Why am I going to cycle 15 km
On March 20, I will quit my job and fly to England, from where I will leave, alone by bike, for a year-long trip to take me through all of Europe and 'Asia, to the borders of Vietnam. A total of 15 km in 000 countries to make my wheels spin. Why ? Three-step response.
The planned route!
Life is short and unexpected
Being aware of our own end is probably one of the most important aspects of human history. Our mortality gives us the kick in the butt necessary to achieve great things. But old age is sneaky, it comes slowly, without us realizing it. “Old is what other people are. Said my ex-father-in-law.
Jonathan and his mother, Diane, in 2011.
As the years go by, we too often tell ourselves that we will have time next year to make our dreams come true. "One day, I will go to Italy" ... and that never happens.
My mother passed away in the summer of 2012, at the age of 55, and before she could go to Italy. It kicks you in the face - not only are we all gonna die, we don't know when. And maybe even faster than you think.
“But not me, I'm healthy,” we tell ourselves blindly. The reality is that we don't have an expiration date. No one can claim to know his best before. Maybe fifty years from now, maybe next week.
We all know that life is short, but it's so easy to slip this too frightening reality under the rug. Do you dream of a project? Are you able to do it now? Do it.
To live an adventure
"(...) I wish I spent more time in front of a screen. I wish I had fewer adventures."
This sarcastic phrase is from adventurer Alastair Humphreys. He wrote recently on his blog about regrets that we can have when we get older and become wiser. Rightly so, not having worked enough and having had too many adventures never makes the list.
In 2010, I cut an article in the Quartier Libre, a student newspaper from the University of Montreal, about two guys who had made a long journey by bike. I had completely forgotten the existence of this cutout until I found it strangely a few weeks ago while cleaning ... in preparation for my departure.
It was around this time that I started to travel. First with friends and in a more organized way, and little by little for longer periods, alone, and with always less planning. I realized that what I liked the most was not knowing what I was going to visit and who I was going to meet. A few times I've found myself in situations where I literally didn't know if I was going to end the day ... and these are my fondest memories.
Travel is like learning to drive. The first time you get behind the wheel, the mere fact of passing another car at 40 km / h is horrifying. Then it becomes second nature, and we have to go a lot faster to relive that feeling.
I have had this strange and powerful feeling for several months that je have to do this adventure. I need to drive over 40 km / h. Faced with this "call", I decided to follow my instincts. For overtaking, not to regret it, and to spend less time in front of a screen.
To achieve the extraordinary
Maybe it's generational, maybe it's also part of my personality, but the point is, we all want to be different and unique. Children of my generation and I were told from the cradle that we could do whatever we wanted. I believed in it, and I still believe in it.
Thank you to my father André for giving me the love of cycling.
I have the vague feeling that life will not be the same after seeing all these landscapes, hearing all these languages and eating all these unfamiliar things. Hope is for the best.
Ultimately, the bicycle is only the object used to make this journey. It's faster than walking, but still slow enough to be able to appreciate the scenery and meet people. And ever since my father, nearly twenty years ago, introduced my brother and I to bicycle trips, I have had the habit of this means of transport.
So wish me good luck. On March 20, it rolls towards the rising sun.
I'll send you postcards from Italy, Mom.
