Riding with Purpose

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By Michael Barry

Filling or killing time we scroll, read, or flick through  details and photos or others’ feats and triumphs, or even weekend rides. For many, the sense of achievement they get from an activity is now rooted in the traction they receive online, as egos are fed by the likes and shares. Focusing on achievement, and status, can take away from mindfulness, where we are immersed in the effort, the environment, and our riding partners. With our noses on a bicycle computer, and our minds on the finish line, or even focussed on what will be shared online, we can easily cloud the truest qualities a ride can provide; joy and the lasting moments and memories are developed in the process, the experiences, not the end result. Perhaps, that joy is found in the conversation with a new friend, perhaps it is felt when you catch the eye of a deer before it scurries into the woods, or perhaps it is in feeling fluid with the bike as you fly along a trail. 

Once unique and inspiring, there is now an endless online stream of cyclists achieving records, riding across dusty mountain roads, or carrying their bikes over rivers. No longer the story of a carpenter or office worker on a journey of self discovery, the riders are often salaried and supported by sponsors and the achievements a box ticked on a season long list. Despite the commercial aspect, in each of those rides, there is surely a story rich enough to tell but it likely isn’t about the performance, or the rider, but the environment and those who are encountered. The story can be lost when the focus is the product and solely the rider. 

Over a decade ago, the Morton brothers, Angus and Lachlan, made a film titled Thereabouts, which documented their personal journey across Australia by bike. Both bike racers, the story was about their relationship with each other, their childhood dreams, contemplating what they loved and loathed about their jobs as professional cyclists, and the realities of adulthood—something every human can identify and empathize with, regardless of whether or not they have ridden a bicycle. They stripped away their racing gear and wore casual clothes—whether a conscious decision or not, to me, it symbolized their struggle with the constraints of a career in cycling and the often cultural constraints of what a cyclist should wear or how they should ride, which can be divisive and alienating. The bicycle is the vehicle that should bring us together, calm our thoughts, and help us find meaning regardless of who we are, what we ride or how we look. 

Human achievement, when viewed through the lens of greater purpose, takes on a different significance. Rather than being about external validation, true purpose comes from within—it is about engaging in what fulfills us intrinsically. Recently, Yale professor, Dr. Laurie Santos interviewed guest Jordan Grumet, author of The Purpose Code, on her podcast, the Happiness Lab. He emphasized that finding joy and happiness  aren’t necessarily tied to extraordinary feats or large-scale accomplishments but can be found in the small things we see and feel in everyday moments. A sense of purpose is discovered in the process, not the accolades. 

Process and purpose are equally important to developing a holistic training program for an athlete in which they can also maximise potential. To enrich training and, to improve a program’s efficacy, the athlete should have direct input, understanding and oversight of the coach’s program. Having ownership of training allows the rider not only to understand the process but also gives perspective and agency to confidently adapt the training if needed, ultimately improving both the athlete’s mental outlook and physical strength. 

On the bike, it’s not the KOMs or the epic adventures that define purpose but the personal journey—how the ride makes us feel, the people we meet, and the landscapes we traverse. The Morton brothers’ journey in Thereabouts reflects this; their ride was a quest for something beyond competition, beyond sponsorships, and beyond social media validation. It was about connection—to each other, to the land, and to cycling itself.

In a world obsessed with measuring success through external validation, we must reclaim the intrinsic joy of our pursuits. In a recent study by Holly Anne Passmore at Concordia the University of Edmonton, it was learned that the simple act of noticing three things in the natural environment will improve well being. Even if we feel terrible on the bike, we aren’t achieving our targeted interval zones, or we are simply struggling to make it over the climb, just noticing what’s around us can flip our mindset from negative to positive. 

Whether on a bike, in a career, or in daily life, true fulfillment comes not from chasing accolades but from immersing ourselves in experiences that enrich our lives. By shifting our focus from achievement to meaning, we rediscover the simple, profound joy of the journey itself.

 

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