Loudéac, France

I decided to check out the trail again, hoping it would be dried out enough. It was, and I spent a blissful, meditative 75 miles rolling through the french countryside, sometimes singing along loudly to music, sometimes enjoying the silence. Occasionally i popped into whatever tiny town was nearby for a snack or water

It's been a very long time since I challenged myself this much. Even on a straight, flat, trail, 75 miles is a lot. I've been riding almost non-stop since Sunday, taking breaks for sleep and wine, but to cover all the miles I really need to push, not relax. I can feel my brain rewiring itself. It's like, "is this all there is to life now?"

And, the thing is, for now, yeah, it kind of is. And it makes me feel a little crazy, the lack of company and the lack of every-day tasks. In a way it feels like a sensory deprivation chamber. In another way, my senses feel overloaded.

Sometimes I wonder why I do this. Like, when it's raining and I'm cold and tired and have to sleep on the ground. It's not because it's fun. It's just because it feels like living.Read more