You often hear people talk about taking themselves out of their comfort zones. Often it is said in a matter of fact way as if it is the most natural thing in the world to do something that is truly beyond what you can do. Be that to do with fitness, fear or just general lack of skills. However we all know that to truly push yourself is hard, and in most instances very scary.
Sometimes people suggest ideas to you about something that
you know, in the base of your skull, will take you way beyond your comfort
zone. Something like riding Mount Snowdon.
The concept is easy enough; take the Llanberis path up the
mountain, have some photos at the summit and then ride down the Rangers path
back to Llanberis itself.
Sounds so easy, a bit of nice cross country riding, people
do it all the time. Why not give it a go?
Then you commit to the idea, you say ‘yep I am up for that’,
you prepare for a riding holiday with this one ride the shining jewel in your
week. You are excited; here is a true adventure, a big challenge for you,
something you know that when you have finished it you will be dining out on for
ages; ‘I rode Snowdon’.
Then the day arrives, still feeling good you head off from
your campsite. Winding around the valley roads you get your first look at the
mountain, your heart sinks a little. Is it really that big? Is it really that
rocky? How much further into the cloud is the summit?
You talk to the local bike shop who tells you how tough it
can be, what to look out for, how dangerous some parts are and where not to go
in order to get lost and end up on a different route entirely. You realise that
you are less fit, less capable and on worse machinery than your friends. You
feel like you will blow up on the mountain, get lost, come off. You read a
guide book about it, one that talks about the dangers of the ride. It rates it
double black. Double black you think, does that even exist?
You can’t back out, you try to tell yourself that you have
enough food, enough drink, you will ride what you can and if it gets too much
get off early and navigate down. You will attempt it; you will be fine, even
though you feel this is too much, too far beyond you, you convince yourself
that all will be good.
You push as many bad thoughts out of your head, negative
thoughts will do you no good at all. You begin the ride, the road up from
Llanberis to the start of the path is steep, so steep your friends drop you
almost instantly. Soldiering on in the granny ring you reach the trail. The
bike hike – ride when you can pattern has begun.
You admire the view, you chat to people coming back down.
Inch by inch and step by step you begin to relax. You begin to, and whisper
this, enjoy it.
The fear and apprehension over the ride begins to dissipate.
It is replaced by building excitement. The wish to ride down the other side
grows and grows.
Slowly you make your way up the mountain. You catch your
friends when they stop for a drink and photo break. You feel fresher than you
thought you might, the whole psychology and outlook of the adventure changes.
Positive vibes and feelings course through you and before you know it you have
crested the summit.
You begin to ride down off the summit, blanketed in clouds.
You are hyper alert, your lines are smooth, your pace steady but not quick.
Then the conditions change. The weather smiles on you and the clouds part.
Everyone stops in their tracks and admires the stunning view afforded to you.
This is what it is to feel truly alive, this is what adventures are. This is
why we push ourselves to seek out things we thought might be beyond ourselves.
You begin to ride down the Rangers path, there are bits that
are beyond you but it doesn’t matter, you feel no shame walking down some of
the boulder sections. However you feel huge a huge sense of achievement when
you ride down some tricky bits, even though you see your mates ahead of you
pulling away it doesn’t matter, you are making it down. Slowly and steadily you
are doing it.
Carefully and deliberately you pass the hardest sections and
the ride begins to get easier, you catch up with your friends fixing a
mechanical at the foot of the mountain by a lake. It is a stunning place to
stop and fix a flat, you look back. Did I ride that? Yes I did. I did ride that
and I rode more than I walked too!
You are still not fully home, a short climb up to a section
with badly placed stone drains (which will claim 3 more inner tubes) waits.
However these are footnotes to the tale.
You know you have made it up Snowdon and most importantly
back down Snowdon in one piece.
You started nervous and finished confident. You completed
the ‘best ride ever’ and an ‘epic adventure’.
You pushed yourself out of your comfort zone and in doing so
set a new parameter for where that comfort zone is. You have grown as a person
by riding, who knew it could all get so deep?
Still buzzing at the end you look at your friends over a
beer and ask the question ‘so, what are we going to do next year?
Photographs by Geoff
Flower.
