TiltShift Mojo

Tilt shift miniature Ibis Mojo (yes, old school steel with the Hand Job).

Taken a few minutes after dropping in at Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos, California. It is not the amount of miles in the ride but the amount of ride in the miles that is the important part.

I do enjoy going on multi-hour epics, don't get me wrong. There's almost nothing better than starting the roll on of a four hour nothing but riding ride. Well, the nothing but riding part might not be wholly accurate, there are photo stops, hydration breaks, smoke breaks and bathroom breaks.

But the point is that there's something calming and special about setting off for a long ride, be it road or mountain. The adventure is just starting and it will unfold (hmmm, accidentally typed funfold first, new word, cha-ching!) just in front of your front wheel. It sometimes takes longer but, eventually, the cares of the day are left behind, the worries, the hassles, the arguments, the seething resentments and that nasty pile of dishes you should have done before leaving. Don't worry, they'll be there when you return.

Rotational Therapy

Like many cyclists, I find that my mind is most at ease when I'm spinning my pedals and eating up miles. I tend to find that I think through my problems more clearly, that obstacles don't obstruct me so much and that the niggling voices can't keep up with me quite so easily.

Cycling is, for me, therapy. It is exercise for my body, obviously, but it is also an opportunity for my brain to crunch through the flotsam of my work weeks, nearly unmanageable tasklists and frazzled out staff and faculties.