy, contemplation and new challenges. The nature that surrounds me fuels this feeling that surely today is more beautiful than the last. It is peaceful, tranquil and slow. Traveling by bike hits you with all the senses in a way a car just can't. Sometimes when I am biking alone, (when Matt is giving me a head start or I'm catching up to him), there are no cars and it is only me and the road. I hear the fall leaves taking their leave from the trees and every animal squawk. I feel the wind brushing against me and the wet ripples of rain drops that drench everything in their path. That's all there is, no distractions. When locals inquire about our trip and km traveled I find myself replying, "Voy siempre con tranquilo" (I always go calmly/peacefully). I’m not in a rush, nor in the midst of a race. I read an entry on Paulo Coelho’s blog, entitled, On rhythm and the road. He shares the story of a woman who was making a pilgrimage on the Road to Santiago who notices that most pilgrims are, “always trying to follow the rhythm set by others.” She has an experience where she slows down and follows her own rhythm and afterward continues to do this in all areas of life. This reminds me, that I too have given way to the rhythm of other’s and this feeling of urgency to not be "the slowest in the pack.” I have decided instead to follow my own rhythm as I bike, but it wasn’t always this way.
At first traveling by bike brought out my intensity and competitiveness. The first few days, I found myself often frustrated, feeling rushed and constantly comparing myself to other bikers. Matt reminds me that there were days when I told him he couldn’t talk to me while I was biking. I was concentrating of course, on keeping the bike in balance and avoiding the larger rocks in the road, to avoid spilling off my saddle and into the gravel (something I quickly became an expert at my first 3 days). It is a trip of many firsts for me. Biking long distances, biking with weight filled paniers, biking in the dark, and biking on loose gravel, sand and dirt road (I have never mountain biked in my life before this). Matt would probably say that the first days were like riding with someone who was just learning to ride a bike and still had their training wheels on. He has had moments of disbelief, yet somehow found immense patience. Matt can appreciate a good up hill and there have been times when I’ve given him the opportunity to appreciate the same one twice. He has ridden my bike up and walked down to ride his up, all in the name of the team, in order to keep us moving. I am appreciative. It has been a challenge for me to be doing something where everything I do every day there is someone who does it better than me. Who bikes and handles cold rain with ease, and finds calmness amongst disorganization and filthiness. I am getting better though, as I no longer fall every day (only when there are intense wind gusts or really loose sand), and my legs are getting stronger for those up hills. As for the filthiness of living on the road, well, I’ve learned to adjust and surrender to a new standard. We are now riding bikes, without too much intensity and we are slowing down to find every day beauty. I am enjoying the journey for what it is and having fun with whatever the day will bring.
Lastly, to all of you out there who have known me across my life, even though for most of my life I have always said no thanks to the meat, down here in Patagonia, I’ve become a carnivore. Perhaps it is the fresh “organic” meat of Patagonia, or my newly acquired immense appetite due to the energy exerted on the bike. All I know, is I’m a beef eater now! Don’t worry, my love of fresh salads and a good chocolate bar hasn’t waned.
RSS Feed