The Enormity of the Task

August 5, 2016

Every bicycle journey has its hardships — headwinds, rough surfaces, steep climbs, long climbs, steep long climbs. If it was all down hill, that ice cream, or beer, or huge sandwich, or simple cold glass of water, just wouldn’t taste as good.

More often than not, your day’s ride is obscured — by trees, mountains, or bends in a twisty road. The only way to get the grand perspective is by staring at a map.

But every once in awhile you get to a vantage point where an entire day’s ride is laid out in front of you. Every mile is visible. The enormity of the task at hand is both daunting and exhilarating. It seems impossible that those mountains off in the distance is where you will be at the end of the day.

But you will be, thanks to this incredibly efficient machine ... powered by YOU!

Photo by Willie Weir

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS is posted every other Friday.

Willie Weir is a contributor for Adventure Cyclist magazine. His books, Travels with Willie and Spokesongs, will inspire you to hit the road and might change the way you approach bicycle travel. He lives in Seattle with his wife Kat. You can also find him at WillieWeir.com, Facebook, and Instagram.  

Comments

Larry D. August 6, 2016, 11:15 AM

I think of Highway 50 in Nevada, the loneliest highway, when I read this comment by Willy. From one mountain range to the next with 20 plus miles of low land between. Let's hear if for the Western Express.

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