“My favorite kind of cycling is adventure cycling, by that I mean riding my bike for the pure adventure. I usually set a destination to reach with little consideration to when I’ll get there. I don’t plan the route too carefully and I’m not worried about the speed I travel. In the warm summer months I take a bag with a t-shirt and shorts, some money, a few spare tubes and a pump. That’s it. Then I head out and find my way.
“The first time I rode like this it sounded scary because there were so many unknown factors - what if I got lost? Where would I sleep? What if I got a mechanical problem I couldn’t fix?
“But exactly because of the multitude of unpredictability, I now enjoy just heading out without any plans other than to reach my destination at some point.
“This scary feeling of not knowing what’s ahead is the same feeling I had when I quit my job or whenever I have to make a big decision. What’s tomorrow? What’s next? How does my future look?
“At first, I was scared about this feeling but now I embrace it because it means one thing: anything can happen
“When I start an adventure trip the first two days are a bit fractious because I’m still in the mindset of my days having defined structure and plans. But then my mind eases, I start appreciating more the here and now rather than worrying about the past or future.