Endurance

A quick update post. I’ve recently ordered and taken delivery of a copy of GCN’s book “Endurance”, co-written by endurance legends Mark Beaumont and Laura Penhaul.

So far I’ve read about a third of the book, and I am pretty impressed. Unsurprisingly it focuses primarily on cycling, but it’s messages (as many cycling skills) certainly appear to be applicable in many other situations off the saddle. I’m certain I’ll be able to use these tips personally and professionally.

It’s a pleasant mixture of practical step-by-step tips on anything to do with long distance riding (the cover claiming 50 km to around the world) and impressive photography of Mark, Laura and the GCN team in some dramatic and inspiring landscapes.

In the last months I have been toying with the idea of doing a long distance trip, inspired in part by stories such as Kleon Papadimitriou by cycling at the beginning of the first COVID-19 wave from his university in Aberdeen to his home in Athens. This is a journey of over 2000 km, rivalling endurance races such as the Transcontinental Race.

I’m not sure what interests me in particular in endurance cycling, but I do find the idea of taking a bicycle and, armed only with the power of my body, my wits and the storage space offered on my bike frame, riding overland to some point past the horizon that others would take a car or plane to reach. Perhaps it’s the sensations of passing through familiar and unfamiliar areas, the weather, riding over different road types and gradients, and meeting different people.

In any case, I look forward to reading this book in full, and it will certainly be key in my planning my first big adventure. For anyone interested, I’m sure there will be a blog post or two covering the preparations and the adventure itself sometime in the near future.

– MT