Apologises for my lengthy absence but unfortunately (or rather fortunately) I have been busy on the continent, predominately in Italy, France and Holland and all preoccupied by pedalling, obviously. Normally I would find the whole travelling lark a breeze, however as I get older I find it increasingly tortuous. My kids have taken great delight in telling me I am now middle-aged and my daily 6am ride is becoming less frequent, more fantasy than reality. This brings me on nicely to this May and my Italian project, I spent 4 weeks following every pedal stroke of my good friend Mick Ives who was solo pedalling the whole route of this year’s Giro d’italia, this in itself is an amazing feat but even more extraordinary was Mick’s age, 77, YES 77, the guy is nearly an octogenarian!
Okay, back to reality and the fact Mick has been competitively cycling for 60 years, many as a Pro and winning countless World Championships across a diverse range of disciplines, so some might cynically think he is adequately equipped to achieve this task with ease, but c’mon at 77, doesn’t this demonstrates that age is no barrier and that anything is possible? Bizarrely this is not the first time Mick has tried something of the same ilk, when he was 65 he pedalled the whole route of the Tour de France, once again unaided which at the time was unprecedented.
I have had many conversations with prospective cyclists over the years whose only barrier to cycling or any form of exercise is their mind, they are happy to conjure excuses to prevent them pedalling, age, lack of time, the weather (which I use on occasions) and the state of the British roads and its drivers. Mick is great example of how the mind can be programmed to make anything achievable if you are prepared to work hard enough and commit sometime to your mental and physical well-being.
So get of your backsides and explore on two wheels, 5 miles or 50 miles it’s relevant as long as you free your mind and allow yourself to experience new things, new ideas and more importantly get that heart pumping.
Happy Pedalling
Scot
Scot Whitlock Editor, CADENCE Cycling Magazine (coming soon)
Twitter: @cadencemag
Website: www.cadencemag.co.uk
Author ‘Simple Words from the Saddle’ & ‘Simply More Words from the Saddle’
Twitter: @saddlescot
Blog: [email protected]
Kazakhstan trip: www.pedaltheunknown.com
