I think every person needs balance in their life. Balance between family, professional life, spirituality, passions and so on. Until recently, I didn’t really saw the meaning of passions because I looked at them from the wrong perspective. We are not talking about being passionate about your work or the person next to you, we are talking about passions such as sports, painting, music and so on. I thought you could have a passion when you’re not working and you have too much free time. I saw this type of activity as a weakness.
But, together with the lockdown imposed by COVID-19, out of nowhere began to burn in me a desire to move, to go out in nature. Suddenly the paradigm of the hamster running merrily in a wheel working from 09 to 21 moved away from me and began to get closer and closer to the paradigm of the man who lives in the present moment and needs balance to be fulfilled.
Thanks to this very deep impulse at the beginning, I bought a bicycle, an MTB, at the beginning of June 2020. With my hand on my heart, I can say that it was one of the best decisions I have made in the last 5 years. Let’s face it, the last bike I had was bought for me by my parents at the end of the 3rd grade for the exceptional result at the end of the school year. I had at least 12 years since I stopped riding a bike.
It was love on the first pedal. After the engineer in me worked a little with a screwdriver borrowed to mount the bike, I started going out every day, every morning in the park. It was as if I was reliving my childhood, enjoying the warm summer mornings, walking on the shores of the lake, believing myself more like a Formula 1 car.
In addition to the movement that obviously helps the body, I was given a chance to clear my mind every morning, to disconnect from all the panic around me, to listen to an audiobook or a podcast and to be practically free.
But the really interesting experiences came with the first expeditions to the mountains or through the woods. And I say that they were really interesting because they were a mix of freedom, effort, landscapes, speed, adrenaline, dangerous dogs, mud, falls but especially discoveries. Maybe it’s a point of interest for me, but I find it fascinating to be able to have passions with which to always discover other landscapes, other routes, other dangers and other experiences.
To answer the question in the title of this article with a very personal note, why is it so cool?
It’s nice to descend from Transalpina, or from Cabana Piatra Arsă or from Cota 1400 or from Cheile Grădiștei, through the forest, on forest roads with speeds of up to 35 km / h or on asphalt with speeds up to 60 km / h. Speeds may not seem so high, but on a 10-15 kg bike they certainly feel different.
It’s nice when you stop in the middle of the forest and listen to the wind that moves the trees slightly.
It’s nice when you cycle on the beach or near the Danube and enjoy the sun, the waves and the memorable landscapes.
It’s nice when you ride a bike or next to it, to the top of the mountain where you have access to a beautiful landscape.
It’s nice when you meet other cyclists on the route and greet each other as if you’ve known each other for a lifetime.
It’s nice when after 6 hours of cycling you sit at the table with your friends and start complaining about the pain.
It’s nice when you get lost in the woods and finally find the right route.
This whole process of preparing a tour through an unknown place is nice.
There are other reasons, but honestly, I think it’s much more interesting to discover them yourself. I can say with all my heart that from 2020, cycling qualifies as one of the passions that help me find balance. That’s why in two years I managed to cover over 3000 km by bike, even if I had a knee surgery that kept me on the bench for about 4 months.
That being said, I hope that at least one of the readers of this article will have the courage to start cycling. Here are some photos and a short video to stimulate your imagination.
