As you know the HS2 line is disputed for several reasons. Many of my friends are quite opposed to it and I wanted to see with my own eyes where the tracks would cross our lovely land. Starting just after midnight was amazing. Leaving London you could see the road get quieter and though already awake for 18+ hours you knew it would be a good night with Pharrell Williams cheering in your left-earpiece. With pedal strokes slowly bringing you further away from home you could start to see the first red of the morning sun appear on the horizon at about 2am. While the morning progressed a balance on slowly started to form on the bike, breathing in breathing out in harmony with pedal strokes and occasionally sitting up to make your butt last the hours that still await. The silence and peacefulness was exactly what you need after a busy first week back in the office from furlough. But it’s not all peace and calm. So much fun is to be had shooting down a hill, into the black your torch doesn’t illuminate. Most of the time all you find is smooth tarmac, assisting your easy descent and keeping up your average speed. Other times a little surprise lurks around the corner. A smooth road suddenly makes a sharp right, crosses a bridge and the easygoing surface is replaced by gravel and potholes. But nothing to worry, you were paying attention. Despite the early morning red, any chance of a sunrise to warm your cold hands is crushed when the sky came down to hide the landscape in mythical clouds. Nothing could have been more fitting for the rolling hills and small groups of friendly trees scattered along the road. Even with the sun out of sight the birds knew the day was coming. In small patches of wood you are greeted with cheerful songs of its feathered inhabitants. And when the sounds fade you realise the trees have become further and far between. The sight of trees in the distance excites you for the next melodies that will please your ear. Sightings of a fox and two roe deer, like you enjoying the morning calm, make you appreciate how much more in common you sometimes have with the animals living around you. Hearing nothing, seeing no-one. It was much more enjoyable than you expected. When the sun does finally appear the warmth relaxes your muscles. You can feel you are tired and with more traffic around you have to pay attention too. Arriving in Birmingham you are surprised by a group of protesters from Extinction Rebellion, walking the length of HS2, going through ancient woodlands, to raise awareness for the damage that will be done. They are right. Your friends are right. Maybe it is better to leave things. Allow for quiet and peace. You can take 30 minutes longer from London to Birmingham. And it’s only 8 hours one way. Why not do yourself the pleasure of a cycle through mesmerising English countryside and connecting with everything you find along the way.