Abandoning routine I’m in Stellenbosch, South Africa, where I’ve come to escape the oppressive wet and grey of Squamish. When the magnolias bloom, I’ll head home, but not a moment before. So for now, I’m working remotely and riding my bike in the sunshine. Winter crushed me in so many ways, so I’m here to […]
Category: Outside
Lopsided days
The best years of my life
I often talk to people who are holding their heads in despair as they approach 50, thinking the end of the world is nigh. When I was turning 50, someone sent me this graphic as a birthday greeting. What a clever way to reframe it. The year I turned 49, I took a solo trip […]
Internal Dialogue
“Alone” on the bike, I’m left to the mercy of the never ending internal dialogue. Here’s a snippet of the ridiculous. I should really have started earlier – why do I always go out so late – was nice to see Carrie though – I think I’m going to be too hot – how can […]
Falling in love with South Africa
Having grown up in Johannesburg, coming back to South Africa may seem like coming home. But my growing love affair with this beautiful country has little to do with being born here. This is an entirely new relationship, taking root in an completely different part of the country, that I never knew as a child. […]
24 of the best things in 2024
Rambling on about racing
A friend called me out this summer when I said that doing the BC Bike Race (BCBR) is too difficult for me. After much contemplation and excessive amounts of overthinking as I tend to do, I have signed up to do the race next summer. The commitment is in place; working through the self-doubt is […]
Reflections
This time of year is always such a delightful wind down. While I must confess that I’ve hardly been shoulder to the wheel these last few months with work being quiet, and training only just restarting, I still love the abyss of the week between Christmas and New Year. I get reflective for a few […]
If you go into the woods today …
It’s not uncommon to see bears around Squamish; this year, there appears to be a lot more bear activity as they prepare to hibernate. A couple of days ago, I walked past a field and saw some people gathered. There was a lot of rustling in the trees, but hard to see anything. Eventually we […]
Helping one another
Pedaling through the Squamish Valley, I often see a Squamish Nation pickup truck that says Public Safety on the door. I was stopped on the bridge that crosses the river past the Upper Squamish Valley, taking pictures, when I saw it again today. The bridge is narrow so I scuttled off it so as not […]
What is time?
After spending a week together for the race, we all went our separate ways. My friends headed home, and I headed over to a campground in Moab where I’d rented a little cabin for the next 6 nights. The cabin was tiny, with not even enough space to unroll my yoga mat. There was a […]