MANY of us live a sedentary lifestyle — not much of it causes our hearts to race. We spend a great deal of time sitting around in office chairs, or walking to the car, and many of us live in urban environments. Put together, our lack of physical activity and insular environment can stifle our true humanity.
My passion for mountain-biking (or “off-road riding”, as it is more accurately called) began when I realised that the only exercise I took was running upstairs.
I have always liked to engage in sporting activity. My life as a vicar, however, made this increasingly difficult. The anti-social hours I worked meant that it was difficult to join in team sports. I tried going to the gym for a while, but found the treadmill . . . well, a treadmill. So, I decided to buy a mountain-bike.
In the parish where I worked, there were hundreds of acres of Forestry Commission land where I could ride. From that moment on, I got the bug. It was that sense of freedom and fresh air; the exhilaration of speed and a little danger that sets the pulse racing. Cycling off-road, even if for only half an hour, provides a whole-body workout comparable to an aerobics class or time in the air-conditioned environs of a gym.
Off-road cycling need not be the extreme sport of thrill-seeking teenagers and men who should know better. From about £250 upwards you can buy a bike that will handle the demands of bridleways, forest tracks, disused railway lines, and other parts of our beautiful landscape. “Hybrid” bikes (suitable for less demanding conditions) can also give you the freedom of the roads and lanes.
Off-road bikes are designed to make terrain rideable, and you will be amazed at what you can achieve. Contrary to popular belief, bikes do less damage to bridleways and regulated routes than horses, and the only carbon-dioxide emissions are from your breath.
I have been riding off-road in the UK for more than ten years, and my mainly solo trips have provided me with time and space to think. Which priorities in my life am I willing to sweat over? What challenges am I prepared to overcome? Am I willing to persevere in those areas of my life that are more important than mountain biking?
I want to encourage you to consider “getting on your bike”, whether on-road or off-road. Cycling can be a real tonic for the soul. One of my colleagues bought a bicycle recently. He told me that, although he was nervous at first, riding his bike recaptured a part of his youth. It made him feel young again, giving him a sense of freedom and exhilaration that he had missed.
I think he is right. Off-road riding does take you back to moments of youthful joy, as well as back to nature. You travel slowly enough to see things that you would otherwise miss, and fast enough to see the diversity of our landscape. As you do, I believe that your heart will beat faster, and that you will remember afresh what it means to be human.
The Revd Jay Colwill is the author of Along the Discipleship Road: Following Jesus today, published by BRF.
|
back to Pastimes
previous story
|
next story 
back to top
