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By BRENDA There’s something sacred about movement — any movement that sets your body in motion.
Be it dancing, hiking, running, walking or cyclinggg.
And in my experience, when it comes to cycling, it’s about the rhythm of tires and pedal strokes, the wind brushing your face, and the steady heartbeat that keeps time with the turning wheels.
I didn’t expect cycling to change my life.
I certainly didn’t expect it to become a form of healing.
But somewhere between the uphill climbs and the open roads, it shifted something in me.
It brought clarity, joy, and a new understanding of what wellness truly means.
In this blog, I will be sharing my journey of how cycling changed my perspective on wellness.
The Beginning: Just a Means
I began road cycling during COVID — this was in my home city Kampala.
When COVID was announced as a global pandemic in 2020, cycling was the only efficient way I could get anywhere I needed to be within the boundaries of Kampala.
The more I biked, the more I enjoyed doing it and the more corners I hit while in the city.
What began as a practical form of exercise and transport soon became something much more: a ritual.
A kind of meditation in motion.
With every ride, I felt a layer of stress peel away — especially after work.
The deeper I leaned into the journey, the more I realized that cycling wasn’t just physical activity — it was a mirror.
It reflected my resilience, my breath, my ability to push forward even when things got hard — especially as the terrains got hilly.
Pedaling with Purpose: Cycling Abroad
While cycling in Kampala began as a necessity that evolved into a healing ritual, my travels abroad introduced me to a new kind of purpose — one that extended beyond personal wellness into community, learning, and exploration.
I rode with purpose — joining cycling events like Velosano and cycling with the Ulman Foundation to support cancer research.
These rides connected movement with meaning, turning each mile into a statement of hope and solidarity.
In Europe, cycling became a gateway to exploration and connection.
I joined locals and fellow travelers in Barcelona, Naples, London and Girona, discovering cobbled streets, winding paths, and coastal views from the seat of a bike.
Each ride became a journey — not just through unfamiliar cities, but through shared laughter, stories, and a sense of wonder that came with moving freely in a new place.
Commuting by bike while abroad also taught me about traffic systems, road cultures, and how cities treat cyclists.
These experiences expanded my understanding of cycling — from a personal ritual to a way of engaging with the world, learning, and giving back.
The Ride Within: Mental and Emotional Renewal
There’s a kind of mindfulness that comes with riding — when you’re fully present with your body, your breath, and the environment around you.
Cycling taught me how to be in the moment.
It offered me a safe space to process my thoughts and emotions without judgment.
Long rides gave me time to reflect.
Rides in nature offered a space to meditate on life.
The challenges on the road — steep hills, unexpected weather, flat tires — mirrored the challenges in life.
And the way I faced them changed.
I learned to pace myself.
I learned that it’s okay to stop, breathe, and continue when ready.
I learned that movement, even slow movement, is still progress.
Wellness Reimagined: More Than Physical Health
Wellness, I realised, isn’t just about green smoothies, gym schedules, or tracking sleep.
Don’t get me wrong, it is important to regularly workout and eat healthy plus get enough sleep.
But from what I have learnt, TRUE wellness is about YOU.
It’s about being in tune with what your body, heart and mind need.
For me, cycling opened that dialogue.
It reminded me that wellness includes joy, exploration, solitude, and connection to nature.
Every ride connected me with the world in ways I had forgotten to appreciate—the golden light filtering through trees, the chatter of birds, the kindness of strangers on the road.
On days where fellow roadusers were not exactly nice, it reminded me to always be ready for the unexpected.
Those simple moments nourished me just as much as the physical benefits of cycling ever could.
Moving Forward
Cycling didn’t just help me heal — it reshaped how I define health, success, and purpose.
It taught me that healing is not always linear, and growth doesn’t always look like grand leaps.
Sometimes, it looks like one pedal stroke after another, finding rhythm in the mess, and breathing in deeply along the way.
To anyone navigating stress, burnout, or uncertainty: find your movement.
It may not be cycling, but whatever it is, let it lead you back to yourself.