Chasing Peaks. Enduring Troughs. 1.8
Chasing peaks | Enduring troughs
At time of writing, it’s nearly four weeks post completion of the race. I still feel some of the aftereffects of my adventure. Whilst the sheer exhaustion linked to back to back physical exhaustion has subsided, I still lack the ability or motivation for any intensity beyond a steady-state run or ride.
And whilst content with completing what was a near six month specific project, unlike training for a marathon, I sincerely doubt I will reap any physiological training benefits like the aforementioned might. And so here that lies the question as to why?
First, what is the why, my why behind cycling? Why would a cyclist consider sitting on a turbo on a sunny summers day. Why might a cyclist turn down a ride with friends and opt to spend hours doing hill reps on their own. Why would a cyclist continue a track session in the pouring winter rain?
One explanation that resonates is ‘unattainable mastery’. Cycling and endurance sport in general are infinitely variable. There’s no perfect race - conditions, weather, body and mind are always changing. There’s always someone faster or stronger. Even personal bests eventually fade with age. And because perfection is impossible, the athlete is drawn into a cycle of chasing, refining and testing again. The ‘end’ is always just out of reach in what is an Infinite Game (Carse, 1986).
Maybe it’s the chase, not the race. Nietzsche and later sport philosophers note that humans are drawn to ‘becoming’ rather than ‘being’ Sport is not valuable because it achieves a final state. Sport is valuable because it embodies the process of striving, testing, overcoming limits and continual transformation. If like me, it’s the training itself that you enjoy, maybe this resonates. You never really arrive because as soon as you hit one target, there’s another one to chase.
Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan) suggests competence is never fully satisfied - there is always more distance to cover, more speed to gain, more efficiency to unlock. This endless gap between ‘where I am’ and ‘where I could be’ fuels ongoing engagement and sometimes compulsion.
And Flow State Theory (Csikszentmihalyi) explored above argues that if total mastery was possible, it would actually end flow. Cycling resists mastery, keeping flow addictive.
Polarity itself is essential to glean ever more heightened experiences within the infinite context that is cycling. And it’s the ability to ever stretch or manipulate the tension between these poles that delivers the transcendent experience that is ever and ever more compelling. Without the deepest of troughs, the peaks would not nearly be so high. And so we endure troughs in the chase for peaks.
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Basajaun is a 878km, 17,928m 70% off road gravel race run by Transiberica Ultra Cycling.
I completed the 2025 edition that started on 27 July, finishing 77th out of 354 riders in four days, 11 hours and 30 minutes. You can see more of the event on Instagram @Keenetic.Fit and Strava james_keen
Photography is a mixture of my own and @transiberica_club