I went on a ride with Mark Beaumont a number of years ago, as he was touring the world. I like his outlook:
‘I often think as a cyclist that you know there’s a number of motivations. You’re thinking, I want to do some exercise, I want to feel healthy, but there’s the other side, which is just the sheer experience of exploring places and those memories. And that’s not necessarily about wellbeing in terms of your fitness. As much as you can sit indoors and do circuits or get your miles in on the turbo, you can’t feed the soul in the same way unless you actually get out and ride. For me it’s got to be a combination: where the purpose of riding is for sure because I want to be fit, I want to be able to perform on the bike. But I also ride the bike because it takes me places.’
