Operation Flinders Mountain Bike Challenge 2019

Throughout the 4 days of the Operation Flinders Mountain Bike Challenge a recurring theme in my thoughts was the relativity of time. From the moment we left the terminal at Adelaide Airport on the Friday morning until we arrived back there on Monday night, we were all completely off the grid. We had no phone or internet connection. Our only form of connection to the rest of the world was a CB Radio, used for location updates to the command centre (and in case of emergency).

It was amazing how slow time passed over those four days. Our days in Yankaninna Station were spent like this: Wake up in our swag; ensure the fire was started and maintained; eat breakfast; tidy up; get dressed to ride; ride from camp A to camp B; arrive at camp B; get changed; eat, drink and chat around the fire; go to sleep under stars; repeat. It was a beautifully simple existence.

Through the days as we rode through stunning terrain we could either quietly enjoy the natural beauty of our surrounds, or chat with our fellow riders. There was plenty of time for each. Most of the participants were strangers to one-another prior to the event. There were a few small groups, but most people only really knew 3 to 4 of the 15+ people that were there for the event. By the end of the fourth day we had united into a real team. We had gotten to know each other well through sharing intimate thoughts and feelings- when you have nothing to do but travel from point to point, then eat, drink and stay warm you have a lot of time to build relationships. And some of the conversations that I had with people who were strangers only a few days ago, I haven’t ever had with long-time friends or even family. When we first met at Adelaide Airport on the Friday there were polite handshakes to introduce ourselves. As we said goodbye on Monday night, there were hugs all round. It was a deeply satisfying trip. I felt relaxed, replenished, rejuvenated.

So what did I learn from this?

I think it is fair to say that most people in our society can relate to this feeling that time is accelerating. That days, weeks, months, even years are careering out of control. Where did the first half of 2019 go? Why is this? Why can 6 months disappear almost in the blink of an eye, yet four days seem like an eternity? Feeling like the to-do list is always longer than manageable and lengthening by two tasks for every one one that we tick-off feels futile and it makes sense that we would feel constantly under pressure. This kind of life is exhausting. At Yankaninna Station we had no choice than to completely disconnect from the rest of the world- but it seems like the pervasive feeling in our society is that we have no choice than to stay permanently connected at all other times. Do we though?

 

 

What can you do?

What would happen if you switched your phone off before dinner and didn’t switch it on again until the next morning after breakfast. What if you switched off wi-fi and data-roaming on Friday when you leave the office and used your phone just to make and receive calls and texts from your family and ‘real’ friends. If you were able to do this, what might this do to your perception of time, and pressure? If you couldn’t burn up time mindlessly scrolling through social media pages what might you notice about the world immediately around you? What conversations would you have with your people if your mind wasn’t frequently distracted by alerts from your phone?

No matter how busy you are, you have the ability to find a bit  of sanctuary even just for 10 minutes a day by switching off the phone and quietly taking in your surrounds. You can choose to disconnect from the web and completely be with the people you are with. The world will keep turning, it might just seem like it turns a little slower.

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