Cycling and stories
November 30, 2007
Last weekend, I rode my bike on the Coastal Explorer Ride — a short section of the Great Victorian Bike Ride.
One of the things about this trip that really struck me was people’s stories, and their willingness to share them. I deliberately didn’t socialise a lot on the trip, but everyone that I did speak to seemed to have a story to tell. Perhaps I’m a little more attuned to stories because of the work that I do, but I think that it also has something to do with being away with strangers, in strange places. Telling stories is how we make connections with others.
Here is my account of just a few compelling stories that I heard (names changed to protect the identities of the storytellers):
Jill - is studying at University and is having a well deserved break after exams. She is traveling with her parents before getting married in the new year.
Jan — joined with her personal trainer on the ride as a kind of personal memorial or gift to her late husband, whom she lost five or six months ago from a brain tumor.
Jack — recently lost a finger in an accident with a power saw. He had it re-attached, but there were complications after the initial surgery. He was told later that he had died on the operating table. Following this he barely survived an embolism and pneumonia. He was now literally on the road to recovery, and planning a more challenging bike trip through Nepal next year.
John - was desperately missing his girlfriend who had recently taken a job in South America. They are going to be separated for the next six months. He also talked of his separation from his wife and having the responsibility and challenge of raising a 7 year old boy amidst the chaos of his relationships.
Jeff - had lost his wallet, including all of his money, on the night before the ride. He was heading home on the first bus that was traveling back to Melbourne. It was not because he didn’t want to ride, he just had to get back to go back to work and earn back the money he’d lost. After three days of looking for it and making all the ‘arrangements’ to cancel credit cards etc., he felt sick just talking about it.
These stories were real gifts to me. They represent people being genuine, raw and honest. They were willing to be exposed and vulnerable and above all else, immensely human.
So, inspired by the willingness of others to share their own stories, over the coming days I will be telling my own little story – from the pages of my journal, my own personal account of the ride.
