9 Things Cycling Taught Me

1. ALWAYS look ahead and chart your course. We can’t prevent every mishap that happens in life, even the best-laid plans can get disrupted, but we can take charge of our life by pre-planning and trying to mitigate the obstacles. In cycling, your safety is your responsibility, don’t always expect people to give way to you, don’t blame the person in front of you for jamming their brakes, cause if you’ve bothered to look up and see ahead, it’s not that hard to avoid an accident. If you save, buy insurance and plan for life in general, apply that to cycling.
2. When cycling upslope, remember when there’s an up, there will always be a down. Take time to appreciate how alive you feel with your burning muscles and your lungs working hard to propel you to the peak with every pedal, then take the time and savour the descent. It may be fast and short-lived, but learn to enjoy these things that come along. It’s like working hard to get into a good school or company, and then the grind starts all over again, but remember how fabulous you felt when you hit the mark.
3. People are inherently good. I have fallen, and people who walked by have always offered help, even though I have been doing something stupid. See point 1.
4. Enjoy the moment; there are breezy, sunny days as there are rainy, messy ones. Instead of complaining about how hot the sun is, remember at least you don’t have to clean your bike after cycling in a downpour, and vice versa.
5. Be considerate. The world really doesn’t revolve around you whether you are on a bike lane/track or on the road. If everyone could spare a little thought to a fellow road user, the world would be a nicer place for everyone.
6. When cycling in groups, stay in line, not side by side; whether you are leading or last in line, you know you have your front and back covered. You don’t have to cycle side by side. Even if there’s no one right by your side, it doesn’t mean that you are alone. Sometimes, your friends are at the front waiting for you to catch up. Sometimes, they are behind you in everything you do.
7. Going out is good for you. Enjoy a bit of sun, enjoy the cool air after a rain. Reaching that destination is extra sweet and unique cause you got there on your own two feet. Believe in yourself. You will get there.
8. It’s ok to be lost. Sometimes you get frustrated when failing to find a place, and sometimes you discover new roads, sights and sounds, (thank God for GPS, though). So don’t beat yourself up and keep cycling.
9. It’s a matter of perspective: shit drivers, close shaves, reckless cyclists. I may think that the auntie cycling with her friend, chit-chatting and not paying attention to the road is a danger to others, but this auntie may feel that I’m going too fast; therefore, I’m a reckless cyclist in her eyes.

All in all, don’t sweat the small stuff. Be kind to others constantly, and try cycling for a change.