The uniqueness of mankind as a species lies in the development of consciousness, and in the organisation of consciousness into the mind. It is the mind which has permitted us to interact with and modify nature in ways that no other species does. The human mind is constantly evolving, and extending its capabilities, and from the human mind has come civilisation. But we still remain bodily creatures, still subject to nature, and the advance of civilisation has created greater and greater temptations to neglect bodily health. We may live longer and longer, but all too often the added years are spent in weakness and ill health. For me, bodily exercise and contact with nature are essential, and I learned years ago that cycling is the optimum exercise, the basis of a regime in which the passivity of daily life can be swapped for vital activity. The ancient Greeks believed in the four elements of nature – earth, air, water and fire – and you get all four when you are out cycling: you climb and descent over the surface of the earth, you breath clean fresh air, you get wet in the rain, and you get hot under the sun. You are alert to your surroundings, and your forget whatever problems are troubling you, for the mind is switched into a mode of freedom and movement. Rather like Yoga, cycling isolates the mind, and at the same time it integrates the body with the natural environment, but it does so through rhythmic movement, whereas Yoga does it through stillness; both however assign a vital role to the breath. When taken to the extremes of effort, cycling as a sport can produce supreme achievements of athleticism, and I have spent some years writing the history of competitive cycling in Britain. I see this activity as an escape from intellectual or literary writing, and cycling as exploring a whole dimension of personal physical freedom, utterly essential to a balanced life.
Pen to Paper
