As I sat at home, the day after the London to Oxford ride, the adrenalin and excitement of the day's event now dissipated, all that is left is the pain from the sore limbs, tired muscles and my temporary 'cowboy' walk. My mind started to drift as I sat contemplating, was it worth all that time, X amount spent on biking gear, energy expended on the numerous hill climbs towards Oxford, etc.
Undoubtedly, you end up comparing what else you could have been doing at the time, 'watching England in the World Cup against Germany', 'having Sunday lunch', 'getting a few more hours sleep', finishing the DIY/home improvement projects that seemed such a good idea at the time , washing the car, cutting the grass, the list goes on ( yes I know, you are all thinking that I can't be this normal ?! )
My conclusion after a few minutes thought and another 'recovery' snooze on the couch ...
It's easy to be immersed with busy schedules, events and life generally, however, what made it worthwhile, is that for a few hours on Sunday 27th June (some longer than others), a few cyclists shared one journey, different personal circumstances and a collective common goal in 32C heat (hottest day of the year so far) ... making a difference to another unknown stranger. This made it worthwhile missing the football, Sunday lunch, extra hours sleep, etc.
As another day passed, with the pain and the soreness a little less, thoughts of the next challenge are starting to surface, a longer, tougher more extreme challenge - maybe?
Thank you to everyone for all the kind words of encouragement, support and generosity to the CLIC Sargent Charity.
I hope you all take up a new challenge, share it and ultimately help someone else on the way.
Best wishes to all,
Alan
PS. For a glimpse of the finishing line please visit http://www.justgiving.com/alan-lau
No comments:
Post a Comment