Mission Accomplished

Date: Aug 17th, 2024

Weather: Sunny

Distance: 22 KM

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I sometimes picture my life as an action thriller, one of those summer blockbusters that people always talk about on the first of the new school year.

I consider myself a low-key fan of the Mission Impossible series. In all of the films, there is this one iconic quote:

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it......"

Maybe it's that extreme sense of honour and duty demonstrated by the group of protagonists, or perhaps it's that drive to push one's capacity to its limit and to endure the unimaginable. Whatever it is, it motivates me to seek out similar adventures in life.

I always planned on finishing my 50 km at the Pacific Spirit Regional Park. The maze-like trails and green forest are all too familiar. I usually go on a stroll during my lunch break there.

I made the plan to cover the trails that were too long for me to cover during my break time. I mean, with a hybrid bike, it shouldn't be that big of a deal right?

Oh boy was I naive?

If you look at the map of the Pacific Spirit Park, you will find creeks flowing southwards. That means the park is not set on flat land. Thanks to gravity, water flows from high to low. And if we were to do a round of the park, that means we would eventually encounter these uphills.

And uphill we rode, just like at the many previous uphill battles, I found myself out of breath again. But those fast downhill tracks put that excitement back into me.

At one point, I thought about how much support and encouragement I have received ever since embarking on this challenge and how fortunate I have been able to participate in the challenge.

But most of the time, I tried to stay focused. Tricky courses, crowded trails, and rough terrain all demanded my full awareness. Not to mention maintaining a constant breath to keep my heart pumping blood and send oxygen to my brain.

20 KM and 2 and a half hours later, I returned to the parking lot exhausted. But a sense of triumph slowly took over my heart.

"Mission Accomplished." I celebrated quietly.

Chasing Phantom

Date: Aug 3rd, 2024

Weather: Sunny

Distance: 32 KM

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I used to play this racing game on my PSP.

In it, there is a challenge mode where you can race through any map, and try to beat the course as fast as possible. To make the challenge fun, the game developer puts in this ghostly silhouette, a transparent phantom race car, to represent the record holder.

That way, you don't have to keep checking the timer, all you need to do is catch up with this phantom.

Today, when I was riding my first official cycling challenge, I saw a phantom as well.

Wait, a phantom in the broad daylight? Hard to imagine right?

Let me explain.

My uncle taught me how to ride a bike when I was 10. It gave me the freedom I always wanted. Ok, in retrospect, riding to school and back isn't that big of a deal, but hey I was only 10, and that unsupervised 20 minutes meant the world to me.

That 10-year-old me is so fearless and curious, he explored everywhere with his bike, probably crushed it a few times, and punctured the tires once or twice.

Oh, I used to worry so much when asking my parents to help me fix the bike. I thought I would never hear the end of it.

Well, guess what? One of the perks of getting old is you have new things to worry about.

But still, there is this one brave thing he did 20 years ago on his green bike. And I owe him big times. Without him, I could never be here today, riding along the Fraser River.

Riding through the farmlands along the river this morning, it reminded me so much of my childhood home in southern Taiwan. And so it makes sense for me to find myself chasing a phantom in the form of a 10-year-old boy.

I could picture him. He got a head start. His silhouette was so vivid, so full of energy. I know he could take on any challenge, and finish anything he puts his mind to. And I want to be with him forever.

I guess "phantom" has a darker tone to it, I think "spirit" is probably a better word. It sounds more mythical, magical, and friendly.

"Hey, young spirit, thank you for showing me the way. I promise I will never lose you again. Now, let's ride together, to a place we both want to go." This is what I will say when I finally catch up to him.

After all, he is me, and I am him.

We might not know where we are going next, but it's going to be fine, as long as we are together.

Gravity

Date: July 28th, 2024

Weather: Sunny

Distance: 8.77 KM

Living is heavy. That weight makes the gravitational pull irresistible. Its uncalculatable mass makes it valuable, and sometimes even burdening. But it is that solid gravity that keeps any of us grounded. It allows us to build a strong foundation and establish something extraordinary.

Where am I going with this metaphor?

I am not talking about physics. I mean, how does one weigh one's soul and heart?

This ride at the Tynehead Regional Park is our final practice ride before the challenge officially begins. The course consists of segments of small inclines and steep downhills. There gravity worked its magic.

What goes up, must come down. While we enjoyed going downhill and reaching 26 km/h, we also struggled rolling uphill and suddenly realized that even the joggers could run past us at ease.

The Law of Conservation of Energy, I guess.

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I dedicate this ride to my friend Yekoms. I hope it gets better from here.

Sun Kissed

Date: July 13th, 2024

Weather: Sunny

Distance: 20.60 KM

My right cheek got sunburned.

I felt it during my final stretch on my 3rd practice ride. 2 km from where we started, where we parked the truck. Not sure what is different about this ride and the one before, but we went longer, and less exhausted. 20 km along the Pitt River, sharing the trail with geese, ducks, and other wild birds.

Anyway, back to the sunburn. Euphoria kicks in when one is at the peak of exhaustion. At that moment, the word "sun-kissed" came to me. Blessed by nature, I feel whatever lies ahead of my journey will be something of a lifetime.