Still here, still riding

...time on the hill is nonexistent

what's the point
 finally got there 

God that is beautiful
 as my heart gets softer...

Hubert Dobaczewski

Traveling on route NCN47 around Afan Forest.

I've been absent quite a long time as there was not much to write about. A lot of water under the bridge  and a lot of things happening around... cycling wasn't one of them, but as far as I could I've been nursing my good relationships with Welsh mountains - mainly by foot.

Panorama form the hillside of Pen Yr Helgi Du looking down Capel Curig.

But that wasn't what I was going to write about. I'd rather mention a certain cyclist rushing long kilometers alongside main and busy roads in pursuit of his goals. I was fortunate to be hosting Damian during his tour around the British and Irish islands as well as joining him for a brief moment on my bicycle. The route he chose and I had to follow in order to meet him half way clearly wasn't my thing. Dancing my two wheeled ride on the edge of a busy road, amongst trucks and fumes was anything but fun. As soon as I've met my guest I proposed a change in the route and suggested choosing one of the backroads. Soon the road shoulder with its miserable green lane was replaced by rolling hills on one side and the waters of the Bristol channel on the other... my only hope was that Damian didn't mind all those additional vertical meters we had to ride.

Small in Snowdonia - looking down at the western Carneddau range.

Conversations shared allowed me to stand back and from there ask myself such simple questions as what for? why? where? which way?

It suddenly became clear - the one I was asking myself at the very beginning of each outing was "which way?". Far from fumes, far from stink, noise and all those killjoys... best in the wilderness, best in the woods... where I'd like to ride, where I'd like to be.
Silly simple!

I know it won't always be possible, not always simple... then I hope to have strenght to carry my bike over these obstacles.

Godspeed

My definition of a cycle lane.