Ten plus one

In which I embrace an arbitrary, but potentially satisfying challenge

I decided, years ago, that I would enjoy cycling uphill.

Bealach na Bà, Scotland

I can’t remember exactly what prompted this. It might just have been that I got bored with all the moaning that accompanied steep hills. They’re an inevitable part of cycling, I thought, so if I’m going to carry on doing this, I might as well enjoy them, otherwise I’ll be spending a lot of my life complaining.

I sometimes tell people it was because I grew up in Mid Wales (famously hilly), and thought it best to cultivate fondness for the terrain of my homeland, rather than taking an attitude that meant I’d always be reluctant to go back there.

Anyway, I quickly found there’s a lot to like about climbing, and seeking out steep hills meant I eventually got better at riding up them. So now when I see the tarmac rearing up in front of me – or the red line appear on my Wahoo – I very rarely despair. I know this is something I can do, that I enjoy, and which is far worse in the anticipation than the execution.

---

So this year I’ve set myself an arbitrary climbing challenge. It is, indeed, so arbitrary that I wasn’t sure it was worth committing to. Eventually I realised that a small, slightly random mission is exactly what I need at the moment.