Recently our social club organised a coffee machine so people in the building could buy cheaper coffee than the cafeteria supplied. While I applaud their reasoning for doing so (the cafeteria jacked up their prices), I can’t believe how much attention the thing has picked up.

I find myself forming strong opinions on things that aren’t really that important to me. For instance, since selling my car and riding to work more often I am in disbelief when I hear about people driving 8 minutes to work rather than riding or walking. I end up labelling them all sheep and just disregarding their opinions from then onwards. Ok so maybe it’s not that bad, but I guess you could say that it “fuels the fire”, the fire being my hatred for lazy car drivers. People that could be walking, riding, jogging, and catching public transport and usually have no good reason not to do so.

Coffee is fast becoming my newest and biggest gripe. I’ve always been in tune with my hydration. Right now as I’m typing this I know that I need more water, even though I’ve had a good 5 pints of water already today. It’s only recently that I have realised the affects that different foods and drinks have on my hydration, and how important it is for myself to be hydrated.

Up until about a month ago I used to have the occasional black coffee. I actually like the taste of it, but recently my “stand” is more important than my need to drink coffee. I’ve quit (until I go to Italy next year). There are a huge number of people in my office, and obviously worldwide that start their day with a coffee, have another coffee for morning tea, then have a coke with lunch, and later have another coffee for afternoon tea. If their body is lucky it will finally get some water with dinner! Living like this is terrible for your body, but it’s so accepted that I’m the freak for not having a coffee in the morning, and for going to the toilet every hour.

Anyway, this is my gripe and I’m sticking with it. Now do yourself a favor and drink a glass of water!

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The Coffee Machine

About half way through the second lap I was really in the zone. While riding at “race pace”, I was still able to take in my surroundings and enjoy what I was doing. Every part of the track was beautiful. Some areas quite wet with beautiful scrub-land around it, other areas almost like forest, and other areas more open and rocky.

As I raced, I thought to myself “there really is no better way to see the world than on a bike”. It doesn’t matter if it’s a road bike, mountain bike, touring bike, geared, single-speed, whatever. If it has two wheels and somehow resembles the original bicycle, I can appreciate it.

Live to ride, ride to live!

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The best way to see the world!

Admittedly I haven’t been in a rut lately, I’ve been much more awake and “with it” than normal really. However over the last week or so it’s been raining a fair bit, and it’s been hard to sneak in a quick ride to get my fix. I made the decision yesterday that after I spend this week getting organised, I’ll be back on my riding schedule regardless of the weather.

This morning I woke up and decided to ride to work anyway. Usually if I’m in a rush I will ride half way, and then jump on the train to get to work as quickly as I can. It’s still enjoyable but it’s all a bit hectic and you don’t get to take in the world around you as much. Today I rode the whole way and just took my time. Got a few “good mornings” from others and said “hi” to a few passers by. It was a nice ride in, and after an hour and 15 minutes of riding to work I was really happy.

Sometimes we plan a lot for the future – major plans. Some people are overweight and want to get completely buff. Others are just finishing school and want to be rich enough to have a mansion and a Ferrari. Clearly these sorts of plans are big tasks and are going to take some time and effort. But what about in the mean time? You might be happy once you’re buff but are you going to be happy in the mean time while you are trying to get there? Will your attitude in the mean time sabotage your long term goals?

The quick wins are the small things that can put a smile on our face.. Even if it is just for 5 minutes! They keep us happy and motivated, and ready to tackle something else.

My example for today is riding to work. I was having trouble getting motivated to ride to work up until now, but on the bike today I’m just so re-energized and ready to go!

Make sure in your life plan you include some quick wins. Who knows what they might be… It could be a goal to cook a new meal. Maybe a challenge to do an extra 5 push-ups. Anything!

Use your quick wins to stay positive and motivated, and keep you moving towards your long term goals.

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Quick Wins

I enjoy driving. I consider myself to be a good driver. Safe, but able to handle myself at faster speeds and what not. With that said, I’m a lot more sensible now that I don’t have a fast car. When you don’t have the power there to use, you simply don’t need to drive fast anymore.

Put me in traffic though, and I end up frustrated, and often in disbelief at how terrible other road users are at driving. About two months ago, I sold my car and try to rely solely on my bike, and public transport. I used to work in the city a few years ago, and literally rode every day of the year. Since changing jobs, the distance has doubled and I ride far less than I’d like.

While I do have the soft option of driving (mum’s car, as she doesn’t drive it to work), I try to ride as often as I can.

Why do I ride to work? It’s relaxing. Sure, physically it can be demanding, but mentally it gives me time to think. To me, the ride is a wind down. Plenty of time to ponder my thoughts and figure out what I want from life. I can deal with things in my head so by the time that I get home I have some clarity. It gives me a lot more energy to use too.

Cycling is low-impact exercise (maybe less so when you ride like I do), and it’s great for your health and general well-being. It has been well proven that fitter employees are more productive while at work, and take less sick days during the year. It’s a win win for both the employer and the employee.

Now sure, it’s not as easy as just making the decision one day to go and ride to work. Incidentally I saw a girl riding home from the city yesterday that had obviously made that decision. Wearing a short skirt and knee high boots while riding a bike isn’t very convenient by the looks of it, but it was a sight to see. So it’s not as easy as just jumping on the bike and riding to work, but it’s not that hard to get started either.

A general list of things for riding to work include:

1. Finding a safe place to lock your bike, and getting a good quality lock.
2. Making sure you have comfortable clothes to ride in (very important during winter).
3. Finding a good route to ride (I try and stay off of main roads).
4. Having an emergency kit (multi-tool, pump, tyre levers, spare tube).

There are other things to consider, but usually they are easily fixed. Most workplaces have showers now, and if they don’t I have heard of people using baby wipes or just a sink and towel to wipe themselves down. A comfy backpack is good too, and setting your bike up to suit your situation (mud guards, panniers, lights, seat height, etc) help you to get comfortable, but this is something that will develop over time.

While fitness may be a challenge at first, it really doesn’t take long to “get up to speed” either. After riding to work the first time on a singlespeed I thought I’d made a bad decision. Two weeks later though I was riding it as easily as any other bike.

If you are sick of the rat race and want to slow your day down a little, give it a shot. Commuting by bicycle is a great way to mentally unwind, get some fitness, and save some money too. I love it, and I’ll be riding for as long as I can. Maybe even in Copenhagen next year!

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Why commute by bike?

Leaving work, I decided to ride the long way home to put a smile back on my face. The whole way home I was riding into a head wind which is fairly normal for the ride home. Usually I get about half way home and want to give up, but for some reason yesterday I just powered through the whole ride. While I was tired, I think I was enjoying the challenge for a change.

The problems of my day had been solved, or at least I’d been distracted by the awesome ride home.

My mum also rides to and from work, and we are currently living with her. After having tea with my fiancee, it was dark outside and it had just turned 7 o’clock, although not normal, mum still wasn’t home from work. I went out the front to look down the street to see if she was coming, and as soon as I opened the door she arrived. I threw a smart remark at her as I usually do – she works far too hard and always ends up riding home in the dark, without decent enough lighting (despite me giving her the appropriate lights last year). She didn’t respond like she usually does though. She was hurt.

Sure enough, she had clipped a gutter on the way home that she didn’t see and went over the handlebars, cutting her lip and chin. Obviously in shock, she didn’t realise it was a major injury and rode the rest of the way home.

After being hand balled by the medical system for a while she had the wound cleaned and it was obvious that the cut had gone right through to her jaw. For someone that had such a serious cut, she was coping really well. I was fine at first but after a while felt really tense, like I did when my fiancee was very sick earlier on in the year. My chest was tight and I just thought about the possibilities of what could happen here. My fiancee, some months later is fine, and I’m yet to find out what will happen with mum. Now that I have a clearer head it’s obvious that she will be fine, but she’ll be nursing a fairly serious cut for a while.

At around 10:30pm, I went home to pick up some clothes for her as she was staying the night. Half way home I came across a major car crash. By the looks of it, a car had ran a red light and t-boned another car at speed. Flashing lights everywhere, the bit that struck me as scary was the fact that a police officer was holding a small child. Not a good sign!

It was enough to make me think, “why do I worry?”. I’m not the sort of person that is just going to ignore untruths or corruption, but I can’t let this stuff stop me from living my life.

Last night put me in check. The game of life can be over well and truly before you know it, so we need to enjoy our lives while we can.

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Perspective

All of this is out of my control. Some days it’s the complete opposite.. Freezing cold, or boiling hot with a strong head wind and having to stop and start constantly at the lights. It’s nice when things just work out though. Gives you a real big boost for the day!

One thing that is in my control is the bike that I ride. For those that know bikes, it’s a Haro Mary SS. In it’s standard form it’s a 29er, but with smaller tyres for commuting it’s more like a 28er. I run carbon forks on it too for a bit of forgiveness over the bumps. The most important thing though, is that it’s a singlespeed. I first made a singlespeed about four years ago when I wanted to start riding to work in the city. Back then I spaced a 9-speed hub with one cog and did it the cheap way just to try it. Within one ride I was convinced… The best way to commute is on a singlespeed (assuming it’s relatively flat for your commute). Since then I’ve had four singlespeed bikes.

The simplicity is awesome. You’re never in the wrong gear, your chain never comes off, it’s quiet, you get better pedalling efficiency, and it requires much less maintenance and just makes you feel more in tune to the bike. You’ll find within weeks you’ll be much stronger in the legs too!

To quote the great man Sheldon Brown:

Riding a singlespeed can help bring back the unfettered joy you experienced riding your bike as a child. You don’t realize how much mental energy you devote to shifting until you relinquish your derailers, and discover that a whole corner of your brain that was formerly wondering when to shift is now free to enjoy your surroundings and sensations.

I’ve got great tyres on my bike too. Continental CountryRIDE’s. I’ve pulled all sorts out of these tyres now, and still haven’t had a flat. Usually saying that sort of thing is bad karma and you’ll get a flat on the ride home, but I know I won’t. This helps even more with commuting, when you’re not thinking 100% about the riding. It’s less of a concern if you ride over some glass or a three corner jack.

It’s taken me a long time, but I’ve learned that the trick to commuting on a bike and enjoying it is to set yourself up on a simple bike. Make it comfortable, sure, but keep it simple and it will reward you in more ways than one.

Ride on.

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Simple cycling

Through the later school years and a year or so after leaving school, I was finding my place in life. It was hard to see mates getting handouts from their parents while I had to work my ass off to get anything, and even then I couldn’t compete in their world.

Nowadays though, I see that everything I’ve been through has taught me some serious lessons. Small lessons like appreciation for money, but more importantly knowing what is actually important to me.

Time after time back in the day, I’d be annoyed that I didn’t have something that one of my mates had, when in reality although it would be nice to have, it wasn’t really that important. (Eg. a mate gets a nice new skateboard from his parents, but I can’t afford one so I don’t get one – in reality I was never into skating anyway). Nowadays, it’s financially a lot easier for me to buy something just because the next person has bought it, in “keeping up appearances”. I used to do this, but now I’m over it – as far as I see it, it’s just another form of competition.

Buying a nicer car, renovating the house or moving to a more upmarket suburb. Even just the places that you go out to dinner. It’s fine when you’re making the choices for yourself, but it’s crazy if you’re just doing something for first place in the game of life.

I know a couple that live well outside of their means, just to try and keep up with the rest of their family. The whole family competes constantly. Houses, cars, TV’s, computers, and now children. You name it, they’ll all try and outdo each other. It’s sad really, because when they actually want to do something, they can’t afford it or don’t have the time, because they commit so much of their resources to their competitive lifestyle. They end up living someone else’s life and not the life that they truly want to live.

I had a (cross country) mountain bike race on yesterday. My first race since last year and in a higher class than before. It was a real challenge for me, but I realised a lot of things while I was racing. A fair few of them unrelated to this post (things about technique, etc) but most importantly that I wasn’t really that interested in winning. I’m more of an “I wonder how fast I am” racer. It’s a personal challenge more than anything else for me. Sometimes when it comes to sport I wonder if I should try and be more competitive, but really, why? For the kudos of other people? I just want to go out and ride, and do the best that I can. If my best is first place, great, if it’s 20th, fine. I came 7th on the weekend.

I’m happy with where I’m at. Sure, a bit of competition in sport is healthy, but to me not being too competitive in life means staying true to what you actually want, rather than living a life of competition between friends, family and colleagues. It means you can live the life that you want, not what others want you to live. I couldn’t think of a better way to live really..

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Competitive nature

I had a really bad start to the week as far as my happiness is concerned. I’m usually a pretty cheerful person, but after a less than ideal weekend as far as my diet and excercise goes, I was down in the dumps. I don’t really get depressed as such and wouldn’t consider it an “issue”, I think I’m just quite hard on myself. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I had no energy and just wanted to sleep. Even this morning when I woke up I just wanted to keep on sleeping and chuck a sickie. I hadn’t gone for a ride for quite some time, taking the soft option to get to work, either by car or public transport, and I haven’t had a fruit smoothie since Saturday (I’m no good at eating fruit, so having a smoothie is my way of getting a decent intake of fruit every day).

After being disappointed at myself for slacking off, I forced myself to ride this morning. I got up, had a glass of water, made my smoothie, had some toast, and packed my bag ready to go. Up until walking out the door I felt drained, yet as soon as I started pedalling my energy levels picked up.

I’m convinced that excercise actually generates energy in our bodies. It certainly does for me. I find that if I just go to work by car or bus, sit at my desk all day, go home, eat and lie down on the sofa again, I just feel like life is just one big waste. I have no energy to get motivated and go and do something. Watching another episode of The Sopranos seems like a better option than going and riding my pump track.

It doesn’t take much to snap out of it though. Today I rode to work, I’m full of beans, and keen to ride home. When I get home, I’ll swap bikes, and go for a cross country loop up to my fiancee’s parents’ house for dinner.

I’ve come to the conclusion that three things make me happy in this world.

1. My fiancee, obviously. When we have the time to spend together she just makes me smile and smile and smile. I couldn’t have met a more like-minded person that is so much fun to chill out with.
2. Riding bikes. When I’m on a bike I’m just stoked to be living. The most random things make me happy while riding. You come across all sorts of stuff that you don’t see when you’re in a car confined to the roads. You come to appreciate all sorts of things too… Nice weather, council workers sweeping the glass off the track, quality puncture proof tyres!
3. Outdoors. Obviously ties in with riding, but even just walking outside and looking up at the sky is enough to put a smile on my face. I love the rain. I love the sunshine. As painful as it is riding in the cold during winter, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My favourite place in the world is The Great Otway National Park. Not that I’m well travelled, but it is beautiful there. My second favourite is Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens. No electronics, no advertising, nothing really. Just the outdoors, and it is beautiful.

I’m glad that I know this. Not many people know what makes them happy. I just need to keep the ball rolling now to stay motivated.

It’s very easy to make me happy, but I find it hard to stay motivated. Without that motivation, I end up unhappy.

I’m the most complex, simple person I know. I’m cool with that though.

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Achieving happiness