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WORDSMITHS
Bradley Babel, Catherine Ballantyne, Tim
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McLaine, Sam Needham, Lachlan Ryan, Ben
Sykes, Ryan Walsch, Nick Waygood, Bartek
Wolinski, Matt Wood
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I am often (like, really often) guilty of letting
my phone ruin a good ride. When such a
small and fragile device harnesses so much
information and amusement, it is easy to be
distracted.
Maybe I should post a story? Should I
take a photo? Check my email? See if
someone has sent me a message on
Messenger. Maybe even a message
request? What Instagram profile am I
logged in on right now – and should I check
my altitude app to find out the boiling
temperature of water for where I am right
now? I wonder if Training Peaks has
updated my CTL from the first short ride
today? Is it going to rain?
This probably isn’t too far off what you
might experience as well. Whether you
constantly check your phone, or maybe a
riding buddy does.
Our visit to Tasmania for one of the main
stories in this issue was about 8 days of
using my phone a lot. But not continually.
Working with Tim Bardsley-Smith for over a
week is tiring – because Tim doesn’t stop
working. So I didn’t either. But there were
times on the trail, maybe not every day,
where we agreed we had the photos we
needed. I’d banked the stories, shared the
stoke and replied to emails. It was time to
just ride. Put the phone away, remove
distractions and enjoy the moment.Now Ryan Walsch’s story from Trans
Provence is in a way chasing a similar idea.
Just ride. Trans Provence was a multi-day
event where every stage is ridden blind, and
you are going to work hard to get to the
start of each stage, every day. The images
tell the story as much as Ryan does, and
without wanting to sound naff this event
looked to be mountain biking at its purest.
I read through the story and scanned
through hundreds of images thinking back
to my own trips to the Maritime Alps, and
half of those trips were before I had a smart
phone or a GPS computer. I’d look at a map,
make some notes, put food in a small bag
or pockets and just ride. Sometimes I
misjudged things and was back after dark.
Sometimes I had to climb electric fences.
Sometimes I rode off the edge of the map I
had. But even 10 years or more on I have
vivid memories, even if the digital records
are scant.
We are coming into the warmer months,
when many of us get to rack up more saddle
time. Why not make the most of it, store
your phone for emergencies and experience
what is happening around you. Listen to the
sounds of the dirt beneath your tyres, your
ragged breathing and native bird song. See
the colours of the Australian bush through
your personal wide angle lenses. Get out
and ride analogue!Put your phone
down and ride
WORDS: MIKE BLEWITT PHOTO: TIM BARDSLEY-SMITHEDITORIAL