Lose Yourself
I’ve got no idea where we are!
Me neither, but I think we’re on the right track
Do you think we’re lost?
Sometime the best rides have a moment where they feel like the worst rides.
And getting lost can often be one of those moments.
And I think there is a lot to be said for getting lost on a ride. Not all the time of course, but once in a while I love to turn right where I normally turn left. And I remember as a kid we’d regularly use our bikes to go find new places and explore unknown paths.
You might think that after almost 20 years in Geneva that I can’t get lost – but you’d be surprised how easy it is.
We have so many small roads here in Geneva, in neighbouring canton Vaud and France that you can still mix it up and take lots of roads less travelled.
But why get lost? What’s the point of that?
I think it can help snap us out of our routine – and open our eyes to amazing things that are actually just around the next corner.
Its in my nature to discover new routes, and often one of the best ways to do that is to ride with different people.
I recently went on a ride with a friend who I don’t normally ride with and ended up doing a very similar loop to one I’ve done lots of times, but just on roads parallel to the ones I normally go on – and it ended up being on about 50% totally new roads to me. And this was a ride here in the canton – hardly any distance from home.
But there’s also a “risk” when you ride with other people leading. They might get you lost.
This happened a few months back at the start of summer. We rode out into canton Vaud on a “coffee ride”. My fitness wasn’t really up to the level of the people I was with but I figured that as it was an easy ride it shouldn’t be a problem.
Back when the ride was easy
But we got lost.
First wrong turn took us up a steep slope in the vineyards near to Mont-sur-Rolle. The surface was concrete slabs, and the gradient got way up above 10%. Not good for me when I’m in shape, never mind when it is early season.
But we kept the faith and continued to pedal following the leader.
Eventually we arrived at what looked like a private hospital, and yep, there was no way through to where we thought we were going.
So back down the hill and onward to the next turn up.
Fingers crossed this one was right.
It was, but it was also all sorts of wrong (for me). Gradients hitting 15% meant I was sweating and swearing my way up into the lower slopes of the plateau.
It was all a bit of a mystery to me where we were headed, and how long this climb was going to be. In the moment I recall feeling not too happy about it, but when I finally reached the group waiting patiently at the top I realised how great the climb had actually been.
And I never would have gone up there by myself, I didn’t even know the road existed despite having ridden past the turn many times (probably unconsciously put off by the look of the first few metres straight up!)
Worthwhile views
I still had no idea where we were, but the joy that came with riding new roads, winding through tall trees all around, was really something special.
In our time pressured lives, with families and responsibilities, I think we feel that we don’t have time to get lost on our rides – but once in a while try to make time to take that road you always ride past past, or the trail into the woods that you have no idea where it leads to.
Be a kid again and ride your bike somewhere you never have before. It could lead you to something fantastic.
What I’ve been listening to while writing
Eminem – Lose Yourself
Of course I had to mention this one. I only recently saw the movie 8 Mile that this song soundtracks as my son really got into Eminem. It is worth a watch for sure if you haven’t seen it already. When I was Djing I used to love playing this tune, fantastic build and chorus.
“If you had one shot, one opportunity …”