I’ve often said that you don’t need to use a Garmin or to Strava your rides. Cycling doesn’t always have to be a race. I was once a racer, leaving me with a hangup. I can’t ride with a computer or upload data on rides without checking my numbers.

It gets in the way of enjoyment. I can’t help but compare myself to the old me, which sometimes leads to just feeling crap. I would always record rides, convincing myself that I could remember them for posterity by doing this. I would stare at the numbers. The numbers don’t let you remember a ride; all you remember is being annoyed when your speed/heart-rate/power was not what it should have been.

I started to take photos on rides. Photos really let you remember, and they also give you a chance to stop and enjoy the world. You also end up riding slower, heaven forbid, so that you can see more and generally enjoy nature.

I’ve now started taking videos on my rides. It’s fun, and as I mentioned in a previous blog, it gives you an excuse to ride little sections that you enjoyed. I started to put these videos on Instagram. They aren’t the best, they aren’t the most amazing, but it is the most fun I’ve had in ages. If it upsets folks on the ‘Gram, well, no one is making them follow or watch me.

Now, I’m starting to collate them on YouTube. Again, no real reason for doing so other than it makes my daughter happy, and that, in turn, makes me happy. If you want, feel free to watch.