Slow up.

I love fall. Not too warm, not too cold. The unpredictable weather makes the nice days seem that much nicer in comparison. Today is one of those nice days.

A lovely little three speed was dropped off early in the afternoon for some shift cable attention. Beautiful weather, nice upright handle bars, comfy seat- I was pretty excited for test ride time. As I got rolling down Willow St I realized I needed to make the most of being outside, so I rode my usual test ride route very slowly. Sunday drive style. I found it to be surprisingly enjoyable. Most of the riding I do is purpose driven. I don't ride fast, but I'm usually riding with a mission- to get from A to B. One reason I choose cycling for transportation is that it's faster than walking, so what would be the point of riding at a walking pace?

There was something very satisfying about riding deliberately slow. It gave me extra time to pay attention to the details of the bike, the road, and the neighborhood. It was like bike meditation. I think it really helped set the tone for the rest of my day.

While I was writing this post I looked up "slow bicycling" and found this. Although, it's not always possible to take a nice slow ride, I'm really looking forward to incorporating more slow rides into my life.