Considerations on the lightness of life and the balance on biking with contribution from Andy Goldfine
Parallel rides: lateral thinking comparing the way we ride a motorcycle with the way we conduct our life. In this case, considerations on the way we occasionally ride and live in tension, under the desire to control every single moment for fear of what is ahead.
“Here the parallel ride: the one who rigidly forces the bike into a direction, with locked shoulders, straight arms, white knuckles and rigid posture on the saddle, this rider, wanting absolute control, fights the bike, the line and every small change of direction and speed.”
The rider is having an erratic, nervous, troublesome ride…and tension will turn into fatigue, and fatigue will invite fear and fear creates mistakes that fuel and close the negative circle.
This is why, deep down, many riders are afraid of riding, and why advanced riding is mostly an act of knowledgeable relaxation.
“Here the parallel ride: the one who flows with the road, the rider who leaves the bike free in balancing, the one who has no pre-conceived and mandatory rules but dances with the bike, aware of what is going on around him, practiced and flexible in infinite applications: this rider will explore all possible lines, will examine all “if’s” will study surface, environment and traffic, will test skill and fitness, will do all that is possible to make progress combine with fun.”
We live in tension to control the future, what can happen, what we fear will happen. We live in tension regretting the past, the ever-present “if”, the missed opportunities. Here the parallel ride: move where life takes you, accept without resistance, gently steer your dance.
I liked this part very much “move where life takes you, accept without resistance, gently steer your dance” the philosophy of riding.
It is sunny outside right now in Whyteleafe. I will head for the station a bit early to catch the ghost train into ghost London.
A couple months ago [pre Cov19] I got home 3 hours late off my last Night shift and was basically a Zombie.
And it was lashing down. A very non English type of rain. To the extent that it was flash flooding. So much water coming down at once the system could not cope.
And it was flooding through my garage. Not the 1st time , hence items are stored off the floor.
And after some pointless annoyance and checking that there was no immediate risk I finally relaxed.
Just standing there in the rain and excepting that sometimes you just need to go with the flow.