Part Five The Determination and Drive To participate in doing such a challenge one would need to have some motivation, determination, plenty of spare time and possibly some money, and it would also make more sense to be relatively fit, in my case this was not a necessity. I certainly had the determination and I also had bundles of time. I was sadly lacking in the money and fitness departments; Fatness was okay but not the fitness, so if I could change the A for a I, this would be beneficial. I will try and explain how and where I got my drive, and my motivation from. From the intro so far you may have a good idea already where this is leading. To do a challenge of the magnitude I was going to attempt, one would need a purpose in life if you like, a certain drive and goal that you will need when the going starts to get tough. With the right desire you can conquer the Wall, the pit and the abyss and reach your goal. Simply to do this challenge my drive has got to come from within, I was blessed there as I already have that. A few folks questioned my new found vigour and energy. Deep down I have always been vivacious and strong willed; it had just been hiding of late. The goal was to get a better life and to reach my own personal abyss, this is what subconsciously motivated me, it may be hard work but it’s as simple as that. This challenge had been an idea of mine for many years like I say. It wasn’t just a whim; it was just an idea though until four years ago back in 2009, this is when I planned my so called route and a schedule after going through atlases and strategically planning all of it almost inch by inch. Why I decided on a Bicycle I do not really know, maybe the memory of a previous ride several years previous back in 1991 with my wife Sheila and step daughter Donna and Donnas’ friend Ernestine, all the enjoyment we received from that ride was still deep in the back of my mind. I also wanted this to be a challenge that could improve my fitness and health contrary to the beliefs what the medical profession were telling me. I had not failed yet. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome. A bicycle fitted all the criteria for this challenge. When man invented the bicycle he had reached the peak of his attainments. This was a machine of precision and balance for the convenience of man, unlike subsequent inventions which are for man’s convenience. The more you cycle, the fitter the body becomes. This for once was a product of man’s brain that is entirely beneficial to all that use it, no harm or irritation to others. Progress should have stopped when man invented the two wheeled machines. I live in a village where the highest percentage of occupants are anti cyclists, narrow-minded people are telling me and other cyclists that we should not be allowed on the roads and pay your road taxes. Many cyclists also won cars so they do pay road taxes. You will know the sort of people I am talking about here, the ones that sit in the pub all day, drive there smart cars and get a little annoyed because maybe one or two negligent cyclists may hold them up for a few seconds. Like what I say, man had reached the peak of his attainments. Once you learn how to ignore all the rubbish thrown at you, one can concentrate on your own quest. In this media-savvy age we can instantly pinpoint the exact whereabouts of hundreds of cyclists who are pedalling doggedly in far-flung corners of the globe – and, through their blogs, find out where they’ve been what they’ve eaten and what they’re playing on their solar-powered iPods .Some are doing it for laudable causes, some with an agenda, and others just for themselves. Bike Radar takes a look at who’s doing what, where and, more interestingly, why? Anyone who’s ridden a bike from point A to point B has probably dreamed of making point B just that little bit further away. There’s a joy to be had in riding a linear rather than a circular route, and if self-supported and beholden to no-one, is there really a better way to travel and see the country? That said, it’s quite a jump from spending a couple of days cycling in the Peak District to pedalling the length of the country solo or angling for that oh so attractive round-the-world record. Different pedal strokes for different folks I guess? In the current crop of long-distance cyclists there seems to be as broad a variety of purposes, justifications and goals as there are differences in routes planned, and once your read this some of us may get hooked, I did. The more I read the more I wanted to give it a go myself. The determination and drive that lies within is what defines us. I know there will be tears, doubt and a whole plethora of emotions as the wheels go round and I get further away from home, but ultimately being out in the country will have far more positives than the negatives. Veteran round-the-world cyclist Alastair Humphreys has some thoughts on the motivation that leads to such journeys. For him, an epic four-year trip kick-started a new career as a motivational speaker and author, enabling him to not only continue his own adventures, but encourage others to do the same. While he did raise money for charity as he went, it wasn’t the reason he set out. “I think the current spree of bike rides and round-the-world speed dashes are all great,” he said. “But I think that people must remember that there is a hell of a lot to be said for just getting on your bike and doing it, and doing it for the hell of it.” The history of cycle racing abounds with stories of long distance, will power and sheer courage on an epic scale. The capacity of bike riders to drive themselves relentlessly day after day through the pain barrier and way beyond makes them a breed apart. They redefine heroism in sport. The hardship is gratuitous, the mileage they cover Herculean, and both make a crucible in which a unique character is forged: an apparently cheerful indifference to the pain inflicted by bike and road, suffused with the transcendent desire to conquer both. The greatest battle is not physical but psychological. The demons telling us to give up when we push ourselves to the limit can never be silenced for good. The times I was asked ‘Steve’ how did you manage to carry on, I wish I had a fiver for every time someone asked me that question, added with how many punctures did you have, I would be a rich man. They must always be answered by the quiet steady dignity that simply refuses to give in. Call no man brave, say the Spanish, say only that on a particular day he showed himself brave. Such strength of character radiates from every bike rider who has shown the requisite courage not to yield, has won his dignity, day after day. This may not explain my drive but may explain my character.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 04:08:25 +0000
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