Steely determination is all part of the ride

I’ve only gone and done it again. Last year, if you recall, I finished the Strathpuffer mountain bike race, almost in tears and vowing that it was all over.

It was my third time riding the event and the first as a solo rider. I swore that I would never put myself through the stress, discomfort and pain of training for, then riding, a 24-hour mountain bike race in 17 hours of darkness in a Scottish winter.

Well, after a few days I had figured out where I had gone wrong, the pain had been forgotten and I was planning another assault on the breach.

Then before I knew it my name was up on the event website as a solo rider for 2018.

That kind of foolhardiness demonstrates a typical state of mind that cyclists seem to possess.

Yes, we like our creature comforts and an easy time of it as much as the next person, but there is also a masochistic streak that runs through all those that pedal.

It is probably present in many sports and activities – I don’t really participate in any other sport if it doesn’t involve two wheels, so I can’t be certain, but there is something peculiar to cyclists that appears to make them enjoy suffering for their chosen activity.

As I get older I must admit that my tolerance for suffering seems to diminish – but not too much yet. Last week, when away working on a trip I still managed to get out of bed at 5am to head out for a ride.

It was the challenge of getting a hill in before breakfast that appealed to me. The horrendous weather outside just made the bragging rights even better when I made it back.

I have always maintained, and I reiterated this to the riders I was guiding that day, that cyclists are made from stern stuff and that a ride in extreme conditions is worth 10 in benign weather.

There is also the cyclist’s need to push their body to the limit. Now I know this particular ideology manifests itself in many people who participate in sport, but as I said I only cycle, so I can comment on them.

I have never met a cyclist of any age or background who hasn’t pushed their bodies further beyond what they actually considered was possible for them.

I have known people who haven’t participated in any kind of physical activity for years who have taken up cycling and found that it has transformed their lives, both mentally and physically.

It is one of the great things about cycling and the buzz that comes from achieving something you never thought you could is addictive and is the reason why so many people who start cycling just can’t stop.

Scot riding through the forest at Strathpuffer.