September 16-18, 2025 — Begin Again, Days 55-57. Mimizan Plage to Bayonne, France
Just like in life,
on a bike journey —
which I’ve often argued,
even in a single day,
can feel like a slice of a decade from a human lifetime —
hardship and beauty exist side by side.
After days of challenging weather,
perhaps compounded by a mechanical issue,
when patience begins to wear thin
and you start to question your resolve,
the return of sunlight feels like a revelation.
When the wind goes still,
and the landscape opens —
whether it’s stunningly gorgeous
or simply ordinary —
your senses are prepared to absorb it
with extraordinary amplification.
So after riding in the rain and wind for two days
before I reached the Bay of Biscay
for the first time in my life —
where this video begins —
and discovered the beaches there,
I was overwhelmed with gratitude.
The waves were so long
they seemed to stretch to another country
before finally collapsing onto the shore.
I explored that coastline as best I could,
though bicycles and sand
are companions that should not meet too often.
But I stayed long enough
to take it in —
the sound, the light, the peace —
before continuing on my way,
toward the next experience,
and the next horizon,
mostly on the EuroVelo 1,
a celebrated cycle path in this part of France,
all the way to Bayonne,
where I settled in to explore the town
and otherwise rest and work for three nights.
[Music] Just like in life on a bike journey which I’ve often argued even in a single day can feel like a slice of a decade from a human lifetime. Hardship and beauty exist side by side. After days of challenging weather, perhaps compounded by a mechanical issue, when patience begins to wear thin and you start to question your resolve, the return of sunlight feels like a revelation. When the wind goes still and the landscape opens, whether it’s stunningly gorgeous or simply ordinary, your senses are prepared to absorb it with extraordinary amplification. So, after riding in the rain and wind for 2 days before I reached the Bay of Bisque for the first time in my life, where this video begins, and discovered the beaches there, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. The waves were so long they seemed to stretch to another country before finally collapsing onto the shore. I explored that coastline as best I could, though bicycles and sand are companions that should not meet too often. But I stayed long enough to take it in. the sounds, the light, the peace before continuing on my way toward the next experience in the next horizon, mostly on the Eurovel one, the celebrated cycle path in this part of France, all the way to Bion, where I settled in to explore the town and otherwise rest and work for three nights. [Music]