#northcardifftrails #emtblife #magicshine
It’s the return to well-known paths and trails after a day doing work that motivates me to keep going. I’ve had moments of doubt over the years. The golf clubs in the garage are gathering dust and growing cobwebs, beckoning me to smash a white ball around on the weekend. Why, you may ask? It’s the aches and pains of arthritis in various joints, from my feet to my hands, to my ribs, to my hips. A reminder of ageing. Ten years ago, I was nearing fifty years old, but honestly, I never felt fitter, even compared to my twenty-year-old self. Ok, that’s pushing it, maybe my thirty-year-old self. At age twenty, I was running up steep hills. At thirty, I was still running but more of a sensible plod. In 2014, I rode 60 km with 1900m of elevation gain of the Dyfi Enduro and did two more 50 km rides in the same week, and felt only a mild sensation of tiredness. That was riding a manual mountain bike, too.
Now, I ride three times a week on my eMTB. Enthusiasm is still of a very high order, assisted by the motor (chuckles), and I have learned to accommodate the pains after the rides with various ointments and hot showers, the latter being my favourite.
It doesn’t come to us all; these are the pains that come, usually when older, and in my case, slowly, one joint at a time, although I have flare-ups in different areas at a time or maybe some in tandem. Today, as I write, my right shoulder, the left sole of my foot, and my right hand middle finger are painful.
However, when I’m riding, I forget it and enjoy being outdoors.
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