"It made a lot of people wonder: What did you listen to all day long? "Was it mostly music, or more like audiobooks, podcasts?" asked a friend of mine when we went for a drink at a bar after I got back home. "What was on your playlist?" "Nothing," I said. She frowned slightly, as if she'd misheard me. "What do you mean, 'nothing?'" "I mean, nothing. I don't listen to anything when I ride," I replied. "I don't even wear earbuds.""
"Nearly everyone, upon learning that I'd rawdogged a 4,150-mile cross-country cycling trip, looked utterly dumbstruck-bereft, almost. I began to realize that while most people think it's pretty daunting to cycle the entire U.S.A., they can vaguely imagine what it would be like as a physical challenge: Daunting, sure, but you just put your butt in the saddle and keep going, and you'll get there. They don't want to do that epic, exhausting ride, but they can comprehend it."
A cyclist rode 4,150 miles across the United States, averaging six to nine hours in the saddle daily for almost three months. The cyclist chose not to listen to music, audiobooks, podcasts, or wear earbuds while riding, preferring near-silence. Many people reacted with disbelief and astonishment at the idea of avoiding media all day, even though they could imagine the physical demands of long-distance cycling. The silence during rides proved rewarding and not anti-technology; the cyclist still used a phone for navigation and weather alerts, including tornado warnings.
Read at Fast Company
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