The Transformative Power of Bicycle Touring: Learning to Savor the Journey
As a seasoned cyclist, I can say without hesitation that touring on a bicycle has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. But it wasn’t always that way. When I first started touring a few decades ago, I brought along a heavy dose of competitive spirit. I treated every tour like a race—pedaling hard, charging ahead, focused on reaching the next town or checkpoint as fast as I could. In those early years, touring was all about performance. I’d start early, ride hard, and collapse at the end of the day—more drained than fulfilled. But something changed. Somewhere along the way, I learned to slow down. I stopped treating the road like a time trial. I stopped chasing miles and started chasing moments. And that changed everything. From Speed to Presence At first, it was small things I began to notice. The scent of pine on a quiet back road. A conversation with a stranger at a roadside diner. The stillness of early morning light over a river. Things I’d missed when I...
