Fatigue sat heavy thanks to the the weight of a few sleepless nights pressing against me. The body craved rest, but the mind knew better. The only way to get back into shape, and lose weight, is to push oneself. Some rides are not about distance or record-breaking effort. Some rides exist simply to remind the body it can move, momentum is never truly lost, and even on the most drained days, progress can still be made.
Iceland’s countryside became the backdrop for today's reminder. A place where the cold bites deep, where the air is crisp and pure, where the land stretches vast and wild. Towering cliffs rise from the earth, their jagged edges carved by time and ice. Rivers cut through the land like silver veins, their waters rushing toward the sea, untamed and relentless. The wind howls across open fields, sweeping over frozen lakes and barren volcanic rock, a force that shapes the landscape and demands resilience. The sky shifts between storm and sunlight, an endless canvas of grays and blues, each moment a reminder of nature’s power.
Though this ride exists within pixels and code, the mind does not question the illusion. The cold feels real. The emptiness stretches beyond the screen. The beauty, even in its digital form, remains undeniable.
Today's ride was short but not without purpose. I pushed higher wattage for the full twenty kilometers, demanding more from legs screaming to do far less. The cold, imagined but vivid, made the effort feel sharper, the resistance more deliberate. Each stroke carved through fatigue, each climb tested resolve. The numbers reflected the work, just shy of 130 watts on average throughout the entire ride, proof that even on weary days, strength remains.
The weekly distance goal is within reach, guaranteed by the weekend’s rides ahead. This session did not need to be long. It only needed to be enough. Enough to keep the rhythm steady, enough to keep the momentum alive, enough to remind myself the road is not about perfection. It is about persistence.
The body will recover, the energy will return, and the next ride will demand even more.
