Once per week, I get out with a friend for a bike ride.
Dependent on the weather, we either go off road and use local bridleways and countryside or on road. On road means we cover a bit more distance.
It’s a great way to get out in nature, have a bit of a chat and exercise for a few hours while by its very nature being physically distanced.
Yesterday, we managed 50ish miles, the furthest for a long time and a distance I was really pleased with.
I have quite a few friends that cycle and one of them who is really consistent with getting out mentioned that she hasn’t been doing as much distance because people have been kicking off about cyclists doing long distances.
Feeling shamed in to not doing the routes that she enjoys and gets a lot out of mentally as well as physically because some knob5 feel like it’s ok to pick on people.
I’ve never been in to picking on people for doing stuff, I’m generally to busy getting on with my own stuff, so I just don’t get what drives people to do it.
My Mum always said if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. She didn’t always follow that advice but you get the meaning.
Being out on a bike in nature is amazing. My toes took most of the day to gain feeling, other than that I felt fantastic.
It’s one of my favourite parts of my week.
Maybe if I saw lots of people wearing Lycra and cycling helmets licking the Home Bargains door handle I’d understand the reasoning behind not cycling long distances. Haven’t seen that happen so far though.
Whatever form of exercise you choose, please don’t let the opinion of others influence your decision to do it. If you are not harming yourself or others, crack on.
Darren “loves a ride” Checkley
