Cycling as a Lifestyle!

Let me start by saying that without many of us realizing it, the choices we make for such things are probably subtly derived from emotions and a very private life!

(I’ll also say right here that in the article I hope you take the time to read, you might feel at any moment how disorganized it’s written! Well, this very point emphasizes how lost I might have felt and was trying to convey that feeling.)

What does that mean? It means that, for example, I chose cycling/mountain climbing when I felt emotionally very vulnerable, and with this method, I kept myself away from certain things… Of course, I’m not saying I was a good kid; I did a lot of things, but later I realized that those things were ridiculous to me, and this activity has become a lifestyle for me!

It’s worth mentioning that it’s not all roses and beauty… but its beauty lies in its simplicity!

I want to be more straightforward… Initially, this was just a way for me to calm down and decompress, and cyclists know that when you have music in your ears and you’re riding through traffic on the street or, conversely, down a completely quiet tree-lined street, it’s very enjoyable, especially if it’s nighttime! For someone like me who stays up at night playing games, watching series, and listening to music, cycling in the city is also enjoyable :) It sounds very fantasy and rosy, right?! Well, the other side is when you’re so depressed and feeling bad that you’re just watching the cars and people, and the only thing you think about is what these people’s goals are and how life can be so pointless!!

Now I’ll say that there were times in my life when I was brooding over family arguments and such, which all the young people my age were having (I’m generally someone who internalizes things), and well, this situation was very annoying… But when I tried to calm myself with deep breaths (and possibly at that moment, my anger could have erupted at any second, which happened a few times and disturbed the peace in a way that I would surely regret later), at such times, after deep breaths, I quickly get to my bike and play a metal song (probably from Evanescence) and 60 seconds later, the previous event seems ridiculous…

However, there have been a few times when I pedaled so furiously that after 2–3 minutes, I felt so weak that I quickly got a headache and my heart was pounding out of my chest! Anyway, I’ve always been this way and I know I will be (although there have been a few times when I nearly got hit by a car!)

That’s enough introduction!

You might think the above is a heart-to-heart, but I wanted to say that from the outside, many things may not be as they seem :) From here, I want to share my experiences with you and that’s it :)

Well, I’ve cycled from my house towards Chitgar a few times (exactly 19 kilometers one way) which makes it 38 kilometers round trip… I’ll leave it at that!

I had mentioned earlier that I was vulnerable! Well, to prove myself more, I chose a path in the summer, and that was the steep roads of Vardij village! For someone who is not a very experienced cyclist and had previously gone there by car in the spring and seen its good weather :)

But this time everything was different from before! (I had pedaled about 26 kilometers to get to the bottom of the path!) And instead of arriving at a dry and warm place, I ran out of water! (Of course, if you go up a bit, there’s a restaurant where you can buy other things too) However, this road with its steep slope has very poor asphalt for a cyclist, and well, I reached the place I wanted, the village of Vardij, after about 5 kilometers of uphill, and since I didn’t have much water with me, I decided it was better to go back… Now, going downhill with the wind blowing, it’s very enjoyable and makes you forget the fatigue…

It didn’t take long for the speed, which was getting a bit high and required more caution on that road, to get the better of me! The front wheel fell into a hole (right in the middle of the road on a bend!) and although I braked, I lost control and hit the ground, and I got a bit injured, and my hand was a bit open. In the first few seconds when I got up, my hand was burning so much that I had let go of the bike and was limping a few steps!

I’ll digress to say that if you’re not feeling well, don’t do things like this and try to calm yourself down and make logical decisions in the heat of August D:

Anyway, I picked up the bike and came down those 5 kilometers and got myself to the bottom where I exactly got a flat tire in the underpass slope! (Oh no) Now who has the patience for this…!

Well, let me say that I’m the kind of person that, for example, if I don’t have the equipment for something, it still doesn’t prevent me from doing it… Now you understand that apart from the wound on my hand, the problem is that I can’t even fix a flat tire!

There was a corner of my mind that thought I should call and ask for help, but because there was always criticism that one doesn’t go somewhere with a bicycle and the family’s criticisms (which were even there when going to the mountains), I didn’t call and said forget it!

I got on the flat-tired bike and pedaled towards home!

When I reached a relatively better place on the road, about 18 kilometers from home, my patience ran out, and the heat was severely annoying, I called my sister, and she came with the car to pick me up…

This was probably the bitterest experience of cycling for me, but the best in terms of gaining experience… When we went home in the afternoon and went to the doctor, my hand needed five stitches, and well, it was bandaged for about two weeks, which resulted in not riding the bike and making it a bit difficult at work (because my job wasn’t very physical, it was with a computer, it wasn’t too bad, but anyway)…

Anyway, after two weeks, the day my hand bandage was removed, the first thing I did was get on the bike and pedal around the neighborhood for 5–6 kilometers!!

Now the criticisms had become a bit more intense because of what had happened, but this made me more motivated! So I went and got some tools that are necessary and even a few that might not be essential, and exactly two weeks later, one morning at 7:30, I left the house (without telling anyone) and headed for Karaj Dam!

(From our house to Karaj Dam is exactly 57 kilometers, and the longest route I had gone before was Chitgar, which is 40 kilometers with the return. Well, this time up to Karaj, which is about 30 kilometers, there was nothing special, just the road and music! And this time, I was very cautious!

Well, the first sign for Chalus Road that comes up is when the real journey begins and the tiring uphills! I continued my route, and when the road started with heavy traffic at the beginning of the road and the extraordinary coolness of the air and EDM music, it was completely enjoyable for me, and in short, I got so energized that I went about 10 kilometers… After the Haft Cheshmeh area, about 7 kilometers left to Karaj Dam in an area called Khozenka, there’s a winding road with a heavy slope, and I was there at 1 PM, I went up and got severely tired and was still struggling when the earphone in my ear said 50 Kilometers, it seemed like this voice was saying that’s enough for now! It had never happened this much before, and it’s better to go back!

(By the way, I should also say that on Chalus Road, I saw a total of 8 cyclists other than myself, which was very pleasing)

Well, right there in the middle of the road, I turned the handlebars and made a U-turn :) I went to one of the supermarkets on the side of the road and bought water, lavashak, and cookies! (Everyone goes north and buys souvenirs, well, the truth is I last went 14 years ago, and the fact that I came 1/4 of the way by bike was a big success for me)

Of course, one day if I have more equipment and still have the strength, I’ll go the whole route!

Anyway… I stood by the river and ate lunch and rested in the cool and pleasant air! Then I set off and enjoyed the downhills of the road without pedaling and the wind blowing :) (this time with low speed and a lot of caution) and well, nothing happened, and I came down the path very comfortably…

Again, after about 20 kilometers, I had gone about 75 kilometers and was severely tired and just wanted to close my eyes and open them at home… I stopped at the stalls and drank tea, which really reduces fatigue.

Let me say something here that in cycling, the length of the route is not important, the route itself is important, and for example, the Shahriar-Karaj road is literally a desert and makes one very tired.

I had another 15 kilometers to home, and sometimes when I stopped, my hands and feet would shake involuntarily!! And the hardest part of my trip was the last 10 kilometers because I was involuntarily counting down the moments to get home…

Anyway, when I got home and sat down for a bit, I got a bit dizzy, which went away after 1 minute, and I was very happy that I had pedaled 100 kilometers :)

The image below is the statistical picture… Let’s continue a bit more and finish the writing :)

Cycling 100km

Although after a while, taking pictures (whether in the mountains or cycling) was no longer important to me, and I even deleted my Instagram account… Because when a person becomes too dependent on sharing, the goal becomes to go somewhere and take a picture! It’s no longer enjoyable, which is why I usually take very few pictures for keepsake wherever I go and try to enjoy more…

It’s been a long time since I’ve counted kilometers…

But sharing has a very good advantage; it encourages people who are interested in doing such activities, and secondly, we get to know such people…

Interestingly, exactly one or two weeks after this experience, my good friend Sajjad Azarbaijani suggested that we go on the same route together, and why not! My second experience with a slightly shorter route (92 kilometers) happened, and it was also very enjoyable (if you’re interested, Sajjad has written a very good text on his blog that you can read).

After that, I went on routes like the Chitgar Lake route, which is 50 kilometers round trip…

I won’t bore you, but now cycling has become a part of my personality and my lifestyle, and I’m proud of it :)

Edit: Now, nearly one or two years have passed since this story, and my life has changed a lot. I don’t even cycle anymore… (read the following posts, some limitations were created for me, and of course, quarantine and…) But if there’s a time after these, my first preference will still be mountains and travel. I will also write a piece on why this style might not be good and its dangers might not be worth it. (Although after those events passed, I chose to maintain this style!!)