75,000kms

Occasionally we take stock of where we are at.  What we have done.  And what is next.  Occasionally.  And so it was, that I sat at my desk at work and looked out the window.  A ride home awaited - Headwind the whole way, the bike covered in doggy 'do do', and me feeling decidedly dodgy.  It had been a long day.  But none of that mattered.  I was 9kms from 75,000kms and this was a good day.  Yes.

An eventful ride into work had started the day.  Choosing to ride on a widened walkway I had been given the choice of 'Buzzing' a pedestrian, or doing the right thing and go onto the grass to give them a width berth (and also continuation of their tranquil walk into work).  My decision to do the right thing (the latter) was punished within seconds.  A massive doggie do do seemingly jumped out from nowhere and I took evasive action, with the front wheel missing one of the largest dog turds I have ever seen by about an inch.  My back wheel however did not.  Lovely.  (I shouldn't complain, as my clothes and drink bottles were spotless - The bike was a mess though).

So later in the day I setoff for home.  And what can be said about a 30km commute from Porirua to Kapiti??  Really.  I have done the return trip more than 400 times, and the circuit now provides a new landscape, with back roads, footpaths, and walkways all the way to Paekakariki.  This was a ride to remember though.  Even if for smaller moments.  Near the summit of Pukerua Bay hill I saw a woollen top that had been discarded at the side of the track.  (In perfect condition except having being torn all the way down the front).  I stopped.  What an odd moment.  Before even picking the top up I knew I had found a top that I'd keep for years.  Why odd??  This was 75,000kms to the spot.  Quite surreal...and yet understated.  No fanfare.  No crowds.  No records, medals, or bucket list items ticked off.  No.  A second hand jumper will suffice, and it should be remembered that I was cycling home - so that is a reward in itself.  Mileage is mileage, and for that I am grateful.

Nothing lasts forever.  Everything in time disappears.  And this ride too came to an end.

I approached my house and found myself being followed by someone.  I thought it was a cyclist, but it was a skateboarder.  He was going pretty quickly.  "Do you cycle from Plimmerton??", he asked.  "No, it's Porirua", I replied - with truth be known thoughts of cycling through the Aka's pretty appealing at that moment.  "That's a long way!!", came the reply from our new skateboarding friend.  "I've done 31.5…", I pointed out - Before adding, "Hours". 

We both stopped and he looked shocked.  "Look", I said.  "If you love what you do, believe in yourself, and have a clear purpose, then anything is possible.  Chase your goals and be prepared to stand back and admire what you have achieved from time to time".  He seemed unconvinced he could do this.  I pointed out that he could skate as fast as a cyclist, and thus had already proven he could.  "Yeah, I like that.  You have yourself a good one".

He rode off on his skateboard at a pretty fast pace, and I simply turned left into my quiet street and rode the last several hundred yards home.  An uneventful ride home.  Sometimes I suppose it doesn't have to be epic to be noteworthy.

Milestones

Yes.  Follow your heart.

The world awaits the dreamers.

They make the sun come up.

Narrow minds fester.

Gone by tomorrow - Long gone.

Find fear and chase it.

You know you will win.