Last weekend I rode my first 12 hour time trial championship. It was the National TT championships. I finished in 2nd place.

This is photo by Vilas, who helped me through the day, passing bottles e.t.c.

It is a different challenge to ride a 12 hour race, compared to short five minute hill climb. You can’t compare. One thing I like about 12 hour time trial is that it is a different kind of self-transcendence where you are riding an unknown distance. The most successful part of the day was when I was able to relax, get into a good rhythm and the feel the ‘flow’ of constant cycling.

Sri Chinmoy once said cycling reminds us of evolution – the constant movement to seek progress and transcendence and move into a better cycle. I like that metaphor.

“While we are cycling, we are reminding ourselves of evolution, of how the world is evolving in cycles. When we think of our planet, we think of a wheel turning; our life also is evolving like a wheel. So cycling reminds us of the process of evolution and of how everything goes in cycles.”

• Sri Chinmoy, Significance of cycling

Related

• 12 hour time trial at Sri Chinmoy Races
• Blog at Cycling Uphill