A mid-week ride, an unexpected challenge, and a lesson about what happens when you stop choosing the comfortable group. Part of the Lessons from the Peloton series.

If I’d focused on personal bests, I’d have called it a failure. But this 200km group ride wasn’t about speed—it was about getting everyone there, together.

A weekend bikepacking trip — and an unexpected trail-side bike pump — got me thinking: what do we leave behind that might help the next person along the way?