Full range of human emotions

[gairym]

As I stand here waiting for the scratch train after my Tuscany Trail attempt for 2018 takes an early bath I thought I'd try to articulate a thought I've been having whilst riding.....

One thing I very much appreciate (though not always like) about bikepacking is that it offers the long distance cycling idiot the full range of human emotions over the course of a big multi day adventure.

All the usual everyday culprits such as joy, happiness, disappointment, sadness etc...

But.....where it gets interesting, I think, is when you throw in new and challenging situations and combine them with physical/mental exhaustion and hunger/dehydration.

It steps things up a notch, turns them up to 11 so to speak.

Over the last three days I've squeezed out a tear or two on three separate occasions.

Once, whilst watching a family of European bee-eaters doing their thing by a river, once whilst getting reflective/introspective after hearing about the death of one of this years participants (he hit a chain fence at speed and died of his injuries) and once when I made the decision to give up this years attempt after enduring two days of intense saddle sore misery.

The highs are higher and the lows and certainly pretty damn low (as anyone who rode the 2014 BB200 will tell you!).

And surely that in itself is a valuable attribute of big daft bikepacking trips, no?

How many of our days are filled with mundane drudgery? How infrequently do we find ourselves at the extremities of emotion?

It's something I find really satisfying about doing crap like this and long may it continue.....

Edit: oddly I don't particularly get moved by finishing any given event, it really is much more about the journey.

[Chicken Legs]

Very true Gairy, racing takes you to places physically and emotionally that ordinarily you just wouldn't get to and I love it, a window to the soul

[ZeroDarkBivi]

I hear you, Gairy; the intensity of the whole experience can be quite satisfying, on reflection, although I prefer it when the emotional sum is in balance, or leaning towards the positive! I guess that is also about perspective, which perhaps we can modify?

But a sore ass is still a sore ass...!

[Moder-dye]

Eek!

,...once whilst getting reflective/introspective after hearing about the death of one of this years participants (he hit a chain fence at speed and died of his injuries) ...

Nearly rode into a rusty green camouflage bar across a track in dark woodland on my recent trip, swerved in time and realised my mate was about to do the same and shouted out and he just pulled up in time!

[Matt]

If only Rutger had been a bikepacker

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. European bee-eaters doing their thing by a river. I used sudocreme on industrial levels, I’ve slept in ditches and watched the sun rise. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to scratch.

[Richard G]

:D

But yeah, I've endured more pain, but experienced more outright joy bikepacking than doing anything else I can think of. Highs vs the lows can be unreal.

[jameso]

How many of our days are filled with mundane drudgery? How infrequently do we find ourselves at the extremities of emotion?

Yup.. that's about the sum of it.

And great post matt, had Roy Batty's lines in mind a couple of times on the TINAT. The answers to my 10am extreme dozies and mental lows were Gairy's qs up there.

Very sad news on the rider accident though. Perspective.

[In Reverse]

Good post Gairy. Missing you already.

Extreme emotions abound here - Jase shed a tear last night when I left a €10 tip in the wine bar and he's still traumatised by it.

Edit : Matt

[Matt]

had Roy Batty's lines in mind a couple

Just to digress but who thought 'Roy Batty' was a good name for a 6ft renegade replicant! Roy Batty sounds like he should be rolling down a hill with Compo in Last of the Summer wine not breaking Han Solos fingers..

..anyway as you were