Hannah imagines a world without riding. Can you bear it?
Means, motive and opportunity… No, I’m not planning a murder, I’m thinking about rides. Perhaps you don’t struggle with these, but like Keith Bontrager’s famous trio, you may find yourself all too often facing the ‘pick two’ problem. You feel like getting out, just as work calls. You’re all set to go, when you remember you still have a flat after last time. You’ve got a quiet evening, but after a 5am start with the kids, all you want to do is loll.
Perhaps we can imagine a world where your choices are made for you… We all know better than to speak of ‘one last run’, but what of ‘one last ride?’. Inevitably, a few rides end in catastrophe, their consequences life-changing in ways that might make an absence of two-wheeled play a minor footnote. Yet, even then, today’s technology sees some riders able to enjoy adaptive riding. Different tools, same fun, and perhaps a whole extra level of motivation. Sudden halts and catastrophic consequences aside, imagine yourself faced with A Last Ride. If the doctor informs you that it’s osteoporosis all the way to your FiveTens and your arteries are narrower than Nettle Alley in July, is that it? Do you leave your bike where you last left it, or sell it all? That ride around the regular loop was, it turns out, your last. Nothing remarkable about it – did you even stop to take a photo?
Or, would you summon your friends? Is it time for a final processional epic around firm favourites before hanging up your Magic Marys? A guard of honour to the sides of all the scary bits, ready to catch you and return you safely to the last post-ride pint. Smiles photographed, views taken in, favourite trails ridden. A bucket list finale to look back on.
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Maybe you’d keep at it, going down in flames? For the sake of our trail buddies and mountain rescue, ignoring medical advice and waiting for something to go pop in some far-flung location is probably a trauma best not inflicted. Perhaps instead we just scale it back. Heart rate kept low, descents gentle. Speeds scrubbed, but fun is still accessible. Less Pleney, more towpath.
This is the approach that I have seen most take. Full tilt is off the menu, perhaps an ebike is added to the mix. People keep on keeping on, within the bounds of sense and responsibility, until one day they realise it’s been a while. But then, unless you’ve sold the lot, is it ever really over? A sunny day, a good night’s sleep, and maybe there’s another lap in those legs yet. That last ride wasn’t your last, it was just the last ride you did.
It is hard to conceive of a hard stop to mountain bike riding, and a source of much angst for those who face it. Our bike lives naturally wax and wane as we work our way through injuries, busy periods, children, work. Sometimes we have periods where every weekend is packed with miles, other times we’re lucky to grab a midweek lunch lap. There are times when every ride is about the technical descents, and others where it’s just about getting outside and switching off. Being told to stop… well, it doesn’t really bear thinking about.
See, now you’re motivated. You just need the means and opportunity.
Whether you’re under doctor’s orders or just on the treadmill of life, the trick is to keep the gap between now and the last ride you did as narrow as possible. Seize the opportunity when it comes. Don’t let that bike languish for too long, and at least pay it a visit with some frequency. Check those tyres, lube that chain. Keep the means ready to go, ready to make up the perfect triangle with motive and opportunity.
And wait. Here we are. The last line of the Last Word. Smells like an opportunity to me. Grab it.
