Hello, cycling enthusiasts.
I don't recall if I've posted here before, but today I wanted to share with you something more than just photos; I want to share a feeling, a moment I treasure.
Back in 2023, a very special friend was preparing to emigrate. Before he left, we decided that the best farewell; the only one that truly represented us, would be on two wheels. Our plan was simple, almost minimalist: 40 kilometers out and 40 kilometers back along the Autopista a Pinar del Río. There was no tourist destination, no spectacular viewpoint as a goal. The objective was the journey itself; the act of riding, of talking while pedaling, of sharing that complicit silence between effort and landscape.
It was, without a doubt, the healthiest and deepest way to connect. Because something magical happens on a bicycle: your problems are left behind, not because they disappear, but because for a few hours your world shrinks to the rhythm of your breathing, the hum of the tires on the asphalt, and the horizon line calling you. You are free in that time bubble where only you, the wind (whether with you or against you, it doesn't matter), the weather, and the road exist. It's therapy on wheels.
And this brings us to the photos. I always go out for rides, but I almost never stop to take pictures. I become so immersed in that freedom, that documenting it feels like an interruption. However, on this special ride, I felt the need to capture at least a fragment, a glimpse of that feeling.
A detail for the curious: all the photos you see were taken with my iPhone 11 and edited right there, on the phone. There's no professional gear or complex processing. I think that reflects the essence of the moment well: spontaneous, real, and done with what I had on hand to try and convey the calm and the light of that day.
These images are, therefore, an attempt to translate the intangible. They're not just a record of a route, but a homemade, sincere, visual tribute to the friendship and freedom we felt.
I promise to try to get better at this, at more often capturing not just the landscapes, but the essence of these moments, so I can share with you, from time to time, a little piece of these rides that are, more than exercise, a vital part of my life.
Greetings to all, and keep pedaling. Because every kilometer lived like this is a kilometer gained for the soul.
