I found myself thinking this morning about what Gravelocity is all about and how to best convey that. The simple answer is: It’s about cycling. Of course, that then leads us to ask: What’s cycling all about?
For me, it comes down to three elements: discovery, joy and comfort.
I’ve often said that the moment our parents let go of the back of our saddle – the instant we first feel the bike balanced and upright as we pedal furiously down the driveway, path or sidewalk – that’s the point at which we experience freedom for the first time.
Riding your bike with abandon is a childhood thrill that grants us the opportunity to explore new worlds – from the next block, to the next town, to the next county.
Faster than walking, but slow enough to still absorb our surroundings, our bicycles are vehicles of discovery. We ride under canopies of lush foliage and through fields of colourful crops. We pause to pick trailside berries, to taste homemade pastries, or to kibitz over coffee.
We climb to the tops of hills to survey all that lies below, then dive and speed back into the valley, our hearts racing. We weave back and forth on winding roads and trails, our hearts swelling. The sun flickers through the trees, its light dancing on our smiling faces. Deep inside, we are reminded of those very first joyful – or joy-filled – pedal strokes of our youth.
That longing for discovery takes dedication and daring. Seeking great new roads means stumbling on a lot of less-than-great ones. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Many a story has been created by a series of unfortunate events and some may have plenty of time for that.
For many of us, though, time is a precious commodity.
We’d rather recall a story formed by unexpected delights rather than unforeseen disasters. We look for twists and turns more than wrong turns. We hope for the wheel we follow to be predictable and patient. We look for encouragement rather than judgement. We want the pace to be what’s posted, so we’re neither waiting too long nor working too hard.
We want to take comfort in the company we keep and in the knowledge that the details of the ride are taken care of – whether we ride for a morning, a weekend or a week.
When that happens, we are free. Free to explore. Free to escape. Free to relax.
Of course, this is what we hope to deliver on any Gravelocity experience.
As a community, though, I hope we’ll be reminded of the unbridled joy we feel in cycling, the promise of discovery offered by our bikes and the comfort we take in riding with those we trust.
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