#1: Are You Being Challenged?

I spent the better parts of my 20s riding a bicycle across countries without any plan or purpose as to where I was going.

Most days consisted of waking with the sunrise, slipping into my cycling attire, packing up my gear, then brewing a cup of coffee as I mentally prepared for the day ahead.

If my energy was high — I would cycle as much as 200 km in a day which is about the same as going from Ottawa to Montreal.

If the heat was intense — I would cycle as much as 12 km in an hour before the vending machines in Japan seduced me to purchase yet another Pocari Sweat (not a sponsor).

If the weather was shit — I would cycle as much as humanly possible until misery, madness, or hypothermia pushed me close to breaking or death.

Even though I had nothing planned for my bicycle adventures, each day I was challenged to be the best version of myself to confront environments, situations, and circumstances that were often far beyond my control.

by Jef van de Graaf™

---

Feeling adventurous? I share my darkest, weirdest, and honestest stuff once a month in an email because… f*ck it, why not?

---