Velo Tantra

In my early-to-mid 20s, I studied a form of Tantra Yoga, which involved spending significant time meditating, doing yoga, and generally immersing myself in activities that helped to calm some inner demons. Suffice it to say that I had some fairly significant issues to work out, as many of us do in that awkward transitional period leading up to (relatively) mature adulthood, and this practice was most helpful.

I don't regret for a moment all of the time and energy I invested in this practice. I attended numerous meditation retreats and seriously contemplated a more intensive exploration of this particular school of Tantra yoga, though ultimately I retreated rather than attempt to accept a guru as the manifestation of god on earth. Unwilling to suspend disbelief, I abandoned my practice entirely, while knowing full well that there's so much to gain from the practice, and devotion to a spiritual leader is not a prerequisite to personal spiritual growth. Punk rock, media arts and other earthly distractions kept me sufficiently engaged, and when I began re-exploring cycle touring in a big way, meditation and yoga were barely on my radar.

On my deeply satisfying solo bike excursion today up to Lansing, then onto the familiar Ringwood, Midline and Snyder Hill Rd. route, I had no mechanical distractions and experienced relatively little suffering, so I started contemplating the relationship between meditation and solo cycling. There are some striking similarities between the two activities. At the start of the first climbs of the day, my worries start to recede like a slow-moving stream, replaced with thoughts about how smooth my pedal stroke is (needs improvement) and how strong I feel today (pretty strong, actually). Soon, the stream becomes a fast-flowing river with the occasional waterfall as I pound my way up Ringwood and later Snyder Hill.

Meditation is all about emptying the mind, and while cycling does require constant focus on road conditions, traffic, hydration, nutrition, and the condition of your equipment, this relatively simply and narrow range of focus becomes fairly routinized. On solo rides, it doesn't take long for me to find relatively mental clarity and emptiness, and just as with meditation, the long-term benefits are very noticeable.

I'm learning that solo rides are an essential part of my cycling practice, and while group rides and races are  incredibly challenging, rewarding and fun, my solo cycling is my meditation.