The informed consent bit: contributions posted here might get regurgitated, reflected, refracted, defracted, smurshed into composites, mangled beyond recognition or otherwise find their way into something that I present in the public realm.
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I'm at the early stages of a couple of art projects at the moment and my thinking could do with a bit of lubrication. *tumbleweed blows through the empty studio in the Fine Art department at $University*
I'm not quite sure what the questions I want to scratch at are yet, so it's a bit undefined, but does anyone fancy sharing some thoughts about their experience of being in a body on a bike (or trike, or tandem or...)?
Two starting points:
[1] With an eventual focus on cycle touring, but needn't be constrained to this to start off with.
I'm exploring themes of effort, distance and connection. What are the physical and emotional manifestations of these for you when you're covering large distances by pedal power? (Whatever constitutes 'large distances' for you.)
What are the enjoyable things/sensations/emotions?
What are the less enjoyable things/sensations/emotions that get worked through and become achievements?
What are the things/sensations/emotions that are just plain grind?
What are the things/sensations/emotions that make us come back and do it again?
1. Cresting a bastard great hill and knowing you get to freewheel for a while and get up some good speed.
The kind of road where you can see for miles across open farmland, where the road is straight and has a very gentle downhill gradient (the sort of road where you can ride 15-18mph almost effortlessly, rather than the sort of road where you freewheel to 45mph), and has no other traffic on it at all.
Making it to the top of a hill that crushed my soul and spirit last time, and having that sense of "there's a big hill around here somewhere, hang on, I think I just climbed it and barely noticed it"
Riding along country lanes in near pitch darkness with the only visible light coming from my handlebars. The sense of silence and solitude that it brings. The absolute terror brought on by seeing a man wielding an axe in the middle of the road (actually, forget that last one, I made it up....)
A beer and a hearty meal at the end of it.
A warm shower after a day of riding, whatever the conditions (doubly so if it's been cold and wet!)
Being able to take off and ride into the distance, knowing there is no point at which I have to figure I need to turn back so I can be home by a particular time. The great sense of freedom of knowing that for however many days my tour will last I'm all but completely free from the normal routine.
The sense of achievement at getting to major milestones, not least The End. I think of the time I cycled the Way Of The Roses with a couple of friends, and the huge sense of achievement when we rolled into Bridlington and rode down the seafront.
2.Struggling up a bastard great hill, thinking you've almost defeated it only to find that it levels off before going up some more.
Not being able to enjoy the fast freewheel down the bastard great hill you just climbed because of tight bends/gravel/traffic/whatever.
Getting cold and wet and muddy when the road/trail seems to go on forever and ever, amen.
Realising that with 3 miles to go before the beer, hearty meal, warm shower and soft bed, 2.8 of those 3 miles are uphill and it's steep. (Yes, I laughed about it with the friend I was riding with, over the beer and the hearty meal)
3.Relentless rain when it's cold (although sometimes that can drop into section (2).
Roads where you can't just largely tune out and ride, where you've got to constantly concentrate hard on all sorts of potential hazards.
Headwinds
4.A general lack of sense?
Seriously, however much of a grind one ride is all it takes is the memory of one really good ride to hope that the next ride will be Good rather than Bad, or at least that the good will outweigh the bad.
[2] With an eventual focus on portraying a (probably solo) ride into the night.
I'm exploring themes of wheeeeeeeeeee!F*CKYEAHwhoopwhoopwhoop!
The home straight, the false flat roads with wonderful views where you're actually going slightly downhill and have a tailwind so you can do 18-20mph effortlessly while soaking in the best views the countryside has to offer.