Soft Pedal

Written by  //  August 2, 2010  //  Bike, Photos  //  Comments Off

I think I must have been the only bike rider between here and Paris that was not racing on the weekend. Instead, I soft pedaled in the woods, stopping often to look around and smell—and photograph— the flowers.

And while it has happened on countless occasions, I am always surprised and delighted at the wide-angled brilliance of my surroundings. Especially when I am forced—this time by tired legs and lungs— to take a few moments to actually absorb them. Too often they pass in a blur of color and light. An unseen, under appreciated backdrop to heart rate monitors and a ticking clock.

Details, previously unnoticed, emerge into sharp focus, adding layers of depth to a world absolutely inundated with varied nuance and beauty.

Even if some of that beauty… is man-made.

Soft pedaling is taboo. An insult. But sometimes, it can be rather—and fantastically—enjoyable.

Related posts:

  1. Soft Pedal. Hard Lessons
  2. It’s Here: 24 Hours of Moab
  3. Contrast.
  4. Wasatch Winterscape
  5. Living in Paradise

About the Author

Grizzly Adam is the author of Mythical and Tangible: Tales of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Singletrack. He is also a frequent contributor to Cycling Utah and XXC Magazine. He spends his free time chasing the advice of Ben Franklin, that is, trying to "write something worth reading, or do something worth writing about."

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