why I cycle long-distance and what it feels like

This topic has been suggested to me by Benjamin, a friend of mine, during today's running session. It came up because I cycled from Bern to Zurich yesterday afternoon and he wondered what it felt like. Thanks for bringing up this topic and suggesting it for today's post, Benjamin! ;)

Let me take the long way and tell you in detail what yesterday was and felt like: In the morning I commuted to Bern by train to join the Scimpact Kick-Off event. Scimpact is a program for young students interested in the interface of science and politics/society provided by the organisation Reatch which is in line with the idea behind Scimpact: bringing scientists and politicians together. We spent a cool, but intense day, getting to know each other and deciding about what each of us will focus on in the next few month's time. However, when the event ended at five o'clock (p.m.) I dressed up and started my journey with the energizing feeling of pure motivation which as usual lasted approximately for the first one or two hours. This high at the beginning seems to be normal to me, since I start my long rides off slower than I would do for shorter distances and, hence, feel pretty comfortable at first. But somewhen I noticed that my energy level was dropping, so I continued until I found a nicely looking place somewhere in nowhere and took a short break eating the sandwich I brought to fill my energy storage up again and continued for another hour or so. Then there was a more or less big decision to make: since I at first wasn't too sure about whether or not I would enjoy biking home the whole way from Bern to Zurich after this joyful but intense day at Scimpact and already had bought a ticket for my bicycle which was valid for the whole day, I had decided to take the train station of Aarau as a waypoint and see what I feel like when arriving there. But in the end it didn't really feel like there was a decision to make: even though it had already turned dark and the battery of my mobile had dropped to one percent (meaning I couldn't use any apps for navigation any more) I still somehow felt no need for decisionmaking at that point - it's just been clear to my ego: I would continue. And so did I, followed by the uncomfortable feeling of needing to stay on bigger roads due to the fact that I've been forced to rely on street signs to come to Zurich and furthermore, because I had no front light anymore, since my mobile which I've used for that purpose sooner due to the fact that I ran into stress in the morning and forgot my proper front light at home, had run out of battery (to reassure you, I at least had my back lights on). That's why the rest of the trip, there were approximately 50k left, turned primarily into a psychological test on myself. I would actually, honestly, argue that (again speaking for myself) everything after something aroung 60 kilometres is above all a matter of the head. However, in the end I finally arrived at Hönggeberg, the place I live in, around ten o'clock after a bike ride of 130 kilometres and thoroughly proud of myself.

As I just summed up the feelings I experienced during my most recent longer bike ride, you may find the question of why one would do so spinning around in your head. Well, let me tell you: There are various reasons! First and foremost, it gives me a feeling of freedom and joy (at least in the first hours). But, secondly, it also get's me to the ground, making me experience such basic feelings as thurst, hunger, lack of energy, getting out of breath, some pain and, to also mention some in general more positively annotated feelings, brings along a kind of adventurous and superior feeling even though I cannot tell superior to what. Last, but not least, taking my time to do such a long bike ride from time to time also seems to improve my self-esteem and self-discipline aswell as it is satisfying the otherwise often suppressed egocentric demand of proudly boasting: "Look what I've just done" since you can think/shout it out as loud as you wish to while there's noone listening. ;)